Chapter 1

"Alcus, get out of the party. You useless trash."

Party leader Dan said, looking at me with his usual condescending eyes and a thin smile on his face.

"Let me ask, what's the reason?"

"Huh? Can't you even figure that out with your own head? It's because you're useless, of course."

Well, I can see where he's coming from. I am a member of Dan's adventurer party, "Cruel Blade." I've been with them for about a year, but my standing with Dan and the other members has always been poor. The reason for this is that I handle the party's miscellaneous tasks and don't participate in battles. Adventurer parties value strength, and they probably got tired of sharing rewards with someone like me who doesn't fight.

"But I've been doing my job properly, right? Besides, that was the agreement from the start."

"Are you kidding me? The only thing you can do is keep watch!!"

My skill is <Slime>. I was allowed into the party because of this skill. The ability allows me to transform my body into a slime. When I activate the skill, I can turn into a slime about the size of a kitten.

Slime is the weakest of all monsters. So, I'm not much help in combat. However, I can split into up to eight parts. If I try to split into more, my thoughts become hazy and my head feels empty. In the worst case, I might not be able to return to my original form.

I mainly used this ability for surveillance. ...But my surveillance duties were only during the night when we were on a quest. While Dan was resting, I would split and keep watch around the tent.

Why do I do this? Because Dan keeps the party's women as his servants. It's not hard to imagine what he does with them in the tent at night.

Anyway, I was hired for this specific role.

"So, what are you going to do? You're not thinking of saying you don't want to leave, are you?"

"I won't say I don't want to leave. But what about the surveillance role after I'm gone?"

"Did you think I hadn't thought about that? Hey, come in here."

At Dan's signal, the guild door opened, and a girl walked in. Her silver twin-tails shone like a knife in the light, and her eyes were a translucent red, like tea. The small girl stood beside Dan with a mechanical, expressionless face.

"This is Rize. She's a new mage joining our party."

Dan put his hand around Rize's waist.

I see, so he's kicking me out of the party and replacing me with a girl for the night watch. Typical of a womanizer like Dan.

"...Don't touch me."

"Just a little, it's fine. It affects the reward amount, so it's better to be nice to me, got it?"

Ignoring Rize's protests, Dan caressed her waist. Grinning, he looked at me.

"Rize can handle both combat and surveillance, and she's a girl. In other words, she's a complete upgrade from you. You understand that you're no longer needed, right?"

As much as it hurts, Dan is right. There's no place for someone who can't fight.

"...Alright. I'll leave."

I had continued with this party because of the decent pay, but it seems that's over now. I stood up from my chair and was about to leave.

"Hey, hold it!!"

At that moment, a large palm enveloped my head. Dan had stood up and reached out to me. The next instant, my face was slammed into the table as if magnetized.

BAM!!

A loud noise echoed through the guild. In agony, I tried to lift my head.

"What are you doing!"

"Until now, I didn't lay a hand on you, even though you're trash, because it would be a hassle if you got hurt. But that's no longer necessary!!"

I tried to escape from Dan's grip, but his strength was too much, and I could only struggle. As I struggled, my face was repeatedly slammed into the table.

"Ha ha ha ha!! Good job, Dan! Keep it up!!"

The laughter of the crowd. To the drunkards, this was just entertainment.

"You know, I get a bad feeling just looking at weaklings like you!! You slime bastard!!"

I didn't choose to be born with the <Slime> skill. This is so unfair. Why do I have to go through this?

Is it my fault for being weak? Is it wrong for a weak person to be an adventurer?

The answer is yes. At least, I'm being beaten by Dan, a strong person, right now. There's no reason for it. The weak are evil.

"Damn it!!"

I used my last bit of strength to pry Dan's arm off. I ran towards the guild's exit.

"Slime bastard! From now on, you'll only be able to run away!! There's no place for the weak in this world!!"

I could hear Dan's voice as I held my nose, which was bleeding profusely, and stepped out of the guild.

I am weak. Incompetent. I suffer unfair treatment because I was born with this useless skill. It's pointless for a weak person to say anything.

So, I will—become stronger than anyone else.

I will make Dan kneel with my strength. When I become a strong person, I will take my revenge on Dan, who is weak. This is the start of a story where the protagonist quickly becomes stronger!