Is this Hero for Real?

Chapter 24

[Act 7] And Your Reputation?

The evil goddesss curse made it hard to level up. The only way I could be strong was to learn martial arts.

Taekwondo, judo, kendo, muay thai

However, as  gunpowder was the downfall of martial arts on Earth, so was magic in the fantasy world.

One strong blow!

There were results before one could get a chance to show their honed techniques.

The Blessings were also a problem. 

The Culinary Blessing? Cooks that made the same effort as everyone else wont even have a chance.

Human effort was nothing in front of the gods Blessings.

Are you still complaining after a good meal?

Its not much of a complaint.

The restaurant Kogmos strongly recommended was the most famous in the city.

The restaurant advertised everywhere that their cook had a Culinary Blessing, and a D rank at that. As expected, everything was good.

You have some pretty obscure Blessings, by the way.

Which one?

Stubborn bastard! Do you know how much the bill was because you ate so much?

It happens.

[Outsider]

I couldnt feel full no matter how much I had, and I ended up overeating.

But I didnt feel like it was a waste of money. Wasnt that enough?

Im sure god would think the same

[A certain god is hurt by the obscure comment.]

[A certain god mumbles obscure lone wolf in the wild]

hello?

Was it okay for the almighty god to break so easily?

I didnt understand how this fantasy world hadn't already collapsed.

Kang Hansoo, $.

Yes.

Lady A, who received attention everywhere she went for her beauty and fashion, called me from behind.

She was an apprentice of a famous mage and went to the same academy as her friend, Lady B.

Was she about to keep following me?

$# # [email protected]#% $# [email protected] # % [email protected]

She asks if youve ever been to the mercenary guild.

I havent.

He says hes a country bumpkin whos never been.

That damn demon keeps translating like shit.

$ @# %#$. %$ @%$ $ ^% $ ^#$%.

Lucky bastard. This world is unfair!

Youre spewing nonsense, not translating.

Hmph! Youll know when we get there.

***

Oh Hanwoo was extremely optimistic.

After all, in fantasy genres, there were plenty of main characters who were thrown out with contempt because they were weak in the beginning.

The only thing left for him was to rebound.

Excuse me.

Sir, Im busy at the moment oh! A legendary Hero! Welcome!

The manager of the slave market switched attitudes as soon as he saw Oh Hanwoos status window.

[Hero]

Thats because it was a special Blessing that couldnt be obtained unless they were a Hero chosen by the gods. 

That wasnt all.

Hed heard the Heroes that left the Temple were rich.

Im here to buy a slave.

What kind of slave would you like? A warrior for a comrade, like the other Heroes from before?

A strong female warrior.

A strong female, you say its hard to find, but we do have them.

Ooh!

Oh Hanwoo smiled with contentment.

Opportunities are in critical moments!

He would get a cute, lovely comrade from the slave market.

[Special]

The manager honorably led him to the restricted area.

Wipe wipe.

Slaves were washing and getting dressed outdoors without partitions to cover them, and they waited to be displayed.

The manager pointed at a woman, asking him,

Hero. How do you like this slave?

What?

For a moment, Oh Hanwoo didnt know who he was pointing to.

The warrior looking down in front of you.

Shes a heroine who would boldly rob in the northern part of the Knight Kingdom. She was betrayed by her subordinates and captured as a slave.

Ah

She has the inhuman strength to single-handedly swing an axe even a full-grown man can barely swing with both hands. Hey, Merasi. Show the customer your status window.

Level 1 Oh Hanwoo looked at the slaves status window.

[name] Merasi

[Level] 17

[Blessings] Mercenary B, Warrior E, Equestrianism E, Mettle F

[Curses] Slave F

Level 17

It looked like she was quite an exceptional mercenary before becoming a thief.

But what about now?

[Slave]

> You, having handed over all your rights, are property.

> You will feel pain every time you disobey your owners orders!

It would be no use for the slave to get free from their shackles and escapetheir Curse would stay branded on them.

It was a foolproof way of imprisonment.

The manager explained with confidence.

Those who swear to the gods to give up all their rights get the Slaves Curse. As long as you give the right orders, she wont be able to betray you.

Um

Dont worry about the price. I do not wish to make an unfair profit from a Hero on holy grounds. I will sell it to you close to the flat cost.

Its not that

Please, feel free to tell me anything.

I want a strong and dainty woman

The slave the manager had confidently recommended was built like a bodybuilder.

Her iron fists and thick limbs were weapons on their own! Even her pectorals looked sturdy.

In other words, everything about her except her sex was different from what Oh Hanwoo wanted.

Hm.

The manager, who had come across customers with various preferences, was lost in thought.

For once, he was at a loss for answers. 

Are you not a mage with the Magic Blessing?

Yes, I am.

Hed never used magic before, but he did have the Magic Blessing.

Then wont you need a strong shield to protect you until you activate your magic?

Youre right.

* * *

* * *

Like the pretty girl Yoo Bora stole from him, he needed a beautiful slave who would protect him at all costs.

The manager barely controlled his face as he explained further.

