The Paladins’ Weakness and a Humiliating Entrance

While they slept, I retrieved a vitality potion and a stamina potion, placing one of each nearby. Just in case, I also set out a disease potion.

After placing the potions beside each sleeping figure, I drew a cheap steel greatsword from my inventory and plunged it into the floor at the entrance to the reward chamber.

It was merely a precaution. There was always a chance some creatures might have been lurking deeper within the cave, or perhaps a few had ventured out and returned late. One could never be too careful.

“What on earth should I have them do to improve?”

No matter how elite a goblin might be, it remained a goblin at its core. Even if their stature was impressive and their gear superior to others, they could not transcend their inherent nature.

Still, for them to collapse before even traversing half the dungeon, I found myself at a loss for how to proceed.

This particular dungeon was barely a third the length of a typical one, making their exhaustion all the more perplexing.

Furthermore, I had carefully managed the encounters, ensuring they only faced one or two enemies at a time. Whenever they seemed on the verge of defeat, I would intervene, blocking attacks or instantly casting spells and administering potions if they suffered a stray blow.

Yet, despite all my efforts, both of them were utterly spent, sprawled unconscious.

“Replace my companions, you say? What nonsense. I never needed companions to begin with. My goal is to cultivate these specific individuals. That’s an entirely different matter altogether.”

The demon boss-level entities within the nest are on an entirely different plane compared to other monsters or bosses. Companions, in such scenarios, are more of a hindrance than a help, needlessly complicating attack patterns and making battles far more troublesome. That is, unless I intended to use them as disposable pawns.

When one plays a game for an extended period, they inevitably exhaust most of its offerings. No matter how vast the content, it’s finite, and eventually, it all gets consumed. This is precisely why players begin to experiment with various self-imposed challenges and role-playing scenarios.

After all, that’s the very nature of an RPG.

“Since they’re paladins, perhaps they’d actually be stronger in undead dungeons?”

Dungeons crawling with spiritual entities are a bit of a nuisance for me too, as I can’t easily isolate them into one-on-one engagements.

No. I decided against running any more dungeons for the time being. I would focus on training them further before attempting another delve. With a practiced ease, I closed my eyes and adjusted the game’s internal clock.

Even after my own timed rest concluded and I awoke, both of them remained sound asleep. I wondered if it was morning outside. Despite deliberately setting a long duration, it seemed they still couldn’t stir.

“Were they truly that exhausted?”

There was no other choice. I carefully removed the armor from the figures sprawled out like corpses, then used a simple cleansing spell to wash them.

It felt a little late for this, yet if they were to continue sleeping, their armor would undoubtedly be uncomfortable. Given how frail they were, and with only a stone floor covered in straw and rags serving as a bed, the restorative effects would surely be diminished.

Having stripped them down to their cotton undergarments, I laid them back down. Even then, they remained strikingly handsome. Their character models truly were exceptionally well-designed.

While there were many aesthetically pleasing characters in the game, it was rare to encounter someone this strikingly handsome. I initially thought I hadn’t seen Jack in any rankings, before a belated realization dawned on me.

‘Ah, they must have died during the Bishya era. That would explain why their backstory hadn’t been fully unlocked yet.’

After a quick tidying of the immediate area, I settled in front of the reclining Jack, observing him intently. I could discern the shallow rise and fall of his chest, and a quiet, almost imperceptible breath escaped his lips.

Had the character animations always been this natural? It truly seemed as though a real person was sleeping. Or perhaps I simply hadn’t observed them this closely before.

After the expansion pack content concluded, I’d been relentlessly hunting demons, so my memory was hazy. It must have been patched without my knowledge, I mused; the developers often rolled out such optimization updates as a matter of course.

“So much talk, yet such cowards, and utterly weak to boot.”

His jet-black hair was tousled, a consequence of the recent cleansing. What was his eye color, I wondered? If I were to part his eyelid now, he would surely awaken. I’d have to check later; unlike players, NPCs didn’t immediately drift back to sleep once roused.

