Chapter 1 - Cowardice

In the Red Star City located near the borders of the Rising Sun and the Balthazar Empire, specifically in a dungeon belonging to the Hunters Association and classified as rank F, one of the weakest of all.

A small group of people can be seen quickly escaping from the portal with fresh injuries to their bodies.

"Shit! Those beasts are too strong for me. I almost died and couldn't even cut through his tough skin with my weapon. Arghhh, damn it! "

A 22-year-old with an attractive appearance; blond hair, green eyes and a symmetrical face, he clenched her hands angrily as he spat on the ground.

His blood boiled with rage because he had escaped with his tail between his legs like a coward. Of all the explorations he has participated in, he has been the most embarrassing of all.

Exquisitely designed in its slim leather armor capable of withstanding attacks and moving at superhuman speeds without being hampered.

Along with a black hilt placed on his hip on which his trusty sword rested, this young man with an F rank hunter license, just steps away from being promoted to E rank, was the leader of this team of hunters. .

As the fastest of all, the team leader had been the first to escape the dungeon and the first to express his annoyance and frustration.

His bad mood is due to the fact that, during his exploration of the dungeon, he had not killed any beasts with his bare hands and instead almost lost his life through carelessness.

As the main attacker of his team of two attackers, a tank and two archers, it was a complete disgrace to him.

"J-James… n-you don't need to blame yourself. Thinking of the capabilities of those beasts, it was likely that the dungeon was about to evolve to an E rank ... "

A young archer with a rather shy attitude took a few steps forward while trying to lift the mood of his team leader.

Frowning, James turned and walked slowly with a grim expression on his face towards the young man who was speaking to him.

The other members who were watching the scene made way for James out of fear of getting into trouble.

James was known for his serious temper and his mistreatment of his companions. One of the main reasons why he was not accepted by any guild and instead he had his own group of weak hunters to explore dungeons.

Standing a few inches away, the young archer flinched at the fierce presence of James.

"James-"

Before the archer could finish his words, he was interrupted when his body was lifted into the air like nothing.

His face was losing its vivid color in a few seconds as he tried to remove his hand from her neck that prevented him from breathing.

"I can not..."

"Are you trying to sympathize with me? Do you think I'm not capable of fighting those fucking beasts? "

James added a little more strength to his hand. The archer felt that his neck was going to break if this continued.

"What do you guys say? Do you also think the same of me? What am I a weakling who cannot fight the beasts?! "

With a vein on his forehead and the archer in one of his hands, James glared at each of his team members.

The other hunters quickly shook their heads. The archer who was about to fall unconscious due to lack of oxygen, begged for mercy through tears.

"N-no… you… are… strong… forgive me… please… I beg of you…"

"Tsk, just a little strength and this shit breaks down in tears. You disgust me. And you better watch your tongue if you want to live another day. "

James released the poor archer and looked at the other hunters on his team one last time before walking away from the portal.

The archer lay weakly on the ground while he tried to regulate his breathing. His skin slowly regained its color.

James's figure became less noticeable over time until he completely disappeared.

After the team leader left, next was the young archer who was too embarrassed to stay there.

Legs shaking and still scared by James, the archer went to his house in silence without even looking back.

Without two members of his team and with a bitter taste in their mouth after cowardly fleeing the dungeon they were supposed to clean today, the other team members started to go one after another.

Before leaving, they had an important task to do. Although none belonged to a guild currently, they continued to work under the name of the hunters association.

But this task did not matter to them since there was still another member of the group who had not yet left the portal.

In one way or another, this last member always managed to survive no matter what situation he is in.

That is why the other members did not worry about this and indirectly entrusted him with the task.

Well, after all, this last member had no other choice. He was considered the weakest of the group and the one with the least voice in it.

If he did not do his little work, he would only be beaten by everyone until he was recognized, and more by James who was already aggressive.

It was not the first time it had happened.

And the thoughts of the hunters who went home were correct. Since the F rank portal started to shake slightly.

From the dungeon, a small slim figure carrying a huge backpack on his back emerged amid wounds, beast saliva, sweat and blood.

He barely set foot on the ground, the small figure immediately collapsed trying to regain his energies.