I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 28

Episode 28 

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

After watching Haruto’s back disappear into the distance, Yuna let out a breath. 

“…….That kind of attitude—if only more people knew about it. But trying to promote it would just give a bad impression.” 

Yuna sighed softly, reflecting on herself at the same time. 

In the explorers’ streaming world, “emergency filming” or “urgent live streams” were so common. 

Even life-threatening situations were often broadcasted. And Yuna had come to think of them as just another form of entertainment. Haruto’s admonishment earlier had brought her back to her senses. 

“…Besides, Haruto trying to stream like that right now wouldn’t work anyway.” 

It was obvious he’d be torn apart with accusations of being “insensitive” or worse. 

As she thought this, Yuna fiddled with her phone. She saw that Kiryu was ranked number one on the live stream leaderboard. 

“……..Didn’t Kiryu-san say he was heading to Akasaki City earlier?” 

Curious, she opened his stream. 

『We’re live on an emergency basis. It seems there’s been a massive outbreak of aberrant species in Akasaki City. I’m currently driving to the site as quickly as possible.』 

Despite the stream having just started, the viewer count had already exceeded 100,000. 

While Yuna had reached similar numbers during her birthday streams, Kiryu’s viewers kept climbing steadily. 

『To everyone in Akasaki City who might be watching this stream—please listen carefully. Right now, your top priority is ensuring your safety. I promise I’ll save you.』 

The comments erupted with waves of praise for Kiryu. 

“…..He’s really good at this.” 

Yuna watched with a somewhat detached gaze. 

Of course, Kiryu was genuinely rushing to the scene, but… 

“…His hair is perfectly styled, his clothes are spotless without a wrinkle… And he even prepared a polished thumbnail image for the stream. He’s definitely had plenty of time to get ready.” 

Having just seen Haruto’s unpolished departure, Yuna couldn’t help but make the comparison. 

“…Even so, most people wouldn’t question it. Kiryu-san has already crafted this persona for himself.” 

Sighing quietly, Yuna began thinking about how to handle future promotions. 

—

(Back to MC’s Perspective)

I arrived in Akasaki City about ten minutes later. 

The roads were crowded with people and cars fleeing from the direction of Akasaki City. It made it difficult to move freely. 

When I finally got there, parts of the city were already in ruins. 

There were likely still people who hadn’t managed to escape. 

Checking the map on my phone, I started searching for monsters in the area. 

……Damn, I’m terrible at detecting them. 

Both Kanzaki and Kiryu-san were said to have high sensory abilities, making it easier for them to locate monsters. 

I should’ve brought along an explorer with strong detection skills, but… I didn’t. I’ll have to make do. 

Time to use my ability, Overforce. 

I focused on enhancing my hearing, sharpening it to pick up even the faintest sounds. 

And then… I heard it. A child’s voice, along with the sound of monsters. 

“…Tch, this is bad!” 

I had to get there immediately. With my body still fully enhanced, I leapt in the direction of the sound. 

I found them. Right there was a monster, carrying four magic stones. 

Noticing me, the creature turned to face me. 

“GRAAARGH!” 

It roared and swung its sharp claws at me. But I parried them with my Bullet Sword and sliced through its neck. 

The monster collapsed without even a scream. 

Another one was lurking nearby and sprang at me. I struck it down with a single blow. 

A black magic stone, indicating an abnormal species. It was dropped from the defeated monsters. But I didn’t have time to collect it. Right now, calming the crying child came first. 

“You okay?” 

I asked gently, trying to soothe them as much as possible. 

The child nodded with a smile. 

“Y-yeah! Thank you, big brother!” 

“Glad to hear that. Uh… are you evacuating? Where’s your mom?” 

“…She’s working late, so… during emergencies, we’re told to go to school.” 

“Got it. Is it just over there?” 

“Yeah…” 

“Alright, let’s head there. Can I carry you?” 

“Okay…!” 

“Hold on tight.” 

I picked up the child and leaped toward the school in a single bound. 

At the school, there were explorers and evacuees. They looked at me with some suspicion. But it seemed the explorers were protecting this area, so it should be safe for now. 

“Thanks, big brother!” 

“No problem. Stay safe, alright?” 

For now… there didn’t seem to be any monsters nearby. Confirming this, I immediately started running again. I heard monster growls and the voices of three children nearby. 

Without hesitation, I sprinted toward the source of the sounds. 

…When I arrived, I found three abnormal species. More of them again. 

Their sharp eyes were locked onto the children. They were inching closer like predators stalking prey. 

These bastards—always targeting kids. Damn lolicon monsters! 

I charged at them without hesitation, slicing through the first one from above in a single strike. 

The remaining two reacted, but I dodged their counterattacks. I circled around to decapitate one of them. 

The third tried to leap backward, but I aimed my gun at it and fired magical bullets. The barrage pierced its body, taking it down. 

“Haah….” 

“Th-thank you, big brother!” 

“Are you heading to the school? You’re almost there, so hang in there, okay?” 

“Okay…!” 

I lightly patted the children’s heads, watching as they continued toward safety. 

The path to the school was clear of monsters for now. But more importantly, I needed to keep taking down the remaining abnormal species. 

Alright, on to the next! 

Screams echoed from all directions. I had to eliminate these monsters as quickly as possible. 

…That’s when I noticed a group of explorers running toward me. Panic was written all over their faces. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” 

“Wha—!? Y-you’re the S-Rank…” 

The look on their faces screamed distaste.