Dore dake Doryoku Shite mo Mannen Level 0 no Ore wa Tsuihou Sareta [Prologue] [Vol 1]

During battles with monsters, my role as the party’s tank is to protect Ria, who can use healing magic, and Leonore, the other ranged fighter in our group.  

Normally, a tank might step forward occasionally to shield Savant, our spellblade, or Trisso, the halfling who fights with twin daggers. But that’s not what’s expected of me right now. Especially with three little monkey demons targeting us, I have to be the shield for Ria and Leonore — even if it means my body gets torn apart.  

“Boing, boing! Boing, boing, boing!”  

Ria, meanwhile, is hopping around and pounding a pestle into a mortar with both hands. Given that she’s dressed in a bold bunny girl outfit that looks like it belongs in a casino, it’s quite the unusual sight. She must be aware of how strange it looks, because her usually pure white rabbit ears have flushed bright red.  

As her childhood friend of over ten years, let me defend her: she’s not some glutton who starts pounding mochi in the middle of a life-or-death fight just because she wants a snack. And of course, she’s not some kind of pervert.  

Her magic is called “Rabbit Rice Cake Mochi-Pounding.”  

The spell conjures a mortar, pestle, and tiny grains of magical energy. By rhythmically pounding like she’s making mochi, Ria compresses the magic into solid healing orbs.  

Why the bunny girl outfit? Because the spell’s effect is enhanced by “rabbit-like” behavior and appearance.  

But thinking about it logically, her rabbit ears and fluffy tail are natural parts of her, so really, she’s just wearing a tight, shiny black outfit. Whether that actually helps or not is up for debate. And knowing shy Ria, she probably wants to change out of it as soon as possible. If only I had more say in these things...  

“Boing! Boing, boing, boing, boing!!!”  

Ria swings the pestle wildly, almost out of desperation, and bright light sprays out from the mortar.  

She sets the pestle down, kneels, and pulls out a single mochi-shaped lump of magical energy. Then she stretches it, splitting it in two, and looks up at Leonore.  

“Leo, can you please?”

“Ugh, Leo’s already tired, you know.”  

Leonore brushes back her lavender hair, pouting with a stubborn expression.  

That’s really not the kind of attitude you expect from someone risking their life in the middle of a battle.  

Facing Leonore’s mood, gentle Ria apologizes instead of getting mad: “Y-Yeah, you’re right. Sorry...”  

“...Ugh.”  

I let out a small sigh, bracing myself for the words Leonore was about to throw at me. Then I spoke up.  

“Leonore, could you please carry these over?”  

“Huh? Why should I follow orders from you? Seriously, why don’t you do it yourself? You’re basically useless.”  

Leonore’s sharp, narrow eyes narrowed further, giving off an even harsher vibe.  

My chest tightened at her harsh words, but I managed a sheepish look in reply.  

“If I touch them, the healing magic bounces onto me instead.”  

“Tch… You’re really good for nothing, aren’t you?”  

Her insult was softer than I expected, but it still stung. With a bored sigh, Leonore reached behind her back and pulled out the whip at her waist. Then, with sharp swings, she cracked it down on the magic orbs Ria had made.  

The orbs floated gently into the air.  

Queen’s Telekinetic Domination Whip — a spell that lets her control whatever her whip strikes using telekinesis. She can support allies from a distance or even stop weak monsters by whipping them and controlling their movements. It’s a pretty versatile magic, but Leonore hates fighting monsters herself. So usually, her involvement is limited to stoning enemies from afar or transporting Ria’s magic like this.  

Still, as Leonore said, she’s definitely more useful than me, so I can’t complain.  

The two magic orbs floated toward the front line. They weren’t splitting up; both headed straight for one of the frontline fighters — Savant’s back.  

The orbs touched Savant, sticking to his back and slowly dissolving into his body, sparkling with a bright jade glow.  

“Hey, Leo-chan?! What about me—?!”  

Trisso, the other frontline fighter, shouted while wrestling with one of the little monkey demons, turning to us with a panicked look. Leonore just laughed, clearly enjoying herself.  

“You’re too small, so you’re hard to hit!”  

“C’mon, Leo-chan, give me a break!”  

Trisso yelled back with his usual energy, but his smile looked forced.  

You usually don’t poke fun at a halfling’s height, but apparently, the Queen has no such manners.  

“Seriously, those tiny guys? Even Leo can take ‘em down! Anyway… Savant, hang in there!”  

Leonore suddenly let out a playful shout, as if she’d forgotten all about how annoyed she was a moment ago.  

Savant, the favorite of Leonore’s affections, didn’t even glance her way in response.  

