The rain fell quietly against the stone streets of the capital.
Inside the Silver Griffin Tavern, the loud cheers of adventurers drowned out the storm outside. Tankards clashed, laughter echoed, and stories of monsters slain filled the air.
At the far end of the table sat Kael, silent.
Across from him were the members of the party he had traveled with for three years—people he once thought of as comrades.
Ronan, the leader, slammed his mug down.
"We've talked about this already."
Kael looked up slowly. "Then say it again."
Ronan leaned forward, his expression cold.
"You're holding us back."
The words hit harder than any blade.
Beside Ronan sat Lyra, the party's mage, avoiding Kael's eyes. The healer Mira stared into her drink. Even Darek, the warrior who used to train with Kael every morning, said nothing.
Three years.
Three years of dungeon crawling, sleeping in the mud, and fighting monsters that should've killed them all.
And now this.
Ronan tossed a small leather pouch onto the table.
It clinked with coins.
"Your share," he said. "For the last quest."
Kael didn't reach for it.
"So that's it?" he asked quietly. "You're kicking me out?"
"You don't have the talent to keep up anymore," Ronan replied bluntly. "We're going after S-rank dungeons now. We can't carry dead weight."
Dead weight.
Kael clenched his fists under the table.
He had always known he wasn't the strongest.
Ronan had monstrous strength.
Lyra's magic could level buildings.
Darek fought like a war machine.
But Kael had always done the things they didn't notice.
Scouting.
Setting traps.
Watching their backs.
Saving them when things went wrong.
But none of that mattered now.
Because Kael's Status Rank was still E.
The lowest of the low.
"Fine," Kael said after a long silence.
He stood up.
The chair scraped loudly across the wooden floor.
For a moment, no one moved.
Not even Mira.
Kael picked up the coin pouch and tucked it into his coat.
"I hope the next scout you find keeps you alive," he said calmly.
Then he walked out of the tavern.
The cold rain greeted him instantly.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
The city lights blurred through the falling water.
Three years… gone.
Kael let out a quiet breath.
"…Guess I'm an adventurer without a party now."
He began walking through the empty streets.
Outside the city walls, the forest stretched endlessly into darkness. Monsters lived there. Ruins older than kingdoms. Dungeons no one had cleared.
Normally, adventurers never went alone.
It was suicide.
Kael stopped at the gate.
The guards looked at him strangely.
"Heading out alone?" one asked.
Kael nodded.
The guard shrugged. "Your funeral."
The massive gates creaked open.
Beyond them was nothing but darkness and wilderness.
Kael stepped forward.
And the moment his foot crossed the gate's threshold—
A strange voice echoed inside his head.
[System Notification]
Kael froze.
"…What?"
The voice spoke again.
[Condition Fulfilled: The Outcast]
[Hidden Ability Unlocked]
[Divine Limit Breaker has awakened.]
Kael's eyes widened.
A glowing screen appeared before him.
Something no human had ever seen before.
[You are no longer bound by mortal level limits.]
[Growth rate multiplied.]
[Potential: Unlimited.]
The rain continued falling as Kael stared at the screen.
Slowly…
A smile appeared on his face.
"…So that's how it is."
Behind him, the city gates closed.
Ahead of him waited the world.
Monsters.
Kings.
Gods.
And the man they had cast aside…
…was about to surpass them all.