—Why aren't there any adventurers willing to follow the Shield Hero Lord? I really didn't expect something like this, it's a shame! —The king looked at Qin Feng, feigning surprise, but his stiff expression made it clear that everything was a farce. Qin Feng watched him coldly; He already knew that the king had secretly orchestrated everything, so he was not surprised at all.
—What happened? —Kitamura Motoyasu asked, referring to Qin Feng. He felt that this formation of groups generated a feeling of exclusion, something that was uncomfortable for him. It's worth mentioning that Motoyasu is actually a good person, but his IQ leaves a lot to be desired.
—I'm not entirely sure.— the king was "acting" until the end, displaying his exaggerated acting skills. At this moment, a man in a long robe slowly approached the monarch, bowed his head, and whispered something in his ear. If one looked closely, one could notice a faint smile at the corner of his lips. After saying that, the man left, and the king nodded, as if he had understood.
—That's how it is.—
- What's happening?! I should explain it clearly!—
—It is recorded in ancient documents that among the four heroes, the Shield Hero has the weakest overall strength and has no means of attack.—The king explained.
Hearing this, Qin Feng frowned and found that the king's lines seemed to be different from the original book. He couldn't help but guess. Could it be that I replaced Naofumi, which caused a slight change in the plot? Of course, Kitamura Motoyasu was still as deceitful as in the original book, completely believing what the king said, he walked up to Qin Feng and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.
— If this is the case, then there is no other way.—
— yeah, after all, this is the adventurers' own choice, Qin Feng, if you want to blame him, you can blame your own life.— Ren Amaki continued with an attitude that had nothing to do with him.
— Although this is unfair to you, people are born unequal, Qin Feng... you must work hard to train yourself. There should be many adventurers in this world. When you are strong, break the rumors, I think there must be someone willing to follow you.— The same goes for Itsuki Kawasumi, who still tells the truth without taking it for granted.
— It's okay, I'm fine with myself, — Qin Feng said, shrugging his shoulders to express his indifference.
— The Shield Hero has no attack power. "It wouldn't be good if he didn't have companions," the king commented, suddenly frowning, as if he was truly worried about Qin Feng.
—Ah... Your Majesty, I am willing to join the Shield Hero's team! —exclaimed, at that moment, a woman from the row behind Kitamura Motoyasu, raising her hand enthusiastically. She was a red-haired girl, lively, cute and full of energy, in addition to being quite tall.
— Oh, yes? Are you sure about it? -asked the king.
— Yes, after all, the Shield Hero is so unlucky, I am willing to follow him until he no longer needs me. — the young woman responded with a smile. If his true intentions were not known, anyone would think he had a good heart.
— That's great! Is anyone else volunteering to join Lord Shield Hero's team? — the king asked again. Seeing that no one else raised their hand, he sighed deeply.
— In that case, there is nothing else I can do... —the king murmured.
— Wait a moment...— Qin Feng interrupted, stopping the king's words.
[Ding! Please, choose!]
"1: Reject Myne joining your team and receive the Von Klay template completed at 10%."
"2: Kiss Myne passionately, and the flattery will be rewarded with the Elizabello II template completed at 10%."
"3: Hit Myne directly, humiliate her in public, and receive the Garp template completed at 5% (due to the extreme difficulty, the Shield Hero's low attack power will be temporarily blocked)."
Just after, the system interrupted Qin Feng's words. Myne was a naturally outstanding girl. In the original story, she allied with the king to deceive Iwatani Naofumi. Without her protagonist aura, she might have been manipulated to the extreme.
Among the three options, the first was the easiest, but also the one with the worst reward. Qin Feng couldn't even imagine using such a useless combat technique. The second option seemed a bit complicated, and the Elizabello II template wasn't particularly promising.
— It seems I can only choose the third option. Although it's very difficult, the rewards are too tempting. How could I travel without taking some risks? —Qin Feng thought before speaking.
— I want to test this lady's strength first, is that alright? —he said directly.
