Dead End Guild Master, Book 1: Unfinished Quests [Kinda Cozy, Slice of life]

Hans had a realization that changed the direction of his adventuring career: “above average” is different from “great.” At 39 with a litany of lingering injuries, he accepted that he would never progress from Gold-ranked to Diamond-ranked. He plateaued long ago, lacking whatever secret sauce that produced the legendary adventurers he grew up admiring. With his prime behind him and disillusioned by guild politics, Hans accepts a guild master posting in a remote village. Usually, guild masters had to be Diamond-ranked, but the guild was happy to accept Hans’ voluntary exile to fill an insignificant position no one else wanted.

Looking forward to a quiet life of teaching, Hans arrives in the small town of Gomi at the foot of the Dead End Mountains. As he sets his mind to rebuilding the local chapter of the Adventurers’ Guild, his unconventional teaching methods earn him allies and enemies, while his career failures find ways to resurface.

This slice of life fantasy explores a life post-adventuring and the challenge of reconciling dreams with reality. The author describes the tone as “if lofi fantasy beats were a LitRPG.”