I Became a 6★ Gacha Character-329 - Head Hunting 4
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: Posted in discord
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In reality, headhunting wasn't as grand as it sounded.
After all, how could a mere commoner go to a knight order filled with nobles and say, "This person is useful, take them and give me some money"?
In a world where adventurers and mercenaries could turn to banditry if they lacked perception, doing something like that would result in one of two outcomes: a knife in the belly or the throat. The noble status in this world was like a license to rob if you knew how to wield it.
So Ellis’s headhunting was closer to bestowing favors and building connections rather than transferring sports stars and earning contract fees.
"Mr. McDonagh Martin, do you want to become a knight?"
"Ah, well, that is…."
It was like a woodcutter from the countryside bringing dozens of mana stones on his first day at the tower. Like a naive kid entering the tower to become an adventurer, beating three goblins to death with a club. Like a clumsy rookie armored with a suit, shield, and mace, showing strength greater than an orc.
If someone exhibited such unusual talents, the rumors would inevitably reach big sister Ellis. She would bestow favors and instill gratitude, effectively buying talent at a low price and investing in it.
And this structure wasn't naturally formed; Ellis had bent the receptionists with her feminine wiles and created a network of employees. If there were stars for social skills instead of combat power, Ellis could boast of having five stars herself.
So it was only natural that the naive country boy McDonagh Martin, easily deceived by the boasting of a scruffy mercenary, would be swayed by Ellis, who had woven a web of connections with just her tongue.
"Looking at it this way, she really is amazing."
"She’s spent years as a pillar of the Adventurer's City. From adventurers to merchants and mages, anyone who has dealt with the guild knows Ellis."
In other words, if someone didn’t know Ellis, they weren’t qualified.
-Is he going to end up buying a lucky stone (not a mana stone, picked up yesterday) sold by the Adventurer’s Guild?
-A pretty girl smiles and kindly helps you? Let's start with a membership, shall we?
-So, is it a golden calf or an emerald bed? I already have plenty of healthy spring water at home, lady.
-LOL, he’s probably thinking of buying, but she’s going to take his organs instead.
-At this point, you have to wonder if she’s a top evangelist for a cult. For real.
Ellis spoke, and McDonagh nodded. He listened to her explanation, received some documents, signed them, and headed somewhere... The viewers laughed as they watched this smooth, natural progression.
Even though it was secondary to discovering the talent of this level 1, 5★ tank, seeing him follow a pretty woman's fluent speech like a puppy was undeniably entertaining. f𝗿𝐞ewebno𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝐨m
McDonagh Martin, an aspiring knight from a small rural territory in the easternmost part of the kingdom. Thanks to a few retired adventurers returning to his hometown, he could easily handle wandering orcs. Fueled by ambition, he had come to the central kingdom.
In a small manor where a few retired adventurers ensured safety, his salary was likely in silver. So, being a intermediate-level adventurer would be more profitable than playing knight with his father's old armor and sword.
"Wait, a memento…?"
As Ellis and McDonagh talked, Katie's face turned pale. Her trembling gaze was fixed on McDonagh's gauntlets and shin guards.
No matter how well-maintained, an old armor passed down through generations wouldn’t stay intact after being repeatedly struck by a high-level swordsman’s aura-infused attacks.
The gauntlets were so dented they needed to be dismantled to be removed, and the shin guards were cracked.
Katie, having previously sacrificed a family heirloom to feed a golem, now felt her blue eyes fill with remorse at the damage she caused.
Though a bit immature, she had a kind heart.
Under the Duke’s name, she could have punished McDonagh and Reynold for insult and left no questions, but her romanticized view of knights and adventurers, which led to her running away, made that impossible.
Seeing Katie’s guilt-ridden face, I thought it was time to step in and help the newbie.
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Raei Translations
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While Ellis's actions of granting favors and building connections were like spinning a web, my actions were a form of marketing.
In the adventurer industry, reputation was everything.
