“Starting today, I’m leaving this party.”
At my words, the excited chatter came to an abrupt halt.
Perhaps this wasn’t the best thing to say at a celebratory gathering.
But I’d reached my limit.
“Well, let’s hear it then. What’s the reason, Yuke?”
“I’m dissatisfied with the distribution of rewards. Haven’t we discussed this multiple times already?”
I pulled out the bag containing today’s earnings and held it up for Simon, the party leader and Knight, to see.
It was the reward we’d just received for completing today’s request.
“It’s too little. This is barely enough to break even.”
“We’re adventurers, Yuke. Even in a party, we’re all individuals. It’s only natural for rewards to vary based on performance.”
“That’s right, Yuke. You barely fight and just mess around with items. Honestly, you should be grateful you’re getting any reward at all.”
The one agreeing with Simon was Barry, the Warrior.
His share of the rewards was probably the second largest after Simon’s.
“Isn’t your only real contribution setting up the ‘stream’? And anyone could do that, you know! Hahaha!”
Jemmy, the Mage, laughed drunkenly as she added her two cents.
“To earn fair rewards, one must put in fair effort, Yuke. You need to work harder and contribute more to the party.”
Camilla... As much as she made it sound reasonable, the one who benefited most from my support was her, the Cleric.
“And what’ll you do after leaving us? You won’t last anywhere else, Yuke. You’re only here because of our childhood connection, you know. I’ve been keeping you in Thunder Pike out of goodwill.”
Simon looked at me with pity in his eyes.
Whether intentional or not, his words carried the same condescension as always.
“So, you wouldn’t miss me if I left, right?”
“Not particularly...”
He hesitated slightly.
They’d probably miss having someone to dump all the menial tasks on, but that was about it.
“In that case, I’m leaving the party here and now. Goodbye.”
“You can cry and beg all you want, but you’re not getting your spot back! Hahaha!”
“Bye-bye! Don’t bother coming back! Hahaha!”
With Barry and Jemmy’s laughter echoing behind me, I stood up.
“Are you really sure about this? If you take it back now, I’ll pretend this was just a joke,” Simon called after me.
I responded by raising my middle finger.
“I’ve had enough of this!”
And just like that, I left the party I’d been with for five years.
The Next Day.
I woke up as usual and headed to the Adventurer’s Guild to look for work.
On the large magical screen in the guild’s tavern-slash-dining hall, a dungeon raid livestream by an adventuring party was being broadcast.
Yesterday, I’d been on that screen too—though only on the edges.
Adventurer’s livestreams, or “adventure streams,” had become a global phenomenon.
You could watch live broadcasts of dungeon raids or enjoy edited videos with commentary. There were even streams focused on cooking or potion-making.
A few years ago, a magical artifact enabling this kind of streaming was developed and quickly gained popularity. Since then, adventurers everywhere had jumped on the streaming trend.
Why?
Because good streams made great advertisements.
Talented parties attracted a flood of requests, and skilled individuals might even receive scouting offers from royalty or nobility.
Popular adventurers using specific products brought significant profits to merchants and manufacturers, and adventurers often earned a cut of the advertising fees.
Top-tier parties even hired dedicated streaming personnel.
Of course, in Thunder Pike, that role had always fallen to me!
“Hello, Yuke. How can I help you today?”
As I approached the counter, Mamal, the receptionist, greeted me with a warm smile.
“I’m here to look for work and register a job posting.”
“A job posting? Weren’t you with Thunder Pike?”
“I left them as of yesterday...”
“Oh my.”
Mamal covered her mouth with a polite smile.
“Well, these things happen. Please fill out this form.”
I took the form she handed me and began filling it out.
Name: Yuke Ferdio
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Class: Red Mage/Alchemist
Adventurer Credibility Score: B-rank
Skills and Notes:
“...There. That should do it.”
“As always, your handwriting is lovely.”
“Precision is crucial in alchemy.”
“Of course. I’ll post this on the job board—”
“Ah! It’s Teacher!”
Before Mamal could finish her sentence, someone rushed up to the counter.
“Mr. Ferdio! What are you doing here?”
“Hm? Oh, Marina. It’s been a while.”
“It’s me, Marina!”
The red-haired girl beamed at me with a bright smile.
About six months ago, I’d taken a special guild assignment teaching rookie adventurers as part of a preparatory training program.
She was one of my students back then, part of an all-female trio with considerable potential.
“Looks like you’ve grown a bit taller. Are you staying out of trouble?”
“We’re doing great! Silk and Rain are both doing fine too.”
“That’s good to hear.”
The adventurer turnover rate is notoriously high.
It’s a dangerous job—one misstep, and you could lose everything, including your life.
“So, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for a new party.”
I waved the job posting I’d just filled out and gave a wry smile.
I didn’t mind leaving Thunder Pike, but showing this side of myself to a former student wasn’t ideal.
“Wait, does that mean you’re free right now?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Marina snatched the form from my hand and looked at me with excitement.
“In that case, how about joining our party?”