Let This Grieving Soul Retire! Woe is the Weakling Who Leads the Strongest Party 1

I surreptitiously took a step back. One had to be careful not to get involved in fights. Yep, that was another thing I had learned as a hunter.

It was strictly forbidden for hunters to hurt common folk because the difference in strength was simply too vast. If you were seen by the knights who kept the peace, it would go on your criminal record. It was also a problem of pride, so even the most violent hunters were careful to avoid doing so.

On the other hand, fights between hunters were often ignored. I was weak enough to put even common folk to shame, but as I was officially a hunter, nobody would care if I got caught up in a hunter fight and was injured as a result.

In fact, people would look down on me if I didn’t fight back. They would blame me, the victim. Oh, what a world!

“You only come here if you’re confident in your strength. The people recruiting are from the Steps. A little snot-nosed newbie like you ain’t gettin’ in with the biggest new clan in the capital. You’re just wastin’ our time!”

Clans were one form of hunter groups. When a few hunters gathered and moved as one unit, they were a party. When multiple parties consolidated, they were a clan.

There were various reasons to consolidate: sharing information, lending out items, borrowing party members when vital roles were unfilled, even challenging high-difficulty treasure vaults together. Having such connections made being a hunter way smoother. To that end, the Association recommended forming clans.

The party recruitment meet here today was sponsored by a clan called the Steps, one of the many renowned clans in the imperial capital of Zebrudia. Their formal title was First Steps, and they consisted of many young but well-known parties. Though they hadn’t been around for long, the Steps were extending their influence all over the capital. Just about every hunter working in Zebrudia knew that name.

Recruitment was typically done on an as-needed basis, but the Steps held a regular, large-scale event once a year. Hopeful hunters, regardless of background, age, or level, could undergo a test from a Steps party. If you fit their tastes, you would be welcomed as a new party member.

Of course, members of Steps parties were pretty high-leveled, which reflected in their tests. As such, very few people passed them, but for those who were skilled but lacked connections, they were seen as the chance of a lifetime.

This enthusiasm would be misplaced, though, as hunters of the Steps were at the very upper crust of the capital’s hunters. Like my old friends, their talent encroached beyond genius level and into “ungodly” territory. Nearly everyone who took the test had all their confidence smashed to smithereens before them.

“Excuse me? The flyer said your level and history doesn’t matter. Besides, level three is nothing to sneeze at!”

“Hah! Level three is average at best! Do you know how many level three hunters the Steps are stuck with?!” The goliath hurled abuse at Rhuda the moment she dared to bare her fangs.

In a way, he was right. Level 3 was nothing more than average. To a famous party, a level 3 designation was worthless. All of the Steps members were at least level 3.

Still, Rhuda’s level only reflected her current status. I had mentioned that 70% of hunters stopped at level 3, but as long as you had the aptitude, you could keep going up. If she had made it to level 3 going solo, then joining a party and gaining experience would make it easy for her to keep climbing.

That was exactly why this clan’s member recruitments didn’t include a level restriction. No matter how much of a genius you were, you still started at level 1.

I thought it was an awful thing for him to say, but I kept my lips sealed. Best not to say anything unnecessary. Even as I watched in silence, the confrontation between them continued to heat up. I was far removed from the action at this point.

While the goliath talked smack at Rhuda, he made a show of touching the sword at his hip. It was a broadsword about a yard long. Unlike Rhuda’s self-defense dagger, it was made to slay monsters and phantoms that lurked within treasure vaults.

Overall, Rhuda was out of her league. No way this goliath is lower than level 3.

“Heh. Wanna settle this once and for all? If it’s a fight you want, then let’s do it.”

Even so, she was showing no signs of backing down. Her clean-cut features warped into a wild smirk.

Like the goliath, she brushed a hand against her dagger before pulling it out and showing it off fondly.

Treasure hunters were, put simply, inhuman. If they got into fights with common folk, they were always the ones in the wrong. But in the case of a fight between hunters, the first one to draw their weapon was the aggressor. That was the reason he hadn’t unsheathed his sword first despite how incensed he was. The man was clearly used to picking fights.

