The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: The Boy Who Was Expelled from His Party Awakens to His True Power [Weapon Master] and Eventually Becomes the World’s Strongest

Before the Battle

After Haise left the Heiberg Kingdom with Presea

◇◇◇◇◇

Sasha and her group arrived at a mining town.

After greeting the village chief and wrapping up the quest request, they started devising a strategy to take down the Crystal Golem.

They intended to rent an inn, but the mayor generously offered them an unused house instead. It was surprisingly spacious for a mining town and even had a bath—a rarity, as most homes lacked private baths and relied on public bathhouses.

“The mayor told me there’s a hot spring near this mining town of Lystal. The public bathhouse uses hot spring water, and apparently, this house’s bath does too.”

“““Hot springs!!”””

Piasora, Myuane, and Robin shouted in unison.

Tycoon, startled, adjusted his skewed glasses and continued.

“They’ve installed pipes to bring the hot spring water directly here. Since the Dwarf Kingdom is nearby, a lot of dwarves mine ore for smithing in these parts. Their technology in this area is unmatched.”

“Hey, let’s go to the hot springs!”

“Of course!!”

“I’m in!!”

“…Are you three even listening to me?”

The trio had already lost interest in Tycoon, their minds solely focused on the hot springs. Reynold then pointed out.

“The hot spring’s in that room over there. Look, it even has dwarven-style decorations and a noren curtain hanging.”

“Let’s go, Myuane, Robin, Sasha!!”

““Yeah!!””

“W-Wait, I’ll pass for now. We’re in the middle of a discussion.”

Uncharacteristically, Piasora stormed off toward the hot spring without worrying about Sasha. Left behind were Sasha, Cress, Tycoon, and Reynold. Tycoon was astonished.

“Piasora left Sasha behind to go to the hot springs…?”

“Haha… Reynold, you guys are always like this, huh? We haven’t traveled together for long, but it’s never boring.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“…Phew.”

Sasha sighed and massaged her shoulder.

“For now, let’s call it a day. We’ve located the Crystal Mine, and with the area sealed off, no monsters will appear. We also need to rest and resupply before heading in.”

“Yeah… I could use some rest.”

“…The operation should be in about seven days. What do you think, Sasha, Reynold, Cress?”

“That works for me.”

“Same here.”

“Agreed. I’ll defer to the pros.”

With that, Team Sacred finally relaxed.

Reynold clapped a hand on Cress’s shoulder.

“Cress, this is a big town. Let’s go out drinking for once—I’ll show you how common folk do it.”

“C-Can we? We’re taking on a quest in seven days, you know?”

“That’s exactly why we should recharge now. Right, Sasha?”

“Yeah. Go enjoy yourself, Cress. Drinking with Reynold is always fun.”

“Hey, Tycoon, you’re coming too.”

“I’ll pass. I want to check out the town’s library first—hey!?”

Reynold forcibly wrapped an arm around Tycoon’s shoulder and dragged him away.

“Sasha, we’re off to bond.”

“Alright.”

“W-Wait! I never agreed to any bonding with you!”

“This is great! Can’t experience this kind of camaraderie in a castle.”

The three men left, leaving Sasha alone. She stretched.

“I should…”

She glanced toward the hot spring entrance.

[Come on, Myuane, stop squirming! Scrub scrub~!]

[Eek! Robin, w-where are you touching… ahh!!]

[I’ve heard smaller bodies are more sensitive—it’s true, isn’t it?]

[Y-You!! Just because you’re bigger—take this, this, and this!!]

[Ahh!! Only Sasha’s allowed to touch there!!]

[Bubbles!? Bubbles got in my mouth! Piasora, Myuane, stop—!?]

The commotion was loud.

If she went now, she’d probably get caught up in some ridiculous chaos.

“…Maybe I’ll take a walk.”

Sasha sheathed her sword at her waist and stepped out of the house.

◇◇◇◇◇

Sasha strolled through the mining town alone.

