Chapter 1
Labyrinth Labyrinth City Tandem.
Mysterious entities that suddenly appeared in this world, bringing with them countless treasures and dangerous monsters: Labyrinths. Tandem is a city that harbors many such Labyrinths.
Flourishing around a Labyrinth that towers high into the heavens, commonly known as”The Tower,”Tandem gathers Adventurers—those who make a living conquering the Labyrinths or aim to make a fortune in one fell swoop. It has become a chaotic, yet vibrant and bustling place.
Therefore, one could say this is not only a Labyrinth City but also an Adventurer City.
Living in this town, whether you like it or not, you hear stories of the spectacular exploits of Adventurers every day.
Born and raised in this city, it was only natural for me, Adem, to hold a strong admiration for Adventurers and aim to become one myself.
Having started chasing that dream from childhood, I simply put in reckless effort. Dragging my shy childhood friend along with me, I worked so hard that, looking back now, I think I might have been a little crazy.
Even as a child, I used every connection I could find, visiting Adventurers of various Jobs to beg for instruction. Of course, saying”teach me”rarely resulted in”okay, sure.”Getting turned away at the gate was a daily occurrence, but I didn’t lose heart and persistently continued to beg for teachings almost every day.
As a result, most of them eventually gave in and taught me their techniques and knowledge.
Together with my childhood friend, I learned these skills one after another, completely making them my own.
Carried away by my momentum, I perfected my knowledge of almost every Job and was simply waiting for the age when I could obtain one. During that time, I researched anything and everything related to Adventurers.
Jobs are obtained by having a Celestial Bestower—a person capable of using the gift of magic—grant the blessing of the desired Job. Currently, Bestowers are managed by the state, and one cannot basically obtain or change a Job without going through formal procedures.
The age requirement is set at twelve years or older, and I obediently waited for that time.
However, when I finally reached that age and was at the stage to receive a Job, a fatal defect was discovered.
I possessed an extreme lack of magic power.
It goes without saying for magic Jobs, but even melee Jobs cannot fight without magic power.
Whether using techniques or boosting physical abilities, magic power is indispensable.
While it is possible to grow one’s total capacity of magic power, the increase is basically insignificant. It goes without saying how that applied in my case.
I had perfected the techniques and the theory. However, I lacked the most necessary thing to give them form.
I fell into deep despair.
However, I still couldn’t give up.
I received Jobs one after another, repeatedly changing classes, desperately searching for a way to be an Adventurer.
I modified existing spell formulas to activate with smaller amounts of magic power, devised formulas that could absorb and generate magic power as soon as it was consumed, and tried absolutely everything I could do.
Fortunately, my childhood friend had no such defects—rather, they were exceptional—so they helped me test the formulas.
Thus, after trying every Job except for a few special ones obtained only by divine oracle, I chose the Swordsman.
I judged that the Swordsman, the most orthodox melee Job, was the least dependent on total magic power and was a Job where I could barely manage to get by as an Adventurer.
Besides, I had one hope.
There are various treasures in the Labyrinths. Among them are Artifacts that lie beyond human understanding.
Within those Artifacts, perhaps there is one that can solve the defect of my low magic power.
I still can’t give up. With that single-minded determination, I became an Adventurer.
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“Man, that was an easy win, huh!”
“Really, it was almost unsatisfying.”
“I am glad everyone is uninjured.”
“……”
On the way back from safely conquering the Labyrinth, my companions looked completely at ease, showing no signs of fatigue. As for me, I wasn’t tired either, but while they weren’t tired because their ability gave them literal leeway, I wasn’t tired because I basically didn’t do anything.
To be more precise, I wasn’t allowed to do anything. Every monster we encountered was instantly killed by Geld and Elsha the moment we ran into them. The rare attacks that managed to fly our way were completely blocked by Homura’s defensive magic, so they never hit. As a result, I, the Swordsman and the only melee Job in this party, had nothing to do.
Why did it turn out like this? It’s only been about a year since I formed a party with them, and initially, they didn’t have this absurd strength. In fact, they were actually somewhat unreliable compared to other Adventurers.
But, as I taught them what I could, they grew rapidly, and now we have this situation. How should I put it… it reminds me of a certain someone’s time…
“At this rate, rising to A-Rank might just be a matter of time.”
“Ohh, finally Adem-san’s name will roar throughout the world!”
A-Rank. That is effectively the highest position in the Adventurer’s Guild. Technically there is an S-Rank above it, but excluding special exceptions, one cannot reach it without achieving truly massive merits, and it involves luck in encountering such cases as much as actual ability. But if it’s them, forget A-Rank; even if it were S-Rank, couldn’t they reach it if given the opportunity?
S-Rank Adventurers. The admiration of all Adventurers who gain the right to challenge”The Tower.”Do I really have that kind of power? Forget S-Rank, can I even keep up in Labyrinths suitable for A-Rank going forward? Or rather, is my power even necessary?
The answer is No. Going forward, I will surely drag them down. Above all, even if I adventure with them, I won’t get any stronger.
“I know! Since it’s a pre-celebration, why don’t we party hard today!”
“Pre-celebration… Geld, you just want to make noise, don’t you?”
“Weeell… I guess there’s that too!”
“Ahaha, well isn’t it fine? We haven’t been able to make much noise lately. Right, Adem-san?”
“Hm? Ah, ahh, I suppose.”
For some reason, they have a tendency to excessively overestimate me and yearn for me, but continuing this relationship is surely not good for either of us.
I quietly solidified my resolve in my heart.
“I think I’m going to leave the party.”
With that single sentence I released, the banquet table fell silent. Sensing the abnormality in a corner that had been particularly lively, the surrounding customers in the dining hall peeked over to see what was happening.
“Eh, w-what do you mean…? T-That’s some kind of joke, right…?”
Geld spoke up fearfully.
“It’s not a joke. I’ll say it again, but I want to leave the party.”
“Wa-Wait a minute! This is too sudden! Did we do something wrong!?”
Elsha stood up involuntarily and raised her voice. Homura, perhaps unable to recover from the shock yet, remained frozen with a blank expression.
“No, you guys aren’t in the wrong. If I had to say, my own unworthiness is the cause. …In any case, I judged that continuing like this isn’t good for either of us. Sorry for being selfish.”
“…!”
Elsha opened her mouth to say something, but perhaps unable to find the words, she immediately closed it and bit her lip.
“R-Reason! Please explain it more properly! Otherwise, this is… I cannot accept this!”
The one appealing to me with teary eyes was Homura, who had recovered from her dazed state. Seeing her like that caused my heart more than a little pain.
“…It’s to break away from that dependence. Otherwise… could end up only holding everyone back.”
“……!!”
Yes, a burden. Saying that word aloud myself was more bitter than I imagined. These guys are already approaching the top tier of strength in the country. If they gain just a little more practical experience, they should become the strongest party that everyone acknowledges. The current me is not suitable for that place.
At my words, the party members wore even more pained expressions. That makes sense. The leader they believed in and followed is in this state. It must be so pathetic they can’t bear to look.
“B-But I still cannot accept it…! N-No! Absolutely not!”
When I remained silent for a while, Homura, looking as if she couldn’t bear it anymore, finally burst into tears.
The other two also directed gazes at me that were accusatory, yet pleading.
I flinched at the indescribable awkwardness, but I had no intention of changing my mind. I steeled myself and opened my mouth.
“……Alright. In that case, you guys are banished from this party. I am the leader. You have no complaints, right?”
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