I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 64

Episode 64 

“Rin, you don’t have to push yourself too hard. I don’t mind… honestly, I’d hate it more if something happened to you.” 

“…Sorry.” 

“Anyway, let’s rest for a bit now.” 

“…Okay.” 

Rin seemed utterly exhausted. She slowly closed her eyes, her breathing growing softer. She leaned against me, and I gently supported her. 

Noticing my touch, Rin quickly opened her eyes in a fluster. 

“S-Sorry… Haruto.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, we still need to clear this dungeon, right?” 

At my question, Rin nodded nervously. We couldn’t afford to fail the dungeon, knowing full well what might be said about us if we did. 

“…Yeah.” 

“For now, I’ll carry you until we reach the 100th floor. Just take it easy, okay?” 

“…Is that okay?” 

“Of course. Come on, hop on.” 

“W-Wait, that’s a bit… embarrassing…” 

“No one’s here to see anyway, so don’t worry about it.” 

“…Alright, I’ll take you up on that.” 

I turned my back to her, and Rin hesitantly wrapped her arms around me. 

………Despite telling her not to worry, I couldn’t help but notice… Rin was surprisingly well-built in certain areas. 

…Focus, don’t think about it. 

Honestly, men are the worst. Even in a situation like this….… I chastised myself while carrying her down the stairs. 

Soon, I could hear the sound of her soft breathing. 

With one hand, I pulled out my phone and sent Yuna a quick message: 

『I’ve safely met up with Rin.』 

She was probably worried, but the dungeon’s system allowed for communication. And Yuna replied almost immediately: 

『Got it.』 

It was the Association’s poor management that had pushed Rin to this point. 

There was no way someone in Rin’s current state could handle daily dungeon clearances. For that matter, no one could. Dungeon exploration should occur only every few days at most. 

Even S-Rank Explorers like Kiryu-san and others typically take breaks of several days after back-to-back dungeon runs. 

The management system is clearly flawed. 

If this disaster was caused by the Association’s incompetence, then it’s one thing, but… something about it feels deliberately abnormal. 

The abnormalities didn’t stop there. 

The public’s hostility toward Rin was another issue. 

I know not everyone in the country shares the opinions posted online or on social media. It’s likely just a small percentage of the population. But even so, I’ve been through this myself—when the internet and media simultaneously target someone, it feels like the whole world is against them. 

“The Association or someone higher up……. must be pulling the strings.” 

Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Either way, it’s despicable. 

Regardless, Rin once saved me. 

Not that it matters—this isn’t about owing her. 

If they’re going out of their way to corner my friends and the people around me, then we’re left with no choice but to fight back. 

It may take effort, and the outcome is uncertain. 

The Dungeon Agency, the Association Guild… we’re up against the government itself. 

Frankly, I don’t have many people I can rely on. I don’t even know what tactics they’ll use. And with my family to consider, I wasn’t planning on taking drastic action. 

But if staying silent means my life—and the lives of those I care about—are only going to get worse… then I have to act. 

Fortunately, unlike before, my words now carry more weight. 

I don’t know how this will end, but not acting would only make things worse. 

For now, I’ll focus on clearing this dungeon. Ignoring it would only give the Association more ammunition to corner Rin further. Until we’ve got a solid plan, it’s better to comply on the surface. 

—

Ignoring most of the monsters, I carried Rin past the 100th floor to the room with the dungeon core. 

The airflow in this dungeon was distinct, which made navigating it manageable even for me. 

“Rin, we’ve reached the dungeon core.” 

I called to Rin, who was still dozing on my back. She let out a faint murmur. 

“…Morning already?” 

Her sleepy voice was adorably out of it. 

“It’s still night. Come on, let’s destroy the core and get out of here.” 

“…Oh, we’re here already…” 

“Yeah.” 

Rin slid off my back and stared at the dungeon core. 

“Haruto, have you ever destroyed one before?” 

“Not yet.” 

“Want to try it?” 

I was tinged with curiosity. 

Feeling a bit of excitement, I nodded to Rin’s question.

“…….I think I’d like to try. How do I do it?” 

“Just slash it.” 

Got it. 

I raised my Bullet Sword overhead and swung it down toward the magic stone. 

The moment the Bullet Sword struck the dungeon core, a sharp clang rang out. And the magic stone shattered instantly. 

The ground trembled slightly. And in the next moment, the shards of the magic stone seemed to dissolve and disappear completely. 

“...Whoa. So, that’s how it works, huh?” 

“Yeah… Now, if we step onto this magic circle, we’ll return to the entrance.” 

The magic circle appeared the moment the dungeon core was destroyed. 

I’d heard about this before, but experiencing it firsthand was a first for me. 

I felt a bit nervous. 

“Shall we head back?” 

“…Yeah, let’s go back.” 

Rin nodded slowly, and we stepped onto the magic circle. It transported us to the first floor of the dungeon. 

There was a faint sense of floating—something I wasn’t entirely used to. 

“So, this is what it feels like.” 

“Yeah. After this, we just head outside, and we’re good.” 

……….Dungeon clearing. If you focus purely on completing it, it might actually be simpler than I thought. 

Though, maybe it’s because I’ve gotten used to the different dungeon layouts of the Kamino Town Dungeon. 

With that thought in mind, I exited the dungeon.