I, the “Clock User”, Was Kicked Out of the Craftsmen’s Guild for Being Incompetent, but at the Dungeon’s Depths, I Awakened My True Power – Even Though I Was Told to Return Because They Couldn’t Handle the Work, It’s Too Late Now, and I Will Live Freely as an SSS-class Adventurer V10C8

 Translated by Hamster

---

### Volume 10: Reunion

**08: Results of the Search**

First, Cyclo headed to check on his former family home.

As expected, a new family lived there, and there was no sign of Sarina. No one in the neighborhood knew of her whereabouts either.

At this point, Cyclo was almost certain:

His mother was currently unemployed and without a fixed address.

If that were the case, Cyclo felt an urgent need to find her. He immediately ventured into the backstreets of the capital, where the slums were the most likely place to find someone who was jobless and homeless.

While the capital hadn't seen severe slumification, the security was clearly worse compared to the main streets, with many homeless and illegal residents. 

Cyclo believed that if his mother, Sarina, had nowhere else to go, the slums would be her last resort.

Upon entering the slums, Cyclo found that there were hardly any passersby, and those he did see were either suspicious-looking or emaciated from hunger. He knew that trying to find his mother through inquiries would only lead to being asked for payment for false information or being avoided like a nuisance.

Therefore, Cyclo decided to rely on his skill for the search.

"――'Clock Detection'!"

Using his skill, Cyclo detected clocks, which was unusual for him recently. The likelihood of slum residents owning clocks was low. However, he trusted that his mother, Sarina, would still cherish the clock he had made for her as a gift. By sensing the presence of that clock, he could significantly narrow down his search.

"――Ah, there's a pretty decent response from a clock over there!"

Cyclo immediately dashed towards the signal that seemed most likely to belong to his mother. After navigating through several alleys, he quickly reached his destination.

Unfortunately, Sarina was not there. Instead, there was a thin, worn-out man, middle-aged.

"Mom... it's not her."

Cyclo murmured in disappointment but hadn't expected to find her so easily in the first place. He activated 'Clock Detection' once more to search for clock signatures.

However, suddenly, an interruption came.

"――You, you bastard!!!"

The man who Cyclo had followed via the clock's response suddenly attacked in a fit of rage.

"What!?"

Despite his surprise, Cyclo dodged instinctively. The man, who tried to grab him, fell over due to his own momentum.

"Damn, damn, damn!! Why are you here?! Cyclo Owen, the inept one!!"

The man, still on the ground, cursed while somehow knowing Cyclo's name.

"!? How do you know my name...?"

"If only you didn't exist! I would have kept my position as Guild Master!!"

Rising, the man charged at Cyclo again. His intense resentment seemed odd, causing Cyclo to take a closer look at the man's face while evading.

Then, from the term 'Guild Master', Cyclo thought of someone.

"Could you be from the Artisans' Guild!?"

Yes, this emaciated, ragged-looking man was none other than the Guild Master of the Artisans' Guild, Row Shortock, who looked completely different from Cyclo's memories.

"Why are you in a place like this...!?"

Cyclo's genuine question only seemed to fuel Row's anger further.

"You did something to the royal clock, didn't you?!"

Spouting nonsense, Row attacked for the third time. Finally, Cyclo grabbed Row's arm and pinned him down.

"The royal clock... you mean, Lady Olivia's!?"

From Row's words, Cyclo immediately thought of the antique clock he had repaired - the large mechanical clock commissioned by Olivia Lutecia Hainburg, the consort of the seventeenth king.

Realizing something might have happened to the clock he had partially repaired, Cyclo took a stern stance towards Row.

"What happened to Lady Olivia's clock?! Tell me the truth!!"

"Ugh...! It's because you did something unnecessary!!"

While restraining Row, Cyclo gradually pieced together what had happened. It turned out that after Cyclo left the guild, Row's son, Kou, took over the repair job, failed, and as a result, both father and son lost their positions due to the fallout.

"If only you, the bearer of a worthless job skill, didn't exist, our Artisans' Guild would have been rightly managed by all those with common skills! It's all because of you messing things up..."

"Don't be ridiculous! That's just your grudge against me!"

As Cyclo was about to retort to Row's outburst, a memory suddenly flashed in his mind - the time right after escaping from the dreaded Deep Hole Dungeon, when he felt like the whole world was rejecting him, harboring an unjustifiable anger in his heart.

Seeing Row's anger and hatred, Cyclo unexpectedly recalled that past feeling.

Author's Notes:

Announcement: The second volume of the book version of 'The ClockUser' will be released tomorrow, June 30th!

With some detailed story corrections, scenes not included in the web version, and splendid illustrations, we hope you'll enjoy it! 

Illustrations (By Mitemin)

We would be grateful if you could pick up a copy.

Also, to celebrate the release, we will be posting consecutive chapters on the 29th, 30th, and 1st. Enjoy these three days!

Previous

Next