— Hey… What kind of mindset is that? These girls are willing to follow you despite the rumors. It's fine if you don't appreciate it, but wanting to test her strength is going too far! — Kitamura Motoyasu shouted angrily, defending Myne before she or the king could respond. In reality, Motoyasu had felt a bit hurt when a beautiful woman left his team.
— You said it yourself, it's just a rumor… My strength is considerable, so I'd rather be alone and not have others hold me back.— Qin Feng mocked.
— That's not the point... — Kitamura Motoyasu tried to reply, but Myne stepped forward.
— I can understand the Shield Hero's concern and accept his request for a competition.— Myne said calmly.
— Ah… Isn't this too dangerous? — The king asked, looking at Qin Feng with feigned concern.
— Although I don't deny you have the bravery of a valiant man, you've just arrived in this world and haven't developed your full potential yet. Myne is already a powerful mage. —
— If you compete, I fear you could get hurt. It wouldn't be good if you later held a grudge against this kingdom and its king.— He added, with a paternalistic tone.
— Don't worry, I promise to show mercy.—
Myne responded with a gentle smile that almost melted Motoyasu's heart. 'What a kind girl,' he thought, 'Why should she follow someone like Qin Feng, who doesn't know how to be grateful?'
Qin Feng glanced at Kitamura Motoyasu, resigned to his naive attitude. Then he looked at Myne, and finally at the king.
— A powerful mage? Just what I'm looking for. I'm not worried about getting hurt; I'm worried about not being able to 'help' this country defend itself from foreign enemies.— he replied with feigned firmness.
— Then I invite the other three brave heroes and His Majesty, the King, to bear witness. If someone gets hurt during the competition, whether it's me or this lovely lady, I promise there will be no complaints. Isn't that right, dear?— Qin Feng said slowly, with an enigmatic smile at the corner of his lips as he glanced toward Myne.
— Not bad. If you get injured during the competition, I guarantee there won't be any complaints. — Myne nodded, a smile on her face. It was a confident, yet insidious smile. She had already decided to use her most powerful magic to severely injure Qin Feng on the stage, and then, with an expression of "I didn't expect you to be so weak," tend to the injured Qin Feng with fake compassion.
— In that case, Your Majesty the King… you should be able to accept this competition, right? And when it's over, I hope you'll excuse any offense caused by injuring someone.— Qin Feng added. Seeing Myne look at him, the king immediately agreed.
— The king accepts your request.— He responded firmly. Soon, a space was cleared in the center of the hall for Qin Feng and Myne to face off at a distance of ten meters. Myne mocked inwardly.
— You only have a shield. What do you think you can hurt me with? But what a hassle… after hurting someone, I'll still have to pretend to be innocent and concerned, — Myne thought.
The corners of Qin Feng's lips curled slightly, showing a somewhat mischievous smile. Although he didn't have the ability to read minds, he had a pretty good idea of what Myne was thinking.
— Begin! —
When the king shouted, Myne immediately raised her hands.
~~ Oh, source of strength, I command you to interpret the countless phenomena and send them to this person…~~
Myne started singing as a scene that appeared in many animes. However, Qin Feng will not be like anime characters, who insist on waiting for the opponent to finish singing and then engage in a turn-based battle. As soon as Myne raised his hands, he lunged forward. His overall fitness has tripled, but it's not what it used to be. He covered a distance of ten meters in less than two seconds and, when he lunged at Myne, he punched her hard in the face. Seeing the fist getting closer and closer, Myne had no choice but to stop chanting and dodge it to the side. As if Qin Feng had expected it, he twisted his waist abruptly and kicked out his right foot, like a scorpion's tail.
Bang!
The impact was overwhelming. Myne let out a scream and the whole person flew two meters before falling heavily to the ground.
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Someone else is also uploading this novel, and it is better than the one I uploaded.
Look for "Reborn as a Hero Shield with a Garp Template"
by Darkphoenix11