Now, even if Rhuda was beaten senseless by this goliath whose name she didn’t even know, she had no room for mitigation. A court of law wouldn’t care if he was a higher level than her.

How did I end up having to deal with this? I’m literally just standing in line.

While I stood there, fed up with both the weather and this argument, a man exited the building, wearing a white uniform like some sort of imperial officer. His collar was adorned with a silver mark modeled after a pair of footprints. This was proof that he was a member of First Steps. The callous expression on his face, which was marred with deep scars, mirrored that of the goliath in front of me.

He glared at both the goliath and Rhuda with equal scorn, then bellowed, “Quit your damn fighting, or take it somewhere else! I’ll kick you idiots out without even testing you!”

The goliath clicked his tongue and returned his sword to its sheath. Likewise, Rhuda’s eye twitched in irritation as she put away her dagger.

Finally, the line shuffled forward, and we made it inside.

The enthusiasm within the building was even more overwhelming than outside. I caught a few lingering whiffs of alcohol. Was this a bar? All of the tables were pushed to one side, leaving a wide space for hopefuls to line up. The air was thick with excitement. When Rhuda and I were ushered in, her eyes opened wide.

Apparently having forgotten about the commotion outside, she exclaimed, “Wow! Is everyone here a hunter?”

Several white-uniformed members of First Steps occupied the tables. When it came to the parties of First Steps, there were all sorts. For every party composed of several famous hunters, there was a party in which only the leader had any renown. For every party that sought brute strength, there was another party that searched for specific skills. Those who hoped to join one of them were to head to the table of their chosen party and take the test.

The tests themselves differed from party to party. There were plenty who gave basic tests like interviews and formal skill examinations, but some seemed to value inspiration more.

We looked around for a while, but Rhuda was still rooted to the spot, unable to hide her astonishment.

I could have ignored her, but I felt bad. I decided to ask, “First time?”

“It’s not yours?”

“I think it’s my... fifth?”

“This is your fifth time?! Oh, um, sorry.” For some strange reason, Rhuda apologized.

“It’s not a big deal. I imagine most people here have tried out more than once.”

Hunters were essentially in a meritocracy. The talented ones were scooped up quickly. But that didn’t mean the talentless had no chance.

Surely there were more people like me, who knew they had no talent but had come to the capital for the meager chance regardless. That tenacity could be considered a skill of its own. At least we could find out for certain.

I kept my distance from the lines forming at each table, staying in the corner as I observed the situation. It seemed there were more parties out looking for members than usual.

Though it was a recruitment event for the Steps, that didn’t mean every single party of theirs came here every time. But today, in a rare turn of events, every famous party was present. That explained why the line extended outside.

Rhuda addressed me over-familiarly, “Hey, Krai, can you fill me in a little? I don’t know a thing about all this.”

“Fine. I guess it can’t hurt to curry favor with a strong hunter.”

After all, she wasn’t going to be a level 3 forever. Assuming she didn’t die, anyway. Rhuda loosened up a little after my answer.

“You might not know it, but I’ve been in this city a long time. I know most of the famous hunters, so this should be a good opportunity.”

First off, even though getting into a party was the objective here, you couldn’t just go with a party at random. Each party was recruiting for different roles and had different methods. The idea that getting into one of the best parties secured your future certainly wasn’t wrong, but it was not unheard of for people to butt heads with their new parties once recruited.

If the difference in talent between you and the rest of your party was too great, it would lead to trouble down the line. Rhuda was on the right track, I’d say, but there were capable hunters from all over the world here in the capital. Some appeared to be human, but concealed some other life-form entirely. My friends were like that.

“I don’t know what you can do or even want to do, but since you’re carrying that dagger, you’re probably suited for things other than combat.”

I scrutinized her gear once more. Aside from the dagger, she also had a leather pouch hanging on her hip, small enough to not hinder movement. She probably had lockpicking tools and the like in there, too.

Hunters all had their own talents and niches. Typically, when a lifelong solo hunter joined a party, they picked the easiest one to enter and joined as an attacker. Before, they would have to have fought off monsters and phantoms on their own, so they tended to have high offensive capabilities. However, when it came to things like trap-disarming, scouting, and lockpicking, they were usually inferior to someone who had specialized in those activities as a member of a party.

