The atmosphere within the private chamber of the "Golden Horn" tavern felt incredibly heavy, as if the air itself had turned into molten lead, suffocating the lungs. Outside the window, the hustle and bustle of the royal capital could be heard faintly, a stark contrast to the stifling silence surrounding the round table where five people were gathered.
They are the S-rank party praised by the entire kingdom as the "Strongest Party." The elite group is known for its formidable power. However, today, there is no talk of battle strategies or travel plans.
A young man named Keyzier Almon sat uneasily. He was the support member of the party, the one who had managed logistics, rear-guard defense, and equipment maintenance. He felt something was amiss the moment they stepped into this room.
The gazes of his comrades were cold, piercing, and filled with unspoken secrets.
Everything had been going smoothly at first. They had ordered drinks, chatting briefly about their achievements in conquering the last dungeon. However, the unexpected befell him the moment Argus, the leader, slammed his glass roughly onto the table.
The sound of glass clashing against wood shattered the silence, acting as a judge's gavel delivering a verdict.
"Keyzier, you're fired!"
The sentence slid effortlessly from Argus's mouth, without preamble, without emotion, flat—like someone discarding trash.
Keyzier, upon hearing this, was naturally shocked. His eyes widened, breath hitching in his throat. He tried to search for signs of a joke on the leader's face, but found none. He wanted to disbelieve it.
"What? Are you guys serious? Argus??" his voice trembled, half-asking, half-pleading.
Argus scoffed harshly, crossing his arms over his chest which was clad in shining silver armor. "Of course I'm serious! Are you deaf?"
Keyzier turned toward his other companions. Ryan, the genius mage; Luna, the gentle holy priestess; and Rasya, the sharpshooter who was usually cheerful. But this time, they all averted their gazes or looked at him with disdain.
"Ryan, Luna, Rasya... you aren't really throwing me away, are you?" asked Keyzier, hoping for even a single voice to defend him.
Rasya rolled her eyes, looking disgusted. She flipped her purple hair arrogantly. "Do you have no self-awareness? Why are you asking such a ridiculous question?" Rasya said sharply.
"You heard him, didn't you? We, the S-rank Party, don't need trash like you!" Argus added, emphasizing Keyzier's now-worthless position in their eyes.
The word "trash" hit Keyzier's chest harder than any Ogre punch he had ever taken. For the past two years, he had done everything. Cooking, keeping watch at night, carrying goods, learning buff spells I had never mastered before, even acting as bait when they were cornered. Did all of that mean nothing?
Hearing what his comrades said, Keyzier could only hang his head dejectedly. His shoulders slumped, as if the weight of the world had suddenly been placed there. He realized that begging would only destroy what little dignity he had left.
"Alright, I will leave this party!" he said softly, but firmly.
He rose from his chair, intending to walk away. However, Ryan's voice stopped him.
"Leave the equipment we bought here!"
Keyzier's steps halted. Of course. The light armor, the magic short sword, even the boots he was wearing—all were purchased using party funds.
"Right." Keyzier answered briefly.
With trembling hands, Keyzier slowly removed every piece of equipment attached to his body. The sounds of clack and thud sounded pathetic as, one by one, shoulder guards, chest plates, and his adventurer belt fell to the wooden floor. Now he wore only the thin, worn linen clothes he wore beneath his armor. He felt naked, not just physically, but in his soul.
Luna, the priestess, seemed to feel a shred of pity—or perhaps she just wanted to get rid of him so this pathetic scene would end. She tossed a small pouch onto the table.
"Ah... the money you have on you, just keep it. Consider it your payment for your time..!!"
Keyzier didn't answer. He didn't took the small pouch—and immediately left the room with his head bowed. He said nothing to them. No goodbye. No prayer for their safety. Only the door closing softly behind his back.
Inside the room, his former teammates were annoyed by Keyzier's behavior. His calm departure made them uncomfortable, as if they had lost the right to insult him further.
