I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 6

Episode 6  

The day after the filming had wrapped up.  

It was winter break, so I didn’t have to go to school. I was having breakfast with Mom.  

On the table were steaming miso soup and grilled fish giving off a savory aroma.  

“How was the TV shoot?”  

Mom asked with a worried look on her face.  

“Hmm… well, it was okay. It was fun meeting all those famous people.”  

I said that to ease her concerns.  

If I didn’t participate, people would have a lot to say about it anyway. So, I just tell myself I’m doing my part as society’s pressure valve.  

……But, Mom probably already knows how I feel. 

Her gentle eyes were fixed on me with a tender gaze.  

Dad passed away when I was little. So it’s been just the two of us living together ever since.  

“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? You don’t have to worry about me. If you really don’t want to do this—”  

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m managing everything well enough, so don’t worry about me.”  

Mom has always been a worrier. If I showed even a hint of being down, she’d be overwhelmed with concern. That’s why I make sure to act cheerful.  

Besides, I’ve gotten used to this kind of treatment. So it doesn’t bother me anymore.  

The bigger problem is the internet. People say whatever they want under the cover of anonymity.  

Even though I’ve told Mom not to search for me online, I know she’s still curious.  

Someday, I’m going to file disclosure requests against those people—just wait.  

As I contemplated such thoughts, I continued eating breakfast.  

Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, my phone suddenly started ringing loudly.  

Ugh, here we go again.  

With a sense of foreboding, I quickly grabbed my phone. As expected, it was the usual caller.  

“Haruto! You’re back, right?! There’s been another surge of monsters in the Kamino Town Dungeon!”  

“Again….. it’s as chaotic as ever, huh?”  

“Yeah, sorry! This time it’s pretty intense, and we can’t contain it. Can you come right now?!”  

The caller was Kengo Miyoshi, a leader among the local explorers. He was older than me, around 30 years old.  

A dependable veteran explorer, ranked C, and second in skill only to me in this town.  

“What floor are we talking about?”  

“The fourth! Sorry for the early call!”  

“Got it. I’ll head there right away. Don’t get yourself killed.”  

“Yeah! Leave it to me!”  

Honestly, though, Miyoshi-san tends to overdo it. So I can’t help but worry.  

After ending the call, I turned to Mom.  

“Looks like I’ve got to head out, Mom.”  

“Alright… be careful, okay?”  

She waved me off with a smile.  

I put down my chopsticks, grabbed my weapon by the entrance, and rushed out of the house.  

—  

It’s been nearly a century since dungeons began appearing all over the world.  

Around thirty years ago, strange phenomena started occurring in these dungeons.  

These include the emergence of abnormal species and dungeon surges.  

Dungeon surges happen when monsters inside are left unchecked. They’re particularly common in rural dungeons because there aren’t enough explorers to handle them.  

During surges, monsters grow stronger, and some may even emerge outside the dungeon. They pose a threat not just to towns but entire nations.  

That’s why dungeons must be regularly cleared.  

For S-rank explorers like me, there’s no such thing as free time. It’s a harsh world.  

Especially in Kamino Town Dungeon, my local dungeon, the surge frequency is insane.  

It happens several times a day, which I’m pretty sure is a national record.  

But since the Explorer Association responsible for this town is utterly incompetent, they don’t report any of it to the higher-ups.  

Honestly, the Explorer Association is just a cushy job placement for useless people.  

I passed through the dungeon’s black vortex-like entrance, sprinted down the stairs, and quickly cleared the first, second, and third floors.  

Kamino Town Dungeon is vast, but moving through it doesn’t take much time because it’s not maze-like. If it were filled with walls and twists, navigating would take forever.  

When I reached the fourth floor as instructed, I saw a horde of monsters swarming around.  

The local explorers—and a few unfamiliar ones—were fighting desperately. But the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming. It looked like they were about to be overrun.  

“Miyoshi-san, are you alright?”  

Miyoshi-san was a well-built man in his early thirties with short-cropped black hair. 

