Published: January 22, 2026
“Oh, isn’t this the hero who defeated the black dragon? Are you sure it’s alright to waste time in a place like this?”
Grandpa, seeing me, immediately started teasing.
“Hero… I’m not that yet. But still, you already know I defeated the black dragon?”
“Hohoho. Defeating the boss of the deep layer alone is no small feat. You deserve to be called a hero. Besides, this story is all anyone in town can talk about. Even my old ears can catch wind of it.”
Old ears, huh.
“I just got lucky. I don’t know if I could defeat it again if I faced the same situation.”
“Is that so? I’ve heard that Orun didn’t even take a single hit.”
No way such information would be circulating…
Grandpa sometimes shows information-gathering skills that rival professional informants.
I’ve known him for a long time, but he still surprises me.
Well, selfishly, I treat grandpa like family, so I don’t really care what kind of person he is.
“So? What brings you here today?”
“I just wanted to talk to you a bit.”
“Oh? Go on.”
“I was just approached by the silver rabbits of the night sky for recruitment.”
Grandpa has listened to my complaints many times before.
I have no intention of hiding anything from him, so I honestly told him what happened earlier.
“Well, that’s natural. The silver rabbits of the night sky wouldn’t just ignore a swordsman strong enough to defeat the black dragon, especially one who lost their frontline attacker.”
“…Yeah. I think what you said is probably why. And it was quite an attractive offer. They said they’d welcome me as the frontline attacker for Ms. Selma’s party and even offered me an executive position.”
“Oh, that’s quite a good deal.”
“Yeah. — But I’m conflicted.”
“...Why is that?”
“When I was in a party with Oliver and the others, I suppressed myself and dedicated everything to the party.”
This city is bustling because of the Great Labyrinth.
Young people come here all the time aiming to strike it rich.
Because of that, the city has plenty of entertainment like casinos.
“There are lots of amusements here. I was interested, but I did most of the negotiations and behind-the-scenes work for the party. Luna helped sometimes, but I had my own training too, so I didn’t have time to play. I became an explorer because I wanted to get stronger and not just accept unfair things quietly, so I wasn’t unhappy about it. …But in the end, I was kicked out of the party.”
Some might think being kicked out was unfair.
But I don’t.
The party I belonged to aimed to conquer the Great Labyrinth, and it’s only natural to remove those who can’t keep up.
It’s simply that the person lacked ability.
I understand that logically.
But emotionally, it’s not that simple.
I’m still frustrated and wonder why, after all I devoted, it ended like this.
“I know the silver rabbits of the night sky have a comfortable atmosphere. I want to join them. But what they want is my knowledge. I’m scared they’ll use me and then throw me away when I’m no longer needed. That fear keeps me from deciding…”
“Hohohoho!”
Grandpa burst out laughing suddenly as he listened.
“Sorry for laughing all of a sudden. I’ve always thought of you as mature, so it’s nice to see you have thoughts appropriate for your age.”
“Appropriate for my age? You mean my thoughts are young?”
I was annoyed by his comment but tried to stay calm and asked.
“That’s right.”
He readily agreed.
“Listen, Orun, I believe society is built on mutual benefit.”
Mutual benefit means a relationship where both parties gain something.
“No one lives alone. Everyone is supported by someone and supports others without even knowing it. That’s our relationship too. You use me to get what you want; I use you to make money. The word ‘use’ sounds negative, but what you mean by ‘use’ is really ‘complementing each other’s shortcomings.’”
“Complement each other’s shortcomings…”
“Yes. You seem to think joining a clan means you only give something. But is that really true? Doesn’t the clan do anything for you?”