Chapter 273: One Step 2

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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About thirty superhumans effortlessly lift and move boulders the size of compact cars with their bare hands.

The group is a mix of adventurers with strong faith and Temple Knights.

It's like having thirty pieces of walking, talking heavy machinery, more efficient than any static construction equipment because they can understand verbal commands and move on their own.

These superhumans forcefully make their way through collapsed terrain or blocked paths by using their bodies, enhanced with mana, to push forward and destroy obstacles to progress with their tasks.

"Here, can you move this thing away!"

"Should this one be completely destroyed?"

Following the stone dwarves' gestures, they wield warhammers and go bang bang bang-!

The boulder, as large as a small bus and previously obstructing the way due to a building collapse, is quickly reduced to human-head-sized pieces in just about 30 seconds.

Watching the stone dwarves carefully collect and salvage the broken pieces, something soft touches my cheek.

It was Irene, offering a tender gesture, cleaning off dust and sweat with her hands softly imbued with a hint of divine energy.

The touch is so comforting that one can't help but lean into it, much like how a dog enjoys being petted.

"Hmm thanks."

"No, I should be the one thanking you."

Irene replied, leaning in slightly to make cleaning easier, sparking a fluttering sensation in the heart.

It's a feeling entirely different from the ladies who blatantly invite me to drink late at night, only to pull me into bed, then swear me to secrecy.

Even Grace and Katie, true to their adventurous spirits, hadn't they bravely stormed my bedroom only after getting a boost of courage from alcohol?

"Hey there- Hero Squishy! Please take care of this side too!"

Anyway, there was work to be done, so after sneakily glancing at the stream, I approached the stone dwarf waving at me.

Since there was a lot of debris to clear... the volunteer date just kept going.

-Isn't the genre suddenly changing here

-This is why Korean dramas sold well in the West

-Just cutting this part out and uploading it like a web drama would be sweet

-Is that guy under the building debris really a temple knight? Looks more like a demon born in a gym

-Just slap Roland and Irene's faces on the thumbnail and you're looking at ten million views, no?

Meanwhile, Han Se-ah, currently cosplaying as a mage but in actuality was expertly controlling a camera from outside the city, capturing Irene and me without anyone knowing...

Watching our future Saint enjoy a wholesome volunteer date with me is infinitely better than sneaking peeks at intimate moments of the night.

It might be a bit childish, but it gave me a thrill to showcase this to our viewers.

Irene maintained a step closer to me than usual.

We passed by an adventurer who stopped what they were doing to do the sign of the cross, yet Irene kept her closeness to me.

Just one step closer than usual.

"So, is the Temple okay with continuing to send people inside the tower?"

"Are you worried?"

"Well, we don't have an endless supply of Temple Knights. And there are responsibilities within the kingdom to consider as well."

I mentioned the Temple amidst the slightly playful atmosphere.

Considering Irene spends her breaks volunteering or praying, this topic seemed fitting.

Honestly, I was worried.

Temple Knights aren't as common as the kingdom's knights, who just need decent sword skills and basic manners to serve various lords, from minor nobles to royals.

Temple Knights need to master divine energy, alongside swordsmanship and armored combat, making them a rare breed of elite warriors.

These knights are spread thin, stationed in the temple on the 35th floor, the pathways up to the 40th floor, the newly constructed underground cities on the 41st and 43rd floors, and the harpy Kingdom's temples.

With their numbers so limited, the kingdom's temples are inevitably left vulnerable.

"Don't worry too much. Princess Bradamante has dispatched the royal knights to support the temples. They're taking over the duties of the Temple Knights, spreading the will of the Goddess."

"Ah, there was the Princess."

"Yes, a truly devout person. Thanks to her, we can climb the tower with peace of mind."

Since there's not much else to talk about, the topic naturally shifts to the Princess.

The Princess, a 6 born Princess Knight, is seen in a favorable light by Irene, our Saint Candidate.

To me, the Princess is a newly introduced character, but to Irene, she was a beacon of unmatched faith since childhood, loved by the palace, the Temple, and the people alike.

Irene speaks of the Princess with admiration, as if part of a fan club.

Lost in the unusual conversation, Irene abruptly stops, shocked.

She had been lauding the princess for her beauty, kindness, devoutness, efficiency, and social skills, especially for her compassionate treatment of even the most neglected orphans in the Temple.

"Ah, sorry about that. I'm here having fun while Roland is doing all the hard work."

"There's no need to apologize. This isn't even strenuous enough to be considered a workout, so don't worry. See, I'm not even sweating."

Even though she felt a bit embarrassed, she shyly lowered her head as I kicked a boulder aside.

It felt like doing manual labor on a construction site on a day off, but just seeing her like this made it worth more than a day's wages.

---

Raei Translations

---

The day after our volunteer date in the ruins.

"Ugh, good morning~"

"Good morning, everyone."

Katie and Grace, now free from their hangovers, descend the stairs looking neat and greet Irene, who had risen early to prepare breakfast.

Several adventurers in the inn watched them, their eyes brightening.

They admired from a distance, unwilling to interrupt but unable to look away, their gazes fixed on our group.

Thankfully, no one was bold enough to approach us with untoward intentions, likely because they recognized who we were.

"Hey, those people over there..."

"Yeah, that's the hero party who crushed those carapace bugs. Heard the hero can conjure alchemy bombs out of nowhere."

"Shh- better keep our mouths shut. The way they hunt monsters seems pretty ruthless."

"The hero is probably only like that when dealing with monsters, right?"

Famous not only for our looks but also for a slightly different reason.

At that moment, Han Se-ah came down to the first floor of the inn with her camera, capturing the adventurers' whispered conversations at a table near the stairs.

-Just^sulfuricHydrochloricBombInventoryMinimapSystemStatusWindowTool^HanSe-ah

-Is that her only trick?

-Fact) Without a natural-born 6 tank, this kind of strategy wouldn't work.

-Hey, it's not antics. Just pure streaming entertainment

-Laughing while stuffing in bombs, it's not an act, just a different mindset from ours

"No, it's unfair! I wasn't laughing because I'm a bomb maniac. It was the thrill of taking down the boss monster with my own strategy!"

[Hydrochloric And Sulfuric Bomb Mixer donated 10,000 Won!]

If you keep this up, I might have to bring back the screenshots from the stream

[Next Gen Joke Bomb Maniac Han Se-ah donated 30,000!]

With a bit of makeup, we could make it in Hollywood.

She was visibly shocked by the hostile comments that greeted her upon logging in.

Despite how she felt from the unjust treatment, she effortlessly welcomed Katie and Grace, then joined Irene to help with cooking.

After we finished eating and left the inn, we all headed to the elevator without discussion.

The mid-boss monster dropped more mana stones and loot than we anticipated, so the Adventurer's Guild is distributing them for sale to the stone dwarves and the Magic Tower.

Now, it's time to make our way to the 44th floor.

We're accustomed to crossing the cloud barrier of the 43rd floor by now as we search for the path leading to the 44th floor.

"The collapsed mountain range should be restored by now, right?"

"It might be tight, but the path should be open. Regardless of how much it was damaged, it should be repaired around this time."

As we cross the dense cloud barrier, a familiar task now, we're greeted by a vast mountain path.

I wish we could just use a Vacuum Stone to get through to the 44th and 45th floors directly, but the complication comes from the potential quest triggers that might have set off.

Han Se-ah had thought it over while chatting with her viewers, suggesting to the group that we need to check thoroughly, albeit in a roundabout way.

Leaving the patrolling black harpies behind, we make our way back to the entrance of the 44th floor.

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