The moment I stepped onto the stage, a roaring cheer erupted.

I was a little taken aback by the loudest applause I'd ever heard, but then it hit me—this was my first time in the main event. It made sense.
As I processed this, I heard voices from the crowd calling out my name.

“Goblin Slayer!”
“Matt, the Goblin Killer!”

It seemed I was acquiring some rather ominous nicknames.
With little choice, I raised my sword to acknowledge the cheers.

I had to fight in a way that would make people forget the name Goblin Slayer.

While I renewed my resolve, a particularly loud cheer rose from the opposite side of the arena.
From the other entrance, a massive man stepped out. The word massive described him perfectly. Clad in iron armor that seemed tight on his thick, muscular body, he made quite the impression.

If I remembered correctly, his name was Pile.
Pile’s arms and legs were thick, as was his neck. Judging by his physique, he was undoubtedly strong. In one hand, he carried a large, cleaver-like sword, and in the other, a menacing rhomboid shield, nearly a meter wide.

I also held a large iron longsword and a shield for visual appeal as a main-event fighter, but compared to his gear, mine seemed meager.
Pile walked slowly toward me, his heavy steps seeming to amplify the crowd’s excitement.

I gripped my sword and began to approach him as well.
As the distance between us shrank, I could see the details of his gear—a set of worn, battle-scarred iron armor, sword, and shield.
The dents and scratches on his armor told the story of countless battles.

In other words, his defenses were solid.

I locked eyes with Pile and deliberately decided to confront him head-on.
Most people would likely avoid a direct clash after seeing his massive frame, but battles of brute force tend to thrill the crowd.

Readjusting my grip on my sword and shield, I stood directly before him. Pile’s eyes widened in surprise before he broke into a manly grin, flashing his white teeth.

“You think you can beat me in a test of strength?”

“I’m confident in my strength too. Let’s see who’s stronger,” I replied.

At this, Pile grinned savagely and raised his sword high.

The heavy blade came crashing down toward my head, and I caught it with my shield.
The loud clash made me wince as I countered by slamming my sword against Pile’s shield.
The impact threw off his balance slightly, causing him to stagger.

Enduring the shock, Pile looked at me with astonishment.

“…Ha! Hahaha!”

Pile suddenly burst out laughing, then swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc.
It was a reckless, brute-force attack, lacking finesse. Easy to dodge—but that wouldn’t be entertaining.

I met his blade with my shield and retaliated with a wild swing of my own sword.

“Ngah!”
“Ugh!”
“Hah!”
“Hmph!”

With every clash of our weapons, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

“Take this!”

Pile, nearly thrown off balance, used the momentum to launch himself back at me.
The weighty swing of his sword came at me with even greater force this time.
Sensing danger, I abandoned my counterattack and used both my sword and shield to block his strike.
The loudest crash yet resounded through the arena. My iron shield groaned under the strain.
The sheer weight difference pushed me back nearly two meters, stumbling to keep my footing.

“Hmm,” Pile muttered.

Looking down, I noticed my shield was badly dented and cracked, and my sword had bent in half.
With such a damaged shield, I couldn’t block properly anymore, and the bent sword was useless in my hands.
Pile noticed this and smirked, raising his weapon again.

“Admit defeat, and we’ll fight again sometime.”

He laughed confidently, lifting his shield to emphasize his dominance.

I smirked back, aiming my warped sword at him.

“I hate losing.”

With that, I sprinted toward Pile. He frowned and lowered his stance, ready to meet my charge.

“Idiot!” he shouted, raising his shield and sword.

I hurled my bent sword at him.

“Guh!”

Pile flinched, using his shield to block the flying sword, but as he did, I closed the gap.
His hasty swing lacked power, and I intercepted it with my battered shield before leaping onto him.
Grabbing his left arm, I pulled him off balance and slipped behind him.
Securing his arm, I crouched, positioning my body under his center of gravity.

“Haaah!”

Using all my strength, I hoisted his massive frame off the ground and slammed him headfirst into the arena floor.
The impact left him stunned, and though I was tempted to hold him down for a three-count like in wrestling, I knew that wasn’t how this fight ended.

I laid Pile’s limp body on the ground, grabbed his sword, and stood tall.
Glancing down at him for a few seconds to ensure he wouldn’t rise, I raised his sword high into the air.

The arena erupted into an earth-shaking roar of approval.
As the crowd’s ecstatic cheers echoed, I smiled and waved back.

“Ugh…”

Pile groaned, slowly rolling onto his back.

“…Did I lose?”

He muttered in disbelief, and I nodded.

“Let’s do this again sometime.”

At my words, Pile broke into laughter, still lying on the ground.

“Hahaha! Yeah, let’s fight again!”

Still laughing, Pile accepted his defeat with grace.