I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 4

Episode 4  

I sighed in relief and joined the others as we moved outside.  

The piercing glares were excruciating. After my argument with Kiryu-san, the audience’s hatred for me was practically tangible. Maybe being a tank would suit me after all, given how much aggro I draw.  

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.…Outside the studio, an overwhelming crowd had gathered. 

If a meteor fell here, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe of epic proportions. 

In this age of social media, it’s so easy for someone’s location to be tracked.  

A live broadcast practically guarantees a swarm of people showing up.  

Security guards were doing their best to manage the crowd. But even so, the fervent cries of fans rang out.  

“Kiryu-san!”  

“Look over here, Kiryu-san!”  

“Kanzaki-san…!”  

They were treating them like full-fledged idols at this point.  

I strained my ears, but I didn’t hear anyone calling my name.  

My fans must all be under the weather. Or maybe they’re just shy. Yeah, let’s go with that.  

As I wallowed in my solitary misery, a sudden commotion erupted.  

“What!?”  

“Kyahhh!”  

“Huh? What’s happening? A monster!?”  

A huge boar-like monster—a Knight Boar—had appeared on the road outside.  

Its body was clad in something akin to armor, with three black magic stones embedded in its flesh.  

Black magic stones signify that a monster is an abnormal variant.  

“W-What’s happening!? An abnormal monster here in the middle of the city!?”  

The host and the camera crew were panicking, while Kiryu-san calmly raised his index finger toward the camera.  

“No problem. Who do you think is here?”  

Kiryu-san, do you really always say it like that? That’s so lame. Please stop.  

The crowd of fans, however, erupted in cheers. Seriously? These people are unbelievable.  

“….What’s this!? It seems Kiryu-san will take on the abnormal monster himself!!”  

“Let’s go, Rin-chan.”  

“Don’t call me by my name.”  

What about me? It seems Kiryu-san doesn’t even acknowledge my existence.

The host was utterly thrilled. He announced Kiryu-san’s move as he leaped into action.  

…….Well, I guess I’ll go too. If I don’t, I’ll just get criticized again.  

As I prepared to follow, the Knight Boar swung its sharp tusks. It launched a nearby car into the air.  

The car flew straight toward a group of children walking nearby.  

That damn monster! It’s targeting the kids!  

Kiryu-san paid no attention to the children and charged directly at the Knight Boar.  

That’s just like him.  

Frustrated, I dashed toward the children to help. My eyes briefly met Kanzaki’s.  

“I’ll take care of the kids!”  

“……….”  

Kanzaki nodded without hesitation and moved to support Kiryu-san in dealing with the monster. 

……Well, the quicker they take down the monster, the less damage there’ll be. I’ll leave that to them.  

Before the flying car could hit the children, I jumped between them, catching it with one hand.  

“You guys okay?”  

“….Huh?”  

I absorbed the car’s impact entirely and placed it down gently.  

…Too bad for the car’s owner. There’s no way I can fix this. Hopefully, they have insurance for monster-related damages.  

As I thought about that, I looked at the two kids. They were on the verge of tears.  

The older brother was holding his little sister protectively in his arms. 

“Are you hurt?”  

“N-No…”  

The boy was trembling and looked like he could burst into tears at any moment. So I patted his head.  

“You did a great job protecting your sister. That was really brave of you. It’s okay now.”  

“…Y-Yeah… Th-Thank you, mister!”  

“I’m not a mister. I’m your big brother, got it?”  

Seriously. Kids sure know how to crack jokes.  

While cheering them up, I glanced back at the Knight Boar.  

…Well, would you look at that. The poor thing was getting absolutely wrecked. 

Kanzaki’s ice had immobilized it, while Kiryu-san’s lightning struck it dead-on.  

The crowd erupted into wild cheers, the atmosphere electric with excitement.  

……I’d better head back before someone starts complaining about me again.  

“Alright, take care, okay?”  

“…..Thanks, big brother!”  

I smiled at the kids and headed back to where Kiryu-san and the others were.  

As I got closer, I could hear the host’s excited voice.  

“Amazing! As expected of Kiryu-san, what a flawless victory!”  

The cameras had captured every moment of the fight with the Knight Boar.

The Knight Boar was now fully defeated. It dissolved into mist, leaving behind only a black magic stone. Kiryu-san picked it up and held it high for all to see.  

“Kiryu-san has added another abnormal variant to his tally! What an excellent start to the New Year!”  

“Thank you. But this time, let’s count it as both Rin-chan’s and my accomplishment.”  

Hey, hold up! I rescued those kids; doesn’t that count for at least 0.5 or something?  

Should I hold one of the kids up and shout, “I saved them!”?  

………..No, that would just be embarrassingly lame.  

“That sounds like a good idea!”  

The camera zoomed in on Kiryu-san, and the crowd erupted into cheers.  

…Honestly, I’m pretty sure we’re not going to have time to visit the shrine now.  

As I was thinking about that, Kanzaki walked over to me.  

“Aren’t you going to get in front of the camera?”  

“Not really. Anyway, are those kids okay?”  

“Yeah, no issues.”  

“…Good.”  

Kanzaki said that and glanced toward the cameras.  

……At least no one got hurt. That’s all that matters.