“Mm-hmm-hmm…”
The receptionist hummed a little tune as she sorted through the stack of quest certificates that had piled up from the previous day, her twin brown braids swaying lightly on her shoulders with each movement.
Ever since that person arrived, her mood had improved a lot—fewer troublesome requests, a fatter wallet, and even the occasional feast for the eyes, enough to make her praise the Goddess.
At that moment, the heavy Oak Door of the guild was pushed open, and a figure walked in against the morning light.
The noise in the hall instantly quieted a few degrees.
All eyes were irresistibly drawn toward the newcomer.
It was an “iron can” that looked oppressive just by standing there.
The visitor was completely encased in silver-white heavy armor, complex golden holy runes engraved across the plates, reflecting a cold yet luxurious brilliance under the morning sun.
A fully enclosed helmet, with long spiral horns extending from both sides, and a visor shaped like a face mourning for all beings—a design that gave off an inexplicable sense of contradiction.
The armor’s style was out of place in this small border town, so much so that even someone clueless about such things could tell it was extraordinary. Its ornate design had no visible seams, as if the armor itself was forged from a single piece.
Just from the solid, hefty look of it, one would expect heavy footsteps, but the person’s movements were so light they barely made a sound.
Everyone understood at a glance: this was not someone to mess with.
Shi Hanfeng stood at the entrance, adjusting to the slightly narrowed field of vision inside the helmet—but more than anything, he felt an indescribable sense of security.
Wearing the [Pope of the Pure Court] heavy armor, he could hardly feel its weight at all. It moved as if it were part of his own body, and the solid feeling that wrapped his whole self provided a constant sense of safety.
Now he understood why Goblin Slayer never took off his armor. While he didn’t suffer from such severe paranoia, the security of full coverage was truly wonderful—and this set was far more comfortable than any armor in reality.
All the running around, monster grinding, and treasure hunting before now suddenly felt worth it.
A few curious, wary, and even scrutinizing gazes immediately stuck to this unfamiliar “iron can.”
It’s not unusual for strangers to come to town, but someone so well equipped was rare.
Still, he didn’t care. Adventurers who couldn’t provide information or help were less valuable than good-looking NPCs, at least those could offer emotional value.
Take quests. Take quests.
The receptionist was sorting through a new stack of quest certificates when she heard the faint sound of metal footsteps approaching. She raised her head by habit, immediately putting on a professional, sweet smile.
“Welcome, honored adventurer. How may I assist you?”
Her voice was clear, tinged with formulaic respect.
The heavily armored warrior before her was unfamiliar, but from his equipment alone, he was clearly no ordinary adventurer. Perhaps an elite from the City of Water or even farther away.
Through the visor of the [Sanctified Paladin’s Forgiveness Visor], Shi Hanfeng looked at the receptionist’s polite, distant smile. A mischievous idea flashed in his mind.
He didn’t reveal his identity immediately. Instead, he reached out with a hand covered in silver-gray armor, placing several bulging cloth pouches—stained faintly with dark red—and an oval white ceramic badge onto the smooth wooden counter.
“Quest turn-in.”
His voice echoed through the mask with a low metallic hum, slightly unfamiliar.
“And also, check if there are any goblin extermination requests left.”
Emily quickly took the items, lowering her head by habit as she began to register them. Picking up her pen, she replied in her usual professional tone,
“Understood. Please allow me a mo—”
…Eh?
Her gaze landed on the white ceramic badge, where the characters “Rochet” were clearly engraved.
Her hand, flipping through the records, froze mid-air.
Rochet.
???
Her brain momentarily short-circuited.
She tilted her head, staring in disbelief at the “iron can” who revealed only a pair of calm eyes.
Those eyes—
They seemed a bit familiar, especially that emerald green that felt like it could see straight into your heart—
Watching the receptionist’s astonished and confused expression, Shi Hanfeng couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle. The metal mask muffled the sound.
He raised his hand and, with a crisp click, flipped the visor up to the top of his helmet, revealing a face completely out of place with the surroundings. A few golden strands fell across his forehead, and his lips curled in a teasing smile.
“What, after a few days apart, the receptionist can’t recognize me anymore?”