Without a ton of experience, Rhuda would have a rough time trying to join a party as a Thief, someone who specialized in those activities. She likely knew as much herself, so there was no reason to point that out and make her mad.

She waited for me to speak with a serious look on her face, so I pointed toward the back of the room and continued, “First off, there’s one major rule in here: the farther back the party is, the higher their level.”

Much like the levels assigned to hunters, clans and parties also had levels designated by the Explorers’ Association. Parties in the same clan could be separated by wide chasms of skill.

I pointed at the big table all the way in the back, where the largest crowd had gathered. “That’s the strongest party recruiting right now: Ark Brave. Ever heard of them? The average member is only twenty-one years old, but they’re the best of the best. They cleared a level seven treasure vault with only six people.”

The Braves were the most prominent beasts in the stampede that was the imperial capital. They had such power that you’d think they were blessed by gods. Their leader was known on the streets as a full-on hero.

By the way, the White Wolf’s Den was a level 3 treasure vault. The Association’s designations were pretty vague at times, but a level 3 vault was normally recommended for parties of multiple level 3 hunters. A treasure vault only one level higher was nearly ten times harder, so for Ark Brave to have cleared a level 7 vault, there was a world of difference between them and her.

“If you can get into that party, your success is all but guaranteed. If not... Well, even just receiving a bit of praise from one of their members is enough to get other parties fighting over you.”

Solo or not, experienced or not, she must have known their names by now.

Even Rhuda, in all her bravado, was getting intimidated by this. She whispered, “Just asking, but... do you think I have a chance?”

“Depends on you. I mean, as far as I know, Ark Brave has never actually recruited anybody during this kind of event.”

They were a top-class name even in the capital. Young hunters would try to get in time and time again. Their party composition was already solidified, so the people crowding around their table probably didn’t actually expect to get in. They just wanted to see the faces of the party members or maybe make tentative connections with them.

Rhuda stared at the crowd and sighed deeply, without even bothering to complain. The moment she’d heard “level seven,” she’d likely assumed it was out of her reach.

I continued to introduce her to the other parties. All of them had names that you would’ve heard after being in the capital for a few months. Rhuda didn’t know them because she had worked solo all this time, but if she’d cared to search for this information, she would’ve found it easily. Rather, the fact that she didn’t know just proved she was a newbie.

I pointed at each one and gave an explanation. Not that I knew every single party myself, but there were rare parties here who had never shown up in previous years. Almost all of the Steps seemed to be participating in this recruitment event. Once I was finished, I let out a sigh.

After my long lecture, Rhuda said somewhat exasperatedly, “You sure know a lot. I’m getting tired just listening.”

“All of this is common knowledge.”

“I dunno if it’s okay to ask, but who are you looking to join?”

“Join? Hm... None, I guess? I can’t really do anything.”

I didn’t have a field of expertise. One couldn’t even call me an all-rounder; I truly had no skills whatsoever. A master of none, except worse—no courage, and no power to boot. The little passion I’d had back when I thought I was worth something had long since been extinguished.

Needless to say, being a hunter was dangerous work. Some estimates claimed that 70% of hunters died in treasure vaults. I just didn’t have it in me to take that risk. I had used my lack of talent as an excuse, but maybe that was my biggest problem. It made me want to vomit.

“I see. Well, if you want, maybe we could form a party?” she suggested cheerfully.

Rhuda was probably serious. My heart tightened, and it became difficult to breathe. Among bad guys, she was a good person. She couldn’t possibly have been joking. But the thought of me dragging her down was unbearably painful.

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need pity. You should find a party suited to your strengths and make your future as bright as it can be.”

“Oh, okay.”

I gripped the silver chains hanging beneath my belt. The cool sensation helped calm my pounding heart a little.

Suddenly, Rhuda changed the subject. “Huh? Hey, what about that empty table over there? Why didn’t they put that one away?” She pointed over and over at the large, empty table behind Arc Brave’s recruitment zone.

“Wow. You two really didn’t do your homework, huh?”

“Whoa!”

