I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 33

Episode 33  

The conference room at the Explorer Association Headquarters was a simple yet sophisticated space. Around the deep, wood-grained round table sat the directors of each department. They were surrounded by state-of-the-art devices.  

“Let’s begin,” 

One of the directors said calmly, cutting through the tension. His neatly trimmed hair and sharp gaze reflected the fatigue he could no longer conceal. His expression carried hints of irritation as the screen at the front of the room. It displayed an image of a single individual, along with a detailed graph of their abilities.  

“Regarding the recent mass outbreak of abnormal species… criticism of Haruto Amakusa has now turned toward us at the Association. If this continues, it could escalate into a trust crisis for the entire organization.”  

The tension in the room thickened as irritation spread among the assembled directors. The Public Relations Director was particularly agitated. He was tapping his fingers on the table as if venting his stress.  

“That damn idiot… he’s completely useless!”  

The voice belonged to a rotund, sloppy-looking old man—the Public Relations Director.  

Watching this scene with a cool demeanor was Masahiko Shiramine, the director of the Analysis and Audit Bureau.  

(As expected, the level of Japan’s Explorer Association is abysmal. Just as I predicted.)  

The Explorer Association had been modeled after overseas organizations. But in practice, it had become a haven for retired bureaucrats. Under the guise of addressing emergency responses, budgets had been padded. And unaccounted-for funds flowed in every direction.  

Now, the Dungeon Agency was infamous as the most expensive government office in the country. Given the mysterious nature of dungeons, scrutiny of its inefficiencies was rare. It allowed corruption to grow unchecked.  

This corruption extended to the Explorer Association and all other agencies under the Dungeon Agency’s umbrella.  

Shiramine exhaled softly as he recalled the data his subordinates had gathered on Haruto Amakusa activities in the dungeon.  

(His power is real, as proven in the recent battle. If he grows disillusioned with Japan, he’ll likely leave. That’s precisely why the Association and the public need to keep attacking him.)  

Shiramine’s ultimate goal was to recruit Amakusa. For that, he needed to make Amakusa resent Japan.  

“This situation is threatening the credibility of the Explorer Association.”

“Seriously, Amakusa was a good scapegoat when we needed to cover things up.”

“But now he’s the one causing the problem, and the backlash is hitting us. He needs to stop being such a headache.”  

(…….They’ve been blatantly using Amakusa to steer the media away from scandals.)  

Whenever scandals arose, the government exerted pressure on the media to avoid reporting them. And they instead provided distracting content to divert public attention. Amakusa had frequently been the subject of these distractions.  

Explorers captured public interest more than celebrities, and Amakusa’s name had greater recognition than most entertainers.  

“If this continues, the Association’s credibility will be at risk. The public is free to criticize Haruto Amakusa, but we can’t ignore the fallout that’s now hitting us.”  

“We should prepare to cut ties with him.”  

“Cut ties?”  

“Yes. Use Haruto Amakusa as a scapegoat to deflect criticism from the Association. Fortunately, he’s already a public pariah, so there’s no need for any additional setup.”  

“Most of the public criticism directed at the Association revolves around demoting Haruto Amakusa from S-rank. If we remove his S-rank status..… all the criticism will focus on him instead.”  

As the directors voiced their opinions, a general direction began to emerge.  

“That’s right. If we get the media on board, the focus will shift from the Explorer Association to Amakusa.”  

The discussion moved decisively toward sacrificing Amakusa.  

(Normally, I’d need to guide them toward this decision… but it seems that won’t be necessary this time.)  

In this organization, there were no decent people. Shiramine smiled faintly, pleased that his workload would be lighter.  

The discussion continued.  

“The current criteria for S-Rank Explorers clearly have their flaws. Don’t we bear some responsibility to review and revise the system?”  

“We need to move away from deciding S-rank status based solely on magical capacity…”  

“But isn’t that the global standard?”  

“That’s because we’ve never had such a slacker until now…… To think that someone like that could come from the supposedly diligent Japanese.”  

“In my younger days, there were no brats like him… Honestly, the youth these days…”  

The meeting continued to advance fully toward cutting off Amakusa.  

(The Association will never evaluate you fairly. But if you follow me… there will come a day when your power is properly recognized.)  

The discussion remained focused on absolving themselves of any blame and finding ways to paint Amakusa as the villain. No one in the room made any attempt to assess his abilities objectively. Of course, that was impossible anyway, as all data concerning him had been falsified by Shiramine.  

(Fools. They’re only interested in appearances and finding someone to blame for their failures… But that works in my favor.)  

Shiramine had deliberately manipulated Haruto Amakusa’s data to be vague and misleading. As a result, Amakusa was gradually being driven into isolation.  

(Haruto Amakusa… The ones you should hate are the Association and Japan itself. If you remain in this corrupt country, your abilities will never be put to proper use.)  

The glint in Shiramine’s eyes was cold. They carried a hint of madness.  

In the end, the executives unanimously agreed to place all the blame on Amakusa.  

Internally, Shiramine was confident that everything was proceeding as planned.  

(Just wait… Once you’ve fallen, I’ll be there to save you myself.)  

His cold smile deepened, etched with a resolve for the future.