The Labyrinth Raids of the Ultimate Tank

Chapter 1: I was excited about new comrades, but got suddenly expelled.

Translator: “Pink Tea” Editor: ”Ryunakama”

A new person is going to join our party.

I guess most would be happy to hear those words.

At least I was.

A new comrade, huh. I wonder if it’s a man or a woman. I hope it’s a woman.

Isn’t it completely normal for a man like myself to have such thoughts?

I came to a bar to participate in a welcoming party for a new comrade.

The party leader, who was waiting for me at the entrance — Kyglas, who is called a hero, sneered when he saw me.

I didn’t understand the meaning of that expression.

Other party members were already standing alongside him.

Per the rules of labyrinths, a party can have only six members enter at once.

Including me, we currently have 5 people.

Just one more. We’ve been looking for someone for a while.

「Hey, Rude.」

「Sorry. Am I late?」

「No, you’re right on time.」

「I see.」

The moment I walked up to Kygras his grin grew even wider.

Did something funny happen?

That smile he had wasn’t of the sort that should be shown in front of others.

A hero is admired by everyone, so I think it would be better if he refrained from this.

And the moment I was about to tell him that.

「So-sorry, we are late!」

「K-Kygras-sama! Sorry for making you wait!」

Two women arrived.

Both of them looked a few years younger than me.

Are they our new comrades?

Wait a moment.

That would bring us to a total of 7 people……

Kygras turned to face me.

Now, I finally understood the meaning of his smile.

「Today we have a welcome party and a farewell party. Rude, as of today, you are dismissed.」

Kygras made a gesture as if he was cutting his neck.

☆

Eh?

I wonder how much time I spent standing frozen in place.

As if tired of waiting, Kygras sighed.

「As I said, you are dismissed. If those two join us we will have 7 people, right?」

「……Yeah, I get that, dismissed, huh. But why?」

Nothing comes to mind.

Kygras furrowed his brows, it looks like I shouldn’t have asked that.

「We have no need for a tank like you who can do nothing but take hits from enemies. Who in this day and age carries a tower shield around? All tanks now are evasion based, right?」

「Well, you are right, but……」

「And thanks to you being in our party, we use a really high amount of potions. Even though we have Nin, a healer, why the hell does your outer shell reduce like crazy?」

We have God’s blessings.

That being skills and outer shell. Outer shell is also called divine armor or endurance. Unless it’s completely whittled down there is no threat of death.

My outer shell is 9999, the highest number in history.

Even the strongest adventurer, called a hero, Kygras, has only 4000.

The difference is obvious.

……But it indeed was true, my outer shell often gets shaved off.

Without my notice, my outer shell gets shaved down, and every time that happens a potion is consumed.

That’s why my expenses are the highest in our party.

「In the first place, all you do is block with your shield without even trying to attack. Without me or Lilia you wouldn’t be able to take down a single puny monster!」

Lilia…… Attacker of this party.

She is merrily talking with her twin sister Lily…… They always drift off into their own world.

Looks like they have no intention of taking part in our conversation.

「My role is a tank…… Attacking has nothing to do with me, no?」

「What, you think you are doing a great job by merely taunting monsters? Look at other parties. There, they evade and counterattack, you know?! Not evading, taking every attack and then gulping potions like an idiot! You damn meathead who has nothing except his other shell!!」

As I was at loss on how to answer, Nin stepped forward.

The healer of our party.

Narrowing her jade green eyes she is glaring at Kygras.

A duke’s daughter and a saint of the church, she was twirling her beautiful brown hair with a finger.

That’s something she does when she is irritated.

「Even so, bringing a new person out of nowhere is unthinkable. As a tank, Rude has an outstanding outer shell. What if you take a new person and things won’t go well?」

Kygras seems to have anticipated that objection and shrugging his shoulders replied.

「At the very least they are stronger than Rude. One is an attacker and another one is a tank. This tank previously belonged to an A rank party, but…… But they actually had the ability of only a B rank. Yet thanks to her they managed to become A rank. She has enough power to make a party go up by one rank.」

Kygras wrapped his hand around the woman’s shoulder. Though her expression was tense, she still maintained a smile.

