They turned and left, the Guild hall parting for them like the Red Sea. The 'Elite Party' was born. The 'Trash Healer' remained.

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The Hero, Kaito. His voice was smooth, annoyingly attractive, and dripped with the kind of condescending pity that made you want to punch a wall.

My hand twitched toward my sword. A rusty, chipped blade I hadn't had the money to replace. I thought about drawing it. I thought about fighting him right here, right now.

The Unyielding Ember

In the original web novel (WN), the story features different routes, ranging from a "True Ending" where the protagonist fixes the timeline, to "Bad Endings" where the damage to relationships is permanent even after the villain is defeated. Key Characters

A bottleneck.

I walked out of the Guild, not toward the slums, but toward the Wildwood Forest. The place where the monsters were ferocious, but the drops were valuable. The place where no one would hear you scream.