Chapter 1: "Five Years of Struggle for This!?"

Guild of Asteron – Capital of the Kingdom

If I had a silver coin for every time someone told me to give up and go back to my village, I'd have… well, two silver coins.

And unfortunately, that wasn't enough to escape this miserable excuse for a career.

"Oi, Eldric. You're still here?"

I sighed. Oh great. Here we go again.

Turning around, I saw Garret, a mid-ranked swordsman with a smug grin permanently glued to his face. His party—three equally annoying adventurers—stood behind him, looking far too entertained for my liking.

"Yeah," I muttered, glancing at my nearly empty coin pouch. "Still here."

Garret leaned in, inspecting me like a rare creature at an auction.

"You're still an F-Rank, right?" His smirk widened. "The only F-Rank in the entire capital?"

Here it comes.

His friend, a stocky shield-user, let out a laugh. "More like Forever-F-Rank!"

Cue loud, exaggerated laughter from the whole group.

Hah. So original. It's not like I haven't heard that for the past five years.

"Don't you get tired of being a failure?" another adventurer chimed in. "You haven't even cleared Floor Five of the dungeon!"

Okay. That one hurt.

Not because it was untrue, but because it was way too true.

I came to Asteron, the capital of the kingdom, with dreams of becoming a legendary dungeon explorer. Maybe even a hero like the one from a thousand years ago.

But reality had other plans.

As it turned out, I had zero aptitude for magic, swordsmanship, archery, or literally any useful skill.

I got kicked out of every party I joined, sometimes after just a single fight.

Eventually, I became a solo adventurer, which is just a fancy way of saying I survived by picking medicinal herbs on Floor Three of the dungeon and selling them for peanuts.

This was my life now. Five years of failure, disappointment, and scraping by.

And today?

I was seriously considering quitting for good.

"Y'know, Eldric," Garret continued, crossing his arms. "You could make way more money farming in your village. I hear potatoes don't fight back."

I forced a smile.

Oh, how badly I wanted to punch him.

But that would require me to actually win a fight, and, well… that wasn't happening.

Garret's party walked past me, still chuckling.

"See ya around, Forever-F-Rank!"

I let out a long, dramatic sigh and slumped onto a wooden bench.

---

"Another rough morning?"

I glanced up to see Myra, the guild's receptionist and the only person who didn't treat me like garbage.

She was a beastkin, with soft cat ears, a matching tail, and bright green eyes that always had a gentle glimmer.

"Same as always," I muttered. "Not even worth getting mad about anymore."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "If it helps, I think it's cool that you're still trying, Eldric."

Myra was kind. Too kind.

And that just made my life even sadder.

Because even when she tried to encourage me, it always sounded like she was talking to a wounded animal.

"Right. Thanks," I said, trying not to sound completely dead inside.

As I turned back to my three remaining silver coins, I let out another sigh.

I had spent five years struggling to survive in this city.

And what did I have to show for it? Nothing.

Maybe it really was time to quit.

---

After public humiliation number #146, I decided that staring at water might be a good way to regain my will to live.

The fountain in front of the guild was a well-known landmark—a massive marble structure enchanted so that water never stopped flowing.

It was also one of the few quiet places in the city where I could sit and contemplate my utter failure as an adventurer without interruption.

Or so I thought.

As I sat on the stone ledge, letting the cool mist hit my face, I noticed something odd.

A girl sat on the opposite side, gripping a leather-bound spellbook with a deeply frustrated expression.

She looked young—probably no older than eighteen.

Her long silver hair fell in elegant waves, and she had piercing golden eyes that intensely scanned the pages.

Her brows furrowed, and she muttered something under her breath before flipping to another page.

She looked completely lost.

A novice?

I frowned.

I had seen plenty of rookie adventurers struggling with spellcasting—trying to remember incantations, only to mess up during combat.

And from the way she kept staring at the book like it personally offended her, I could tell she was having a hard time.

Something about it reminded me of my early days, back when I had actual hope of becoming strong.

That alone was enough to make me sigh and push myself off the fountain's edge.

I wasn't much, but I could at least help a struggling newbie.

---

"Hey," I said, stepping closer. "Having trouble?"

She froze for a second before looking up at me, her golden eyes blinking in surprise.

She tilted her head slightly. "What?"

"Your magic," I gestured at her book. "You're struggling, right?"

A small pause.

She stared at me with an unreadable expression.

Then she smiled.

A very small, very knowing smile.

Oh.

I knew that look.

She was embarrassed but was trying to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal.

I exhaled and plopped down onto the fountain ledge beside her.

"Alright, I'll give you some advice," I said confidently.

Her golden eyes widened slightly. "You will?"

"Yeah. We weaklings gotta help each other, right?"

Her smirk twitched.

Hah. She must be surprised by my generosity.

Good. No need for her to feel ashamed. It's what us experienced adventurers do.

I crossed my arms and gave her my best "wise older brother" look.

"Listen up, beginner," I said sagely. "Magic isn't just about formulas and chants. It's about believing in yourself."

She blinked again, looking vaguely amused.

"Ah… yes. That must be it."

Yep. She was definitely hiding her embarrassment.

"I help all the newbies," I added, standing up with a proud grin.

She gave me a long, unreadable stare before finally smiling slightly.

"Thank you," she said softly. "That was… interesting advice."

"Anytime," I grinned, walking away.

She whispered something under her breath.

"…He really has no idea who I am."

---