His sun-tanned skin and the stubble on his chin added to his rugged appearance.  

He was decked out in functional armor and wielding an axe as he fought on the front lines.  

“Barely holding on…! But Haruto’s here now! We’re saved!”  

“Oh, finally! Haruto, we’re counting on you!”  

Hearing Miyoshi-san’s words, the local explorers broke into smiles.

However, some other explorers whispered curiously. They were probably university students seeing me for the first time.

“Isn’t that… the guy they call the weakest explorer in the world?”  

“…Isn’t he the one people make fun of online?”  

……They must be explorers from out of town.  

I gripped the weapon I had brought with me and charged toward the swarm of monsters closing in.  

Well, I didn’t have to deny anything—Miyoshi-san and the others would correct them for me.  

As I exhaled lightly, I heard Miyoshi-san’s voice from behind.  

“Don’t say such stupid things!”  

Oh, he’s going to set them straight! Go for it, Miyoshi-san!  

At the same moment his words reached my ears, I swung my Bullet Sword with full force—  

“Haruto is strong.”  

—slashing through the monsters, dispatching others with single strikes as they came at me.  

With a casual twirl of my Bullet Sword, I cleared away the surrounding monsters.  

Each one fell in a single blow.  

I didn’t give them the slightest chance, wiping them out entirely.  

“…Wow.”  

“…What? What just happened?”  

…Well, I *am* an S-rank explorer, after all.  

The only reason my reputation is iffy is because of all the peculiarities of this dungeon.  

Even when I report things to the Association, they dismiss my words as lies without proper investigation.  

Because the Association says so, everyone else denies it too.  

Yesterday’s filming? I turned it down at first, but Kiryu-san and the Association ordered me to attend. They said they needed more people for an event to recruit future explorers.  

“Don’t refuse just because you’re free, idiot!” 

What do you mean free? I’m busy!  

No matter how many times I report the truth, they only call me a liar. I seriously hate all of them.  

I channel all that frustration into fighting the monsters.  

Every one of their faces, I imagine as Kiryu-san’s or the Association staff’s, and I slash them down mercilessly.  

Amid the confused voices of the other explorers, I imbued my Bullet Sword with magical energy and unleashed a blast.  

The Bullet Sword is a weapon that combines a sword and a gun.  

It was the first weapon I ever chose. And while many say it’s “hard to use”, I couldn’t care less.  

The reason I use it? Romance. At first, anyway.  

Now, I think maybe I should have chosen a more practical weapon, considering how people constantly suggest that I switch.  

But come on, a sword and a gun combined? That’s obviously the strongest. It’s like curry and a cutlet together—it’s unbeatable!  

…….…Though I don’t actually like curry cutlets.  

These days, the Bullet Sword is the weapon I find easiest to use. So I stick with it.  

It has a mechanism to shoot magical energy as bullets. And as a sword, its sharpness is excellent.  

I can also channel magic to enhance its cutting edge.  

With each swing, the monsters are blown away one by one.  

I accelerate further, activating my physical enhancement ability, Overforce.  

Kiryu-san gave my ability its name.  

Actually, he names all the abilities of S-rank explorers. He seems to enjoy it.  

To be honest, I don’t like the name. But it’s stuck now, so I just go with it.

Still, it’s better than Kanzaki’s… ‘Ice Princess’. Even though the public has embraced that nickname, it’s clearly tied to her current appearance.  

…….Will she still use that name when she’s an old woman? Or will she change it to ‘Ice Crone’?  

(Note: Crone means an ugly old woman.)

Incidentally, my ability is ridiculed online as a “useless power”.  

The logic is that ability and magic users are already physically superior, so enhancing those stats doesn’t add much value.  

If I’m honest, I do envy people like Kanzaki or Kiryu-san who can summon ice or lightning……  

But I kept cutting through the enemy hordes. I wielded my sword and unleashed gunfire.  

Making full use of the Bullet Sword’s combination of melee and ranged attacks, I continued to take down the monsters.