330 - Head Hunting 5

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: Posted in discord

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McDonagh Martin was a man more suited to being a knight than an adventurer or mercenary.

This judgment wasn’t from Roland the adventurer, but from a modern-day university student and military veteran’s perspective. He was big, strong, straightforward, and considerate, and he adhered to hierarchy and discipline.

Of course, this was due to his innate nature and the upbringing he received from his knight father. Being kind and knowing how to be polite were slightly different matters.

“Wow, this guy’s a gem!”

“Th-Thank you!”

Presenting James with a recruit who was beyond top-tier in military terms made his grin widen to an almost comical degree. James was likely planning to recruit McDonagh into his own family’s knight order instead of passing him along elsewhere.

Three large men, all clad in heavy armor, sitting around a table drew a lot of attention, but the discussion proceeded smoothly.

To summarize the conversation among the burly men: McDonagh Martin was contracted to assist James Sullivan in the upcoming battle on the 47th floor. McDonagh wasn’t an adventurer, and James wasn’t a knight commander, but the royal second knight order’s informal contracts with adventurers and mercenaries were quite flexible.

James gained the chance to secure a natural 5★ talent, McDonagh got an opportunity to prove himself in front of the royal knight order, Ellis strengthened her connections with the knight order by doing a favor for McDonagh, and I gathered valuable information through James’s chatter.

Thus, James’s act of involving an outsider in the royal knight order’s operations could be seen as recognizing and verifying the value of a promising talent, thereby honoring the royal family and the Goddess.

But just when it seemed the conversation had wrapped up nicely...

“I told you to just communicate through the crystal ball...! And who’s this with you?”

“C-Commander, please, let me explain!”

“Fine, explain. But do it over there.”

A huge, hairy knight commander emerged, grabbing James and McDonagh with his burly hands and dragging them away.

It was quite an unfortunate ending.

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Raei Translations

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Having cleared the 46th floor quicker and easier than expected, the royal knight order was fired up.

Adventurers might be tasked with exploring the unknown interiors of a tower and finding hidden passages, but it was the knights’ duty to build cities and root out the insolent forces within them.

If the enemy was present, and their city was known, the only thing left was to draw swords and march.

-So what was Han Se-ah doing?

-She was diligently filming with her camera~

“I’m heading to the Magic Tower. The mages called me about the elite harpy.”

Their warm smiles clearly indicated they were giving us space. Irene genuinely intended to help at the temple, as she appeared to plan on assisting the older nuns, while Han Se-ah had her camera hovering above my head.

That smile from Han Se-ah was filled with the joy of having a day’s worth of stream content handed to her on a silver platter.

This sentiment seemed to resonate with the viewers, judging by the flood of comments.

-So, she’s going to slack off on the guild table again?

-Is this a game stream or an NPC showcase?

-I'd rather watch NPC interactions than her grinding through bad horror games, so keep it up.

-Han, stop with the nonsense and move some magic books.

“Is it that obvious? But what else can you do? You can’t do anything but enjoy watching our beautiful sisters and earn streaming points.”

[Han Se-ah’s Embarrassing History donated 10,000 won!]

Keep messing around, and I’ll post your embarrassing gaming fails to Reddit.

[Se-ah’s Karma Cleanup Project donated 5,000 won!]

Remember, your rise as a global streamer doubled the number of trolls in your forums.

“――Just kidding! Oh, that sounds scary when you put it like that. I apologized within three seconds, so we’re good, right?”

Despite her viewers’ fierce threats, Han Se-ah skillfully collected donations. With her behind me, I set out for the market.

......It seemed as if a week here was like a year elsewhere, with the place developing rapidly. The underground city shopping district of the stone dwarves had transformed so much that it looked more like a mall or an outlet than a simple marketplace.

The place had evolved into a sophisticated neighborhood with café terraces, and the streets lined with shops featuring clean glass windows displaying a variety of goods.

Next to the café selling coffee and macarons was a jewelry shop with flashy accessories. Beside that was a repair shop showcasing mannequins dressed in fine armor, and a tailor displaying suits and formal wear, creating a rather chaotic mix. It looked like a case of organized chaos.

“Do you think anyone buys these formal party outfits here?”

“If they’re merchants, they’d probably sell them as exotic suits made by the tower’s various races.”

“Oh, right! There must be plenty of customers other than adventurers.”

Despite the chaos, there was much to see, and the two excited women dragged me through the bustling streets. This must be what women's shopping is like, as depicted on the internet or in stories. Suddenly, a fear struck me that I might end up wandering these streets forever without a destination, so I asked them a question.

No matter how beautiful my companions were, I had no intention of wandering around for hours looking at things we wouldn’t buy.

“So, what are we here to buy?”

“I need alchemical arrowheads. Not the ones that explode on direct impact, but those that detonate nearby, even if they have less power. Seeing harpies disrupt the arrow’s trajectory with their wingbeats made me realize I need to change my arrows.”

“I’m looking for a simple disruption artifact. If I want to leap up and strike even once, I need cover from Grace or Han Se-ah, which is inconvenient. I want something that can create a flash or a loud noise to startle enemies and create openings.”

...At least they were seriously considering their purchases.