The goliath she’d argued with earlier was now approaching. His face was red, as if the heat was getting to him. His developed biceps and riveted, rough-looking armor seemed even more dangerous in the light. Apparently, he’d found success, as he was in a much better mood than before.

Her parade thoroughly rained on, Rhuda frowned and glared at him. “What do you want from us? Don’t think I won’t get mad again.”

“Don’t be so mean, kid. Allow the Great Greg, a real hunter, to show ya the ropes.”

The Great Greg? Never heard of him. But I only knew the names of the real best of the best, the highest-up hunters who anyone savvy to the industry would know. There were plenty of tough guys I didn’t know. It was entirely possible that he was just about to get famous.

“That table’s for the party that founded First Steps along with Ark Brave. Looks like they ain’t comin’ today, though.”

“The party that... founded them?” Rhuda blinked.

The Great Greg lowered his voice, as if he was telling us a carefully guarded secret. “First Steps is always lookin’ for members, but today, they’re out in full force. They’ve even got the Braves here after they wrecked that level seven vault. The Crosses and Starlights are here, too, and they never go recruitin’. And look... they’ve even got guys with the Steps mark crawlin’ around, and they ain’t in any parties.”

He glanced furtively at an unpleasant-looking man who was standing by the wall with his arms crossed. The man wasn’t wearing the same uniform as the hunters who were recruiting. But on closer inspection, his collar, sleeves, and other inconspicuous spots had buttons and other accoutrements bearing the First Steps emblem. As a general rule, the clan members had to wear the symbol somewhere that stood out.

“Ain’t much point in all these Steps comin’ if they’re not recruitin’, yeah? There’s gotta be a reason.”

I had to interject to his conspiracy-laden talk. The Great Greg had clearly done his homework, but I knew a little more.

“Those are solo members who belong to First Steps.”

“Huh?! Can you join a clan going solo?”

“The minimum party size is one. You need a party to apply to the clan, but if you fill out the application as a one-man party, you can get in. Though you need to be really strong.”

If I had to say, Rhuda had either pushed herself to her limits or just had a bit of talent and luck on her side.

Turning my attention away from the man, I pointed at a bored-looking girl who was wandering around near the empty table.

She wore tight, black leather fighting gear. Along with her black bob and the dagger hanging from her belt, her ensemble emphasized ease of movement from top to bottom. The girl was probably younger than Rhuda.

“That’s Tino Shade. She’s a level four, and she works solo for First Steps. I’d say she’s one of the more famous ones.”

“That little girl? Really?”

“Careful what you say. Her age and appearance belie a very short temper.”

Tino was a Thief, like Rhuda, but more advanced. I figured she could probably make it through the White Wolf’s Den alone. She was just one beast among the Steps.

The Great Greg finally turned his attention to me, his eyes alight with interest. “You don’t look like much of a hunter, but you sure know your stuff.”

“Information-gathering is important. Besides, she happens to be the... pupil of someone I know.” I tugged on my hood to cover even more of my face.

To be more specific, she was the pupil of a friend. In other words, my friends were apex beasts. Crazy, right?

“Someone you know?” Rhuda echoed, curious.

“I dunno why she’s here when she flies solo, though.”

Maybe she got tired of working alone and came here to find a new party. People inside the clan can be recruited too, after all. Though I imagine she could just join a party without bothering to come here.

Seeing my quizzical look, the Great Greg crossed his arms haughtily. “That’s it. Now we’re gettin’ to the meat of things. See, there’s this rumor goin’ around about why they’re here. Today, one of the two parties that founded First Steps is here. A party who ain’t scouted anybody in who knows how long.”

He paused, his eyes betraying dark excitement. The tone of his voice made it sound like he was telling a spooky story. Then, he leaned in and said, “For the first time in years, the Grievers are lookin’ for members.”

Shock ran through my body when I heard the name. It felt as if this place alone had been cut off from the rest of the world.

Not noticing my current state, the Great Greg’s lips warped into a grin. “The Grievers are the cream of the crop. Without this once-in-a-lifetime chance, none of us would ever even see ’em, let alone get picked up by ’em. Bet they’re tryna make an appearance if all goes well.”

