I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 57

Episode 57

Rin Kanzaki was in the classroom. 

It had been a while since her last day at school, as she had been spending time sporadically tackling dungeon explorations. 

Sitting at her desk by the window, she gazed absentmindedly at the scenery outside. 

The noisy hum of the classroom filled her ears. 

Yet, she couldn’t help but feel detached from it all. It was as if it were someone else’s story. Maybe it was because she had always kept a distance from people. 

(…I don’t have any friends… That’s why I don’t really like school.) 

Propping her cheek on her hand, she unconsciously toyed with her long, silver hair. 

She remembered a doctor once explaining that the translucent silver hue of her hair was a result of her extraordinary abilities. 

When she was younger, her hair had been black. But as her magical power grew rapidly, her hair’s color gradually faded. It eventually became what it was now. 

For those with strong supernatural abilities or magic, physical changes like this were not uncommon. 

In Rin’s case, it manifested in her hair. 

As a child, her unusual hair often made her a target for comments like: 

“Kanzaki-san is so weird.” 

“Your hair color is creepy.” 

She had lost count of how many times she had heard such remarks. Children, with their innocence and cruelty, had often said such things to her. 

Even now, as a high schooler, nothing had changed. 

When her classmates noticed Rin, their whispers began again. 

“Kanzaki-san got confessed to by another underclassman, didn’t she?” 

“…Apparently so? She turned him down, though.” 

“Wow, again? Guys keep getting fooled by her looks, don’t they?” 

During breaks, the girls’ voices carried through the room. Their words were unreservedly directed at Rin. 

Rin exhaled softly, pretending not to hear them. 

“I guess boys like those ‘calculated beauties’ like Kanzaki.” 

“Seriously, it’s gross.” 

The harsh words spoken just loudly enough to be heard pierced her ears. 

She could only silently endure the barbs, knowing they were meant for her. 

(…It’s not like I’m interested in any of this.) 

She didn’t want to stand out. She just wanted to live normally. 

But no matter how much she tried to avoid attention, she always ended up a target. 

Rejecting a confession would invite more gossip. 

Even chatting with someone briefly could spark bizarre rumors. 

“I heard Kanzaki doesn’t even want a boyfriend.” 

“Yeah, she just likes turning guys down, doesn’t she?” 

(…That’s not true. I’m just not interested…… though, maybe right now, Haruto does make me curious…) 

Clenching her lips tightly, Rin tried to suppress the complex emotions stirred by the mocking voices. 

Even the whispers from the corner of the classroom reached her ears. She tried desperately to block them out, lowering her head. But the voices persisted. 

“She’s totally just toying with those guys, isn’t she?” 

“I heard some people actually like silver hair, but what’s appealing about something so gross?” 

Every jealous remark felt like a knife, leaving a cold lump in her chest. 

She couldn’t understand why she deserved such treatment. 

Even people she had never spoken to used her name, “Rin Kanzaki,” in their gossip. 

No one truly saw her; they only played with her name and appearance as if she were an object. 

(I’m not special at all…) 

From a young age, Rin had been shy. She rarely initiated conversations. Yet, because of her appearance, she became a conspicuous figure. 

Her translucent silver hair—though it symbolized her abilities—was a burden no one else could understand. 

At her first school transfer, her hair made her stand out. It marked her as an “individual with special abilities”. 

It was the same at every school she attended. 

At first, many approached her out of curiosity. 

But soon, that curiosity turned into jealousy and resentment, making her a target. 

Rin often wished people would just leave her alone, even if her reserved personality was partly to blame. 

No matter what she did, there was no right answer. 

Her days were a relentless drain. She was consumed by the harshness of her surroundings. 

As Rin slumped over her desk, weighed down by her gloomy thoughts, someone called out to her. 

“Hey, Kanzaki-san.” 

It was a classmate, their face twisted into an unpleasant smirk. 

Rin could sense the hostility but knew that ignoring them would only worsen the rumors. She slowly responded. 

“…What?” 

Rin raised her head, and the classmate spoke with exaggerated amusement. 

“Recently, you’ve been pretty popular online, haven’t you?” 

“Online?” 

Rin reflexively asked. And the classmate held up their phone, laughing. 

“Look, this. Isn’t it hilarious?” 

Rin’s eyes were drawn to the screen, where her name was plastered across it. 

The screen was filled with critical comments about her—cruel words that felt like countless wounds being reopened. 

“Wow, it’s amazing how special ability users really stand out! Must be nice to be famous,” 

The sarcasm in their comment was painfully obvious.