I subtly reached out and touched his face, simply because the urge struck me. His eyelids fluttered faintly. ‘Ah, perhaps my hand is a bit cold from washing them earlier?’ I mused. It was only a slight chill. The sensation of his skin, however, was surprisingly pleasant. I kneaded his cheek a few times before quickly retracting my hand.

“Well, they’re cute, so it’s fine.”

If one were to ask what was so endearing about these grown men, I couldn’t precisely articulate it, but their mannerisms were undeniably charming. After observing them for a considerable time, I grew bored and leaned my back against the greatsword I had planted in the ground. ‘They should wake up in about four hours, right?’

This time, it seemed my timing was impeccable. Upon opening my eyes, I found the two of them groggily rising and donning their armor.

“Why haven’t you drunk the potions?”

Only then did they seem to realize I was awake, turning their heads. Jack, who had been in the midst of donning his armor, rolled his eyes and mumbled awkwardly.

“Well, because they’re precious, of course. We couldn’t just consume something we don’t even recognize.”

“You’ve never seen potions before? That’s peculiar. As paladins, I’d expect you to have encountered them at least once.”

“The potions I’ve encountered were in tiny, finger-sized vials, each costing the price of a fine warhorse. These, however, are enormous, and each possesses a distinct color.”

“Hamman is known for his generosity, but it seems his subordinates are truly miserly.”

At my words, both of them glared at me with indignant expressions, though they seemed to have no retort. I should have realized it from their earlier confession of possessing only five gold pieces. There was clearly a reason for their extraordinarily miserly financial sense.

“The red one is for health, and the yellow for vitality. Vitality replenishes your energy, you see, and it also boosts your health recovery rate. That white one, I pulled it out as a precaution—it’s a disease potion. It would be quite bothersome if either of you caught a cold or suffered some minor ailment.”

“What exactly is the function of a disease potion?”

“Hmm, I suppose you wouldn’t typically need to consume this, so it’s understandable you wouldn’t know. Simply put, drinking it cures illnesses. While this isn’t a high-grade potion capable of curing terminal diseases, it’s quite effective for ailments like pneumonia or similar conditions.”

“Wait a moment. If pneumonia isn’t considered a serious illness, then what on earth is?”

“Who dies from mere pneumonia? Unless we’re talking about infants, of course.”

I, for one, rarely have cause to drink such potions. After all, I am a player.

Even if I contract an illness, I can simply visit a temple, pay for a blessing, and be cured. Alternatively, I could just incur Hamman’s divine wrath for blasphemy. If even that feels like too much effort, I merely ignore it. By enduring it with sheer willpower, the status effect’s duration eventually expires, and it vanishes.

There are some persistent ailments, but as I just mentioned, those can be cured by seeking a blessing at a temple. If I follow a specific deity, I can even pray directly to dispel it or use magic. It’s an elementary spell, easy to learn.

Such status effects are only critical during the novice stages. Once a player reaches a level capable of venturing into the field, they become insignificant.

“I rarely get sick, so I wouldn’t know. It’s useless to me. What, do you want more? Do you have a chronic illness? If so, then being weak might make sense….”

“Just how weak do you think we are?!”

“Well, I’m afraid I might break you if I handle you too roughly.”

If I truly put my mind to it and squeezed their heads, they would shatter like watermelons. Not that I had any intention of doing so.

The blood drained from their faces, leaving them utterly pale. Watching them, I burst into laughter. These guys are such cowards.

“Hurry up and drink those. Let’s eat, then we can head out. We need to leave soon if we want to have dinner in the city.”

You two slept so long that it’s already almost lunchtime.

Still, after feeding them good buff food and letting them recover, they walked much better today. They seemed even more excited at the thought of sleeping in a proper bed and eating delicious food once we reached the city.

However, I hadn’t anticipated a problem arising here.

