After Leaving the A-Rank Party, I Aim for the Deep Part of the Labyrinth With My Former Students

“──Thank you for watching! Stream over. …Alright, everyone, good work. Please do a damage check.”

With a sigh of relief, I turned to face the others.

This time, we had taken on a C-rank request that brought us to the Golgona Underground Ruins.

Our objective? The subjugation of the fifth-floor boss, Wandering Left Hand.

It was a bizarre monster, a gigantic disembodied hand that, despite having no mouth, could inexplicably cast magic.

Scholars had taken a keen interest in researching this mysterious creature, which didn’t fit into any known classification. The request had been to procure fresh research materials—and there was even an additional order to live-stream the battle.

The payout had been appropriately generous.

“My armor took some wear, but my sword’s fine. As for injuries—nope, I’m good!” Marina reported.

“I have twelve arrows left. No injuries, but I did use a fair amount of spirit magic, so my mana is somewhat depleted,” Silk added.

“My mana’s about halfway gone. I used two mana potions and have two remaining,” Rain noted in her usual clipped manner.

Their damage assessments were getting much smoother, and recently, they’d started cross-checking each other as well.

“I’m down to three healing potions and two mana potions. I also used a Rock Break scroll. …Maybe the fight was a bit tougher than expected?”

At my comment, the three of them nodded slightly.

Good. They were starting to develop a proper sense of self-evaluation.

Whether things went well or not, assessing the current situation is essential for growth. They were doing far better than I had at their stage.

“Alright, let’s open the treasure chest, take a short break near the staircase area, and then head back to the surface,” I said.

“Got it! …Oh, I’m starving from all that running around,” Marina groaned.

“We’ll grab a drink at our usual place once we’re back. Here, eat this to hold you over,” I said, tossing her an apple.

While Marina snacked, I turned my attention to the treasure chest.

Normally, this would be a thief’s job, but with the Living Key—a simple alchemical artifact I’d crafted—it was something I could handle myself.

“Oh, this is a decent haul… Alright, let’s take a break near the stairs,” I said.

“Understood!”

It had been just over a month since I formed Clover with Marina and the others.

Our progress had been steady. Small missteps here and there, but we were building success upon success as we moved forward.

The girls, it seemed, were serious about aiming for the Abyss Gate. Their growth over the past month was remarkable.

They likely had a lot of natural talent to begin with. With just a bit of advice or direction, their performance had improved dramatically.

At this rate, they might even reach B-rank within the year.

“Finally, we made it back,” Marina said with a sigh of relief.

“I miscalculated the carriage schedule… My bad,” I admitted.

I’d planned for us to catch a passing carriage on the highway, but my poor planning had left us walking back instead.

Thankfully, the Golgona Underground Ruins weren’t too far from Finis, or we might have had to camp out for the night.

“I actually enjoyed the walk. It was relaxing,” Silk said with a gentle smile.

“Yuke might have a talent for being a bard. Tell us more stories next time,” Rain added.

All I’d done was share some of my old misadventures to pass the time, but they seemed to have enjoyed it.

Well, I’ve got no shortage of embarrassing stories. They’ll make for good entertainment over drinks.

“For now, let’s report the completion of the request to the Guild,” I suggested.

“Agreed. The Wandering Left Hand is better off delivered sooner rather than later,” Silk replied.

The four of us strolled down the main street toward the Adventurer’s Guild.

The city was lively despite the late hour. Adventurers, fresh from their jobs, were just beginning to relax, and the Guild’s 24-hour tavern was bustling with laughter and the retelling of grand tales.

The bright lights spilling out from the Guild gave the street a festive glow.

“Do you think Mamal’s still there?” Marina asked suddenly.

“What’s this about Mamal? You’ve got business with her?” I asked.@@novelbin@@

“No, not really. Just thought of her. You and Mamal seem pretty close,” she said teasingly.

Her words weren’t exactly wrong.

“I’ve known her since I became an adventurer. Despite appearances, she’s the Guild’s most senior member.”

In fact, she might also be the strongest.

Ask any adventurer of my parents’ generation, and they’d have countless stories about the Gray Hermit Mamal. You might need to pour them a drink to calm their nerves first, though.

Anyone who went through her strict adventurer training never dared to cross her—not even Guild Master Benwood.

“Marina’s jealous,” Rain said matter-of-factly.

“N-no, I’m not!” Marina stammered, her face turning red.

“Alright, alright, let’s not fool around. Let’s get the adventurer trust score update done while we’re at it. Then we can drink to our hearts’ content,” Silk said with a soft laugh, watching the two of them with amusement.

Their lighthearted banter was reassuring. It was good to be home safely, with everything as it should be.

However, the moment I stepped into the Guild, my mood shifted.

Standing in the hallway, blocking our path, was none other than Simon—the former leader of Thunder Pike.

Behind him, I caught a glimpse of Barry sitting at a table.

“…You three, head to Mamal’s counter and submit the completion form. Rain, take this. You know how to use it, right?” I said, handing her the magic bag.

Rain nodded. “Leave it to me.”

The girls seemed to pick up on the tension and left without a word. They were good kids.

“Simon. What do you want?” I asked flatly.

“I just want to talk,” he replied.

As members of the same Adventurer’s Guild, I’d known there was a chance we’d run into each other eventually.

What I hadn’t expected was for him to approach me first.

“Talk about what?”

“Standing here seems rude, doesn’t it? Why don’t we grab a drink?” Simon said, gesturing toward Barry’s table with his usual smug grin.

When Simon wore that expression, it was a sure sign he was up to no good.

“I just got back from a dungeon run. I’ll pass,” I said firmly.

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’ve got a good proposition for you,” Simon said, stepping closer.

“Sorry, but I’m not interested,” I replied.

Simon’s “propositions” had never been worthwhile.

He might’ve been a veteran adventurer, but he was also the type to fall for obvious scams. I’d sooner clean gutters for a day than waste time on one of his ideas.

“Excuse me, Simon,” I said, moving to head toward the counter.

“Wait!” Simon grabbed my shoulder.

“Yuke, why don’t you come back to Thunder Pike?”