His excitement was palpable. The sheer passion radiating from his speech had shocked Rhuda into wide-eyed silence.

The Grievers. My stomach churned. That was the nickname of the party I had formed with my friends when we left the countryside and came here to the capital. Commanding a team of five beasts, the party had risen to prominence in no time. At this point, they and Ark Brave made up the two strongest young parties in the capital.

Its formal name? Grieving Souls.

I realized my throat was dry. The nerves caused me to sweat all over. Don’t say that name, I wanted to beg, but it would be too strange to say that now. I retreated even deeper into my hood, trying to hide myself as much as possible.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Rhuda asked, concerned, as I shrank down and quivered.

I wanted to vomit.

“Guess it’s all fake, though. Here I was, gettin’ all excited since it sounded so juicy.” The Great Greg shrugged.

Every member of First Steps was high-leveled, not just Ark Brave and Grieving Souls. Even the Great Greg, in all his short-temperedness, wouldn’t complain just because he failed to get into one party.

However, there was one person who did complain. “Hey, what’s the damn holdup?! Where’re the Grievers?!”

All eyes gathered on him at once.

It was a boy with flaming-red hair. On his back was a greatsword so massive that no normal human could have swung it. Though he was short, one could tell that his body was toned and muscular even through his clothes.

To reiterate, a hunter’s strength was often linked to his short-temperedness. He had the nerve to say what everyone else, including the Great Greg, would not. His eyes were certain of victory against all others present, and that conviction was likely backed up by real strength. He was clearly younger than me, but it would be dangerous to just call him uppity and leave it at that.

Furthermore, the greatsword slung across his back gleamed in a way that no man-made object did. It was something found in a treasure vault—a special item called a Relic.

“I don’t want the small fry. You guys said the best of the best were gonna be here, so I came all this way!” He continued his potty-mouthed tirade, not looking for anyone to agree with him.

“Kid’s got a temper. He ain’t tryna make an enemy of everyone here, is he?” the Great Greg muttered as he watched with curiosity. He had the air of a ruffian, but it seemed he had gained some good sense in his years.

To treasure hunters, connections were vital. Rumors could spread in the blink of an eye if someone caused trouble. No matter how strong you were, that could spell the end of your career. This guy probably hadn’t cared up until now, but everyone here liked the Steps, and everyone here was strong. Many even had Relics like him.

There were no signs of anyone trying to stop him, however. He probably wasn’t the only one who was feeling fed up. Others looked on calmly, as though they were watching a farce.

The boy shot threatening glares at the Steps at every table, his eyes smoldering with rage. Most of them decided to ignore him, though. Nobody was more used to being treated rudely than top-tier hunters.

Apparently even more incensed, the boy screamed louder, like an angry beast. “I’m gonna be the strongest hunter out there, and I’m already level four! I thought I was gonna get to meet the best of the best in the capital, but I don’t see shit! Man, I’m so over this!”

Wow, he actually said it. This guy’s either going to be a big deal or big dead.

He looked to be in his teens. Level 4 was good for his age, to be sure. His boundless confidence and outright arrogance weren’t so praiseworthy, but you know what they say: winners write the history books. That was just how this industry worked.

Rhuda twitched ever so slightly, apparently shocked that this idiot’s level was higher than hers. It was okay, though; there was still a possibility that he had leveled up in a party.

As he continued to stamp his feet and kick up a fuss, a Steps member finally approached him. It was one of the people he had glared at, someone who wasn’t part of the recruiting parties: Tino Shade, the girl who had been hanging around in the corner.

She stepped over to him casually, looking at him with a glare that would send shivers down any man’s spine.

“What do you want?”

“You’re too uppity. We don’t want you here.”

This is getting bad, I thought to myself.

Her tone was flat and icy. She was clearly enraged. This was pretty typical of her; Grieving Souls was the party Tino’s mentor belonged to, after all.

The members of First Steps who had stayed calm despite the boy’s glares now nervously hurried to break them up.

“Wait, Tino! We’re here to recruit people, not get into fights!”

“One strike, and he’ll be down. That’s what my dear Lizzy would do. I’m the one who’s getting into Grieving Souls. She promised me I could join when I got stronger.”