Dear Hero. Are you saying you are going to use a dainty woman who hasnt trained to be strong, as a shield?

I um

Beautiful, dainty companions were in every fantasy genre.

But he sounded like a total douche after listening to the manager!

But Oh Hanwoo didnt give up or compromise.

[Special]

After all, he was the main character. He was a special entity where common sense nor logic applied to him.

He gave up getting a recommendation from the manager.

May I choose for myself?

Go ahead.

The manager gladly agreed, thinking that would be better for both of them.

How could a mere merchant understand the Heros deeper intentions?

Oh Hanwoo was surprisingly quick to choose after looking through all the slaves.

Ive decided!

Hm.

He had chosen a total of three slaves.

The manager looked at the status window of the strongest slave he chose.

[Name] Lusa

[Level] 6

[Blessings] Charm F

[Curses] Slave F

Hahaha! I was wrong. They really are dainty girls who are stronger than you.

The manager accepted his mistakes and laughed.

Strength is relative, isnt it?

There was no doubt they were the strong and dainty females the Hero wanted.

But

Is there anything more you would like?

No. Nevermind.

The prices of all the slaves Oh Hanwoo picked himself combined were cheaper than the slave the manager had recommended.

Was it because of her high level?

He didnt think too much about it and paid for the women.

Clink!

His thick pouch was thinner than before, but he didnt think it was too expensive or a waste.

The manager spoke gravely to the girls.

Sera, Kana, Lusa. I renounce all the orders I have given to you. From now on, Hero Oh Hanwoo is your new master.

Oh? Is that it?

Yes, since Ive declared everything needed as their owner. A word of advice, slaves can do whatever they want if you dont give the correct order Even murdering their master or escaping.

I'll keep that in mind.

But Oh Hanwoo didnt keep the managers advice in mind.

Betrayal didnt apply to the main character, who would take care of the girls with love.

Follow me, Sera, Kana, Lusa!

Yes.

Yes. master.

Alright

Oh Hanwoo heartwarmingly watched the girls obediently following him. 

He headed to the blacksmiths workshop to arm the girls.

[A certain male god is anticipating.]

[A certain immature god of dice snickers.]

[A certain evil god looks for their popcorn.]

[A certain god]

***

I thought all I had to do was register as a mercenary, but there was a serious problem.

I have to learn how to read

I couldnt write anything on the registration form the mercenary guild clerk gave me.

I had to read to write anything!

They told me ghostwriting made it invalid, so I started by practicing how to write my own name.

Dont be embarrassed. There are plenty of mercenaries who cant write their own name.

Shut up.

As a cultured Earthling, the humiliation of being illiterate was unbearable.

Copy this.

You say it like its easy.

Stop complaining. Its getting annoying taking care of a toddler.

I found out later, but I was registered as Kkang Hansue because I wrote too crookedly.

It was a tragedy caused by a demon who was too lazy to point it out.

Anyways,

[Name] Kang Hansoo

[Level] 1

[Blessings] Outsider F, Fairy C, Mercenary D

[Curses] Hero E, Slaughter E

[Dividend] 5.78

I acquired the Mercenary blessing from a few simple registration procedures.

Normally, the newbies would start by getting an F rank slime level, but I got a D rank gnoll level.

Thanks to my greatness.

Thank the two ladies. They swore on the mercenary rank to vouch for your skills.

Yeah. Tell them I said thanks.

Tell them yourself if you mean it. Stubborn bastard!

I gotta know the language first.

Ill drop by the bookstore later and buy you a picture book. Read and learn.

Youre treating me like a total child.

Its just the right level for someone who doesnt even know what a mill is.

I needed to have a serious talk with him with my fist once we were alone.

Kogmo, $. Kang Hansoo, # $#@ $% #?

We didnt say anything important, my friend here just wants to learn the language soon.

$#! %$ &$^. % Kang Hansoo # $# ^#%.

Ill ask him.

The demon turned to me after a cordial conversation with lady A. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

What?

She says she has experience teaching her little sibling the language. Itll be a lot of help for someone like you, who knows nothing but violence.

That means she has to come with us.

And? Be grateful and accept it, unless youre a eunuc kekkek?!

You really do have a death wish, dont you?

H-help me- gurgle?!

I left the mercenary guild WHILE shaking the neck of the demon who HAD crossed the line.

Of course, since I went all the way there, I was assigned a simple task.

Orc subjugation 

The task was to periodically decrease the number of orcs to suppress their reproduction.

As simple as the task was, the reward was small, so it was a task mercenaries avoided.

But I was different.

I like it.

Unlimited exp for each orc head I brought?

There wasnt even a frequency limit.

[Outsider]

Was it not the perfect task for someone like me, who didnt get tired from hunting all day?

I even had excellent bait to lure in the orcs.

$ #$

#$ @#

Ladies A and B returned my gaze with a smile.

And I started to get ready.

Wow

The ladies, who would play a key role for the task, relentlessly swept all the camping and hunting supplies from various stores.

They bought it all if it looked even a little useful!

Just how much money did they have?

[A certain god asks if youre going on another killing spree.]

Dont be ridiculous.

I was going to exterminate them.