Early TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 4 Part 7

Full title: The Banished Advisor’s Guild Management

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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The day before the showdown between Veiled Moonrise and Oni’s Fang.

Deep within the volcanic dungeon, the Second Unit of Incarnation of the Sun was pressing forward with their advance.

The members of the Second Unit were supposed to rely on one another, back to back, pushing toward their objective in unison. That was how it was meant to be—

—but reality was far more brutal. Progress was anything but smooth.

“Hah... hah... hah...”

Edgar, the Unit Captain of the Second Unit, was gasping for breath, his entire frame heaving as he tried to breathe.

He was an A-rank adventurer and one of the kingdom’s foremost heavy warriors, wielding his large, muscular frame to cleave through enemies with brute strength.

For someone like him to be pushed to such exhaustion, there could be only one reason: the boss.

“GRAAAAH!”

The floor 20 boss, the Bone Dragon, was leisurely circling above Edgar’s head.

It had been about ten minutes since the battle began. Even now, the Bone Dragon was rampaging with overwhelming might.

Edgar’s sword couldn’t reach the creature as it soared near the ceiling.

Worse still, the Bone Dragon was lobbing fireballs down at him with impunity. Their compatibility was the worst imaginable.

“Damn it! Why is nothing going right?!”

Edgar spat out his frustration, but no one was around to listen.

After all, within the boss chamber, only Edgar and the Bone Dragon remained.

“If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve dragged them with me... No, that’s not right!”

Edgar bit back his regret.

He was the one who had chosen this path.

Even when the others warned it was reckless, even when they gave up and returned to the surface, he pressed on.

It was his own decision to enter the boss chamber alone under such conditions.

“Tch... I’m at my limit.”

He continued swinging his greatsword, batting away the incoming fireballs.

But the constant impacts finally took their toll; the blade shattered.

As the pieces scattered, Edgar dropped the hilt in resignation. In that moment, it became clear.

(So this is how I die...)

A chill crawled up his spine. Without anyone telling him, he understood—that sensation was death itself.

No matter how much strength he gained, no matter how hard he trained, there was no escaping this absolute terror.

(It’s enjoying this... watching me struggle...)

An immense surge of magic emanated from the Bone Dragon’s maw. The air sizzled with heat, a searing sensation that scorched the skin. It was nothing like the previous fireballs.

It let its prey run until it was too weak to move, then finished it with a merciless blow. A cruel game played by the strong.

The Bone Dragon, expressionless with its skeletal visage, still managed to convey amusement: mockery.

Staring up at the beast, Edgar collapsed onto the floor and, with a faint laugh, uttered his final words.

“I just wanted to have a little fun... go on real adventures.”

He had wanted to risk his life in a pure, exhilarating way. No politics, no power struggles—just to be an adventurer like a hero of legend.

This time, too, it was because he didn’t want to lose to Nero, who had soloed a boss.

He couldn’t bear being shown up by Allen, who’d been transferred to the First Unit.

But now that Allen was gone, the Second Unit had been in a slump. Edgar had desperately wanted to achieve something—anything.

(It’s over...)

He surrendered to death. At this point, resistance was futile.

That was the way an A-rank adventurer accepted defeat.

A gallant hero coming to save the day? There was no such thing.

Edgar gave up everything: hope, pride, even the will to live.

“GRAAAAAAH!”

The Bone Dragon unleashed a massive fireball straight at Edgar.

It seared the air, racing toward him with the fury of an all-consuming inferno.

It was death itself. Edgar slowly began to shut his eyes—

“【Magic Breaker】!”

A young man’s voice rang out, jolting Edgar’s fading consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the back of a young swordsman.

That man effortlessly sliced the massive fireball in two with a pair of swords.

“GRAAAH!?”

The fireball split apart, crashing into the walls of the dungeon with an explosive blast.

“Finish it off already! I can’t reach it from here!”

“You really do have a foul mouth when he’s not around, don’t you?”

A woman’s voice called out from behind Edgar. At the same time, an enormous 【Water Ball】—even larger than the previous fireball—shot forth.

The projectile struck the Bone Dragon with impossible speed.

“――――――――!?”

The Bone Dragon didn’t even have time to scream before the 【Water Ball】 blasted it out of the air.

Its shattered bones and a massive magic stone crashed to the ground with a deafening thud.

(What... just happened?!)

Edgar, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, was frozen in disbelief.

The fireball—supposedly unavoidable—had been cleaved apart without effort by a twin-sword wielder.

And then a spellcaster had felled the Bone Dragon, which Edgar had struggled with as an A-rank, in a single blow—without even chanting.

(These two... they’re monsters.)

Years of experience rang alarm bells in Edgar’s mind.

He couldn’t make out their faces; both were wearing recognition-obscuring hoods.

But he understood instantly. These two were stronger than he was. Far stronger.

If he ever made them his enemies, something worse than death awaited.

So, choosing his words carefully, Edgar spoke in polite tones that didn’t come naturally to him.

“Thank you for saving me. I’m Edgar, Unit Captain of the Second Unit of Incarnation of the Sun—”

Though he introduced himself with respect, neither of them paid him any mind.

Once a title that commanded admiration, “Incarnation of the Sun” meant nothing in their presence.

“So, what do we do with this guy? Why the hell is he even alone?”

“Well... he saw our skills, didn’t he?”

They seemed to be contemplating how to deal with Edgar.

“Hey, how about this—he quits Incarnation of the Sun? That’d weaken that crappy guild a little.”

“No, that’s boring... Let’s do this instead!”

The mage looked at Edgar with an amused gleam in her eye.

“You—become the strongest adventurer in Incarnation of the Sun!”

“Hah? What the hell are you talking about? That’s way too much trouble.”

“I think that’s what he would say, don’t you?”

“Well... yeah, sounds about right.”

“Of course, I’d rather not. It’d be easier to just crush him here and now.”

They were both clearly thinking about someone else.

Someone who commanded respect from these two, despite their overwhelming power. The mere thought of it made Edgar shudder.

“B-Become the strongest...?”

Edgar choked on his words.

There were four A-rank adventurers in Incarnation of the Sun.

He was already among the top—first or second, depending on who you asked.

But that wasn’t the kind of “strongest” she meant. She was talking about something absolute.

To Edgar, it could only mean one thing: become an S-rank adventurer.

“All right, let’s go. We’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

“Right. Bye now, old man.”

They walked through the open doorway and descended to the twenty-first floor.

Their thoughts were no longer on Edgar, but on what lay ahead.

As if an A-rank like him wasn’t worth their attention. As if the title “Incarnation of the Sun” was meaningless.

Left behind, Edgar could only laugh at his own powerlessness.

“Hah... hahahaha!”

The overwhelming gap in strength. The way they dismissed the strongest guild as garbage. The skills he had never seen before.

After witnessing such an impossible scene, everything else felt trivial.

He didn’t need power, fame, or influence anymore. What he wanted now was—

“I want to get stronger.”

Lying on his back, Edgar thrust his right hand into the air and clenched it tightly, as if to seize something unseen.

That was the only emotion stirring in his chest. Everything else had been cast aside.

All he desired now was strength, enough to one day stand alongside the two who had saved him.

†

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