「Rude. Do you have anything to say.」

「……No.」

With a tank that outstanding I have no way to retort.

I’m basically a burden to this party.

I managed to remain in it only thanks to my large outer shell.

Besides, they are adventurers as well.

It’s only natural to pick talented people if they want to aim higher.

If there is a tank superior to me, they would of course swap. That’s how our job is.

「That’s how it is, you are out.」

「……I understand.」

Adventurers pick work that is suited for them.

If you want to go higher, then group with more powerful adventurers, the opposite is true as well.

This is probably the time to part.

I’m also worried about my little sister, whom I left back in the remote town, so I thought about returning there once.

So this is just fine.

That was when Nin grasped my hand.

Two years younger than me, she was looking my way with slightly wet eyes.

「I don’t care about this party if Rude is not in it.」

Nin is cooperating with the hero on the church’s orders.

She has no option to withdraw from the party of her own volition.

That’s probably why she wanted me to remain since we were somewhat close.

「Hey hey. A far stronger person will join us in the place of this loser. Aren’t I far more reliable than this guy who can only stand in front of monsters?」

「……Aren’t you just rampaging as you please.」

「How many monsters do you think I have killed until now? Well, you will understand soon enough. We can conquer labyrinths far easier without a guy like him.」

……So that’s what he actually thought.

And I thought Kygras to be my comrade.

Disappointing, just a bit.

「Sorry, Nin. Since the leader decided so, I can’t remain.」

「……That’s.」

「……Well then, I’ll be going home.」

I wonder if there is anyone who can sit through a farewell party after this.

At least I didn’t feel like that at all.

If I remain it will only spoil the mood for everyone else.

As such, I was about to leave……

「Hey, hey, wait a moment. Pay back for the potions you wasted.」

「……How much do you want?」

「That sword is enough. It’s a magic one, right?」

「……Fine.」

A long time ago I was lucky enough to pick it up in a labyrinth.

As I took it off my waist and gave it Kygras, his smile grew wider.

Pulling it out of its scabbard he gazed at it, holding the sword overhead.

「He-hey!」

Nin gripped my hand. Unusually enough, she looked like she was about to cry.

「What’s wrong?」

「Are you really going to leave?」

「The composition of this party is decided by Kygras. If I’m no longer needed then I can do nothing but give up.」

「You are an excellent tank…… I think it was thanks to you that everyone could keep fighting.」

If Kygras heard that he surely wouldn’t have kept silent.

But he was busy talking with the two, who were about to join the party.

It looks like he didn’t hear.

「I’m honestly happy to hear such an evaluation. But still, you are overestimating me.」

「I’m not…… I understood well enough that you are protecting me…… And now I won’t be able to see your back anymore……」

As her voice gradually became smaller, she hanged her head.

When I was about to try to peek and see what expression she was making, she raised her head.

Her expression was a resolute one.

This firm expression worries me a bit.

「I decided. I will leave the party.」

「How……? It’s the order from the church, right?」

「I will tell the church. I will tell them that I will leave the party if they fail at their next attempt at labyrinth subjugation. Surely the church also would think that there is no need for me to help the hero if it will put me in danger. And if that doesn’t work I will leave the church as well.」

「……I see.」

She is pretty reckless, but it’s not like she is thoughtless.

She is a saintess, not an adventurer.

If she provides enough of a reason the church wouldn’t force her to help him any further.

But it’s a bit sad that such a skilled person would quit as an adventurer.

Thought it might sound egoistic coming from me, a person who is leaving.

「See you, Nin.」

「You will continue as an adventurer in this town?」

「No. First I will return to Avancier, where my little sister lives.」

「Got it. Well, good luck.」

「Same to you.」

Surely, we won’t see each other again.

She is a daughter of a duke, a noble, and a saintess.

And I’m but a humble commoner. The worlds we live in are different.