She was boldly facing him at point-blank range despite his intimidating greatsword. Her short temper was much the same as the boy’s.

While Tino seemed ready to pounce on him at any time, the other Steps tried to soothe her. I wondered who would become the guilty party in the next few moments.

“Just let the idiot be! We’re wasting time. Remember, we were told to do this as peacefully as possible! You’re gonna get us in trouble, too!”

“Who’re you calling an idiot? I’ll kill you, bro!”

“You, idiot! Go off and die somewhere so we can do our jobs, a’ight?!”

Now even the Steps were stooping to this kid’s level. Top-tier clan or not, the same brand of people were in it. These beasts were all salivating over the opportunity to show off their strength.

The commotion grew as everyone continued to pour fuel on the fire. At least there wasn’t anything breakable around; people could start pulling out weapons any moment now. Once that happened, there was no stopping it until someone died or everyone’s bloodlust was sated.

A fight between treasure hunters was a calamity.

Thankfully, no common folk would get caught up in it, but if Relics started coming out—which at least a few hunters were sure to have—this building and the neighboring ones could easily be obliterated.

“Yeah, get ’em! Show us what the Steps are made of!” the Great Greg egged them on.

Following his lead, several others did the same. Incredibly, some of them were even Steps themselves. This was clearly getting out of hand.

As Rhuda watched, dumbfounded, I tugged on her sleeve and whispered, “Rhuda, we should give up and get out of here. Once the fight starts, it’s not going to stop. And if we get caught up in it, we’re dead.”

Hunters couldn’t stand being insulted. When attacked, they would always fight back. When counterattacked, they would fight even harder. It was a negative feedback loop. Even if it was just an accident, they wouldn’t let the attacker get away. It would never end until there was only one man standing.

Tino shrugged and tapped the tips of her feet. I knew this move; she was about to kick his head off.

A well-trained hunter’s kick could easily cave the ground in or destroy walls. Phantoms—guardians of treasure vaults that even heavy weapon fire couldn’t hurt—would be crushed by just one of her kicks.

“Huh? Wait!”

“If nothing else, I know when things are getting dangerous. Now let’s go before the fight starts.”

“But I still wanna find a party!”

It was hopeless. Even her brain had become pure muscle. Your life’s more important than a party! That was how I’d survived these past five years. Rhuda had clearly never seen an argument between high-level hunters.

I really shouldn’t have come here. Intense regret clawed at my brain.

Teary-eyed, I started to plead. “I know, but I’ll help you search! I’ll help you out, really! But your life is more important.”

“Huh? Um, okay, I get it.”

The heat of passion in the room continued to grow. In fact, the teen’s sword was now literally on fire.

Crimson flames enveloped the sword without spreading, lighting up Tino’s cold expression. Many Relics had incredible powers like this.

We crept along the walls toward the exit, hoping to stay out of sight. It felt pitiful, but it was the safest option. I heard the exchange intensifying behind me.

“Think after killing. Lizzy taught me that.”

“Tch. All right, princess. Bring it on. But I ain’t gonna take it easy on you!”

“Are you underestimating me? Hm? If you wanna fight, let’s take it outside!”

If they clashed outside, the empire’s knights would be sure to come, especially considering society was becoming more sensitive to treasure hunters and their behavior. If they hurt any common folk, they were done for.

The third-party jeering continued. I didn’t want to think about it, but those were the voices of Steps. It was all too chaotic.

“Yeah, do it! Ready, set, fight!”

“Hey, stop egging them on!”

Screaming voices, coarse jeering and whistles, uproar. Behind us as we exited, someone gave a signal for them to fight. I dropped to my knees, crawling out like a maggot.

Just before I could make it out and finally escape this danger zone, a gust tore across the room. The gale, rich with hot air from the hunters, blew me off balance and knocked me onto my behind, throwing my hood off.

Rhuda yelped as a shadow loomed over me. My heart pounded like a drum as I slowly looked up.

Then, Rhuda muttered weakly, “When did you...?”

Eyes like translucent black diamonds looked down at me. They belonged to Tino, who was supposed to be fighting that teenager.

