What will happen with the appraisal of my abilities?"
"Well, let's see..."
──Boltana, a town bustling with numerous adventurers.
My childhood friend, Leanne, and I were visiting the adventurer guild located in one corner of the town.
The reason was to become adventurers ourselves.
An adventurer is someone who registers themselves with the adventurer guild, an organization with branches in various countries, and completes various requests in exchange for rewards.
Some individuals have become heroes by subduing ferocious dragons that threaten people's lives, while others have obtained vast wealth by bringing back treasures from the depths of dungeons.
Having grown up in our hometown village while reading such adventure stories, we had made a promise to form a party together once we turned sixteen and became adults.
──I don't think I can become a hero who appears in stories.
Nevertheless, I couldn't help but look forward to the adventurous life ahead as an adventurer.
"...Phew"
As if trying to contain the excited feeling, I slowly exhale.
Now, we are standing in line in front of the guild's counter.
We are here to get 'Adventurer Registration' and 'Ability Appraisal' done.
'Ability appraisal' allows us to confirm our latent abilities.
Normally, it's a paid service, but if we register as adventurers at the guild, we can get it for free.
It seems like a big role, but it's because the guild is always seeking adventurers with outstanding abilities.
"I feel so nervous... I wonder what abilities I have."
Leaning next to me, Leanne has been fidgety since getting off the carriage.
I gaze at her profile.
Long, beautiful blonde hair, captivating azure eyes. Her skin is as white as snow, and she doesn't look like just a village girl; she's a beauty. If she were to wear a fine dress, it wouldn't be surprising if she were mistaken for a noblewoman.
"Ark? Is something wrong
No... It's nothing."
Noticing her gaze, I quickly averted my eyes.
──I fulfilled her request as an adventurer, and once I had saved up a certain amount of money, I was thinking of buying her ring and confessing my feelings to her.
We had grown up together, and I wanted to be with her in the future... That's how I felt.
In order to achieve that, I had to protect her from now on.
That's why I wanted such abilities.
"Next, please."
I heard the receptionist's voice as we sat at the counter.
It seemed like our turn had finally come.
It was a moment of destiny.
I lightly tapped Leanne's back and spoke.
"You should go first. What if I've been blessed with amazing powers? It might be awkward for you afterwards."
I said jokingly, hoping to ease her nervousness.
"Jeez, what are you even saying..."
Leanne responded in a bewildered tone, but unlike before, her expression was somewhat softer.
"In that case, I'll be going ahead."
After taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Leanne walked confidently towards the receptionist's counter.
As she stood a little distance away──
The receptionist, who had been looking at a piece of paper, suddenly exclaimed, "Th-this is it!"
"Leanne-san, your abilities, they're hero class (Eiyuu)!"
"Huh?"
The adventurers' gazes all turned to Leanne in response to the receptionist's words.
"Your 'level cap' is 80! Your 'skills' are [Healing Magic], [high priestess], and [goddess's protection]!"
"A level cap of 80?! So High!"
"Those are all highest caliber skills you can get as a priest, aren't they?"
"The fact alone that she has as many 3 skills is crazy!"
Praise could be heard from all around.
"Huh? Um...?"
But Leanne, the person in question, could only stand there, looking bewildered.
It seemed as if she couldn't believe what had just happened to her.
"From all the staff here at the guild, we'll be cheering on you andd wishing you the best in your future endeavors!"
The receptionists, standing in a row, and even the staff behind the counter, all have smiles on their faces, filled with joy.
It's as if an unexpected and incredible miracle has occurred.
Even I am astonished by this outcome.
"Y-Yes! Um... Thank you very much!"
Leanne bows repeatedly towards the counter, then returns to my side.
"T-That's amazing, Leanne!"
"Y-Yeah! That caught me of guard!"
"W-Well... It's no wonder you're surprised..."
──From birth, people possess two powers: 'level cap' and 'skills'.
'Level' increases when one defeats monsters beyond a certain threshold, leading to various abilities improving.
However, there is a limit to this, with ordinary people typically reaching levels 20 to 30, 50 being equivalent to a high-ranking knight, and 70 or higher considered a hero class.
In some cases, "skills" can be considered as a person's talents, and individuals like Leanne, who possess [healing magic], can use magic to heal wounds.
Usually, a person has only one skill, but there are rare cases where someone has multiple skills. In Leanne's case, it's said that she has three, so it's no wonder people are surprised.
"Looks like you're going to be a priestess, huh?"
Priests/priestess, who specialize in healing, are an essential profession for most parties.
Although they are called priests, they don't actually serve a god; it's just a traditional title, and it doesn't require faith.
"I can see it too!If it's Ark, you'll be a swordsman or holy knight!"
"Yeah! Leave it to me!"
Imagining myself taking down monsters one by one with a sword in hand, I headed to the counter.
"Hello, my name is Ark. I'd like to register as an adventurer, please."
"Certainly! Now, please place your hand on the placed crystal ball."
In the event that Leanne becomes a priestess, the combination of skills related to the vanguard profession would be ideal for me.
Ideally, the ability to handle a sword is good.
As instructed, I hold my hand up towards the crystal ball.
Suddenly, the ball shines, and letters appear on the paper placed next to it.
The receptionist takes the paper and gazes at it──
──and then bursts into laughter.
"Right, sorry. Your level cap is 1. Your only skill is [Instant Death Magic]
What?!"
At that moment, the guild erupted into laughter.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that just now? Level 1!!"
