"The Next Apex?"

It was a story from long ago.

A time when they were still young—when they had almost nothing to lose.

In a small guild meeting room, fewer than ten adventurers had gathered. On the blackboard, large letters read, "B-Rank Certification Celebration: Party Renaming Meeting." Standing before it was a young, broad-shouldered man.

"Yeah," he nodded deeply.

"...Wait, is it... lame?"

Suddenly, his expression turned anxious.

"Sounds good to me. For our leader, anyway," said another young man, his spiky hair giving him the unmistakable appearance of a swordsman.

"It's badass! Like, 'we're gonna conquer the world' kind of badass!"

"It’s too grandiose," retorted another man, the same one who had first voiced discontent with the name. He, too, was young, dressed lightly like an archer, with long hair tied at the back.

"You guys, seriously… do you even realize how weak this party is? We're pathetic. The name's overkill."

With an air of exasperation, he continued, "Look, I became an adventurer to attract girls. If you set some lofty goal, I can't keep up with that. If I get married, I'm quitting this dangerous job right away."

"And yet, you’re the one who trains the most from morning until night," someone chimed in.

"Wha—?!"

The archer turned around, flustered, demanding, "Who said that just now?!" But the laughter from everyone, including the swordsman and the leader, drowned him out. Embarrassed, he slumped back into his chair.

"Well, there is a proper meaning behind it," the leader said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

"As you all know, I come from a poor farming family. I’m the third son, and because I was always big, I struggled every day with hunger."

He began to tell his story.

"But one day, a labyrinth appeared near our village. Adventurers came to conquer it. Thanks to the industry that emerged from that, poverty disappeared from the village. And here I am now."

Then, with clear eyes, he said:

"That’s why I want to do the same for the next generation. I want to be the first to step into places no one has ever seen before... and expand this world."

"...So, The Next Apex, huh," the archer said, nodding. The leader grinned, encouraged.

"You just want an adventure, don’t you? I mean, you set up base near Abbyss," the swordsman teased, to which the leader laughed even more.

"So, what do you all think? If you’ve got ideas for something better or think it’s lame, let me know. Honestly, I have no sense of style!"

"It’s fine. Having no style suits us just fine," someone replied.

"Idiot. A rough name like this, if we’re actually strong, would be the coolest thing ever," another added.

"So… you’re not denying that I have no sense of style..."

The leader drooped, but warm laughter filled the room. He composed himself and said:

"Alright then, let’s go with this. From now on, we’re The Next Apex... a B-rank party, The Next Apex!"

"Hell yeah! Let’s do this!"

"First, we need to recruit more members. If we don’t add more fighters, we’ll just die the moment we step into a B-rank labyrinth."

"Don’t worry. I’ve got some ideas about that," the leader replied confidently.

"Oh really?" the archer asked skeptically.

"Yeah, really," the leader said. "So... stick with me a little longer. At least until you get married and settle down."

"...In that case, I’ll be gone soon," the archer said.

"Huh?"

"Oh… wait! Are you seriously in love with her?!"

As the room buzzed with excitement, the archer snapped, "Shut up, you morons," and ruffled his hair in embarrassment before saying:

"...This is when we’re going to start making real money. I’ll stick around a little longer. At least as long as you’re a leader I can trust."

"...I’ll do my best to earn that trust."

"Are you serious? You’ve always said, 'I’d never date an adventurer'..."

"Shut up. Leave me alone."

It was a story from long ago.

A time when they had yet to lose anything, were bound by nothing, and could live simply as themselves in their youth.

It might seem insignificant—but those memories were undeniably theirs.