The S-Rank Explorer Who Acted Like a Total Jerk to Save the World Accidentally Leaves His Stream On and His Love for the Saintess Plus All His Secret Self-Sacrifice Gets Completely Exposed - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tokyo Explorers Guild, Third Meeting Room.

The cold fluorescent lights shone down on a single sheet of paper lying on the table.

‘Party Member Expulsion Notice’.

My name was written there, along with a neat, business-like list of the reasons for firing me.

Severe lack of teamwork.

Illegal hoarding of drop items.

Damage to the party brand due to bad behavior.

All of it was true.

Well, more like “facts” I’d carefully set up so they’d look true.

“…So that’s how it is, Renji. We’re kicking you out of ‘Brave Souls’.”

Across the table.

Hero Kaito broke the heavy silence with those words.

His voice shook just a tiny bit, but the eyes staring straight at me carried this strong, leader-like resolve.

“We’ve gotta aim even higher if we’re really gonna save the world. We just… can’t keep putting up with your selfish crap anymore.”

I crossed my arms, leaned way back in the chair, and snorted through my nose.

“Heh? Look at you acting all high and mighty now, Kaito. Who do you think got you this far, huh?”

“It was all of us! Not just you alone!”

Kaito slammed the table and shot to his feet.

Right next to him, Saintess Elicia—who’d been staring down the whole time—slowly lifted her head.

When I saw her face, something sharp stabbed deep in my chest.

It wasn’t the warm, loving smile she’d always had before.

What was there now was this raw, physical disgust mixed with cold, exhausted resignation.

“Renji-san… No, Kisaragi-san.”

The super formal way she said my name.

That was proof—inside her head, I’d gone from “teammate” to straight-up “enemy.”

“I’m at my limit dealing with your filthy greed. Yesterday too… when we all should’ve been fighting together, you just hogged the spotlight for yourself.”

“Oh, that Orc King? Yeah, that was some nice experience fodder, huh.”

“That’s exactly the problem!!”

Elicia let out this scream-like shout.

I could see faint tears starting to well up in her eyes.

“As a Saintess, I was given holy magic so I could heal people who are hurting. But… I never want to waste my healing magic on someone like you who puts teammates in danger just for your own selfish gain. Not ever again.”

Those words sliced into my heart like a razor-sharp knife.

(…I see)

On my body, the claw marks from the monster I’d taken in her blind spot yesterday were still fresh and raw.

The untreated wound throbbed hot and painful under my clothes.

But this was fine.

Her sacred magic was way too good for a dirty heel like me.

It should all go to Kaito, to the young ones who actually had a future.

Hate management: complete.

I was officially branded their “enemy.”

So this was it—the end.

If I showed even a hint of sadness here, these kind-hearted people might hesitate.

That meant I had to pull off the best improv performance of my life.

“Kuh… heh, hehehe…”

A choked laugh leaked out from the back of my throat.

Then I let it explode all at once.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

My crazy-sounding laughter echoed around the meeting room.

The guild staff frowned, and Kaito and the others stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Man, you guys are hilarious! Never thought you’d be the ones to straight-up fire me! Saved me a ton of hassle!”

I stood up and spread my arms wide on purpose.

“Honestly? Feels pretty damn refreshing! I’m so sick of babysitting dead weight like you losers! Level grinding escort duty, gear maintenance, all of it—just wasted my time on garbage jobs!”

“You—!!”

Kaito flared up and reached for his sword hilt.

But Elicia grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Kaito, don’t! You don’t need to dirty your hands for… for someone like this!”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Kaito ground his teeth hard and glared at me.

The look in his eyes wasn’t for an old friend anymore.

It was the look you’d give a monster that needed to be put down.

Mission accomplished.

Now they could move forward without any regrets pulling them back.

“See ya, small fries. Try not to die out there in the gutter, yeah? I’m heading off to places where I can make way more cash on my own!”

I kept that mocking grin plastered on, spun on my heel.

The insults raining down from behind sounded like sweet background music as I walked out of the meeting room without looking back once.

Right up until the door closed, I was the perfect piece of trash.

◇

Back alley behind the guild.

Cold wind off the buildings brushed against my heated cheeks.

“…Haha, I really said all that, huh.”

I leaned my back against the wall and pulled a cigarette out with shaky hands.

Tried to light it, but my fingers wouldn’t cooperate.

Maybe my abs hurt from laughing too hard, or maybe something else was hurting—I couldn’t even tell anymore.

I took out my phone and opened the banking app.

Balance: ¥0.

Last night I’d transferred every last yen to the party shared account.

Spare gear, rare item stockpile—everything was left in the guild storage.

I’d already given up access rights, so right about now Kaito and them were probably staring at the management screen in shock.

Eh, they’d come up with some reason to accept it. Hopefully they think of it as “severance pay” or whatever.

All I had left on me was my favorite greatsword and the clothes/gear I was wearing.

“Completely broke, huh. Me.”

I muttered it kinda self-mockingly and blew out smoke.

While I watched the purple haze drift up and melt into the sky, I searched for my next stop.

‘S-Rank Unconquered Dungeon: Tokyo Abyss Gate’

Commonly called “Abyss Zone”.

Recommended level: unmeasurable.

Every S-rank party that tried it before got wiped out completely, never came back. Basically a modern execution ground.

Right now I had nothing left to protect, nowhere to go home to.

For a clown who’d finished playing the heel role, a flashy curtain call was only fitting.

“Might as well… do whatever the hell I want for the finale, without worrying about anyone’s eyes.”

I tapped the phone screen and sent the entry application.

‘Approved. Survival probability: 0.001%’ popped up in that emotionless warning text.

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and started walking out of the alley toward the main street.

My steps felt light.

The pain, the loneliness—I was planning to leave it all at the bottom of that dungeon.

This was supposed to be the final journey of the explorer named Kisaragi Renji.