LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 7: Beginner's First Steps 2
Just as some beginner adventurers cling to capes out of admiration for the knights in stories, people tend to admire those who are more exceptional than themselves.
Naturally, the targets of admiration for most adventurers are the senior ones.
Senior adventurers conquer the tower by assaulting the unimaginable upper floors that ordinary people can't even dream of.
These superhumans sever the necks of monsters far stronger than humans with a single sword and rout the monster hordes with magic.
Among them, I, "Paladin" Roland, have quite a few fans.
The reasons are somewhat diverse.
First, of course, is my superior appearance.
With my fairytale prince-like golden hair, porcelain skin, muscular physique, and handsome features, I was bound to become an object of admiration for female adventurers.
Second, surprisingly, is the fact that I'm easy to imitate.
I'm not a swordsman with incredibly fast swordplay that can't be seen with the naked eye or a magician boasting terrifying firepower.
Rather, my role as a solid front-line warrior has unexpectedly attracted many fans.
Like the bald, hammer-wielding intermediate adventurer in front of me.
"I've always been listening to your exploits, Roland!"
As an unyielding front-line warrior who never backs down with a shield and warhammer, I wear magical armor with a performance equivalent to that of game items.
Trusting my exceptional physical abilities, I endure without any skills which attached me with a somewhat embarrassing title.
As someone who used to be a shut-in playing games, I didn't have the courage to learn any combat skills, so I relied solely on my physical talent.
This appealed to many men who admired my straightforwardness.
For a decade in this medieval age where human rights were forsaken, I've never once abandoned my party members and fled, resulting in the fans I have now.
That's because, back when I didn't know this world was a game, I didn't want to risk my life on reckless challenges.
I only hunted with temporary party members within safe boundaries and didn't venture into dangerous areas where I might need to flee.
I didn't have any certainty that reaching the top of the tower would allow me to return to my original world, so I didn't want to gamble with my life.
"Then, please teach me."
"Yes! Since you're a mage, I'll teach you the basics of holding a staff and how to thrust and push."
"Were you listening?"
"Hehe, well, I admire you so much."
His face lights up when I pat his shoulder and ask for help.
Even if I didn't pay him for his lessons, he could still see it as a benefit.
After all, he received a request from me, "Paladin" Roland, and became the staff-fighting teacher for a beautiful adventurer.
For a while, he could talk about meeting me during my break, or how I was mentoring a beginner adventurer, or that this beginner adventurer was a stunning beauty.
These stories would provide enough material for at least three months of free drinks at the tavern.
"Then, I'll leave it to you. I need to get my equipment."
"Yes!"
"Equipment? Oh, right!"
Both of them glance at my casual attire. Since I came here after drinking and removing my armor, I have to go back and get my equipment.
They both respond energetically, like eager new recruits, and start discussing something by the log as I leave the guild.
I should find the forum's access method while I'm getting my equipment at the inn.
***
Raei Translations
***
Using the superhuman strength of my body, I practically flew toward my lodging.
Even if they were practiced grabbing and thrusting, I couldn't just leave them alone for an hour or two.
Since there was no need to be fully armed just to go to the first floor, I grabbed some equipment and immediately hid in the empty bedroom.
[Acquire the lowest-grade magic stones with Han Se-ah in your party]
The only hologram I saw was the newly updated quest window.
No matter how much I muttered about opening the stat window or the system, there was no response.
This reminded me of my first year in this world.
Back then, I panicked when the adventurer who helped me died, and I desperately shouted to open the status window or log out while in the lodging.
"Connect to the forum."
While reminiscing and muttering various things, I found the answer.
The reward was access to Han Se-ah's forum.
I just had to say "Connect to the forum."
- I want to be Han Se-ah when I grow up
- How much do you have to spend to start with a 6 NPC?
- Han Se-ah legend.JPG
- Isn't she the top in our country by now?
- Is there any meaning in riding a carriage and resetting?
