I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 27

Episode 27

(Note: Special for this chapter, dialogues from the internet and TV are in 『….』. And dialogues through the telephone are in ‘….’)

“…Anyway. Effort isn’t something people can see, right? Saying outright, ‘I’m working hard!’ is lame. But if you don’t subtly show it off, no one will notice. My father……. he’s so clueless about that kind of thing.” 

“Takashi-san?” 

“Exactly! Dad works so hard. But things just don’t seem to go well for him. If you work hard, you need to promote yourself! Otherwise, it’s useless!” 

……..I see. 

“That sounds tough…” 

“That’s why Kiryu-san is so good. He’s smart about marketing himself to the top.” 

“Is that so?” 

“He appears in all sorts of media, and the fact that he streams dungeon expeditions almost daily is part of his self-promotion.” 

“But he said he wanted to inspire more people to become explorers.” 

“That’s what makes him clever. He doesn’t come off as obnoxious, does he? But streaming earns him a ridiculous amount of money!” 

“…That much?” 

“I checked out one of his streams. The number of super chats is insane. I looked it up, and apparently, he easily makes over ten million yen in one stream. What would you do with ten million yen, Onii-chan?” 

“Uh? …Umm… Extra-large beef bowl?” 

“Lame! That’s so lame!” 

“I don’t have any material desires! Even now, I’ve got a ton of money. But I don’t really spend it because I have no use for it!” 

“Wait, what? …You have that much?” 

“Last I checked, it was over a hundred million yen.” 

“…What?! Onii-chan, I might be falling for you!” 

“You’re way too obvious!” 

Even though the Kamino Town Dungeon isn’t exactly lucrative, the more it activates, the more profitable it gets. Yuna’s eyes turned round for a second before she cleared her throat. 

“…Just kidding. Whatever Kiryu-san’s true intentions might be, he’s incredibly good at keeping himself likable.” 

“Got it. What about me?” 

“You suck! When you defeat an abnormal species, you should post about it on social media. Whenever you calm a dungeon surge, you should upload pictures of all the magic stones you collect! If you had been posting consistently, you’d have attracted some followers by now! Why did you let things get this bad before doing anything?” 

“…….I’m not good with social media. I find it….. tedious. There’s no way I could update it every day like Kiryu-san.” 

“Argh! If you’d been steadily diving into dungeons and showing it off from the beginning, you’d have built up a fan base by now…!” 

While Yuna was fuming, voices from the TV reached our ears. 

『Now, let’s finish up by mentioning, of course, this person. Let’s discuss Haruto Amakusa』 

『Do we really need to talk about him? 』 

When Yonakawa-san said that, the studio erupted in laughter. Yuna’s eyes widened in outrage. 

“Th-this commentator! My Onii-chan has assets worth over a hundred million yen! What about you? You’re probably scraping by doing TV gigs for pocket change!” 

“Stop making it sound so real!” 

Once the laughter died down, a halfhearted explanation began. 

『Haruto Amakusa is an S-Rank Explorer, just like Kanzaki-san, but… unlike her, he hasn’t cleared a single dungeon this year.』

『Not just this year. It’s been years, hasn’t it?』

The studio burst into laughter again. Yuna was about to explode. 

『You’re absolutely right. Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown any significant achievements for years. His abnormal species subjugation count is also low, and his dungeon clear count is zero』 

“Haruto, putting dungeons aside, what about the low abnormal species subjugation count? Can’t you do something about that?” 

“When it comes to abnormal species, it’s all about luck… Whether you encounter them in a dungeon or in town, it’s out of my control. Honestly, I barely ever see them.” 

“Your luck is awful…….” 

“Isn’t peace a good thing?” 

“Peace is great. But because of it, your reputation is tanking…! I wish they’d appear more often in dungeons, but not in town!” 

Yuna kept fussing noisily. Meanwhile, the commentator continued speaking with a stern expression. 

『To be frank, I believe it’s time to reconsider whether he’s truly fit to be an S-Rank Explorer. Even if his mana reserves are exceptional, if he can’t—or rather, doesn’t—use them effectively… Well, to be blunt, I don’t think he has the qualities required of an S-rank.』

“We’re doing our best over here!” 