He joked lightly.
“Looks like my disguise worked a bit too well?”
“Ro… Rochet?! It’s really you!”
The receptionist cried out, her voice rising in shock and making the nearby stares even more curious.
Her cheeks turned red in an instant, the blush spreading all the way to her ears. She nearly knocked over an ink bottle beside her.
“S-sorry! I didn’t recognize you at first! That armor is just so imposing!”
Inside, she was already screaming.
Ahhh!
It’s him!
He actually changed into such a ridiculously cool set of armor!
And I didn’t even recognize him!
And I even called him ‘honored adventurer’ like a stranger!
How embarrassing!
But he looks even more reliable in armor!
No, no, but this face is still the most heart-throbbing!
Shi Hanfeng was quite satisfied with her reaction.
What was the point of getting a new skin if you didn’t show it off?
In his previous life, he’d always enjoyed the feeling of pulling rare skins and immediately flaunting them to friends.
He intentionally left the visor raised, leaning forward on the counter, elbow propped up, grinning teasingly.
“So? How does my new look suit me?”
Seal-face attack!
The receptionist couldn’t meet his gaze at all, quickly looking down and twisting the hem of her uniform with trembling fingers.
“Um… It’s… very handsome… such a magnificent—”
The words tumbled out, and only after speaking did she realize what she’d said. She wished she could crawl into a hole, ducking her head to pretend to wipe ink spots off the desk, babbling in confusion.
“No! I mean… the armor is very, very cool! It suits you perfectly! No— I mean the quests! Yes, the quests!”
“Glad to hear it.”
Shi Hanfeng nodded in satisfaction. Having had enough fun showing off, he tapped his knuckles on the counter.
“Help me out. Give me all the goblin extermination requests in the nearby area, regardless of reward. Every single one.”
“All of them?”
The receptionist looked up again, the blush on her face not yet faded.
“Rochet, there are quite a few! And the locations are…”
She instinctively felt this was too insane. How could one person handle so many quests at once?
“All of them.”
Shi Hanfeng’s tone held no hesitation, full of self-assured confidence.
“Efficiency is money. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
His gaze swept over the giant Quest Board on the wall, where a mass of parchment—mostly goblin-related requests—remained untouched.
In his eyes, these weren’t problems. They were treasure chests shining with promise.
Emily stared into his confident eyes, remembering his inhuman efficiency in clearing nests before, and the rumors Hans and others had spread about Rochet’s terrifying strength.
She swallowed any further protest.
She simply took a deep breath and nodded hard.
“Understood! Please wait. I’ll gather all the goblin requests now!”
She immediately turned and half-climbed into the huge box under the counter where unsold requests were stored, rummaging around before dragging out a thick stack of curled parchment.
Shi Hanfeng took the requests and glanced through them—more than ten in total.
He pulled out a newly purchased, detailed map of the Border Forest from his Backpack Space, spread it on the counter, and asked Emily for a pen.
Lowering his head, he quickly cross-referenced the map and request descriptions, dipping his finger in ink to mark point after point, then began sketching the optimal route to connect them all.
Emily and a few nearby adventurers watched in awe.
They’d never seen anyone handle quests like this. It wasn’t about taking on problems—it was like planning the most efficient supply route, with a mathematical elegance.
“Done.”
In less than five minutes, Shi Hanfeng straightened and pointed at the requests.
“These. Register them all. How soon can it be processed?”
“Right away!”
Emily snapped out of her trance, quickly registering and stamping the requests with more speed than she’d ever shown.
As Emily busied herself, Shi Hanfeng mentally reviewed the eleven marked goblin nest locations and routes.
Perfect. At this pace, he could clear them all in three days at most.
When Shi Hanfeng stored the stack of request copies in his Backpack Space and strode out of the guild, the suppressed murmurs in the hall finally burst out like a thawed river.
“Hey, did you see that? He took every goblin quest!”
“Crazy! Eleven nests! Alone?”
“You didn’t hear? That’s Rochet! The same guy who dragged Hans and them to clear goblin nests a while back! The receptionist said he’s a healer!”
“Are you kidding? Your healer wears that kind of armor? I’d believe he was a Judgement Paladin! And he took all those goblin quests alone?”
