Side: Shinaguru

My first time entering the Adventurers’ Guild was intimidating.

Every adventurer there looked frightening.

Each of them carried scars somewhere on their body.

Even healing skills couldn’t easily erase those scars.

The same went for potions.

Of course, it would be a different story if you had an elixir.

“Hey, you two over there.”

“Want to join our party?”

A guy around my age called out to us.

He wore a friendly smile.

“What do you think?”

Manii Mine asked for my opinion.

“We have to join a party eventually.”

“It might be easier if they’re around our age.”

“I think so too.”

“Oh, have you made up your minds?”

“I’m Violetti.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Shinaguru.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Manii Mine.”

“Don’t you want to ask about our roles?”

“It’s fine.”

“If we don’t work well together, we can always split up.”

“Let’s head out hunting right away.”

“How about starting with goblins?”

“Sure.”

“I’ve hunted them plenty of times.”

“I think we can handle it.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

The other members were Sarcasm, a shield user.

Snotrose, a mage.

And Coolel, a healer.

With that, we had a six-person party.

Every monster-infested forest felt the same.

The silence was unsettling.

Though I’d already gotten used to it.

“【Listening】.”

“There are three goblins over there.”

“That’s a useful skill.”

“It really helps.”

“It’s the only thing I’m good at.”

“If you can, maybe you could carry a knife and help as a skirmisher?”

“I’m scared of fighting monsters up close.”

“If you’re afraid, you’ll never level up.”

I knew that.

Back in the village, I’d challenged goblins one-on-one several times.

So far, I’d lost every single fight.

A monster’s physical strength wasn’t something to underestimate.

Though I was sure part of the problem was that I simply had no talent for fighting.

No matter what, I couldn’t win.

I’d fought slimes too.

But I ended up splashed with their corrosive fluid and suffered painful burns.

If I couldn’t even beat the weakest monsters, what was I supposed to do?

It really drove home how meaningless my massive level cap was.

In any case, I needed something.

Right now, Listening was the only skill I had.

At first, things went well.

Since I couldn’t contribute much in battle, I made up for it by handling miscellaneous tasks.

But everything changed when Snotrose acquired the Map skill.

Unlike Listening, the Map skill pinpointed monsters with perfect accuracy.

My skill sometimes mistook animals for monsters.

“Hey, Shinaguru.”

“Who do you think is holding our party back?”

Violetti suddenly asked me.

“No one’s holding us back.”

“I see.”

“Does everyone else think the same?”

Everyone was looking at me.

“As the wise mage of this party, I suppose I should be the one to say it.”

“The level gap between Shinaguru and the rest of us keeps getting wider.”

“But having two scouts reduces the chance of making mistakes.”

“If that’s the case, we’d be better off replacing you with a scout who can actually fight.”

“Do I really need to spell it out any further?”

“So everyone feels the same?”

Everyone except Manii Mine and me nodded.

Damn it.

“What’s with that look?”

“Are you going to ask us to pay back the money you spent on our equipment?”

“We’ve protected you all this time, so I’d say we’re even.”

“I never said that.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll leave the party.”

Completely dejected, I walked out of the inn.

I stood there for a while, believing Manii Mine would come after me if I waited.

She kept glancing back.

But no one came.

She was probably just taking time to persuade the others.

I’d give up for today.

Side: Manii Mine

“Hey.”

“One of them got away.”

Today’s prey was an orc.

The one that escaped was heading straight toward Shinaguru.

Tch.

He’s always causing trouble.

“Leave it to me.”

“【Swift Feet】.”

“Then 【Slash】.”

“And I’ll finish it with 【Flame Sword】.”

I quickly circled behind it and slashed once.

Then, in one smooth motion, I drove my flaming sword into the orc’s body.

“As expected of you, Manii Mine.”

“Having five skill slots is practically cheating.”

“Most people only have two or three.”

“But I haven’t even filled all my skill slots yet.”

“That just means you’ve got even more room to grow.”

“Unlike him.”

Violetti jerked his chin toward someone.

Shinaguru was standing there.

Shinaguru wasn’t a bad person.

If anything, he always put off buying his own equipment so he could pay for everyone else’s instead.

But I was getting tired of how selfless he was.

Every time he looked at me, I could see hope in his eyes.

Maybe it was time.

“What is it?”

Shinaguru, stop looking at me with those innocent eyes.

They remind me of a runt puppy.

The smallest, weakest puppies always lose the fight against their littermates.

Most of them die.

That’s just how it is.

“It’s nothing.”

“Thanks for scouting.”

“No, thank you for protecting me.”

“I feel like I haven’t really been useful lately.”

“Using your skill together with the Map skill isn’t a bad combination.”

But the Map skill was overwhelmingly more useful.

It could even locate treasure.

Shinaguru’s skill was useless against anything that made no sound.

It couldn’t detect dormant golems or treants that hadn’t started moving.

I just wished his skill had another use.

If he had at least possessed crafting abilities, we could have kept him as the party’s dedicated artisan.

And so, the meeting to expel Shinaguru was held.

I didn’t agree with the others when they insisted he should be driven out.

Not because I wanted to protect him.

I simply didn’t see the point in beating someone who was already down.

If you corner someone too much, they’ll fight like a desperate man.

Monsters are the same.

Sometimes their final counterattack is their strongest.

It’s better to leave them an escape route.

Then, when they lose their will to fight, you finish them off.

I didn’t think Shinaguru had that kind of spirit in him.

Still, it never hurt to be cautious.

Normally, you’d crush someone completely to eliminate any future resentment.

But this time, I’d let him off.

He should be grateful for that.