“Whoa!” A sudden exclamation erupted from the crowd.
A powerful shockwave surged from the center of the training ground, knocking the surrounding adventurers to the floor. Those who were merely there to stir up trouble were instantly exposed.
Of course, it was also immediately clear who possessed actual skill.
A cow-human hybrid nun dressed in black stood in the center of the field. She had a dazed air about her, lacking any sense of dignity.
In an adventurer’s territory, the way people looked at a nun was usually no different from how they looked at a king. A nun’s job was to maintain discipline in small towns, but the discipline of adventurers was generally so rotten that it was beyond saving.
However, this hybrid merchant nun clearly did not look like a conventional local nun. She lacked the overbearing aura of a strict old matron, and since she carried a hammer on her back, she appeared to be a Battle Nun.
As for what a Battle Nun was? It was a title given to local nuns because they would occasionally fill in as town guards when the Kingdom’s knights were shorthanded.
No, no, no! None of that was important right now! What was everyone looking at?
Back in the training ground, the Stoneman had clearly lost the initial clash. He had been pushed back several steps before he could steady himself.
Since only that merchant nun remained standing on the field, this was likely her handiwork.
But a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old beastman girl had pushed back a 2-meter tall giant? Was such a thing even possible?
However, after seeing her upward-pointing cow horns, the crowd’s shock diminished slightly. At the very least, they were able to maintain a modicum of composure.
Beastmen were naturally known for their strength. Although this was still ridiculous, it was at least within the realm of possibility rather than being a complete miracle.
Furthermore, she had only pushed the Stoneman back. It wasn’t like she had actually defeated him, right? What was there to be shocked about? Why were they cheering?
But what happened next was even harder to watch…
Niubao reached behind her back with one hand, holding a back-scratcher to scratch an itch, completely ignoring the ongoing trial.
“Niubao, where did you get that back-scratcher?” Samimi couldn’t hold back her question.
As a side note, a back-scratcher was simply a wooden scratching tool used to reach an itch on one’s own back, hence the name ‘Asking No One For Help.’
“Miss Samimi gave it to me. Also, please call me Mino while we are outside, thank you.” Having spent so much time with Samimi, Niubao had learned how to be blunt.
“Put it away for now. Don’t draw so much aggro, it’s too humiliating,” Samimi whispered. ‘You are a natural genius at insulting people.’
The student had surpassed the master; Niubao’s ability to annoy people was now on par with her own, perhaps even superior.
Because of her perpetually dazed expression, she was a natural-born taunter.
If someone were crushed by an arrogant Pig Demon Nun, they could just say they were outmatched.
But if an expert were defeated by a “stupid cow” like this? They would have a psychological shadow for the rest of their lives! They would never be able to hold their head up again!
The cost of losing was on a completely different level. To this day, no beautiful girl had seen her reputation ruined after losing to Samimi. Instead, they all worked harder than ever to defeat her in the future.
After all, if one thought about it carefully, many stories involved the protagonist being stepped on by a wicked villain as a form of trial and tribulation.
It was the beginning of enduring humiliation for a greater cause! It was the motivation to turn one’s life around! It was the starting point for a meteoric rise!
A protagonist had to be stepped on a few more times to increase their strength.
Based on the analysis of how the Hero Party members improved after being beaten, Samimi thought, ‘If I were the protagonist, I’d want to be stepped on by a Miworm every day. Since she isn’t willing to kill anyone anyway, being stepped on a few times would turn me into a god.’
But if one were defeated by a lowly beastman nun in front of everyone, they would truly lose all face. They would never recover from the blow.
“Who are you? State your name!” The Stoneman steadied himself, his voice dripping with annoyance.
Hearing this, Niubao finally stopped scratching. With a flick of her small hand, she stored the back-scratcher into her storage space, but simultaneously summoned a roll of documents.
This cow nun’s small display of skill surprised the adventurers. While they weren’t sure exactly what technique she used, she clearly possessed an extraordinary treasure.
However, when the cow nun unfurled the document, it was her Adventurer Certificate. Naturally, what shocked everyone was the large letter **[F]** printed on it.
This little beastman girl was only a Bronze adventurer!
Initially, her presence was an insult to the Stoneman, but now it was an insult to everyone present because no one there had a rank higher than Platinum.
There was a gap between levels of posing. One could only say this was a natural talent; there was no need for arrogant words. With just two movements, she reached a realm of posing that a Miworm could never catch up to in a lifetime.
Niubao was taking a deeper, more profound route: the silent pose, pretending to be an expert by not speaking.
She didn’t need to be like Samimi, constantly talking and cursing, or knocking people down and stepping on their heads. Niubao didn’t need those kinds of immoral, flamboyant actions.
Of course, this deep type of posing wasn’t that easy to pull off.
You had to have immense strength, otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to carry it out today.
“How dare a mere F-Rank act so brazenly here!”
