Chapter 193: Big Guy and Little Guy 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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A man with a rigid expression decisively swings his sword, aiming unhesitatingly for my neck.
The long, two-handed sword, thrust without a second thought, targets a small gap not covered by my armor and helmet.
This fierce and precise attack is proof of his status as a senior adventurer.
The sword, emanating a blue aura, is both powerful and swift.
Despite my formidable physical strength, I doubt I can withstand such a blow unaided.
Although it might not sever my neck in one strike, it's sure to be painful.
As I quickly raise the shield in my left hand, the sword, unable to even scratch it, bounces off.
However, I can't let my guard down.
The sword, seemingly defying physical laws, curves back in a strange trajectory, aiming again for my neck.
"Damn, swordsmanship at this level is a real pain."
Unlike me, who resolves everything with brute strength and physical capabilities, this swordsman has mastered his skills to the extreme.
It's absurd to think that he, overcome by lust, fell victim to maybe a doppelgnger's infection or brainwashing.
But I'm not alone in this fight.
Before his allies can join in or before they attack Katie, I'm enveloped in a protective white aura.
Trusting in the shield to withstand the senior adventurer's strike, I charge forward.
As the sword, tracing its odd path, returns, did he not expect his sword to be abruptly stopped in mid-air?
I thrust my shield towards the stunned face of my opponent.
"Argh, kyaaak!"
"Kill him and capture the woman!"
What the hell, is this doppelgnger carrying some kind of sex-crazed virus?
Every doppelgnger I encounter seems obsessed with women, to the point where they resemble horny orcs during mating season rather than actual doppelgngers.
Given the state of the senior adventurer possessed by the doppelgnger, the reason seems obvious
These doppelgngers, not undead, but rather a type of infected being, emerged grotesquely from some sinister trees.
I recall a famous line from a drama, 'Even cancer cells are life!'
It makes sense now.
They are not undead but living monsters, carriers of viruses and bacteria like sexually transmitted diseases.
With this thought, I look at the senior adventurer's face, now flattened and teeth shattered.
"Katie, Grace! Try to capture them alive! These aren't creations of the Demon King, but the very adventurers we saw earlier!"
"Huh?! These people, they have divine marks on their forearms!"
"Then first, let's capture them and hand them over to the temple!"
The infected adventurers, undeterred by fear and driven by lust, charge at us even after their strongest, a senior adventurer, is swiftly defeated.
If I can overpower a senior adventurer in one hit, I must be beyond that level, no different from a real monster.
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Raei Translations
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The infected adventurers, who charged in with great momentum, were quickly subdued.
The one who attacked Katie, being a intermediate-level adventurer, was overwhelmed in swordsmanship and couldn't even swing his axe before his tendons were cut.
A rogue preparing an attack from behind was immobilized by an arrow to the thigh before he could move, and another, readying his arrow from further back, lost his balance and face-planted into paralyzing mud due to Han Se-ah's magic.
Handling a party of infected adventurers, rather than a horde of doppelgngers, made things easier due to their smaller number.
We only had to subdue four of them: two warriors, a rogue, and an archer.
"Whew, are they weak because they're infected? Easier than expected."
"Indeed, that guy's axe wielding was quite clumsy."
'No, it's just that our party is strong...'
It's good that we're not being overconfident, but it seems the viewers watching the battle interpreted it differently.
-They're weaker than I thought? So weak!
-Heh, it's not that I'm strong. You're. Just. Weak.
-The one above seems like an experienced player.
-Oh, really. With Katie's nickname, this sound like teenage angst.
-She's a natural 4, while her opponents had like 0 faces.
A conventional adventurer party with a senior adventurer as the vanguard and three intermediate-level adventurers supporting.
They're a skilled party capable of easily overpowering doppelgnger gangs, but once the senior adventurer was subdued, the remaining intermediate-level adventurers couldn't stand a chance against our party, who were also intermediate-level.
Apparently, the difference made by the gacha buff becomes significant at the intermediate-level and above.
At this level, battles are often decided by fine margins.
If that margin is the difference in count, then it's not just a slight edge but a substantial advantage.
"Should we tie them up with a rope?"
"We need to stop their bleeding."
"I hope the brothers at the temple can heal them. To fall into corruption over a moment of temptation...."
Thus, the adventurers were easily overpowered.
Their faces smashed, thighs and hands pierced by arrows, shoulders deeply cut, noses inhaling paralysis-inducing mud.
The intermediate-level archer adventurer face-planted into the ground first.
Maybe it wasn't that our group was strong, but that these guys had just been carried by the senior adventurer and hadn't developed their skills, just passengers on a bus?
Anyway, I tied up the subdued adventurers with rope purchased on the 35th floor and lifted them onto my shoulders, two at a time, like sacks of rice.