"That's the first time I've seen a level so low!! Isn't that the weakest in the world?!"
"And even worse, the skill is [Instant Death Magic]! Both are way off!"
While the adventurers laughed heartily, I was left dumbfounded.
My level cap is 1——meaning, no matter how many monsters I defeat, I won't get any stronger.
Furthermore, the only skill I possess is [Instant Death Magic].
This is one of the skills for handling magic, but to be frank, its reputation is the worst.
The reason being, I had heard that instant death magic, while capable of defeating any opponent with a single blow, had an abnormally low success rate. Just how low, you ask? It's said to be so low that it hardly ever works even against the weakest monster in this world, the slime.
In other words, it was a completely useless skill—an absolute failure.
I received the adventurer card from the receptionist and returned to Leanne unsteadily.
"A-Ark... Are you okay?"
Even Leanne looked at my face with an anxious expression.
Of course, I'm not okay.
There's no way I could possibly continue as an adventurer like this.
──Could it be that this is a dream or something?
Thinking that way, I pinched my cheek.
However, nothing happened. Only the pain of reality remained.
"Can I take up a moment of your time?"
Just as I was in despair, I heard a voice.
When I turned around, there was a tall man wrapped in beautiful white armor—smiling kindly.
Behind him were three women, all as beautiful as Leanne, if not more so.
"Um, and you are...?"
"The name's Allen. And I happen to be the leader of an S-ranked party. I know this is sudden, but Leanne-san, I would like you to join my party as a priestess."
His words surprised the people around him.
"Holy sh*t!? Is that Allen's S-ranked adventurer party?"
"Speaking of Allen's party, they say everyone is a monster with a level over 70."
"I heard that even the king himself sent a request directly to them!!"
Rank' is a classification system that starts with the lowest grade 'E' and is based on the achievements of adventurers.
Among them, the S-rank is the highest level—it is only given to a very limited few, known as the strongest adventurers.
But, what could this mean?
Why would someone like that invite Leanne, who just finished registering a moment ago, to join his party...
Even though she doesn't have the experience, knowledge, or even levels to catch up.
"Why me? I mean, I just started and I'm only level 1..."
"I understand your doubts. But there's no need to worry. With us, your level will rise quickly soon after joining. Your powers are truly amazing. Would you please lend that strength to us——no, not just to us, but to humanity?"
When the man called Allen said this, he smiled at Leanne.
"Amazing...! To register and immediately get invited to an S-Rank party!?"
"Unbelievable...! That rookie girl is truly something!"
Hearing the voices of the bustling guild adventurers, my heart was filled with anxiety and felt like it was about to break.
What a joke, obviously Leanne will refuse.
She should be with me...
However, Leanne's expression showed an uncertainty that I had never seen before.
"Hey... wait, Leanne. When we left the village, you said you would join a party with me..."
I couldn't express what I wanted to say in words.
Still, I desperately tried to convince Leanne to reconsider, but she didn't even look me in the eye.
"Sorry, Ark. I can't go with you."
"T-that's..."
Allen, who had been watching the situation with his arms crossed, smiled after hearing our conversation.
"Please... Please let me join your party, Allen-san."
"You've made the right choice. In that case, let's go buy you some gear right away. On the way, I'll teach you the basics."
"Yes. Please take care of me."
Allen casually pulled Lean closer and, along with the other comrades, left the guild in a bold manner.
──The only thing I could understand from this exchange was the fact that for Allen, who is an S-rank adventurer, I was not even recognized.
Well, I guess this time the opponent was just unlucky..."
As the only one left behind, I could only stand there dumbfounded.
What remained was the level cap of 1 and the skill of [Instant Death Magic]──a combination of abilities that was absolutely helpless.
"...Not yet"
──I have to chase after.
That's what I thought.
I must bring Leanne back.
Whether that will fix things, or if the situation will improve, honestly, I don't really know.
Even so, "for some reason, I thought I had to do that."
Before I knew it, I started running.
But just as I was about to pass through the guild's door, I was suddenly hit by a strong impact.
It was so sudden that I couldn't do anything and just collapsed to the floor.
"Uah!?"
As I tried to get up somehow, I felt a terrifying presence and looked up.
There was a big man wearing a heavy, jet-black armor.
He had white hair and a large scar on his face.
"――Out of the way, trash."
Under the sharp gaze, I could only stare back without saying a word.
"A... Ah..."
If I were to say something now... I felt that I would surely be killed.
My body trembled and I couldn't even move.
"Hey, hey, that's so mean, can't you say it differently?"
Suddenly appearing right behind the man, there was a cat-eared girl, a member of the beastman race, with a tail swaying.
"If you keep bumping into people that, you're gonna get killed, you hear?"
While looking down at my face, the girl laughed gleefully.
Her words made me snap back to reality, and I quickly stood up and managed to move towards the guild's wall.
"...It's Balzark's party..."
"I heard that they nearly killed another adventurer during an argument... Why are you in Voltana now?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down... If you draw attention, you know what will happen."
"Bal... zark..."
I stood just behind the large man named Balzark, walking alongside the cat-like girl from the cat-race tribe who had spoken to me earlier, and two male adventurers.
All of them were dressed in armor and clothing made of materials I had never seen before.
As I looked at them, I came to understand.
I realized that I was not a welcomed presence here.
The desire to pursue Lean had already been lost.
And so, I had no choice but to simply leave the Adventurer's Guild.