The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 8

“Yo! Buzz, long time no see.”

“Oh! Garm, isn’t it? I thought you quit?”

Buzz was an adventurer close in age to Garm, and they had been good friends for a long time. At the same table, several adventurers sat, looking at Garm with puzzled expressions.

They seemed to be Buzz’s party members, but Garm didn’t mind and continued talking.

“I decided to come back starting today. How have you been, Buzz?”

“Hmm, well, not bad, I guess. But you’re starting over from the beginning… Your rank should be at the lowest now. Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing. I want to raise my rank quickly, but I can’t do it alone. Buzz, why don’t we work together? You know I was a former D-rank adventurer. I’ll definitely be useful!”

Garm sat down in an empty seat next to Buzz and put his arm around him in a friendly manner. Buzz’s party members frowned as they watched the exchange.

“Well… that’s…”

“Come on! We’re buddies, aren’t we?”

Buzz scratched his cheek with his finger, looking troubled.

“Sorry, Garm. We already have enough people. If we ever need help, I’ll call you… but not this time.”

Buzz glanced at his party members’ faces before apologetically refusing.

— Well, from their perspective, I’m just an outsider… I guess it can’t be helped.

“…I see. Yeah, I get it. Sorry for pushing. Maybe next time.”

Garm stood up from his seat.

When trying to raise one’s guild evaluation, it was much more efficient to work in a party rather than solo.

If there was a high-ranked adventurer in the party, they could take on quests of that rank.

If the job was completed successfully, all members would receive the same evaluation points. That’s why it was common for low-ranked adventurers to join parties.

Besides, Garm had been an adventurer for a long time and had many acquaintances.

He thought he’d quickly find a party to join—but…

“Sorry, Garm. We’re full.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’re not young anymore!”

“Sorry, Garm. I’d let you in, but… the other members won’t agree. You understand, right?”

After being turned down repeatedly, Garm started to panic. He stubbornly pushed one last acquaintance for a chance.

“Please! I’ll do anything!”

“Garm, you’ve been away for over a year, right? You’re useless as an adventurer now. There’s no way we can work with you.”

“No, no, no! That’s not true at all! I’ve actually gotten even stronger! I quit being an adventurer, but I’ve been doing physical labor all this time!”

Garm’s level was 36. That was on par with legendary adventurers—only a handful of people in the world had such strength.

But if he revealed that, people would find out about the sword and armor he had secretly obtained.

To avoid that, he tried to hint at his strength in a roundabout way, but—

“Even if I believe you, Garm… there aren’t many jobs that require that much fighting. Those kinds of quests are left to A and B-rank adventurers.”

“No way…”

◇◇◇

Garm slumped over a table in the corner of the tavern, completely dejected.

— I never thought it would be this hard… I even helped some of those guys back in the day… Don’t they feel like repaying the favor?

Feeling both frustrated and helpless, Garm sighed.

— What should I do…? Worst case, I’ll have to beg the boss to take me back at the waste disposal job…

As he was lost in thought, a man approached him.

“Are you the one looking for a job?”

“Huh?”

Garm lifted his face and saw a young man, probably in his early twenties. He wore sturdy leather armor on his upper body, and his red, spiky hair gave off a strong-willed impression.

Seeing the long sword at the man’s waist, Garm assumed he was a swordsman.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a job… but I need one at D-rank or higher, with a party.”

“I see…”

The young man turned around and started discussing something with his companions. After a brief conversation, they seemed to come to an agreement and returned to Garm.

“We are the D-rank party ‘Great Eagle’. If you’re okay with it, you can work with us.”

“What!? Really?!”

“Yeah, but your share of the reward will be reduced. That’s the condition.”

“W-what?!”

Garm gritted his teeth. He was annoyed that they were taking advantage of his situation, but if he succeeded, he’d earn D-rank evaluation points.

For Garm, this was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.

“So, what’s it gonna be, old man? You want to rank up, don’t you?”

The young man smirked.

Being looked down on by someone more than ten years younger was humiliating, but Garm was too desperate to refuse.

“Ugh… f-fine… Please… take me with you…”

He glared at the young man with a stiff expression.

“I’m Van Cloud. Nice to meet you.”

Van extended his hand. Garm hesitated, then took it, shaking firmly. He could feel Van’s strength from his grip.

“I’m Garm Orlando.”

“Let me introduce our team.”

At Van’s signal, two girls standing behind him stepped forward.

“I-I’m Amber… Nice to meet you.”

Amber was a black-haired girl dressed in a black uniform from the Mage Association. She kept glancing at Garm nervously.

“I’m Sophia. Nice to meet you, old man!”

The girl named Sophia wore a white cleric robe with a veil on her head. Unlike Amber, she had a bright and cheerful demeanor.

“Yeah, I’m Garm. Nice to meet you. But… a swordsman, a mage, and a cleric? That seems like a pretty unbalanced team.”

The three exchanged glances at Garm’s comment. Van scratched his cheek before responding.

“We actually had a warrior for the front lines, but he got sick. He won’t be able to move for a while.”

“I see… So that’s why you approached me. What’s the job?”

“It’s a caravan escort mission. We’ll be guarding a wagon traveling to Chambal Town over the mountain.”

“An escort job, huh…”

— That sounds easy. Even if bandits attack, I can take them out easily.

Garm felt confident, but something seemed off.

“If it’s a D-rank job, that means there’s some risk involved, right?”

“We weren’t given many details. The only requirement was for at least four D-rank adventurers. They said they’d explain more later.”

— Sounds kinda shady…

“I used to be a D-rank adventurer, but now I’m an F-rank. Will that be a problem?”

“We’ll negotiate. If they refuse, you’re out.”

“What?!”

“Obviously. If you don’t like it, prove that you’re worth keeping.”

“Grr… this guy…”

Van’s blunt words irritated Garm, but he knew it was true. If the client rejected him, he’d be left behind.