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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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I often traveled alone after the disbandment.
It wasn’t that I never considered leading a party myself.
It was more that I had become accustomed to facing the immediate reality, rather than chasing my dreams.
Unlike Rain, I lacked the confidence to manage a group.
I severely lacked the necessary qualities to quell conflicts.
I didn’t have the brute force to suppress others, the intellect to resolve disputes, nor the charisma to mediate fights and command followers.
My appearance alone didn’t inspire trust.
Who would follow an adventurer who had forsaken sight, a crucial element in labyrinth exploration?
Furthermore, I had no unique or special reputation, and my adventurer rank was stuck at Silver.
I was more likely to be suspicious of anyone who did approach me claiming trust.
Even if I advertised for companions, it was obvious that only a few Silver or similarly ranked adventurers would respond.
Or I’d have to hire mercenaries.
…To be honest, I had become accustomed to the exceptional skills of Rain’s party.
Even after collaborating with ordinary adventurers a few times after the disbandment, I constantly compared them, thinking, “They’re not as good as them.”
Eventually, I became indifferent, realizing, “I’m not in a position to judge anyway.”
Still, those subtle disappointments repeated.
While I never picked a completely useless team, I heard stories of warriors cowering in the back, mages charging headfirst—utter chaos.
But wasn’t that human nature?
The worst-case scenarios naturally came to mind, lingering and prompting the thought, “What if that happens to me?” before any action.
So, I decided to travel alone.
It was more enjoyable than I expected.
Instead of overthinking, I focused on moving my body, immersing myself in new sights and experiences.
Especially when discovering unseen things and performing the roles of various classes, accumulating fatigue in my body – the bubbling emotions naturally subsided.
In terms of stimulation, these unique companions initially made me sigh, but they weren’t bad.
Perhaps their proactive change in attitude influenced my perspective.
The extremely unbalanced party composition of three scouts and one mage, with the risk of injury or death if caught off guard, was a slight blemish.
But that, in itself, seemed interesting.
Time passed, and we entered a newly formed labyrinth in the mountains.
Sola grumbled, “Why am I being treated like a transportation tool?” but she still transported each member to their assigned labyrinth entrance as requested.
I should thank her later.
Wolf had also properly prepared the necessary supplies, as promised.
He grumbled, “Bandages, you definitely have OCD,” while struggling with the enormous backpack.
But it seemed he had packed everything without omission.
In line with the primary objective of “remaining undetected,” everyone was lightly armed.
We lacked the strength for heavy armor anyway.
Therefore, even I, taking the front lines, wasn’t heavily equipped.
Remaining undetected was paramount.
We planned to move the backpacks bit by bit once we secured a safe location.
“Huu… Wh-what if… what if we get hurt…? It’ll hurt…”
“It’s a relief that the Saintess is providing support… But I’m still nervous…”
“Hyung, how do you feel? Even if it’s a new labyrinth, isn’t it nerve-wracking to be a scout on the front lines…?”
An unbalanced party composition with only rookies.
It was natural to be nervous, especially since such unique situations rarely occurred in actual adventuring.
“A little?”
In real adventuring, such an interesting team wouldn’t be formed.
Potential members would check the existing party’s composition before deciding to join.
This was already intriguing.
The thought of observing the skill level of the academy’s aspiring scouts and exploring a labyrinth with this team made my body, which craved new stimulation, tingle.
“A moderate level of tension is helpful in real situations, right? Let’s just go.”
My heart rate had risen appropriately, blood circulating to my extremities, heightening my senses.
It was the perfect timing.
Despite my words, spoken with just the right amount of tension for a real situation, the others, experiencing their first labyrinth exploration with only first-years, didn’t seem to share my sentiment.
“C-can we… can we… rest a bit longer…? I-I feel a strange, strong magical energy…”
Gloomy’s fingertips trembled as he spoke, his words reflecting his anxiety.
The others, though silent, seemed to agree.
Resting longer would ease the tension, and forcing my opinion could lead to troublesome situations if something dangerous occurred.
Fine.
I’ll compromise.
If they had acted like they did from the beginning, I would have dragged them by force, but I’ll let it slide since they’re being somewhat cooperative.
