Adventurers registered with the guild are ranked based on their skills and contributions. The rank rises with experience, but newly registered beginners typically start at F.

However, Ryu was given a lower rank, "G".

There is a rank below G called "H", but it's a paper registration for those who only need the fact of registration and cannot accept any quests outside the city.

H rank is rarely held by merchants, while G is a mythical low-ranking rank rarely seen.

Ryu had to work to make a living. The money given to him by the nobleman when he was freed from slavery was stolen by robbers.

Ryu was only twelve years old at the time. He was sold by his parents and couldn't return home. He was considered useless and sold off, so returning wouldn't change anything. He would just be sold again.

Ryu had to survive by working alone.

As a slave, basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter were guaranteed, but surviving alone meant he had to provide for himself.

Slaves were protected by law to some extent, but those who were no longer slaves could be tricked, abused, and treated poorly without punishment.

Ryu, still a child, was at risk of being exploited and discarded if he were to be hired.

Returning to slavery was an option - a realistic path for an orphaned minor - but Ryu couldn't consider it. It brought back the terror of potential torture. He didn't know that slaves were protected by law.

Therefore, Ryu chose to become an adventurer to survive on his own.

But Ryu, shunned and abandoned by his parents, understood why he was left behind. He had no talent. Considering his skills, he couldn't take on dangerous jobs.

Ryu found work in relatively safe tasks like herb gathering, despite low pay. He scraped by somehow.

He believed that he would grow stronger someday and take on challenging quests…

However, despite his hopes and efforts, three years passed, and Ryu's level remained stagnant.

…

…

…

…

…

When Ryu turned fifteen, his childhood friends Mark, Kate, and other former classmates came to Mimul as adventurers.

(In this world, people are considered adults at fifteen. Children graduate from school at fifteen and immediately start working.)

Ryu had attended school until he was eleven. He became a slave at ten but was allowed to continue attending school thanks to the kindness of the merchant who bought him. (He was later bought by Big, and his school days ended.)

His former classmates, now adventurers, formed a party called "Morning Star" and came to Mimul, aiming for the dungeon east of the city. (Ryu thought Mimul was far from his hometown, but it seems it was closer than he expected.)

Mark and the others found Ryu, who was working as an adventurer in Mimul. They were delighted to reunite and invited him to join their party.

Technically, Ryu was a senior adventurer, but his former classmates were far superior in level and had excellent classes like "Swordmaster," "Warrior," and "Wizard." (They must have chosen to be adventurers because they had such adventure-suitable classes.)

Despite joining the party, the gap in skills between Ryu and the others became evident immediately.

Ryu had only gathered herbs in safe forests near the city. Joining the party brought him to monster hunts, but he couldn't contribute significantly. Instead, he just held them back.

Even Goblins, relatively weak monsters for beginners, were too much for Ryu, who had a level lower than an average person.

Ryu had encountered Goblins while gathering herbs in the past, but he ran for his life, never fighting.

But with the party, the skilled members easily defeated monsters.

However, when Ryu joined the fight, he struggled even against Goblins, quickly landing in danger. His teammates would have to come to his rescue.

Ryu's incompetence was quickly exposed, and he was relegated to carrying luggage and other chores.

Despite this, Mark and the others didn't bully Ryu. They protected him and continued adventuring together.

They were originally a team of talented adventurers. They were told by the Guild Master that they had the potential to rise quickly.

But to do that, they needed to cut the incompetent member. Having a useless member in the party prevented them from accepting more challenging quests.

Eventually, "Morning Star" began accepting high-level quests and explorations without Ryu. Finally, they had to let him go...