Episode 1 — Aghiya
One day before the man ventured into the dungeon alone.
That day carried an unpleasant feeling, as if his clothes were clinging wetly to his skin.
The sun was not out, hidden behind thick gray clouds. As the man left his house—prepared to head for the dungeon—the humidity was so intense that the clothes beneath his armor felt as though they were steaming.
At the moment, he wore heavy armor from the neck down.
The armor, made of thin black dragon scales, protected his upper body and flared out from the waist downward like a coat. His lower half was covered by sturdy, thin cloth trousers, and his feet were in worn black boots.
At his waist, he carried a kukri knife, and over his right shoulder, he rested a massive sword. The sword was double-edged, with a blade length reaching one meter forty, and the handle was around thirty centimeters. The black blade, made from the bones of monsters, was sharp on both edges and thick besides. It was known as a greatsword. Because of its size, people in town walked a step farther away whenever they passed the man.
He was heading to a certain section of the academy where his party gathered. There, as always, they would hold their meeting before entering the dungeon.
“Good morning. Nada, we’ve been waiting.”
A large room inside the academy.
At its entrance stood a signboard bearing the word Aghiya. Aghiya was the name of the party the man belonged to. It was a prestigious party whose name had been passed down through generations within the academy, said to originate from the name of the ruler of the skies. Thanks to its accomplishments, it was considered one of the academy’s top parties. Because of that, they had been granted this dedicated room as a special privilege.
Upon entering, the man—called Nada—was greeted by the other members.
Various weapons and equipment were neatly organized in the corner, and around the large rectangular table in the center—big enough for at least eight people—sat five of his comrades. All of them wore armor.
“Yeah. Morning, Reaon. And everyone else.”
Nada gave a brief reply to Reaon’s greeting and stepped inside. Almost at the same time, other party members spoke to him as well.
Reaon sat at the highest seat, farthest from the door.
Reaon was a handsome young man. His face was as beautiful as a woman’s, and his build was slender. His signature short, golden hair stood out in this town where black and brown were the norm. Nada had once heard that women in town often approached him.
Nada leaned his greatsword against the wall near the entrance and sat at the seat farthest from Reaon—the lowest seat. He placed his gauntlets on the table.
Once Reaon confirmed that the entire party had assembled, he said he had “something to take care of” and left the room.
A few minutes later, he returned—carrying a large stack of papers.
“—Now then, I have something to discuss today.”
“What’s that supposed to be?”
Reaon passed out identical paper bundles to all members, including Nada. As they received them, the Aghiya members flipped through the pages.
When Nada skimmed the papers Reaon had brought, he saw numerous résumés belonging to adventurers. They included self-introductions, preferred weapons, and various other details.
“These are the excellent juniors who have recently submitted self-recommendations, hoping to join Aghiya.”
At those words, Nada’s gaze sharpened.
Reaon returned to his seat, rested his elbows on the table, slowly clasped his hands together, and directed a hostile look at Nada.
“What is the meaning of this, Reaon?”
Nada’s voice was lower than when he had entered.
“Don’t you understand? You’re no longer needed in this party. I intend to strengthen the team with new members in your place. Nada, hurry up and leave, will you?”
What Reaon told Nada was, in effect, a dismissal.
When Nagi suddenly delivered her advice, one of the members—aside from Nada and Reaon—raised an objection.
“Hold on a second. Reaon, are you serious? No matter how you look at it, this is—”
“I’m serious. Look, he hasn’t received any divine blessing (Gift). He hasn’t manifested even a single Unique Skill. And it’s not like he's particularly skilled in martial techniques either. That’s why I think someone like Nada is ‘unnecessary’ for this party.”
While glaring at Reaon, Nada spoke in a low, trembling voice filled with anger.
“Leader. So what’s your reason for dismissing me?”
“If you were a first–year with a future ahead of you, that would be one thing. But you’re already a fifth–year like me. You’re at an age where obtaining one or the other shouldn’t be a problem, yet you have… nothing. And you think someone like that belongs in this esteemed Aghiya? You understand, don’t you, that your limits as an adventurer are approaching? I doubt you realize it since you joined thanks to your seniors’ connections, but we have plenty of promising juniors, and many people are hoping to enter Aghiya. So—don’t you think it’s about time you gave up your seat?”