“Who knows… Maybe he’s some rich young master from a big family, burning money to team up for fun?”
“Team up? Does he look like someone who needs a party?”
In the days that followed, the Border Forest surrounding Ximu Town became the stage for a one-sided, jaw-droppingly efficient “hunt.”
With the full set of [Pope of the Pure Court] armor, Shi Hanfeng’s every worry melted away.
Safety when camping outdoors?
This armor was the sturdiest moving fortress. Lay down anywhere, and even wild beasts couldn’t scratch it.
Supply shortages?
Fresh meat from monsters, wild strawberries, and clean water drops were enough to sustain his needs. The [Backpack Space] solved storage and carrying issues perfectly.
Party cooperation and rhythm?
No longer needed.
He alone was an army.
Before, Hans and Gelte would carefully advance behind shields, drawing fire while he picked off targets.
But now, at the entrance of a cave near the Abandoned Lumberyard, five goblins barely caught his scent before screeching and lunging from the shadows.
Shi Hanfeng simply raised his right hand, palm down, and pressed it to the earth.
[Wish of Burial]
Emerald light radiated from his palm, sweeping over the five goblins like a wave.
The sensation of life being forcibly drained left them frozen in terror, their already gaunt bodies withering further before collapsing into desiccated husks.
Not a sound escaped them as they hit the ground.
Hmm, this move is still best for clearing mobs.
Expressionless, Shi Hanfeng stepped over the ashes and pressed on.
The armored boots made barely a sound on the damp earth.
At the entrance to another nest, he didn’t even bother extinguishing his torch—he just strode inside, torch in one hand for light, Wufeng Sword in the other, as if walking into his own home.
Goblins deep in the cave shrieked and charged.
Rusty blades, crude wooden clubs, even brittle bone arrows—
All rained down on the silver armor, producing dull, futile thuds that couldn’t even scratch the outer [Life Shield].
Gear suppression, brothers!
Shi Hanfeng didn’t slow down, not even sparing a glance at his attackers.
The Wufeng Sword became a storm of dark gray in his hands.
No longer was he aiming for vital points. It was all wide sweeps, chops, and thrusts—pure force and brutality!
With absolute power and gear, every swing shattered bones and sent goblins flying.
He was a silver metal flood, bulldozing through the nest. Some goblins hiding in corners didn’t even react before being swept up in the sword’s arc.
Battle had shifted from “scouting-engage-combat” to a simple routine of “clear monsters-move on-next.”
What used to take nearly an hour to clear carefully could now be wiped in under ten minutes.
[Obtained: Wooden Treasure Chest ×1]
The sound of a chest unlocking had become the sweetest music.
Ximu Town Adventurers’ Guild.
On the Quest Board, the goblin requests—once left untouched—were now vanishing at a visible rate, even becoming scarce.
Every few days, that eye-catching figure in silver armor would reappear, knock on the counter, and speak through the mask.
“Quest turn-in. Any new ones?”
The receptionist had gone from shock to habit, to a state of near numbness.
She looked at the growing piles of goblin left ear proofs on her desk—representing completed quests—then at the ever-emptier board, and finally at the figure calmly waiting for his gold.
Her eyes had shifted from initial admiration to a reverence reserved for gods.
Thanks to him, her performance numbers were secure for the month—no, the whole year. With no goblin requests left, and a hundred percent completion rate, she couldn’t think of anyone else who could compare.
Other adventurers had long since taken notice.
Was this guy even human?
Who clears goblin nests like harvesting wheat?
The requests that had piled up for months were wiped out by him alone.
The gossip in the guild hall never ceased, all centered on the mysterious iron can.
“Hey, there he is again! The armored weirdo!”
“Didn’t he take a bunch of goblin requests? Finished in three days?”
“You’re kidding. Doesn’t he ever rest?”
“I saw him at the town gate yesterday. That armor looks heavy as hell, but he walks like it’s nothing!”
“They say he registered as a healer?”
“Healer? Don’t make me laugh! What kind of healer wears that and charges in to hack goblins? If he’s human, I’ll eat my boot!”
“What is he even grinding for?”