I was about to pick up the TV when— 

“O-Onii-chan, stop! Stop!” 

Yuna quickly restrained me. 

『Honestly, they’re right. Kanzaki-san, who is the same age, has delivered tangible results. When someone is born with such power, they should have more self-awareness and act accordingly』 

The studio went quiet for a moment before another commentator chimed in with a laugh.

『At least I wish he’d take a more proactive stance』 

『Exactly right』 

With that, the criticism of me wrapped up, and the conversation shifted back to Kiryu-san. 

“That really ticked me off.” 

“……..Weirdly enough, I felt calmer watching it than usual.” 

“Why?!?” 

Was it because someone else was getting angry on my behalf? 

…I had thought getting angry myself was wrong. 

I’d felt like I was such a failure I didn’t even have the right to be angry. 

But… because Yuna was here, getting mad for me, I felt like maybe I could allow myself a little anger too. 

Since I didn’t feel like everything was entirely my fault, I found myself able to enjoy watching it, in a way. 

“I think it’s because you were with me, Yuna.” 

“Wha?!” 

“…You spoke up for me and said everything I couldn’t. So I feel a bit better. Thanks.” 

“S-something like that, huh? Hmph, honestly…” 

Yuna crossed her arms, then quickly resumed eating. 

I’d thought it before, but Yuna’s a pretty big eater. Just at dinner, she usually goes through about three bowls of rice. 

“But… I do think you should seriously do something about it. You don’t need to be overly praised, but you definitely don’t deserve to be undervalued either.” 

“……I think so too. It’s just, easier said than done.” 

Just as I said that, my phone suddenly rang. 

Was it Miyoshi-san again? No, it wasn’t. 

It was a call from the Akisaki City’s Explorer Association. 

………Who could it be? 

When I cautiously answered the phone, an angry voice boomed from the other end. 

‘Hey! You! I’m sure you’re free right now, aren’t you?!’ 

“Uh… Who is this?” 

‘Branch Chief! It’s Nakamura from the Akisaki City’s Explorer Association! Get your butt over to Akasaki City right now!’

“Akasaki City?” 

It’s north of Akisaki City. If I run straight there, I could make it in about ten minutes. 

‘Yeah. There’s a massive outbreak of aberrant species in Akasaki City! The explorers on-site are dealing with it. But they’re overwhelmed! Even if you’re a lousy S-Rank Explorer, you’re still an S-rank! Do your job for once!’ 

The voice was so loud that Yuna, sitting next to me, could hear it. She frowned in obvious annoyance. 

Please, don’t start yelling too… 

“I understand. I’ll head there immediately. Can you give me the details of the outbreak location?” 

‘I’ll send you a map via email. The enemy is monsters, so you know they’ll move, right?!’

“Of course.” 

‘Kiryu-san will cover the northern area. Kanzaki-san’s assigned to the northwest sector. You handle the southern side and try to ease their workload as much as possible! Got it?!’ 

“…Understood.” 

So Kiryu-san’s there, and Kanzaki too. 

The call ended, and a map arrived in my inbox. 

……This is pretty serious. 

There were even notes included. 

Monsters carrying two to four magic stones had been confirmed. 

Their number was estimated to exceed fifty. 

“Well, I’m heading out.” 

“Haruto… If you could record or stream this somehow, wouldn’t this be a great chance to prove yourself?” 

“Not a ‘chance’. At least, not for something like this.” 

“…But—” 

“Somewhere out there, someone’s probably about to die… Someone’s in trouble. I don’t have time to set anything like that up.” 

“…Sorry. I was too flippant about it.” 

Yuna’s shoulders slumped. 

I hadn’t meant to make her feel bad. 

“Thanks for thinking about it. If there’s a chance, and I can manage it… I’ll see what I can do.” 

“…Okay.” 

I quickly put on my shoes and grabbed my Bullet Sword. 

“I’m heading out. If Mom and the others come back, let them know for me.” 

“Got it. Be careful…… and come back safe.” 

“…Yeah. I’ll be back.” 

I nodded at Yuna’s words with a smile and dashed out of the house.