Chapter 1 – I’m Quitting Being an Adventurer

Yesterday, I committed my first act of unauthorized absence from work.

If I had to make an excuse, it was because when I woke up, it was already past noon, and I was lying on the hard floor in front of my entrance.
I vaguely remember that I couldn’t stop crying for some reason.
Why couldn’t I just make the effort to walk a little further to my bed? What a useless person I am.

Because I missed the monthly joint meeting of the Adventurer’s Guild at the beginning of the month, I decided to skip it altogether.

After sleeping for a night and getting some sun in the morning, my melancholic mood improved somewhat, but I still felt weighed down.

Will I get scolded again?

I drag my feet heavily, not wanting to go to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Good morning.”

As soon as I arrive, I submit my guild card to the reception counter.
I have a backlog of requests, so I don’t need to look at the request forms on the quest board.

“Good morning, Aix-san.
By the way, the Guild Master has something to discuss with you, so please wait a moment.”

The receptionist disappeared into the back yard.

I don’t want to be called.

I don’t want to see him.

After a while, as expected, the Guild Master with an angry expression appeared.

“Hey, defective mage.
Explain to me what unauthorized absence means.
Of all things, you didn’t attend the joint meeting I came up with.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Although the joint meeting at the beginning of the month was just him giving a long lecture, it seems to have been popular with other adventurers because it motivated them.

“The buff magic you cast on the participants, which is your job, I asked Aries, a B-rank mage, to do it instead, so make sure to thank her later! The adventurers were delighted, but it cost me a lot.”

“…Yes.”

When the Guild Master grinned, he thrust his thick arm out in front of me.
I saw that my guild card was clenched in his hand, and he applied pressure, causing my card to deform with a cracking sound.

Rank: E

Title: Defective Mage

Name: Aix

Sex: Male

Age: 19 years old

Data: 160cm, 45kg

Job: Magician

Specialist: Extension of Effect Duration (Ex-tension)

Sacrificial Karma: Can only use beginner-level magic

There was a crisp sound from the Adventurer’s Guild counter.

It was the sound of my guild card being ripped in half, and the sound of my heart being broken.

The Guild Master, grinning and nasty, had torn my card in half.

“Don’t you have the mentality of an adventurer? As punishment, start over from the bottom of the F-rank.”

This is the third time I’ve been unfairly demoted.

I’ve finally fallen to the bottom rank.
I’m quitting being an adventurer.

I look at the blank card with the rank F that was handed to me as if it were sliding across the counter.
If I let one drop of blood fall on it, I can register again and use it as an adventurer.

I can restart my life as an adventurer.

“……”

While I continue to stare at the card, the guild master looks at me with a very curious expression, not moving at all.

“What’s wrong? Hurry up and shed your blood.
You don’t have time to play around.
You must have work piled up today, right?”

I can’t take it anymore.

I just can’t do it.

“I seem to have been too much for being an adventurer.
Thank you for everything up until now.”

When I say this, the guild master looks extremely shaken.
Although he always exudes dignity, this might be the first time I see him so flustered.

Well, whatever.

I bow my head and the former fellow adventurers who were watching this scene burst into unpleasant laughter.

“Gyahahaha.
So, the defective magician is finally quitting.
Good, good.
With this, the level of adventurers will rise.
If someone who can only use basic magic is in the same group, they’ll be underestimated.”

“Exactly.
The weak should leave.”

“Please, don’t ever tell anyone you’re an ex-adventurer.
It lowers our standards.”

“Hahaha, you said it.”

As the adventurers sneered, the receptionist’s pale, distressed voice echoed loudly as I tried to leave in silence.

“Excuse me! Aix-san.
There’s still work left for you.
So much work…”

“I’ve already quit…”

She looked at me with an almost tearful expression when I refused.

Ugh.
But I’ve already decided to quit, and the card was broken.

In fact, I’m the one who wants to cry.

I cried yesterday.

Please, let me rest.

Despite my agony, I can hear jealous voices from behind me.

“Pfft, even though he’s just an E-rank, he’s always getting named requests and getting too big for his britches.”

“He can’t even defeat a goblin, but he’s probably good at licking up.”

“He’s licking that delicious pie, I can’t forgive him for that.”

“What a defective guy.”

They don’t understand.

Nobody understands.

Sure, getting a named request means a 50% increase in payment, which should be an honor, but think about it.
I’m an E-rank adventurer! The reward is not much different from hunting goblins or picking herbs on D-rank missions.
Of course, I didn’t want to accept any slave-like contracts, but apparently, they were all requests from people in power that I couldn’t refuse.

I try to leave, not wanting to be misunderstood and envied any further, but the receptionist grabs my arm.

“Please.
Just for the lord, the forest patrol, and the former guild master.”

The receptionist’s hand trembles.

I’m a pushover.

I quit my job, but I can’t say no.

I can see that there are many people who will be inconvenienced if I refuse, so I reluctantly take the request form.
The receptionist’s pale face turns red.

“…Alright.
This is the last one.
But in return, please say the request details and reward amount out loud.”

I added that condition to clear up any misunderstandings among the eavesdropping adventurers.

“Thank you.
There are three named requests that will be troublesome if you don’t take them.
A servant for the lord (including the repair of magical tools), patrol and extermination duties for all areas from the forest patrol, and one month of cleaning and facility management for the former guild master’s bar.
The rewards for all of them are only seven small silver coins.”

The receptionist’s cheerful voice rings out, and the room falls silent.

See? It’s not much, is it?

I can hear murmurs.
From contempt and jealousy to contempt and ridicule.

“Gyahahaha! Only seven small silver coins!? Unbelievable.”

“That’s exactly right.
It’s too stupid.”

“Why not refuse?”

“Don’t you know? Named requests are half-compulsory, so it’s impossible to refuse.
But isn’t it embarrassing to make such an unreasonable request? It’s like staining your honor.”

I have three more jobs left before I quit being an adventurer.

So let’s start with the first request, being a servant (including repairing magical tools) for the lord.