Leonore looked annoyed but, honestly, it was the right call.  

Savant was currently facing the leader of the little monkey demons, the so-called Silverback. Bigger than the three monkeys Trisso was fighting combined, this monster’s crimson eyes burned with fury, its long fangs bared as it growled fiercely.  

The normally timid and gentle Silverback was raging because his mate — the same size as him and called the Blackback — lay collapsed at his side. No husband would stay calm if someone was doing whatever they wanted to his wife… That’s why I’d suggested we take down the Silverback first.  

With a roar of rage, Silverback raised his huge, hammer-like fist and brought it crashing down toward Savant.  

Savant, his long hair and elegant white cloak flowing behind him, sidestepped with grace and jabbed the richly decorated Unicorn Rapier he held in his right hand into Silverback’s ribs.  

Silverback groaned low but quickly swung his fist around to strike back.  

Savant dodged effortlessly, then struck again. This time, Silverback managed to block the thrust and counterattacked immediately.  

Frustration flickered across Savant’s face. For someone as proud as him, having the Silverback skillfully avoid his strikes was unbearable.  

Suddenly, Savant was enveloped in a white glow, different from the earlier jade light.  

What activated wasn’t magic, but a skill—a power that doesn’t use mana but triggers under specific conditions.  

Savant’s Elegant Swordplay skill lowers his ‘Endurance’ stat but raises his ‘Dexterity’ and ‘Agility.’ Losing endurance is a heavy price, but the boost in agility dramatically improves his evasion. Since Savant’s style focuses on dodging rather than taking hits, the upside outweighs the downside.  

And of course, there’s a clear offensive benefit as well.  

His sword danced with an even smoother, more beautiful arc than before, striking Silverback’s vital points with precision.  

Silverback cried out in surprise. His silvery fur was stained red with his own blood in places.  

He screamed and curled up, protecting himself. Taking advantage of the opening, Savant stepped back with a quick backstep.  

It looked like he was planning to finish this fight with magic. Savant’s magic summons a gust of wind that follows a predetermined path, letting him ride its currents to accelerate himself forward.  

Now that his “Dexterity” stat was boosted, Savant could probably maneuver through a more complex path—but since Silverback was wide open, he’d rely on his “Agility” stat and charge straight at full power.  

“…Blown in the Wind,” Savant intoned the spell’s name with deliberate care.  

The dense jungle trees swayed, leaves rubbing together in the gust, making a whispering sound. The humid air suddenly cleared, swept clean by the powerful wind.  

Then, without warning—  

“Gyaaahhh!!!”  

Savant’s accelerated thrust slammed right into Silverback’s belly. The monster screamed as it flew back, crashing hard against a massive tree behind it.  

Like a marionette with its strings cut, Silverback slid down to the ground, blood streaking deep into the bark.  

With a hole blown through Silverback’s abdomen, the little monkeys would scatter immediately—the fight was over.  

…Wait.  

As I lowered my shield, not wanting to get caught in the second gust Savant was summoning, I noticed something.  

Behind Savant, lying face down, was Blackback. Despite Savant’s raging magic winds, Blackback wasn’t being blown away. His huge, furry hand gripped a tree root firmly.  

Blackback’s eyes gleamed fiercely.  

“Watch out!!” I shouted, but Savant didn’t move. Or rather, he couldn’t.  

Savant’s magic whipped up a storm, propelling him forward at blinding speed. It was beyond human limits—the kind of speed his stats alone couldn’t counteract. Without help, he’d either vanish into the distance or crash and die.  

That’s why Savant’s Blown in the Wind also has a built-in fail-safe: it forces him to stop exactly at his chosen endpoint.  

Right now, because of that side effect, Savant was temporarily immobilized.  

To cover that weakness, the spell released a circular gust of wind radiating outward from Savant the moment he stopped, blasting away nearby enemies. It was a very Savant-like way of not trusting his allies to protect him.  

…Which means that if you could withstand that wind, you could face Savant while he was completely vulnerable.  

I planted my feet and charged toward him. As I moved in, Savant’s wind surged toward me.  

It was called a circular gust, but over these last three years, I’d come to know it wasn’t perfectly symmetrical. The half-circle in front of Savant always had the strongest blast—aimed at the enemy.  

Plus, the wind weakened before reaching me. I could hold my ground.  

I leveled my shield horizontally into the gust, crouched down, hooked my foot around a tree root, and braced myself. Then, using that root, I pushed off and sprang forward.  

At the same moment, Blackback rose to his feet.  

…With my current “Strength” stat, absorbing the full impact would send both Savant and me flying back, causing damage to us both. Savant’s “Endurance” was already lowered—I had to avoid that.  