Instead of the simple quest window, I saw a list of dizzying titles.
It seemed like a place where people post stories related to Han Se-ah in a forum.
As I awkwardly pressed the empty space, the hologram changed as if I had clicked with a mouse.
How much do you have to spend to start with a 6 NPC?
[4 NPC Stat Window.jpg]
I know that when you ride a carriage into the city, you meet your first companion at the Adventurer's Guild, but why don't I get that kind of guy and instead get a weird man?
It's a scam, so I don't recommend it
You should bow and be grateful for a 4
Really, 70% of the people in the forum start with a 3
Not jealous since it's not a blonde female knight
The screenshot the author posted with frustration showed a familiar-looking man.
It was a fuzzy memory from 10 years ago, but it was a character who had been recommended as a beginner tank but was ignored because it was a male character.
That person isn't someone who also fell into the game like me, right?
Anyway, after putting on some light armor and browsing the forum, I was able to gather more information than I expected.
The name of this virtual reality game was not Heroines Chronicle but Heroes Chronicle, the world's first virtual reality game.
Instead of using VR goggles, a mysterious company suddenly appeared and employed a brainwave connection method with a capsule.
The company staked its shares on the first solo player to climb the tower in Heroes Chronicle.
Isn't this a complete game novel setting?
A virtual reality game developed by a company with an unknown identity using advanced technology, and if you clear the game, you can take over the company.
Well, considering there were people reincarnated into the game, such a condition wasn't a big deal.
The most appealing part was that Han Se-ah, a streamer, concurrently streamed both the game and exercise.
She declared the conquest of Heroes Chronicle, raising a lot of sponsorship money, including capsule support.
There weren't many trolls, and the forum was full of positive reviews.
She was a passionate and well-liked streamer who kept her promises and even had the competitive spirit characteristic of athletes.
With such a reputation, I felt relieved, thinking that Han Se-ah wouldn't suddenly quit streaming and leave me stranded in this game.
***
"Welcome back, Roland!"
Wearing thin plate armor and carrying a decent warhammer and one-handed mace, I headed back to the guild.
Although my load had increased, my steps felt much lighter.
"Hanna seems to have exceptional basic skills! If she weren't a mage, she could easily make it to the 5th floor as a front-line warrior."
"Thank you!"
"Great job teaching her. I don't know anything about staves."
"Ha ha, I only know the basics myself, so I didn't teach her much."
Han Se-ah was fixing her hair that had stuck to her forehead due to sweat, while the bald warrior laughed heartily.
Feeling good thanks to the forum, I forced the one-handed mace I had brought with me into the man's hand.
"Uh, what's this?"
"It's a mace I brought as a backup weapon for the middle floors."
The mace had a somewhat long handle for one-handed use and a large white head.
It was closer in size to a warhammer than a mace, but an intermediate adventurer should be able to swing it one-handed using magic power.
I impulsively bought it because it looked cool, but there was no need to mention that I had never used this backup weapon, as the warhammer I received when I entered this world was too powerful, and it had been sitting in storage.
"This... thank you..."
"You saved me some time, so I'm giving it to you. You know how valuable a high-level adventurer's time is."
The man glared at the mace in his hand, his menacing expression twisted to the point of grotesqueness.
Han Se-ah, standing next to him, was also impressed by the mace's appearance.
I had been captivated by its cool design and made an impulse purchase.
"Thank you! I'll treasure and use this generous gift!"
The adventurers at the construction site glanced at us, their eyes filled with envy and admiration.
With this small gesture, I hoped to pave the way for Han Se-ah's happy guild life, and it seemed to be working.
She held the long staff substitute with both hands, her eyes shining.
She found out through the chat that her starting NPC was more extraordinary than others and looked at me with fierce eyes.
Even the camera drone seemed to be capturing the right angle for the stream, focusing on me and the bald warrior instead of Han Se-ah.
***
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