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The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills - Chapter 20

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 Chapter 20 : Promotion Test -- 6

When I returned to the gathering point, I saw Albel and the others.

Albel stopped talking and walked up to me.

“Hey, Yakumo. Did you get enough materials for a gold coin?”

“Just barely.”

I tapped the magic pouch holding my materials and approached the nearby guild staff member.

From behind, I heard Albel click his tongue.

He must’ve been hoping I wouldn’t gather enough in time.

“Excuse me. Could you please verify these materials?”

“Yes, of course. Please show me what you have.”

The male staffer smiled and held out his right hand.

“It’s a bit big, so I’ll set it down on the ground.”

I reached into my magic pouch and pulled out the head of the Armored Centipede, placing it on the ground.

“It’s the head of an Armored Centipede. The antennae should be the valuable part, but I thought keeping it whole would protect the materials better.”

“...Huh?”

The man stared blankly at the massive centipede head for a few seconds, mouth agape.

“Did you defeat the Armored Centipede?”

At those words, a crowd of adventurers started gathering.

“H-Hey! That’s really an Armored Centipede head!”
“N-No way! You took that thing down?”
“You’re kidding, right? Even B-Rank adventurers can’t solo that thing!”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward me.

“Hey, Yakumo!”

Albel shouted in a rough voice.

“How the hell did you get that Armored Centipede head!?”

“Huh? I killed it.”

I answered calmly.

“No way! There’s no way you could defeat something like that! You can’t kill a monster like that with paper!”

“Say what you want, but I did kill it.”

I turned to the staff member.

“There’s no issue, right?”

“Well... no, there isn’t.”

The man crouched down to inspect the head closely.

“...No problem. It’s definitely an Armored Centipede’s head. The antennae are completely intact, so that alone is worth... let’s see... one platinum coin and two gold coins.”

“So, that means I passed the promotion?”

“Of course.”

The staffer answered firmly.

“Actually, the value of your materials is by far the highest. The next highest was the ‘Golden Bear Pelt,’ which is worth six gold coins.”

“Oh? Someone took down a Golden Bear too?”

“Yes, but you’re the real standout. I never imagined an F-Rank adventurer could solo an Armored Centipede.”

The man looked at me with shining eyes.

“Please, tell me your name!”

“It’s Yakumo.”

“Yakumo-san, huh? I’ll remember that name. I’m sure you’ll be A-Rank one day.”

His words sent a stir through the crowd.

“Whoa, that’s nuts. I thought the guy who killed the Golden Bear was amazing, but someone took down an even scarier monster?”
“Seriously, unbelievable. I’d love to recruit him into our party.”
“Nah, someone that strong probably already belongs to a party.”

I smiled quietly to myself.

I had been kicked out of my old party, but I was part of a new one now.

“Yakumo...”

Albel grabbed my shoulder tightly.

“You better remember this.”

“Hmm? Remember what?”

“That you humiliated me!”

Albel ground his teeth.

“Huh? Humiliated?”

“I’m the one who took down the Golden Bear!”

“That’s great. So we both made it to E-Rank.”

“That’s not the point! You insulted my pride!”

His face twisted in anger as he continued.

“I don’t know what trick you used to kill the Armored Centipede, but you’re still a weak adventurer with no combat Skills. That much is fact!”

“Yeah, I’m weak. The fight with that thing was down to the wire.”

I looked at the centipede’s severed head.

“If I’d had any less luck, I’d be dead right now.”

“Luck again!?”

Albel snapped his tongue in frustration.

“You’re seriously irritating, you know that?”

With that, he turned his back and walked away.

Dazzle and Camilla glared at me and followed after him.

I let out a small sigh and scratched my head.

They didn’t show this much hostility back when I was in the Holy Sword Order… Though even then, they always looked down on me.

For a moment, images of Almine, Pirn, and Kinako flashed through my mind.

They were different from Albel’s group. Even though we’d only just started adventuring together, they treated me as an equal—even though their ranks were higher than mine.

Yeah... maybe getting kicked out of the Holy Sword Order was the best thing that ever happened to me.

“Yakumo-san.”

The staffer handed me an ochre-colored plate.

“This is your E-Rank adventurer’s license. I’ll be collecting your F-Rank plate in exchange.”

I stared at the ochre plate in my hand.

So now I’m an E-Rank adventurer.

A faint tension welled up in my chest.

But this is only the beginning. Almine’s goal is to reach the lowest floor of the Great Labyrinth of Chaos.

To be of any help, E-Rank won’t cut it. I’ll need to aim for B-Rank… no, A-Rank.

I gripped the ochre plate tightly in my hand.

Translator’s Note (TN):

  • Adventurer Plate Colors: In many fantasy-style Japanese web/light novels, adventurer ranks are often indicated by color-coded metal plates. Here, Yakumo receives an ochre plate upon promotion to E-Rank. The exact color-to-rank mapping can vary by series, but they generally go from light/silver for low ranks (F/E) to darker or gold/platinum for higher ones (B/A/S).

  • “覚えてろよ” (“You better remember this”): This is a common phrase used in Japanese stories when a character feels slighted or humiliated and wants revenge or a rematch. It carries an emotional weight that combines threat and resentment, and it's often seen in school rivalries, action stories, or shounen manga tropes.

  • The "Holy Sword Order" (聖剣の団): The name evokes a prestigious, knight-like guild. Getting expelled from such an order usually implies disgrace or failure in Japanese narrative structure, but here it serves as the catalyst for Yakumo’s underdog redemption arc.

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