I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 65

Episode 65 

—

We stepped out from the dungeon. As we escaped its unique atmosphere, a cold night breeze gently brushed our cheeks. 

“…….Let’s head home for now.” 

“Yeah…” 

Rin nodded slowly, but she still didn’t seem full of energy. She was trying to act like her usual self, with her tone and expressions. But it felt forced, like she was putting up a brave front. 

“I’ll walk you home, okay?” 

“…Thanks, Haruto.” 

She whispered softly, her voice tinged with relief. Hearing her like that, I felt like I had to say something. So I opened my mouth to speak. 

“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad you’re safe.” 

I gave her the warmest smile I could muster. Rin tried to smile back, but her expression was fragile. It was as though it might crumble at any moment. 

“…Sorry for dragging you into all of this.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re friends, right? It’s only natural to care.” 

“…Friends.” 

“Yeah, that’s right. Even Yuna was super worried about you. You should let her know you’re okay later, alright?” 

“…She was worried about me?” 

“Of course.” 

Rin gave a faint, tired smile before lowering her gaze. 

“………I was really scared. I thought maybe… maybe you and Yuna hated me too…” 

She looked away, her head bowed. It seemed like she was overthinking everything and seeing the world as her enemy. I needed to make things clear to her. 

Meeting her gaze directly, I placed my hands firmly on her shoulders. 

Rin flinched slightly in surprise. Her cheeks was turning a faint shade of red as she looked at me with wide eyes. 

“W-What is it?” 

She seemed a bit tense. But I spoke honestly, conveying my feelings. 

“There’s no way we’d hate you. You’re not the person the internet makes you out to be, and we know that. So if anything happens, talk to us. Don’t carry it all by yourself.” 

After hearing my words, Rin bit her lip. She then wiped her eyes with her sleeve. 

“…I see.” 

She said that quietly, and then tears began to fall. Big, unstoppable tears streamed down her cheeks. 

W-Wait a second! I was trying to cheer her up! 

“W-What’s wrong? Was it something I said? Did I gross you out or something!?” 

“No… It’s just… I’ve never had anyone worry about me like that before…” 

“S-Seriously? But… what about your family? Don’t they care about you?” 

“…My family doesn’t worry about me at all… Uwaaahhhh!” 

“H-Hey!” 

She burst into tears like a dam breaking. Come to think of it, I’d vaguely heard that her home life wasn’t great……. 

All I could do was rub her back gently and wait for her to calm down. 

—

After a while, Rin finally settled down, and I let out a small sigh. 

“Are you okay now?” 

“…Sorry, I kind of lost it for a moment.” 

It was more than “a moment”, but I didn’t point that out. I didn’t want to risk making her cry again. 

As Rin wiped her reddened eyes, I decided to ask. 

“…Your family really doesn’t care about you?” 

“…They don’t.” 

“…Why?” 

My mom always believed in me, right up until the end. My stepdad and even Yuna always offered me kind words every time I went off to work on dungeon surges. Isn’t that what family is supposed to do? 

Of course, I know not every family works like that, but… 

Rin pulled out her phone and showed me the screen. 

That explained everything. 

The messages were from her parents. But they were awful. Nearly all of them were demands for money. 

Looking at the timestamps on the messages, my anger only grew. Even while Rin was going through hell, her parents were hounding her for money without the slightest concern for her well-being. 

Explorers are often misunderstood. People only see the good side of their earnings and overlook the fact that they’re risking their lives. Non-ability users don’t grasp the brutal reality, choosing to focus only on the glamorous parts. 

Watching carefree streamers probably doesn’t help either. Since they only dive into dungeons they can safely handle, their streams seem almost like a game. It’s no wonder some people misinterpret the danger. 

Rin’s parents were probably the same way. But they live with her. They must see how much she struggles. 

“…What is this?”

“…My only value is… money. That’s all I am to them. My parents… don’t care about me at all.”  

…That’s infuriating.  

I hesitated to voice my anger, holding it back within me. After all, no matter how terrible they seemed, Rin might still care about them deeply as her parents.  

Quietly fuming inside, I continued to read through Rin’s messages with her parents.  

It looked like she had been sending them a considerable amount of money.  

“You shouldn’t send them money anymore.”

“I’ve thought about it… so many times. But… maybe, just maybe… someday, they might go back to being kind like they used to be… I thought they might…”  

…Could that ever happen?  

I hadn’t met Rin’s parents, so I couldn’t say for sure. But judging from their current interactions, it seemed unlikely.  

“…That sounds difficult.”  

“…Yeah.”

Rin seemed to understand as well.  

“But… if I lose my mom and dad… I’ll really be all alone… and that scares me.”  

“………”  

What could I say to her right now?  

I wanted to tell her she wasn’t alone. After all, we were here for her. And there were surely other people who cared about her and needed her.  

But what she meant was different. This wasn’t about friends or support—it was about something deeper. It was the irreplaceable connection of family. Something far more complicated.