Her cleanly divided bangs swayed after a moment. Her bare, supple legs were right before my eyes. The rage on her face was now replaced with a vacant look.

Rhuda gulped. “Um, what’s happening?”

Tino didn’t bother to answer her, instead asking me in a quivering voice, “M-Master, what are you doing? How long have you been here?”

Ugh. I think I’m gonna vomit.

Let’s talk about how the dream began.

Having entered adulthood at age fifteen, the six of us, including me, had tested our skills in a few treasure vaults appraised at level 1.

Treasure vaults were given ranks based on their location, the difficulty of their gimmicks, and the threats and treasure within. Level 1 vaults were easy ones for newbie hunters to try out. They had proved to be no match for us, hunters who’d undergone intense training for years with boundless passion.

We’d cleared them faster than all the other newbie groups, feeling that we had a great future ahead of us as treasure hunters. But at the same time, I had been fully aware that I was one or two leagues below the rest.

Honestly, I’d always had a vague understanding of it while we were training, but having the fact so thoroughly shoved in my face had felt like being dragged down to hell.

The difference in our strength hadn’t seemed too bad at the time, but in a few years, I wouldn’t even be able to join their hunts. They were geniuses, whereas I wasn’t even average if you were being generous.

I had been—and still was—just an extreme hindrance.

One day in particular, I had finally and truly understood that we were not equals. We were the same age and had grown up in the same environment, but I was nothing compared to them. Some of them had tons of mana, and others were impeccably strong.

Even my sister had an aptitude for magic, while I had nothing. Can you imagine how frustrating that was for me? Though she wasn’t my blood sister, I suppose; we just considered each other as such.

As childhood friends, we were like family. Even before we had decided to become hunters, our group had always stuck together. We occasionally disagreed and even fought, but we had made it this far. My hometown was small, so we had all practically been raised together.

Anyway, the difference in power was palpable even to me, the weakest of the bunch. Everyone else probably figured I was just a late bloomer. Yet the fact that nobody ever mentioned it only showed how kind they were.

On the night of our first-ever treasure vault raid, during my first-ever stay in lodging away from home, I cried and cried and cried into my pillow. The next day, I decided to give up on it all.

Treasure vaults begat both riches and danger. Mana material, the building blocks of treasure vaults, gathered together to create the vault and treasure within, simultaneously birthing the phantoms that would oppose any hunters who dared enter.

I had felt that if I continued being a hunter, I would surely one day drag my party down to the point of endangering them. There wouldn’t be any problem with them abandoning me to die the moment I messed everything up—beyond the obvious, of course—but my friends wouldn’t choose that. And I didn’t want to die, anyway.

It had been sad to give up on my dream, but it was better than endangering my friends. My adventure came to an end at a treasure vault meant for newbies, but that also became the seed that would sprout into new stories. After all, once my friends became first-rate hunters, I could boast that I had once been part of their group.

The following day, I had gathered everyone in my room at the inn and explained to them the gist of why I was giving up. I’d already shed all of my tears the night before, so I had been dry-eyed during this speech.

Once I had told them everything, the first to speak had been Luke Sykol, the one who’d initially pitched the idea of us being treasure hunters. Eventually, he would apprentice with the Sword Saint and later be known as the Protean Sword. He was just as serious as I was.

“I did a lot of thinking last night too, actually. You don’t have a role, do you, Krai? You should be our leader.”

“Uh, were you even listening?”

That had been the beginning and the end of it all.

Their genius had far exceeded my expectations. The levels of treasure vaults we raided had grown higher and higher. In under a year, it had become clear that I’d never be able to catch up to them. Still, they had called me their leader—because, simply put, they were stupid.

Stupid, yes, but the strongest out there. My passion had quickly been engulfed and replaced by a fear of death, to the point where I alone couldn’t handle it. From then on, I had just wanted to quit being a hunter right away. Even so, I had been their leader.

And now, after many years of going with the flow, I continued to lead these beasts as they grew and grew.

“That guy’s a member of the Grievers?! He looks weak as heck. He was just shakin’ in his boots!”

“Where was he all this time? People were about to fight.”