Nada let out a slow sigh at Reaon’s words.
He had no intention of making excuses.
Everything was the truth.
Most adventurer candidates who entered this academy gained some form of power during their first or second year. Even by the third year, it was typical to gain at least one. Rare as it was, Nada had obtained none of them.
His physical strength and judgment had improved somewhat, but only up to the limits of what training alone could achieve. Nada knew very well that he would not suddenly grow stronger as an adventurer without skills or abilities.
That was why—he nodded.
“…Fine.”
“Nada!”
As Nada nodded, the other party members—aside from Reaon—raised their voices.
Reaon, however, smoothly produced a sheet of paper.
It was the party withdrawal form.
At the academy, adventurer parties were not casual social groups; they represented a contractual relationship with the party leader regarding dungeon exploration. Whenever adding or removing a member, proper procedures were required.
Nada picked up the quill Reaon had prepared and smoothly signed his name on the signature line of the withdrawal form.
Then he used the knife he carried to lightly cut his thumb and pressed his fingerprint next to the signature. After that, Nada went through the document to check that there were no issues or dissatisfying clauses.
“I’ll gladly quit this kind of party. I was just thinking I didn’t get along with you either.”
He slid the withdrawal form across the table toward Reaon.
“I feel the same way,” Reaon replied without difficulty as he took the sheet.
Nada removed his armor, picked up the greatsword leaning by the door, and Reaon smirked nastily.
“If you’re no longer part of this party, then you’ll leave that greatsword here as well, won’t you? That sword originally belongs to Aghiya. It’s not yours. So I’d like to put it to use for Aghiya’s future.”
Nada stared at the greatsword in his hands for a moment.
The sword—also known as Land Black Dragon’s Fang—was crafted using a large amount of material from a rare and powerful monster, one of the dragon-type creatures found around the 60th floor of the dungeon: the Exlidhao Ragario. Its sharpness and durability were among the very best, even for student adventurers.
To be honest, losing such a powerful weapon hurt. But Nada didn’t want to beg Reaon to let him keep it.
So, as if discarding it, he threw it at the wall. The greatsword stuck into the wall, scattering nearby weapons.
“As a bonus, I’ll leave the armor too—”
“That helps. Now we won’t have to make new gear for the juniors who’ll be joining soon.”
Reaon grinned suspiciously.
Meanwhile, Nada shot him one last glare and removed the kukri knife from his waist, placing it on the floor. Then he took off his armor piece by piece and tossed it into the corner of the room where equipment was piled up. He kept removing and throwing armor—gauntlets included. Many complaints came from the other members, but neither Nada nor Reaon paid them any attention.
Nada’s armor was also made from Exlidhao Ragario, one of the highest-grade equipment sets in the academy. The only reason he didn’t remove his pants and boots was that those were his own personal belongings. They also weren’t made from any remarkable material. The kukri knife remained at his waist for the same reason—it was his own.
When Nada left the room, he was now the complete opposite of how he had entered—lightly equipped and unburdened—as he opened the door.
“Thanks for everything—”
Nada muttered coldly.
“I pray your future adventures are blessed with good fortune.”
Reaon smirked faintly.
Nada stepped past the open door and walked out of the room. Behind him, he heard his former party members calling out to stop him; one even grabbed his arm, but he shook them off without slowing down for a moment.
After leaving the building that housed Aghiya’s private rooms and stepping outside, he found the sky mottled with patches of gray. He glared up at that sky, then punched a nearby wall.
“Damn, that hurts—”
The skin on his right fist split a little, and blood seeped out.
Nada briefly wondered what he should do next, but no good ideas came to mind.
For the moment, having lost his equipment, he needed to procure replacements. He still had his kukri knife, but that was basically a multipurpose tool for him. He could use it as a weapon in emergencies, but normally he wouldn’t—it wasn’t reliable enough in terms of durability or sharpness for everyday combat.
Thus, Nada headed toward a weapons shop he was familiar with.
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