The Stoneman let out a furious roar. His muscles bulged, his skin turned a heated red, and he exploded forward with all his might.
It was about face again. The world of adventurers valued face more than anywhere else.
Martial artists were different from mages. Mages got more powerful as they aged, but a martial artist’s physical strength would decline with age. Even the strongest person would become weaker as they grew older. At that point, they had to rely on “face.”
The adventurer world was a place that ran purely on strength, yet it couldn’t rely solely on strength to function. If everything were decided purely by power, it would eventually become a lawless land.
Strict hierarchies had to be established so that veteran adventurers received respect. Only then could the community remain stable for a long time.
It was what people often referred to as “giving me some face.”
The guild’s seniority and adventurer ranks existed so that those who fought for their lives had rules to follow, preserving a bit of humanity in the world.
To survive in the South, one had to follow these rules. In all things, one had to give three points of face. Even if you had the strength, you had to know when to save face for others.
Leaving a way out for others was leaving a way out for yourself. Who didn’t understand this logic?
*CRACK!*
In a flash, a heavy sound rang out.
The Stoneman was struck in the head by a Holy Hammer falling from the sky. His skull was battered until he bled, and his eyes rolled back. Like a fainted ox, his massive body instantly collapsed onto the sand.
The beastman nun landed gracefully, having ended the Stoneman in a single move.
At that moment, the entire field fell silent.
The Stoneman certainly didn’t know how he had lost, but the bystanders saw it clearly. Everyone could see exactly how he had been defeated.
Actually, it was quite simple. The moment the Stoneman was about to send her flying, the beastman nun leaped into the air, performed a 360-degree spin, and pulled the Holy Hammer out in mid-air to strike the back of the Stoneman’s head.
It sounded simple, but the details were worth pondering.
Experts recognize experts. Everyone present was a combat professional who had spent their lives pursuing the path of martial arts. They could tell at a glance that those were not movements an ordinary person could make.
Whether it was her reaction time, speed, or the crispness of her movements, everything was top-tier. There was no wasted motion, and she certainly didn’t give him any face.
From this moment on, the Stoneman would likely become a laughingstock among all adventurers, a representative of someone who was “all brawn and no brains.”
Everyone only knew he had been defeated by a beastman, but no one would mention that this beastman’s agility far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
Members of the First Guild quickly came forward to carry the unconscious Stoneman away. It was truly too embarrassing.
“I’ll do it.”
Suddenly, a middle-aged adventurer swordsman shouted. He stepped into the training ground, one pace at a time, until he stood opposite Niubao.
This man stepped out from the ranks of the First Guild’s members. He was an Examination Official arranged by the First Guild, not just some random person watching the excitement.
Technically, this was unreasonable. Niubao had already defeated one official, so why was a second one coming up? Who exactly was the examiner?
One could only say that from the moment Niubao humiliated the Stoneman, this was no longer a simple test.
Again, it was a matter of face.
Regardless of what happened later, the First Guild had to have someone defeat this beastman nun today.
Furthermore, no one objected. If you don’t give us face, we won’t give you face either.
But this played right into Samimi’s scheme. She wanted more experts to come and fight Niubao; they were all free experience points.
“…” Niubao looked at Samimi, her eyes questioning her for an opinion.
Samimi gave her a thumbs-up, signaling her to go all out.
Niubao understood. She reached up to hang the Holy Hammer back on her back, then swiped her finger, unexpectedly tearing a Void Crack in the air.
The crowd was shocked once again. What was this beastman girl going to do today? What kind of ability was this?
Only Samimi knew it was just a visual effect from the Ruby Value, which didn’t have any actual power.
But Niubao had a knack for making this small effect look like a world-shattering divine skill. It was clearly a non-damaging skill, but when paired with her movements and expression, it carried an awe-inspiring presence.
*Clang!* A sharp ring sounded.
The Golden Sword emerged from the Void Crack. Niubao gently reached out and grabbed the hilt, pulling it out with force. It traced a streak of golden light, humming with power.
Heavens! She was a natural-born genius at showing off!
Even that one draw-and-pose movement was so cool that even a Miworm would admit defeat.
“A Void Sword-Draw!”
“What kind of sword skill is that?”
“Look… Look at that sword!”
“What is that golden sword made of?”
“How can a beastman nun who looks like a beggar possess such a sharp sword?”
The surrounding adventurers discussed fervently, filled with absolute shock.
Even the opponent standing across from Niubao began to sweat.
Although he was an A-Rank Adventurer and a somewhat famous swordsman, the iron sword in his hand looked like a piece of scrap metal from the roadside when compared to the beastman nun’s Golden Sword.
Before the fight had even begun, his mindset had already crumbled.
Without good equipment, you’ve already lost half the battle before it starts.
This was also one of the core charms of an otherworldly world. Equipment suppression and stat suppression—those were the strongest highlights.