“The town’s lively…”

Lystal, the mining town.

Her initial image was of a place populated by miners and dwarves, bustling with rugged charm.

But surprisingly, it had a lot of entertainment districts and eateries.

There were numerous dwarven workshops, weapon and armor shops, and accessory shops selling processed ores. Tool shops and inns came next, followed by countless eateries—about 70% of which seemed to double as taverns. At the town’s center, there was even a tourist information center.

Sasha bought a town map and asked the guide a question.

“This is also a tourist destination, then?”

“Yes. Many adventurers come from afar to commission weapons and armor from the dwarven craftsmen here. Additionally, as a midpoint to the desert nation of Dizzara, it sees a lot of traffic.”

“I see.”

With the map in hand, Sasha wandered aimlessly.

[Hey, Sasha. When we become adventurers, let’s visit lots of towns and have adventures together.]

What came to mind wasn’t her current companions… but Haise’s voice.

Instead of her present comrades’ words, it was the childhood promise with Haise that surfaced first. Sasha chuckled softly.

“Do I still have lingering feelings…?”

Her thoughts drifted back to that night at the induction ceremony.

[It’s our dream. What’s the point if only you fulfill it? That’d make it just your dream. Don’t use me as an excuse.]

Remembering that hurt her chest.

He was right—so painfully right.

Her decision to exile him, rather than face the challenges together and uncover his ability, now felt like arrogance.

“…It’s already in the past.”

She realized Haise would never accept such an apology.

So, instead of taking responsibility for his exile, Sasha resolved to move forward without regret, no matter how their paths had diverged.

Someday, when their paths crossed again, she would apologize sincerely.

No matter what he demanded, she’d accept it.

Until then, she would continue fighting, becoming an adventurer who wouldn’t lose to him.

As Sasha relaxed her grip on the map, noticing she’d unconsciously clenched it, an event in a nearby park caught her attention.

“Step right up! Here’s a rare metal excavated from the mines—Kokuyamagan! This stuff’s unbelievably hard! Is there anyone who can scratch it!?”

Atop a platform stood a large black stone, the size of a small child.

A man wielding a massive hammer brought it down with a loud clang—but the stone remained unscathed.

“Break this, and you win a gold coin! Anyone feeling lucky?”

“I’ll do it!”

A young boy stepped forward, sword in hand, flanked by three companions cheering him on. He raised his sword high.

“I’m a [Swordsman]! I’m new to adventuring, but I’m going to build the strongest team ever! Cheer me on!!”

The crowd roared with applause, their cheers bolstering the boy’s confidence.

“Here I go!!”

He swung his sword with all his might.

Snap.

The blade broke the moment it touched the stone.

“M-My Holy Light God Blade!!”

The clearly ordinary sword had snapped cleanly.

Dejected, the boy was pulled offstage by his embarrassed companions.

“Better luck next time! Alright, who’s next!?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

Sasha raised her hand and stepped onto the stage.

“Well, well, what a stunning young lady! Next challenger is this beautiful silver-haired girl!”

The audience fell silent, captivated by Sasha’s beauty.

She glanced at the boy’s team.

“Twelve, maybe thirteen years old… How nostalgic. I remember watching events like these and feeling inspired. I hope they feel the same.”

“Alright, go ahead!”

With a sharp breath, Sasha drew her sword.

A blur. A gust of wind. That was all most onlookers perceived.

The stone shattered into pieces.

Only seasoned adventurers noticed that Sasha had slashed the stone 22 times in one second, sheathing her blade seamlessly.

The announcer gawked between Sasha and the shattered stone.

“H-Huh…?”

“Give the gold coin to those kids. Think of it as an investment in their future.”

“Wait, what?”

“Goodbye.”

The crowd stared dumbfounded as Sasha left the stage.

“Well, I should head back. A soak in the hot springs sounds nice.”

With a stretch, Sasha walked toward the house they had borrowed.