Chapter 2

"Looking for party members!"

The day after being kicked out of the party, I visited the adventurer’s guild with a recruitment notice in hand.

Yesterday, when I left the shared living space of the party, I left behind my equipment as a parting gift.

...And as a result, I was practically penniless.

The inn where I stayed after leaving the shared living space was more expensive than I had imagined.

Usually, after completing a quest, I would go hunting to get meat and cook for myself with vegetables that were almost rotten and cheaply given to me.

However, yesterday, I returned late from a quest and was suddenly kicked out, so I couldn’t cook as usual and ended up paying a ridiculous amount for dinner.

And now, I’m almost out of money...

I regret not leaving the equipment behind. After all, it took me years to save up enough money to buy it.

If I had sold it, I could have had a few more days to think about my expulsion.

But now, it’s too late to think about it.

What I need now is enough money to stay at the inn today.

There are several places around the guild where adventurers can earn money. Among them, the labyrinth is considered suitable for intermediate to advanced adventurers.

There are also grasslands where weak monsters appear, which are suitable for beginners, and the extermination of powerful monsters that occasionally appear outside the labyrinth, which is mainly for advanced adventurers.

Monsters that appear outside the labyrinth tend to show up in places where a lot of magic power accumulates, so they rarely appear near human settlements. However, when they do, urgent extermination is required.

For example, the hydra that the Lightning Sword was sent to exterminate yesterday was one of those monsters outside the labyrinth.

Of course, I have no confidence in defeating such a high-difficulty monster alone, and the materials from the weak monsters in the grasslands are not worth much.

So, I decided to gather companions and delve into the labyrinth...

"Still, no one’s coming..."

But no one responded to my call.

Usually, when you recruit for a party, at least one party would stop by.

Adventurers often increase their chances of survival, gain more opportunities to become famous, or replace a fallen comrade by temporarily increasing their party size.

However, they wouldn’t include someone who is clearly weak.

...And everyone knows that I am a defective healer.

So, no one would stop for someone as useless as me.

"...Sigh"

I sighed deeply at the situation.

I understood the situation, but that doesn’t mean I felt nothing.

Even aside from the mental damage, I couldn’t escape the harsh reality of being broke.

I could go to the lower levels of the labyrinth alone, but in that case, my life would be in constant danger. It’s too risky just to earn money to buy time to think.

And I don’t even want to think about how many monsters I’d have to hunt in the upper levels.

"I don’t even have the money to rent a carriage to go to other earning spots... sigh..."

Thinking this, I sighed deeply.

I had to give up and hunt in the upper levels...

Just as I was about to resign myself to this, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, someone approached me, who was hanging my head.

"Big brother! Can I join your party?"

"......Huh?"

A very cute girl’s voice reached my ears from close range.

I lifted my face in a daze, drawn by the sound.

"Big brother! Can you hear me?"

"Huh?"

The next moment, I was speechless at the sight of the delicate girl standing in front of me, looking at me...

◇◆◇

The girl standing in front of me was exceptionally beautiful.

She had lustrous sapphire short hair and large, captivating blue eyes.

She was so beautiful that she could easily be mistaken for a princess in a story.

"Why... why would you want to join a party with a healer who can only use 'Heal'?"

...Unfortunately, I didn’t have the composure to calmly observe her beauty.

I was still in a daze and blurted out my inner doubts.

"Wow... you’re a healer like that, huh?"

"Ah..."

But the next moment, I realized my mistake when I heard the girl’s words.

She might not have known about me.

"Well, that’s the case. It might be better to team up with someone else..."

But I didn’t intend to deceive her.

It would only lead to trouble later.

So, I tried to tell her with a wry smile.

"No, I’m sorry for being rude. I really want to team up with you, big brother!"

"Huh?... Huh?"

Her words interrupted mine, and I was speechless.

The girl, dressed in martial artist attire, was not only beautiful but probably quite skilled, capable of performing well even in the lower levels of the labyrinth.

I couldn’t believe that such a person would want to join my party.

"My name is Narzenia. As you can see, I’m a martial artist! Nice to meet you, big brother."

But without paying attention to my reaction, the girl, Narzenia, reached out her hand to me.

"Ah, ah. I’m the healer, Rauzt. I’m a defective healer, but nice to meet you."

I nervously returned her greeting, took her hand, and shook it.

Narzenia’s hand was smooth and pleasant to touch, and the sensation made me realize that this was real, and joy overflowed in my chest.

"...Finally, I’ve met you."

In the midst of my excitement, I noticed that Narzenia’s face, which seemed slightly red, was moving, but her words didn’t reach my ears...

Tomorrow’s update is scheduled for 12:00!