Chapter 1

Starting a new work today.

I'll post just the first chapter for now.

Please, I hope you enjoy it m(_ _)m

"Who the hell do you think you are, carrying a weapon when you're just an F-rank!"

The dungeon echoed with the man's abusive words.

The young man was punched in the face and fell to the ground.

The young man, Sora Tensui, had his personal longsword taken by a man from his party.

This longsword was a weapon he had obtained from a G-rank dungeon, which he had cleared at the risk of his life.

Its performance was not particularly high, but it was a very important weapon to him.

Having it taken by force, Sora gritted his teeth.

The two men who took the longsword were adventurers, just like him.

They were E-rank adventurers, while he was F-rank.

Though it was just one rank difference, there was a significant gap in combat ability.

Even if Sora tried to take it back, he wouldn't stand a chance.

"See you around."

"Let us know if you get anything else, okay? We'll take good care of it."

"Hehehehehe!"

The men laughed as they left the dungeon.

Watching their backs, Sora bit his lip until it bled.

(If only I were stronger...)

But that was an impossible wish.

Because Sora's growth had already reached its limit at F-rank.

The moment dungeons appeared on Earth, all of humanity was ranked.

Initially, everyone had the same rank, but the growth limits varied from person to person.

Some could become infinitely strong, while others hardly grew at all.

Humans were ranked according to their growth potential.

Those who reached their limit early were G-rank, and those who took the longest were S-rank.

Sora's rank was F, the second lowest.

To become an adventurer, one needed at least F-rank.

While over 90% of people couldn't advance beyond G-rank, Sora was lucky enough to reach F-rank.

However, that was the extent of his growth.

No matter how many monsters he defeated in the dungeon, his rank never increased.

Even though he had become an adventurer, he couldn't advance beyond F-rank.

People called those who couldn't advance with a mix of pity and contempt:

"The bottom F-rank."

(Maybe it's time to quit...)

If his rank didn't improve, he couldn't make a living as an adventurer.

When he reached F-rank, he had planned to support himself as a professional adventurer, but if he couldn't grow any further, that was a different story.

Sora is 20 years old this year.

He became an adventurer at 18, and two years have passed.

At first, he thought he would quit if it didn't work out.

But his perfectionist nature, which wouldn't let him give up without thoroughly trying, kept him from quitting.

Dungeon exploration was fun.

Defeating monsters dropped magic stones, which he could sell for money.

Even if the opponent was a higher rank and a tough fight, he could efficiently defeat them with the right strategy.

The daily trial and error was enjoyable.

Before he knew it, Sora was hooked on dungeon exploration.

The longsword that was just taken from him was a result of his trial and error, a drop from the dungeon.

It was proof of his efforts. Now, it was taken from him.

Sora's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Thinking about the future, he couldn't continue as an adventurer indefinitely.

As an F-rank adventurer, he couldn't earn enough to live on.

It would be much better to work for a company.

Sora is currently at an age where it's easy to find a job.

If he missed this opportunity, it would only get harder to find employment.

Even among F-rank adventurers, some managed to make a living.

Those with special skills or strong weapons were able to do so.

However, Sora had no special skills.

And his cherished longsword was taken from him.

It was time to quit.

"Maybe God is telling me to quit..."

Sighing, Sora slowly stood up.

His body ached in various places.

But it could be said that he only had minor injuries.

The two men were E-rank adventurers, higher in rank than Sora.

If they were serious, they could have killed him with one blow.

The difference of one rank was that significant.

Dragging his aching leg, Sora headed towards the dungeon's exit.

Fortunately, this was a fixed dungeon, one that remained permanently. Unlike temporary dungeons that disappeared after being cleared, he didn't need to hurry.

On the way to the exit, Sora suddenly stopped and muttered.

"Huh, what's that?"