Chapter 1

This is the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild 'Golden Eagle'.

On the top floor of the large stone building, in the Guild Master's room, the appraiser Roland had been summoned.

He was about to be expelled.

The Guild Master Lucius said,

"I'm sorry to see you go, but it can't be helped. The guild has its own circumstances. We can't allow you to remain a member with your current performance."

It was a harsh treatment.

After using Roland's skill 'Appraisal' to gather party members,

The hidden contribution to the guild's rise was due to Roland's skill 'Skill Appraisal'.

His talent was in discovering and nurturing hidden skills in members.

Once just a mid-level guild in the city, 'Golden Eagle' had become a major guild with top-tier warriors, mages, and healers, boasting over 100 members.

Every time the guild advanced, Roland would let Lucius take the credit, even when it was Roland's achievement. He would step aside whenever Roland was about to receive recognition or a promotion, ensuring Lucius would always be the one to advance.

Because of this, while Lucius kept rising in rank, Roland remained a regular member in the guild.

Furthermore, Roland's skill set was specialized as an 'Appraiser,' which made his base parameters abnormally low, to the point where he couldn't even do the lowest-level jobs as an adventurer.

Yet, now that he was no longer useful, he was to be discarded.

Roland looked at Lucius with a resentful gaze.

However, being someone who disliked arguments, he could only show a slightly dissatisfied expression and couldn't think of what to say next.

Lucius, sensing Roland's resistance, quickly put away his friendly smile and adopted a stern expression.

"You look like you have something to say. But in reality, your recent performance has been terrible, Dianna. Tell us about his performance this month."

"Yes, Guild Master."

Dianna, Lucius's secretary, stepped forward with a file in hand. She was a tall, beautiful woman, but she gave off a cold impression. She was now looking at Roland with a cold, icy gaze.

"His performance over the past month is as follows: 98th out of 100 members in monster kills, 76th in items obtained, and 86th in quests completed."

Dianna said this with a sly smile.

"Is that so?"

Lucius, in a pose that emphasized his authority, with his chin resting on his folded hands, glared at Roland.

"Even for a new member, this performance is unacceptable. I've been defending you out of old friendship, but with such poor results, I can't defend you anymore. If we continue to favor you, it will set a bad example for the other members who have strict quotas."

Roland had a lot he wanted to say.

Lucius was clearly setting him up to fail.

He would put Roland in parties with the lowest-ranked members who would only be a hindrance, or include members in parties who were clearly unsuitable for the quests, or fail to provide necessary items at crucial moments.

While there was no clear evidence, Lucius could have easily prevented these situations if he wanted to.

Roland had protested about this many times.

But each time, Lucius would smile and say,

"I'm in a different position now. I have to consider the entire guild. I can't favor you alone."

Yet, he would go out of his way to favor his favorites.

Lucius handed Roland a bag of gold coins.

"Consider this a parting gift. It's your severance pay. For someone as incompetent as you, this is a generous treatment. Take it and leave this guild as soon as possible."

Lucius's entourage, including Dianna, giggled.

Roland, with the severance pay in hand, fled from the guild 'Golden Eagle'.

After leaving the guild, Roland headed to the quest reception to find work as an adventurer.

Even though he had been expelled from the guild, he couldn't afford to wallow in self-pity.

The severance pay would run out quickly.

Now that he was a solo player, he wouldn't get jobs automatically assigned to him.

He had to find work on his own.

When he went to the reception to look for a quest, he saw a former colleague from the guild 'Golden Eagle'.

Roland flinched and instinctively hid behind a pillar.

He heard the receptionist's cheerful voice.

"Oh, it's Sir Gill from 'Golden Eagle.' We always appreciate your business. We have a perfect quest for you, Sir Gill."

Gill was one of Lucius's favorite heroes.

She was a rising star among new adventurers.

Despite her youth, she had already been recognized as a B-rank adventurer and was highly anticipated for her future.

There was a rumor that she might become the first S-rank adventurer from 'Golden Eagle'.

Originally, she was one of the talents Roland had discovered.

However, as soon as she showed promise, Lucius took her under his wing.

Now, Roland couldn't even bring himself to speak to her.

The receptionist treated her with utmost respect, even escorting her to the door and opening it for her as she left.

She didn't forget to call out to her retreating figure.

"We look forward to your next visit."

People standing and chatting in front of the quest reception began to whisper as soon as they saw her.

Wearing the emblem of 'Golden Eagle' on her shoulder, she walked confidently, drawing attention.

Her flowing golden hair and red armor added to her fame, making her a focal point as she walked through the halls of the Adventurer's Association.

Roland waited until she had left before approaching the reception.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Roland, the appraiser."

The receptionist sighed heavily as soon as she saw Roland, responding with a visibly lazy attitude.

She was young, cute, and somewhat inexperienced, but her emotions were clearly reflected in her behavior.

Her attitude was a stark contrast to how she treated Gill.

She already knew that Roland had been expelled from 'Golden Eagle'.

Her treatment of him was openly cold, unlike when he was a member of 'Golden Eagle'.

"Let's see. A job suitable for Mr. Roland? I don't think there is one. I think it's a waste of time to look, but do you want me to try?"

"Yes, please."

"Ugh, fine. It's such a hassle."

She reluctantly pulled out the quest list.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing for you, Mr. Roland. I went through the list from start to finish, but there's nothing. I'm sorry, but I think you should go home today. I really want to give you a job, but I have to attend to other people too. Please come back another time."

She pushed Roland away from the counter as if to say, "You're wasting my time."

As Roland was about to leave, he heard the receptionist's cheerful voice again.

"Skill appraisal jobs? We have plenty. There are tons of quests we'd like you to take on."

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