Chapter 18

Today's update as well ('ω')!

This time, it's been a while since we've had a Simon-side update.

I hope you enjoy it!

['Clover' captivated everyone's attention with the Zarnag extermination broadcast the other day, and today, they've done it again with a new broadcast!']

['This footage... is it showing the battle against the floor boss, "Wandering Left Hand," on the 5th floor of the Gorgona Underground Ruins?']

['That's right. The person in red, who has been a topic of discussion before, is the leader Yuke, and he's indeed a Red Mage. Wow, his movements are always so impressive.']

['What do you mean by that?']

['Most of all, his skill at casting spells without incantation is amazing! This is an advanced skill of the Red Mage, where they prepare spells in advance. It's a very difficult skill that requires selecting the appropriate ones before battle and keeping them ready. Without considerable experience and knowledge, it's impossible to pull it off like that.']

['I see, I see.']

['And also...']

Seeing Yuke on the large screen at the Adventurer's Guild, I can't help but grit my teeth.

Why is such a useless, unremarkable guy getting so much attention? It's a shallow floor boss extermination video, not even a high-difficulty dungeon attack. The quality of the viewers has really gone downhill.

However, there's a reality we can't ignore.

We, the 'Thunderpike,' are still doing broadcasts like we used to, but recently, our viewership has dropped, and we even lost a sponsor the other day.

...It's frustrating, but maybe we should do broadcasts like this too.

"Damn... Yuke is getting cocky, joining low-rank parties."

Barry, who was watching the broadcast with me, curses while drinking.

"He apparently got promoted to A-rank recently. It's natural for him to get a bit carried away. But, let's focus on us."

Lately, we 'Thunderpike' haven't been in good form, and we've been failing one after another.

The reason boils down to one point: the quality of the new members is poor. Still, a failure is a failure.

Additionally, there's the issue of new members not sticking around.

Even though they join the party officially, most of them leave after one or two jobs, leaving behind some parting words.

I've heard that there are more and more 'washed-up adventurers' who lack motivation, perseverance, and patience, and it seems the rumors are true.

"Oh! Yuke uses a magic scroll here. He pushes through! That's a nice assist, Gato!"

"Yes, the timing was perfect. His coordination with his teammates is excellent. With his support, I might be able to challenge the dungeon too."

"I don't know about that... And here, the extermination is complete. A flawless victory."

"Looks like we can't take our eyes off 'Clover' in the future! Let's move on to the next broadcast. Next is... "

I can't help but sigh at Yuke in the broadcast.

But... was Yuke really that capable?

No, at least when he was with 'Thunderpike,' he wasn't like that.

He didn't use any unknown new magic like the 'Distorted Light Arrow.' He was more reserved, bureaucratic, and lackluster.

"Hey, if we can't find new members, maybe we should bring him back?"

"Yuke?"

"Yeah. No matter what, he could keep up with us, and he's better than these recent wimps, right?"

Barry has a point.

The quality of new members is declining, and as a result, we keep failing requests and dungeon attacks.

If this continues, it will affect our adventurer credibility, and we might even be demoted.

At least when Yuke was with us, we never failed multiple requests in a row.

He might have been useful as a jack-of-all-trades.

"It's all about the money, right? We just need to add a little color to the rewards. We can even cut Jamie's share."

"But he left on his own, didn't he?"

"He was frustrated because of the lack of money. He's probably regretting it by now."

"...You're right. Besides, completing low-rank requests won't earn us adventurer credibility. Maybe it's time for us to swallow our pride."

To challenge the 'Gate of the Abyss' at the edge of the world, we need the permission of the country and the Adventurer's Guild, which requires a high adventurer credibility.

Being part of an A-rank party like 'Thunderpike' is almost a necessity.

I was surprised when he said he would leave, but the reason was money.

In other words, if we can reach a compromise on the reward, he might come back.

It's embarrassing... even though he's my childhood friend.

It's embarrassing to have such a pitiful guy as a childhood friend.

"Let's talk to him if we see him."

"Yeah, let's do that. We need to meet each other halfway. Let's let bygones be bygones."

We laugh and clink our mugs.

I should check with Jamie and Camilla later, but there won't be any objections.

After all, 'Thunderpike' was doing well until Yuke said those things, and we had to start looking for new members because he left.

As adventurers and adults, he needs to take responsibility.

If we forgive him, everything can go back to normal.

"Hey, speaking of which..."

Turning to look at Barry's nod, I see Yuke walking into the guild entrance, chatting happily with three young girls.

A red-haired female swordsman, a silver-haired dark elf, and a young-looking cleric.

All the girls are attractive, but they seem a bit inexperienced... they're probably still beginners.

But, they're girls.

Given his naive nature, he was probably easily deceived by their advances.

He's being used by beginners who need B-rank—now A-rank—adventurer credibility for their requests, and he doesn't even realize it.

He's as clumsy as ever.

No one just approaches a Red Mage like that. Really.

Well, should I talk to him?

I stand up, puff out my chest, and walk up to Yuke.

"Hey, Yuke."

How was it ('ω')?

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