Chapter 1

Volume 1

Chapter 1: Picking Up a Holy Sword

“Sorry, Soma Toru. You’re fired as of today.”

On the way back from the dungeon— in the dimly lit guild tavern, my party leader, Koji Goda, said that to me.

“…Huh?”

“I said you’re fired. Kicked out of the party.”

The warrior leader, Goda, downed the rest of his beer in one gulp and looked at me like I was something filthy.

“Can I at least ask why?”

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious? Because you’re weak.”

A loud thud echoed as he slammed the table.
I could feel the other adventurers nearby watching us with smirks.

“Our party, ‘Brave Sword,’ is taking the B-rank promotion exam next month. Our firepower’s up, our teamwork’s perfect. But… you’re the only one dragging us down.”

“I… I’ve been working as the porter and mapmaker, haven’t I?”

“We’re not beginners anymore. If we need a porter, we’ll hire someone stronger. If we need mapping, we’ll just use the latest drones. So what exactly are you good at?”

Goda jabbed a finger into my chest.

“Your skill… ‘Appraisal,’ right? That thing’s totally useless.”

I bit my lip.
I couldn’t argue back—because it was true.

My unique skill—True Appraisal.
It sounded impressive, but its effect was pathetic.

When I looked at something, it only displayed the item name.
That’s it.

No rarity. No detailed effects.
And dungeon items could be properly analyzed by the guild’s machines anyway.

There was no reason for me to waste MP using my skill during exploration.

“Got it? Then pack your stuff and get out. No severance pay.”

With that, Goda stood up along with the others.
As he left, the healer, Rin Sakai, leaned in with a giggle.

“Toru-kun, thanks for everything. Oh, and we’ll deduct the cost of the potions you were managing from your pay, okay? Some were broken, after all.”

“…!”

Weren’t those broken because they forced me to charge into enemies with the bag?
I wanted to shout it—but no words came out.

After they left, only the split bill remained on the table.

Outside the guild, cold rain was falling.

My equipment was in terrible shape— a worn-out leather armor and a chipped dagger for self-defense.

I pulled out my phone and checked my bank balance.

[Balance: 1,280 yen]

“…That’s not even funny.”

I couldn’t pay rent.
Soon I’d be kicked out of my apartment.

Without a party, I was just an F-rank adventurer.
No special talent. No powerful connections.
Just a useless appraisal skill.

Meanwhile, the street screen showed dazzling news.

“Breaking news! S-rank adventurer Seira Jinguji has returned from a deep-layer expedition!”

On screen was Japan’s strongest—“Sword Saint” Seira Jinguji.
Her platinum-blonde hair swayed as she answered questions with a composed expression.

She didn’t even feel like someone my age.

“However, Seira-san, we hear your magic sword was damaged during this expedition…”

“Yes. The monsters in the deep layers were exceptionally tough. There simply isn’t a weapon on the market that can withstand my swordsmanship anymore.”

“…We live in different worlds.”

S-rank adventurers spend hundreds of millions on weapons.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t even afford tomorrow’s meal.

Then I felt someone watching me.

I looked up.

A rain-soaked alley— a dumping ground for “waste” expelled from dungeons.

Junk that adventurers picked up but couldn’t sell.
Broken gear. Expired magic tools. Worthless rocks.

“…Maybe I can at least find some scrap metal to sell.”

I’d already thrown away my pride.

I stepped into the pile, getting covered in mud.

Rusty scrap. Broken shields. Rotten sticks.
My appraisal activated automatically.

【Scrap Iron】
【Cracked Shield】
【Just a Stick】

“Haha… nothing but trash. Just like me.”

I laughed bitterly—

Then suddenly—

A sharp pain stabbed through my right eye.

“Ghh—?!”

An intense heat surged through my brain.
My vision turned red, the world distorted, and streams of text flooded my sight.

《Skill proficiency has reached the required level》
《Unique Skill “True Appraisal” has awakened》
《Hidden parameters “Repair” and “Price Evaluation” unlocked》

The mechanical voice echoed in my head.

When the pain subsided, I slowly opened my eyes.

At the top of the garbage pile— a rusted, reddish-brown sword stuck into the ground.

It looked like nothing more than junk.

But to me now… it shone like gold.

“…What is this?”

I reached out with trembling hands.

The display that once read 【Rusty Sword】 flickered and changed.

[Name] Holy Sword Excalibur (Sealed)
[Rank] National Treasure Class (SSR)
[Condition] Severe rust, sealed by curse
[True Value] Absolute cutting ability that ignores all defense. Amplifies the wielder’s magic power.

[Repairable] Yes (Use commercial rust remover + infuse magic)

[Estimated Market Price] Unmeasurable (Guaranteed over 1.5 billion yen)

“…What?”

I collapsed into the muddy water.

My heart pounded so loudly it drowned out the rain.

National treasure?
1.5 billion yen?
Fixable with store-bought rust remover?

This piece of junk…?

“No way…”

But the display didn’t disappear.

I pulled the heavy sword out with shaking hands.
Its weight told me this was real.

If this was genuine—
if I could sell it while being the only one who knew its true value—

The faces of my former party, laughing at me, flashed through my mind.