“Ain’t that the guy who was standing behind me in line?”

The crowd erupted in murmurs.

I brought this upon myself, really. If I were them, I would do the same, I thought miserably.

I slumped over on the Grieving Souls’ table and vacantly looked around. My friends didn’t come to events like this, so I had this big table all to myself. In fact, the other members of Grieving Souls were all out of town, taking treasure vaults left and right. Even if they had been in town, I couldn’t have dragged them here.

All eyes in the room were on me, but nobody dared approach. They just gawked at me like I had two heads. What did I do wrong? All I did was oversleep a little and get here late! Then I felt bad, so I tried to go home! Nobody would care if I wasn’t here, dammit!

“So, this is solitude,” I joked with a self-deprecating smile.

Sharp pain ran through my stomach. No doubt I was the weakest person in this building full of hunters. Trying to escape that fight hadn’t been a joke or anything, either. I was seriously scared!

How would all of these people, now looking at me dubiously, react if they knew that I wasn’t just a member of the Grievers, but their leader?

After pulling me over to the table, Tino puffed out her cheeks in irritation and tried to stop their gossip. She had a dangerous look in her eye.

“Don’t worry, Master. I know your greatness best of all.”

“You’re the reason I’m stuck here, languishing in dismay.”

Tino Shade was studying under one of my childhood friends, Liz Smart—the Stifled Shadow and genocidal beast whose hands could reach her mark faster than words. Back when we had first arrived in the capital, Liz had taken a liking to Tino and picked her up as an apprentice. Years later, I had gathered Ark Brave and some other parties to create the clan First Step. Even then, Tino had been with me.

She loved Liz like a sister, and likewise, she revered me as a leader. Though she wasn’t a member of our party, she was sort of like the mascot of Grieving Souls. Though she was enough of a beast that it felt strange to call her that.

Incidentally, the reason she called me “Master” was because I was both the leader of Grieving Souls and the clan master of First Steps. In a way, I had a throne at the top of a heap of beasts. At the clan formation meeting, I had just gone with the flow and somehow ended up as the leader of that, too. Just remembering it made me want to vomit.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be on the hunt?”

Tino clutched her arms to her chest and shrank down, looking up at me with pleading eyes. Her flattery and short temper were but two symptoms of her mentor’s bad influence.

“But you said that Grieving Souls was... looking for party members today.”

“I didn’t say that. I just said I’d stop by.”

And that was just because my second-in-command had gotten all mad at me and made me come because “blah, blah, it’s your own event” and all that. Every other year, I came in disguise, though.

Leaving that aside, I thought it was strange that people got this worked up over a vague rumor. Hunters were truly incomprehensible.

But if it had caused so many people to gather, maybe we ought to spread the rumor ourselves next time. There were plenty of parties here other than Grieving Souls who were looking for promising new members, too.

I’m never coming again. Not next time, and not the time after that. Everyone, stop fighting and just be nice, please?

Everyone was so shaken by my dramatic entrance that they couldn’t bring themselves to come forth. Thus, I took the opportunity to chat with Tino instead. Meanwhile, however, a handsome man approached from the next table over. The people surrounding him at a distance cleared a path for him as he came.

It was the man I’d made this clan with, the one who looked best in this white uniform, which we’d made as an homage to the imperial army. He had messy blond hair and affable blue eyes. Born and raised in the empire and no doubt one of the strongest hunters in it, he was a brave hero and the leader of Ark Brave.

As one of only five level 7 hunters in the capital, he had earned his own title: the Argent Thunderclap. Ark Rodin was his real name.

He was a bit of a creep, in my opinion. He’d formed a party with a bunch of cute girls, acting as a rival to me and my group of friends. The thing that really got on my nerves, though, was that he was stupid strong without being haughty. In fact, he was a pretty good guy. The fact that this got on my nerves made my mean-spiritedness all too clear, pissing me off even more. Another negative feedback loop.

“Krai, you’re late. What happened?”

“Nothing much. Just slept in a little.”

“Ahahaha! You and your jokes.”

I wasn’t kidding, but he laughed nonetheless.

“Stay away from him. You’ll infect him with your frivolity.”

“Ahahaha!”