Blackback reared back his massive right arm, clearly aiming a powerful hook at Savant, who was diagonally behind him.  

…But I could handle it!  

I angled my shield slightly instead of holding it straight. Blackback’s fist was closing in on Savant. He must have been close to his limit—the punch lacked real force.  

I’d make it in time.  

If I took it straight, we’d both be blasted away.  

Then I just had to deflect it upward.  

I stepped between Blackback and Savant, positioned my right foot slightly forward, knees bent in a reverse V stance.  

When Blackback’s fist came crashing toward us, I didn’t block it head-on—I angled my shield to catch it diagonally.  

“Ugh?!”

The impact shoved all the air from my lungs in an instant.  

My vision spun, and pain rippled across my body as if I'd been whipped all over. I vomited up a bitter taste of blood, the metallic scent filling my mouth.  

Then, just as suddenly as the world had spun, it stopped.  

“Ugh… haah…”  

It seemed I’d slammed my back hard against a tree just like Silverback did. God, that hurt like hell.  

Clenching my teeth, I forced my head up through the blurry haze. There, I saw Savant delivering the finishing blow to Blackback.  

…Looks like it worked.  

Relieved, I let out a breath, but a sharp, sudden pain wracked my body, silencing any cry. I glanced down cautiously—and realized my shield was gone.  

Panicking, I looked around and spotted it about two meters away, lying on the ground.  

Like me, it hadn’t come out unscathed. I could see cracks radiating across its surface even from here.  

Considering I’d been using that shield nonstop for these past three years, it held up remarkably well. But I guess its time finally ran out… I wonder if it can be repaired. Treating it like this probably didn’t help, but still—it's important to me.  

Then, I heard rapid footsteps—Savant was approaching.  

“!”  

Before I could react, he thrust his rapier down hard, repeatedly, into my shield.  

The cracked shield couldn’t take it, shattering with a sharp noise into pieces.  

Savant sneered.  

“Good riddance. Time to graduate from that fake shield of yours.”  

“…”  

He knows that shield is my father’s keepsake.  

“Damn you…”  

For the first time, real anger flashed in me directed at Savant.  

“Tint, you’re fired.”  

“Huh?”  

But just as quickly as the anger flared, it vanished. I blinked up at Savant, stunned.  

I wasn’t shocked by the words themselves—I’d heard similar things almost every day.  

What threw me was that he said it now, right after a rare moment when I actually made a difference. I put myself on the line for him this time.  

“Why do you think an incompetent like you has been able to keep up with us?”  

“...I—”  

Before I could answer, Savant cut me off sharply.  

He looked down at me with icy contempt and continued,  

“I specifically ordered you to act as a shield for Ria and Leonore. So why did you go off and do your own thing?”  

“Well, it’s because I thought you were in danger.”  

Savant’s eyes grew even colder. I immediately regretted speaking out to someone as prideful as him.  

“Don’t underestimate my magic. Even if I’m immobilized for a few seconds due to the backlash, it’s only temporary. With the skill Elegant Swordplay, my evasion capacity is also boosted. I could have dodged it without needing your shield.”  

“….”  

Having watched Savant fight from the back lines these past three years, I know he wouldn’t have been able to avoid it.  

But arguing with him would just lead nowhere, and right now, I don’t have the right to push back.  

No matter what he says, all I can do is endure.  

“You ignored orders, recklessly injured yourself, and endangered Ria and Leonore. What kind of party needs a shield like that?”  

“…”  

…Is there some truth to that? If Savant had been blown away, I’m pretty sure the furious Blackback would have attacked Ria and Leonore next.  

“…My bad. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“No. You’re fired.”  

“...”  

Savant said it without missing a beat and showed no hint of mercy.  

This wasn’t the usual power trip he went on—it was something different.  

…Could this be tied to how everyone’s acting weird today?  

“Yeah, yeah! You better quit before it causes any trouble! Right, Savant?”  

Trisso said with a smarmy grin, flipping off the fleeing monkey demons as he spoke.  

Savant looked visibly shaken. Quit? Why would that be a problem?  

“…Did something happen?” I asked.  

Savant furrowed his brow deeply and clicked his tongue in frustration.  

He let out a heavy sigh before saying,  

“We’ve been invited to join the Diversity Garden by Chief Sefran.”  

“...What?!”

The Diversity Garden.  

One of the few S-rank parties officially recognized by the Adventurers Guild as among the elite. A group full of all kinds of races, packed with famous veterans and promising young adventurers alike.  