There were tales of how I never retreated, how I once took on a charging orc cavalry head-on, or how I protected a mage in the midst of chaos without a scratch. In a world without the internet, such word-of-mouth stories served as proof of skill, influencing nobles when they decided where to spend their money.
I’d buy a sword for a young admirer during a quest, give a backup weapon to a fellow adventurer who claimed to be a fan, donate funds to the guild for building repairs, and get close to knights who admired my fame and wanted to spar. This kind of goodwill often resulted in more than double the amount I invested.
Although I skipped over some details, that was the gist.
Even if bards exaggerated my tales and people doubted them, if an adventurer vouched for me with a “That’s true, why are you picking a fight? Just listen to the story!” while holding a hammer I gave them, it would spread even further.
Honestly, as a modern person from the 21st century, accustomed to valuing relationships and politeness, I struggled to adapt to a medieval fantasy world where smashing someone's head in was a solution. But, as long as the results were good, it didn’t matter.
“When people come to me, there’s no need to be cold-hearted.”
“Hehe, Roland is so kind.”
Honestly, isn’t that right?
When someone comes up to you, smiling brightly, saying they admire and respect you, wanting to shake your hand, how could I tell them to get lost? If I had that kind of personality, I might have ended up getting court-martialed in the military and never started Heroes Chronicle.
Ugh, just thinking about it gives me a headache.
“So, what are you going to do with McDonagh?”
“Even the royal knight order deals with unwanted attention. Weirdos tend to flock to the squires rather than the knights. Seems like they're trying to speed up their progress."
“What does that have to do with anything?”
-Do you think before you speak?
-Hanna, to speed up progress, wouldn't you call for more people…?
-Is this the intelligencer of the top streamer? I'm losing faith in humanity...
-Seeing someone like her reach No. 1 worldwide makes me jealous.
-But she’s still a nice person...
“…Oh, right. I thought Teacher was going off on another tangent.”
After a brief moment where Han Se-ah threatened her viewers, the situation began to resolve positively.
I thought it wouldn't be a waste to open my wallet wide for a newbie with a natural 5★ rating.
Even Lily Depp, who backed me up during quests with her spear, was a solid 4★. How great would it be to have a well-developed 5★ tank as a reliable companion?
So, with the future in mind, I opened my wallet.
Or rather, Katie did.
“Really, can I accept this…?”
“Take it. I’m giving it to you because I see potential.”
Though it was his father’s keepsake, it didn’t seem to hold great sentimental value.
Wrapped now in dwarven-crafted armor, McDonagh was moved to tears, bowing his head toward Katie and me. Katie, feeling embarrassed for nearly destroying his heirloom, answered gruffly.
In that short time, he was fitted with a suit of dark armor, a longsword that looked more like a club suited to his build, and a matching helmet and faceguard to hide his naive face.
No one would think he was a newbie using the gate for the first time today.
With Katie having equipped him so well, it was time to send him to the knights. Of course, that didn’t mean he’d become a royal knight right away.
“So, what’s the matter? You called me to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“You’re here, James. I wanted to introduce you to someone promising.”
Instead, he could join a noble household’s knight order, like James Sullivan’s family or one of his fellow knights' families.
Picking up a newbie, equipping him with new armor and weapons, and recommending him to someone I know through connections—could there be a more certain support?
McDonagh seemed to realize this was the best opportunity of his life, as he bowed his head toward me this time.
The pretty lady he thought was just a high-ranking adventurer turned out to be a member of the hero party.
The armor he thought had been broken was replaced with a set more expensive than his entire fortune. He was acknowledged by the owner of the holy sword, a figure he’d only heard of in bards' songs, and now he was meeting a knight from the second knight order.
In this whirlwind of life-changing events, the naive country boy McDonagh Martin began doing what he did best.
That was, of course, greeting politely…!
“Hello! Sir! Yes, Sir!”
“Oh, he’s got a good voice. The captain will like him.”
And as any gamer knew, a newbie who greets well is welcome anywhere.