"Tch... what was with that attitude?" grumbled Rasya.
"Just let him be, Rasya. The important thing is that he's gone!" Ryan soothed, pouring more wine into his glass.
"Ryan is right, Rasya. I'm annoyed too, but what matters is he's out of our lives! He was hindering our level progression," Luna added.
Argus raised his glass high, an arrogant smirk returning to his face. "Enough, all of you. Calm down and don't think about him anymore. We must focus on defeating many powerful monsters so that we can become legends! Without the dead weight, we will soar faster!"
"YES SIR..!!" they shouted in unison, toasting over the suffering of the friend they had just discarded.
Meanwhile, outside, the afternoon sun felt devoid of warmth. Keyzier walked down the capital streets with a sluggish gait. He wandered around the city without a clear destination, letting his feet take him wherever. His mind was in turmoil, thinking about what his fate would be in the future.
What should I do? Go back to my hometown? No, that would be humiliating.
The image of his parents' disappointed faces made him shake his head.
He stopped in front of a large building with a signboard depicting a crossed sword and shield. The Adventurer's Guild. The place where all legends began, and where many dreams ended. Keyzier took a deep breath, trying to gather the remnants of his courage.
He headed into the Adventurer's Guild and registered himself as a solo adventurer. Without the "S-rank party" badge, he had to start everything from zero.
The guild receptionist looked at him with a standard gaze, not recognizing that the shabby young man in front of her was a former member of Argus's party. After filling out the registration form, he was immediately asked to carry out a Rank F mission first—standard procedure for beginners to prove their basic competence.
"Gathering mission," Keyzier muttered, reading the quest board. "Collecting Mian Flowers."
Without saying much, he headed to the forest on the outskirts of the city. The forest wasn't dangerous, inhabited only by low-level monsters like Slimes or Horned Rabbits. However, this mission required precision. Mian Flowers were plants commonly used for basic medicinal potions, but they grew hidden behind thorny bushes and old tree roots.
Keyzier crouched among the lush trees. His hands, accustomed to polishing hero weapons, were now dirty with soil. He parted the leaves, his sharp eyes scanning every corner.
"One... two..." he counted.
It turned out his skills as a support were not in vain. He was used to observing details. In less than two hours, he had successfully collected 8 Mian flowers as the mission required. He even selected flowers with the best petal quality, an old habit to ensure the party got the maximum result.
After reporting his mission and being declared successful, the "Rank F" stamp was now officially on his adventurer card. The officer handed him a small pouch of coins. Currently, he was at Rank F and received a reward of 40 Zol before leaving the Adventurer's Guild.
Keyzier sat on a city park bench, under the shade of a large, leafy tree. He opened his palm, staring at the copper coins.
"40 Zol, huh? This can only be used for food for one day! I regret not taking that money earlier!" he lamented to himself, remembering Luna's offer to let him take the leftover party allowance, which, due to his pride, he hadn't fully accepted.
As Keyzier sat counting his money with a sour face, a man who looked about his age was watching him from a distance. The man had a sturdy posture, wore a high-quality traveling cloak, red-haired and had a longsword sheathed neatly at his waist.
The man squinted, feeling a resonance of memory in his head. I'm not unfamiliar with that face. But who is it? Let me think!
Then, childhood memories flooded in. That smile, that confident stance.
Ah... I remember, he's Keyzier, a member of Argus's party. What is he doing here? he said again in his heart, slightly confused. But a split second later he realized his own mistake; the man wasn't him, but someone he knew very well.
The man approached Keyzier, who was sitting under the big tree. His shadow covered Keyzier's body, making him look up.
"Hey Key, what are you doing here?" the man greeted with a friendly baritone voice.
Keyzier's eyes widened. He saw a red-haired man whom he knew very, very well. "Novan?"
Donovan Tristan, my best friend and childhood friend. What is he doing in this city?