Among them is Aitana, daughter of the legendary hero Bernhard, who reached level 100 at just eighteen and ended the racial war that united the Aria continent. Known as the Brave Daughters—the hero’s daughters—she’s arguably the hottest adventurer right now, thanks to her heritage, power, delicate beauty, and rare half-elf blood.  

Diversity Garden, with Aitana as their ace? There’s no doubt they’re the hottest party right now.  

And we got an invitation from them? That’s a huge deal…  

I looked around at the other party members one by one.  

Apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know about it. Ria avoided my gaze, looking awkward.  

…Gradually, I started to piece things together. My chest tightened painfully.  

“...That’s pretty incredible, huh.”  

I turned my gaze back to Savant. He snorted dismissively.  

“Yeah, incredible. For us, not for you.”  

“…”  

The Adventurers Guild officially bans poaching members from other parties, but they allow mergers and absorptions.  

However, they don’t tolerate instantly firing adventurers gained through such mergers…  

“So the captain of Diversity Garden wants me fired before absorbing us?”  

Savant’s finely shaped eyebrows twitched at my words.  

“Hmph. And what right do you have to complain?”

He sneered at me.  

“You’re a level-zero God Enemy—no matter how much you fight, you never level up. There’s no place for someone like you in an S-rank party.”  

“…”  

I had nothing to say.  

Every S-rank party has low-level adventurers; some are in training, but most just do grunt work.  

But no one keeps level zero for three years while adventuring.  

In fact, I’m the only one like that in the entire country of Toscaburg.  

God Enemy—that’s my adventurer title.  

It’s the worst nickname imaginable.  

Even though I received the blessing of “leveling up” from Estelle, mother of humanity and goddess, through the “Floral Crown Ceremony,” for some reason I haven’t gained any experience points. I’m still stuck at level zero.  

…It’s frustrating, but the title fits perfectly.  

Yeah... it’s clear that Goddess Estelle doesn’t love me.  

“I wish you’d just say it outright.”  

I muttered quietly. Savant looked at me with pure disdain.  

“You’ve been leeching off Ria and sticking with this party all this time,” he said. “Once you heard about the offer from Diversity Garden, I bet you begged Ria to let you stay, burdening her even more. That’s why I’m cutting you loose before that happens. Right, Trisso?”  

“Ah, hehe, sorry...”  

Leeching, huh.  

Yeah, the main reason I’ve been able to stay with this party despite being level zero is definitely because I’m Ria’s childhood friend—and she’s a vital healer.  

Because Ria’s a rabbit person with a cute, fragile appearance, she often got harassed by street punks in town.  

I started defending her, and that’s when she began following me around every day. She chose the adventurer’s path mostly to stick with me, the timid Ria.  

Savant probably worried that if he fired me, Ria—the healer—would quit the party too.  

But that was three years ago.  

“Honestly, why not just let it be? Let her and Leonore quit, and keep this guy around.”  

Leonore cracked her whip and said,  

“Oh, Leo, that’s actually a brilliant idea! Since Savant, the captain, is leaving, it wouldn’t count as poaching!”  

Trisso immediately chimed in. Leonore smirked mischievously, then asked,  

“So, Ria's staying? You became an adventurer to team up with him, didn’t you?”  

Both Leonore and Savant turned to Ria with the question.  

While Savant—the son of a powerful noble and a skilled swordsman—is the biggest catch for Diversity Garden, the second most wanted must be Ria, the healer.  

“….”  

Ria’s rabbit ears drooped as she looked down, avoiding their gaze.  

“I’m not staying.”  

After a brief silence, she spoke again—her voice trembling slightly but filled with a resolve unlike her usual self.  

She looked me straight in the eyes. The affection she had for me three years ago was completely gone.  

“I don’t need you to protect me anymore.”  

“...”  

My chest tightened painfully, like it was being squeezed.  

Yeah, that hurt worse than any insult I’d ever received.  

But... it’s understandable.  

Ria used to need me to protect her. Now she’s level 20. I’m still level zero.  

And after all the daily abuse from the party that I never fight back against, I’ve become nothing but a weak, pathetic presence to her.  

“Heh heh heh, even Ria ditched you—no place left for you, huh, Tint?”  

Trisso laughed, clutching his stomach.  

Leonore chuckled, too.  

“Well, obviously. No woman would devote herself to a pathetic loser like you.”  

“So, what are you gonna do, Tint?”  

Savant curled his lip cruelly and asked.  

…I can’t make Ria suffer anymore. Just this once, I’ll protect her like I used to.  

“Got it.”  

I supported my aching body and forced myself to stand.  

Then I bowed deeply.  

“Thanks for keeping a level-zero nobody like me in the party all this time.”  

And just like that, I was cast out of the party I’d belonged to for three years.