The A-rank party "Red Meteor" has arrived in Mimul's town. They are here to challenge the dungeon in the east of the town.

The leader is a nobleman named Big. He is the one who bought Ryu, a slave in his childhood, and subjected him to brutal violence.

Ryu visits the guild every day.

Therefore, Big and Ryu will inevitably encounter each other somewhere.

Ryu recognized Big immediately when he saw him at the guild.

Five years have passed, and both Ryu and Big have grown.

Big seemed to not recognize Ryu at first, whose appearance had changed drastically due to his recovered memories, but Ryu couldn't possibly mistake Big's face, the one who had inflicted such cruelty upon him.

Simultaneously, the memories of his time as a slave resurfaced, causing his body to freeze in terror for a moment.

However, that terror quickly transformed into a deep, dark anger.

The life of being Big's slave and enduring constant abuse had left scars on Ryu's heart.

Normally, such wounds wouldn't heal easily. If Ryu had been a normal person, he would have been trembling with fear of Big.

But Ryu possessed the memories of his previous life. He had lived another life, far longer than the life of Ryu in this world. This mental fortitude allowed him to calmly reflect on his experience as a slave.

Fear was present, but it was merely a physical, instinctive reaction. His heart was not shrinking. Beyond the fear, what surged within him was anger at the injustice of it all.

The detestable person who had inflicted such cruelty upon him was standing right before him. With his newfound power, Ryu was determined to seek revenge...

But Big, noticing Ryu, rejoiced at their reunion.

Surprisingly, he said,

"I'm sorry for what happened in the past."

He apologized to Ryu.

Ryu: "… Do you think I can forgive you?"

Big: "Well, well, I'm sorry, I was just a kid back then. (I didn't know the law). It was a mistake from my childhood. Can't we just let bygones be bygones?"

Ryu was taken aback by the sudden apology, but Big's nonchalant attitude in brushing it off as a mere "mistake" confirmed his true nature as a scoundrel. Ryu felt a sense of reassurance, knowing that Big was still the same.

Ryu: "It's not up to the perpetrator to say 'let bygones be bygones'."

Big: "Eh, well, yeah, I just thought…"

At that moment, a member of "Red Meteor" noticed the unsettling atmosphere surrounding Ryu and spoke up.

Amilla: "What's wrong, Big? Did something happen?"

This was Amilla, an A-rank adventurer.

Big: "No, I just ran into an old acquaintance. He was a classmate from back in the day."

Amilla: "But... why is he…"

Amilla looked at Ryu with a dubious gaze.

Big: "Well, I was a bit of a "troublemaker" in my younger years, and I did something bad to Ryu."

Ryu: "A little bad? You tortured me for over half a year, calling that a little bad?"

Ryu thought to himself that he would definitely kill this guy later.

Amilla: "R-really? That... that's pretty bad."

Amilla, having instantly grasped the gravity of Big's actions, was clearly uncomfortable.

But the truth was, Amilla was hired to protect Big. If Ryu harbored resentment towards Big, she couldn't ignore it.

Amilla: "Well, well, you do crazy things as a kid, right? Holding on to the past is childish... I'm Amilla, a member of the A-rank party Red Meteor."

Amilla offered her hand, but Ryu ignored it and left the guild.

Amilla: "What a cold-hearted fellow…"

Ryu left the guild.

He walked along, thinking about Big.

What should he do now?

If Big has shown remorse and is not so evil now...

However, remembering what Big did to him... Ryu couldn't forgive him.

Apparently, Big and his party were here to conquer the dungeon, so Ryu decided to observe them for a while.

He could eliminate him anytime he wished.

"It's common for adventurers to disappear in dungeons."

But then he suddenly remembered that they were an A-rank party.

Even if he were to take revenge and kill Big, what about the rest of the party members?

He didn't hold any grudge against them, but judging from Amilla's attitude earlier, the man who introduced himself as an A-rank adventurer would naturally protect his "party members" if he tried to do anything to Big.

He didn't have any animosity towards them, so all he needed to do was dispose of Big...

But it was his first encounter with an A-rank adventurer. He was curious about how strong they were.

A-ranks were said to be "on a whole other level" compared to B-ranks.

Even if he fought them, it might not be as easy as before.

Of course, given Ryu's power, it didn't seem like a problem at all.