Laust and his companions enter the labyrinth on their quest to battle the phoenix and earn the bounty from the Guild. They quickly track the phoenix down and engage it, but the instant they start causing damage to the fiery creature, it begins to mutate.

Laust starts to suspect that something ominous is happening involving monsters in the labyrinth and in Mardat. He asks Hanzum, the current head of the Guild, to take action. Hanzum refuses and tells Laust that if he is scared he should "get out of town."

With a new swordsman beside him, Margulus stubbornly tries to slay the hydra again. The Blades of Lightning members slowly make progress against the monster, but by the time Laust arrives on the scene, the hydra has undergone a terrifying transformation.

When Margulus, the leader of Blades of Lightning, finally admits Laust's talents and realizes how valuable the healer was to the party, he tries to recruit Laust again. However, Laust flatly refuses. The next day, Laust receives some unexpected visitors.

Laust had a very painful youth. Despite his best efforts as an adventurer, he was branded an "ignoramus" and lost confidence in himself. Then when wandering outside the city one day, he met a girl who inspired him to keep trying. But who exactly was she?

A girl appears before Laust, an incompetent healer who has just been kicked out of his party. Introducing herself as Narsena, she turns to Saust and says, "Would you be willing to form a party with me?"