I Think I'm Stuck In A Dilemma

Even with all my advantages, the fight wasn't easy. Actually, that was an understatement, it was difficult as hell.

I was barely scraping by as we fought. Lucy's power and speed exceeded my initial calculations, and I was extremely terrified of getting mutilated during every second of our fight.

Everything took a drastic turn for the worst when she used her remaining Skills with absolute ferocity. I knew at that moment that I was royally screwed.

Luckily, due to all the evasion maneuvers I employed in our fight, I gained more Stats in Agility, so I got even faster. Also, the 'Hero' Title buff made sure I wasn't losing Stamina—at least, not at the time.

My other Title effect also came into play at that moment.

'Fraud'

Thanks to my constant bluffs and condescending statements, Lucy faltered and began making blunders. Her uncertainty made it perfect for me to regain control of the situation.

Finally, the battle came to a close, and Lucy crumbled before me. To be honest, if it had lasted another minute or so, I would have humiliated myself and lost badly.

I also came up with the perfect excuse for not using my useless weapon.

Truly, for this fight at the very least, luck was on my side.

'I really tried my hardest. Let's just hope the rewards are worth it.' I smiled, trying to get away from the crying girl.

The flames were getting unbearable.

[Warrior's Skin] granted passive defensive features, and I had also inscribed runes on my outfit to prevent damage to them. That was why I was able to confidently hug the girl—as an emotional bonus.

But, I didn't intend on it being this long.

'OW! OW! OW!' The flames were beginning to burn.

If I didn't get away soon, it could mean serious trouble! I would be toast, literally.

'Hey! Get away from me!' I screamed internally, half glaring at the smiling girl who didn't seem to have any intention of letting go.

As I thought, this girl really wanted to kill me!

'Let gooooo!!! Pleaseee! It burnnnss!!!' I wanted to cry, but my façade remained unchanged.

Was this really… how everything would end?

After all my efforts at ensuring I didn't die. To think I would go out in such an embarrassing—and terribly painful—way!

'Goodbye… sweet world…'

'Haha, just joking'

Of course, I wasn't going to let myself suffer death like that. Not with the crazy effort I had put in to escape it.

'This was a mistake! I'll reverse everything with Arcana Call!'

Then—

"Get away from the Hero—I mean, Sam!" A sharp cry surged through the air as someone quickly dashed in my direction.

"U-uh…?"

"Stay away from him! Why are you ogling him so much? Even after losing, you're still so shameless!"

The one who intervened was none other than Sarah. To be honest, I had never been so glad to see her butting into my business.

"A-ah, I'm so sorry…" Lucy finally let go of me, granting me the sweet relief I desperately desired.

Unfortunately, I couldn't let that show in my demeanor.

"It's alright. My shoulders are always available for you to cry on." Of course, I didn't give a shit, but I said it anyway.

Lucy's eyes glimmered brightly the moment I said this, and it felt like I had received all her devotion.

Still, I could not trust the little monster.

'Not only did she try her hardest to kill me when we fought, she nearly smoldered me in flames. Whether she's doing this intentionally or not, being around this girl is bad news!'

I needed to create some distance.

"S-stay away from him!" My savior, Sarah, intervened.

Standing to my feet, I casually shrugged, trying desperately to ignore the stings of pain I felt all over my body. The Hero's Automatic Recovery would handle that soon… at least, I hoped.

"What's your problem, Sarah?" Lucy snapped back at the Priestess—much to my chagrin.

The young girl's vicious eyes toward the blonde were a sharp contrast from what she had just shown to me.

Hostility was lurking within those crimson irises.

"T-The Hero just defeated you. Have s-some shame and reflect on your actions!"

Although Sarah said this, the quivering tone she used to speak told me that her emotional outburst stemmed from a personal issue.

Both women didn't seem like they liked each other very much. The way they stared daggers at each other was enough proof.

Besides, no one around tried to stop them.

'Haha, looks like we've got some rivalry, or something…'

[SYSTEM NOTICE]

{System Reward}

~Loyalty Of Lucy (The Strongest Plebian)~ ~Addition of Lucy to Character List~

~(+5) Stat Points~

~(+10) Karmic Value~

[End Of Information]

'Ah, looks like the Base Rewards are here…' I gave a wry smile, still watching both girls arguing.

'Hopefully, I had some good achievements from the fight…'

It was best not to raise my hopes too high, though.

Even though Lucy seemed pretty hardcore, it was still relatively easier to get her on my side than I had thought.

Resolving things through violence was a necessity this time, reminding me of the fact that I needed to resort to such measures from time to time.

'I can't bullshit my way out of everything…'

To survive in this world, I needed to become stronger—and fast!

The problem was how to go about such a thing.

'The fastest way would be to complete Quests or to train in specific fields.'

The former was very risky, while the latter was virtually impossible—at least for the moment.

'I think I overdid it with these people…' I stared at the astounded faces of everyone around me.

They all looked so impressed, faces gleaming in admiration of the almighty Hero.

I was as strong as an average warrior, at best. However, unlike them, my practical knowledge about fighting was non-existent.

That meant I needed more experience in waging battles—not only to increase my Stats, but also to build more confidence and muscle memory.

'Unfortunately… they all think I'm Overpowered!'

Not only could I not get the proper guidance I needed from them—since they all assumed I was far stronger—if I tried to force the issue and show my pathetic side to everyone, they would finally realize how much I sucked.

There was no way I could have that!

In the end, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place—an impossible situation!

A single question kept echoing in my head as I had these thoughts.

'Who's going to train me?!'