I did this to avoid any discomfort that might arise from our party members touching the doppelgnger-infected adventurers.
"Whew, unexpected things keep happening."
"Well, that's the nature of the tower."
"Yeah... I never thought we'd ride a golem and fight a giant worm."
"And I didn't expect that golem to destroy my family's treasure.
"Ah, haha... but at least it's a solid addition to the Northern Knights Division."
With a self-deprecating joke from Katie that the others couldn't laugh at, I led the party, carrying four bundles of adventurers, back to the 35th floor.
I really wanted to turn them into corpses and store them in the inventory, but I restrained myself since we might need them alive for research.
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Raei Translations
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Upon reaching the 35th floor with the four bundles, we were greeted by temple knights with suspicious looks.
Demonstrating my divine energy quickly filled their doubtful eyes with friendliness.
It seems divine energy is almost like a cheat key for gaining favor with the temple's forces.
Reflecting on it, the scenario must have looked dubious: someone without a holy mark overpowering adventurers who had them.
Their skepticism was inevitable.
"So, they couldn't resist temptation when faced with the creations of the Demon King..."
"We've captured them alive for research purposes."
As we handed over the four adventurers, suggesting research, a female temple knight with a sweet voice but chilling words smiled and said,
"Research? Hmm, we were actually planning to just hang them as an example."
"Excuse me?"
She proudly pointed to the gallows next to an open field, shining like new, possibly built for the band of adventurers we had captured.
"But considering they're infected by a newly emerged monster, shouldn't we study this?"
"Hmm, but Sir Roland, these aren't victims of evil magic or poison. They are mere degenerates who attempted violations merely because they found the creatures of the Demon King attractive. Even our merciful Goddess of Life might not show compassion to those with such perverse desires..."
The temple knight was ready to proceed with execution rather than treatment without any hesitation.
Her reasoning wasn't wrong, considering the worlds harsh treatment of criminals like pickpockets.
Given that the accused are monsters and the story of the holy marks hasn't spread widely, the knights naturally lean towards presuming guilt, especially since the adventurers could be innocents returning to receive their marks.
Kind-hearted Irene seemed a bit saddened, believing in the chance for reform, but that was all.
The rest of the party did not object to the idea of executing the infected adventurers we had captured.
"Hanna? If it's research on infection, there are multiple ways to go about it, perhaps focusing on aiding potential victims."
"Victims... But didn't they kill all the stonemasons last time? If they have infectious abilities, why did they do that?"
Only Han Se-ah seemed worried that hanging the adventurers we had captured might ruin the quest, trying to change the subject.
However, to the rest of the party, her concerns appeared merely as an unnecessary act of mercy.
Sending a glance to the temple knight as if agreeing with the execution, I gently comforted Han Se-ah with a reassuring hug.
Yet, the temple knight hesitated to take the infected adventurers away, watching my reaction.
I, too, shared Han Se-ahs concerns, and it seemed the rest of the party was waiting for my signal.
It seemed the temple regarded my opinion as the most important, probably given my participation in the holy war.
"Why not hang the leader who failed to guide the party properly, and send the rest alive to the Magic Tower? The mages there might find an effective way to deal with these evil beings."
"Hmm, indeed... there's no need to hang all of them at once."
So, my proposal was a kind of middle ground.
As the players climb the tower, the Magic Tower acts like an all-purpose shuttle.
They buy mana stones, create magical tools and high-end items, and even open gates.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them 'The Generous Magic Tower.'
This time too, if we just hand over the adventurers infected by the doppelgngers, saying, 'Here's a sample for your research,' the mages, like hyenas searching for thesis topics, will surely flock to them.
The Magic Tower has more of a group of researchers vibe than a group of warriors, feeling like a mix of scientists and university professors.
They're even more eager than blood-thirsty piranhas when something new is discovered.
Of course, this is influenced by character settings in 'Heroines Chronicle.'
There are characters like beautiful sorceresses with assistants voluntarily enslaved by their beauty, or gloomy, dark-haired, long-haired sorceresses in white robes looking like lab coats, looking like researchers with dark circles under their eyes.
"Following Sir Roland's suggestion will also benefit our brothers. We'll hang one as an example and send the remaining three to the Magic Tower."
Thank you for considering my input, even though it may have seemed like interference.
Interference? Sir, as the sword of the holy war, you could ask for more and the temple would gladly comply. Hmm, is the one with the smashed face the leader?
The temple knight, finding logic in my suggestion to use the captives as research subjects for the Magic Tower, agreed to separate the leader from his party members.
Han Se-ah sighed in relief at this decision, hopeful that sending the specimens to the Magic Tower would lead to some progress.
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