“Halt. Beggars are not permitted within the city walls.”

The two of them had greeted the guards and passed through without issue, but a guard stopped me. Beggars, they claimed, were forbidden from entering the city center.

What? Why? Beggars were often found on the streets even within the game. Sometimes they even begged. If you gave them money, you could receive a minor blessing, albeit a truly insignificant one.

Beggars initially accepted copper coins, but as a player grew stronger, they too would demand gold, matching the player’s level. The amount of blessing remained paltry. It was typically something one might do out of desperation when short on time to visit a temple during their novice days, or to obtain quest information. Come to think of it, it’s quite amusing. Perhaps the beggars I’d given alms to were wealthier than these two.

But more importantly, calling me a beggar! What on earth did they mean?!

“What kind of nonsense is this? Why can’t I enter?!”

“Where do you think you are, loitering around carelessly? Take this and scram!”

With that, the guard tossed a couple of copper coins at my feet. The two who had already entered turned back to look at me. Jack trembled, then burst into uproarious laughter, while Faust wore a look of utter helplessness.

“In all my life, this is the first time I’ve been disrespected by a guard!”

“I told you to wear some clothes! Ahahahaha—I think I’m going to suffocate from laughing so hard.”

“What do you mean, these people have never seen a demon hunter before? By what measure am I a beggar?!”

“Most people don’t even know demons exist. They’re just treated as old wives’ tales!”

Damn it, my pride was wounded! To receive such shabby treatment from a mere NPC guarding a city gate, of all things! I didn’t even bother to pick up the copper coins from the ground.

As I continued to shout indignantly, Faust returned and tried to calm me down.

“Sir Haut, please calm down. First, you should put on something….”

“A beggar! Where are their eyes? How could they not recognize me?!”

This had never happened before. Who cared about a player’s attire anyway? Sometimes, wearing specific clothing would trigger a few lines of dialogue or reactions, but I had always been able to enter perfectly fine, even naked, until now!

There had never been an attire check except when entering the Imperial Palace!

“I’ve been coming and going just fine until now, so why not now?!”

“You’ve never been allowed, what are you talking about? If you keep causing a disturbance like this, we’ll really arrest you. We’re letting you off easy, so scram.”

Eventually, Jack also came back out to restrain me. Held by both of them, I shrieked.

“You know nothing! Full nudity and a fork are fundamental for demon hunting!”

“Couldn’t you just wear that uniform you had on last time? It looked quite expensive.”

“I only chose that one because it was black! I took it out as mourning attire!”

At my words, both their faces darkened. The two guards stared at me as if I were a troublesome customer.

“Damn it! How dare they criticize my concept…!!”

Blast it! If I could use teleportation, I wouldn’t have to endure such humiliation! But the map itself wasn’t activated, so that was impossible. Blink, a short-range teleport, might be possible, but it only allows movement within sight.

Even then, I wasn’t a magic specialist, so I could only move about three or four meters.

“What the hell is wrong with the system? Damned thing.”

What could possibly be so messed up to lead to this? Or had they added such an update for added realism without my knowledge? Perhaps it was because I’d spent too long only hunting demons.

Right, calm down. I needed to enter the city first. Without a major city, there was no magic tower. My current character hadn’t even bothered with housing, so I lacked an enchantment workbench. The ones that occasionally dropped in dungeons were simply too poor in quality.

If I had known this would happen, I would have set up some basic amenities. Normally, when I needed something, I would just teleport immediately, so I never felt inconvenienced. I could treat any place as my home.

“No choice, I guess. Tch.”

When I finally gave up, they released me. I rummaged through my inventory and pulled out some clothes. Ah, these must have been at the top because I’d taken them out earlier.

“That uniform from before?”

“Since I wore it once, it was at the very top.”

I vaguely replied to Faust’s remark and haphazardly put on the clothes I’d retrieved. The guards, who had been scowling and treating me like a peddler moments ago, turned utterly pale when I put on the uniform.