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.” Disclaimer: The version of "cozy" in Dead End Guild Master aims to be more akin to the cozy feelings found in stories like Frieren, Battle Mage Farmer, or Delicious in Dungeon and less like Beware of Chicken (a great book, though). That means conflicts exist and the world isn't bright and cheery all the time, giving the cozy moments a different flavor in one author's opinion.  What to expect from this series: -Light RPG elements (RPG tropes form the backbone of the world but this story is light on systems and does not have number crunching) -Emphasis on teaching, training, and community building -Adventuring stories and anecdotes -MC is flawed and is not OP -Character relationships matter and the MC can't solve everything alone -MC and other characters don't metagame (in-world knowledge matters, including its limitations) -No romance or harem content