Thinking like a grumpy old man, I agreed.
Gloomy sighed in relief and plopped down.
I wasn’t sure why I had naturally become the center of the group, but it didn’t feel bad.
It felt like leading a flock of ducklings.
“It’s a relief that there don’t seem to be any monsters around here,” Wolf said.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
He mistook the rustling leaves for the wind, but if he listened closely, he could hear the irregular rhythm within the rustling.
The artificial sound of leaves disturbed by something moving.
There was no hostility, so I left it alone.
My role now wasn’t scouting, but leading the front lines.
There was no need to look too far ahead.
According to Odrox, “A warrior simply advances.”
I didn’t have his bulky muscles, but I had to fulfill my role.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Huh? Hyung, what was that?”
I yelled, partly to scare away the monster that seemed to be observing us, partly to emulate Odrox’s pre-battle morale boost.
But I only received worried responses.
It was a bit embarrassing.
Even I would be more worried than reassured if someone who didn’t look particularly reliable suddenly yelled.
Still, the unexpected yell seemed to have eased the overly tense atmosphere.
Chatty’s stifled giggles echoed softly.
“I feel warmed up now. I think we can go.”
“I feel better than before. At least I won’t be holding everyone back.”
“I… I… I…”
Speak properly!
I wanted to yell, but pressing him further would only shrink his already timid heart.
Gloomy’s trembling hands had calmed down, so his condition didn’t seem too bad.
If they had some experience, if they came from wealthy families and had explored labyrinths even as support, I would have gone out of my way to ease their tension, even dancing if necessary.
But these guys were true rookies with minimal labyrinth experience.
I had seen countless adventurers who entered labyrinths with relaxed vigilance, never to return.
While the academy might not have emphasized it, from my perspective, maintaining a moderate level of tension was crucial.
“Let’s go.”
I couldn’t let one person’s condition compromise the others’ vigilance.
“Hiek… uh… uh… O-okay…”
Leaving Gloomy’s frustratingly hesitant reply behind, the two scouts stepped into the labyrinth.
They paused briefly inside the dark entrance, allowing their eyes to adjust, then began their stealthy infiltration.
Their movements were surprisingly agile and nimble.
Chatty, with his usual playful demeanor gone, held his breath, focusing on detecting any presence.
Wolf moved swiftly, his footsteps silent.
It was impressive that their movements didn’t overlap, even with two scouts.
They moved like seasoned Silver-ranked adventurers who had worked together for a long time.
Did they train together without me?
But Gloomy’s movements were too clumsy for that…
Receiving the scouts’ signal, I slowly moved forward, glancing back.
Gloomy gripped his staff tightly with trembling hands, taking each step hesitantly.
He was the weak link.
Fortunately, I hadn’t sensed any significant monster presence yet.
“Hyung, this way, I think.” “This way seems right.”
“”Huh?””
Their voices overlapped, pointing in different directions.
I had never been in a party with multiple scouts, and I usually led the way, so this situation was new.
The labyrinth amplified even the slightest sound, making it difficult to speak loudly.
Both scouts insisted they were right, using gestures and exaggerated movements to emphasize their points.
“Look! There’s a place where the loot is likely stored! The final destination of a labyrinth is the loot, right? Our objective is to conquer the labyrinth, so the right choice is to grab the loot and collapse the structure!”
“Survival is paramount in a labyrinth. There’s always a strong monster guarding the loot. Even if it’s sleeping, we’re not skilled enough to sneak in and grab the loot. It’s better to take a few smaller items and escape…”
“J-just… just collapse it… and go back…”
“No. They said they’ll check if we brought back any loot. We have to take something.”
Gloomy, who had barely managed to voice his opinion, shrunk back, losing confidence as I firmly rejected his suggestion.
I felt a pang of guilt, but I had to tell him when he was wrong.
While they managed to keep their voices down, their argument, accompanied by exaggerated gestures, continued.
For the record, neither of them was pointing in the right direction.
I kept silent, amused by their frantic gestures.
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[TRIPLE THE SCOUTSSSSSSSSSSSS NO MONSTER SHAL GO UNSEEN]
