I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 7

Episode 7

“Alright, that’s the end!”  

I swung my Bullet Sword, obliterating the last remaining monster.  

With that, silence finally returned to the dungeon.  

Thanks to Miyoshi-san and the others joining in partway, we managed to wrap things up earlier than expected. Around us, only white magic stones lay scattered. While abnormal variants stronger than regular monsters drop black magic stones, the rest yield white ones.  

And every magic stone here was small. …..The larger the stone, the stronger the monster that dropped it—at least, that’s the general rule. Larger stones are also said to have higher quality.  

Magic stones are widely used as fuel nowadays. Since larger stones contain more magical energy, they’re naturally worth more and fetch a higher price. That means big earnings.  

In summary, the Kamino Town Dungeon is a frustrating anomaly: the monsters are tough, but the money you can earn here isn’t worth it.  

In a rural town like this, with a dungeon that offers little in returns, there’s no reason for explorers to bother coming from afar. The result? Kamino Town perpetually suffers from a shortage of explorers.  

I took out my smartphone to take some pictures of the scene. But, as usual, nothing showed up in the photos. …For some reason, cameras don’t work in this dungeon. It’s not uncommon for certain dungeons to interfere with technology. And researchers are still studying the phenomenon.  

Some dungeons allow only phone calls or only internet access. It varies from one to another.  

As I turned my gaze to one of the nearby magic stones, Miyoshi-san approached me.  

“Thanks for your help, Haruto. Sorry to drag you back so soon after you just returned.”  

“Seriously. This dungeon throws a tantrum if I don’t keep an eye on it. It’s a huge pain, I tell you!”  

I kicked the dungeon wall in frustration.  

The kicks were filled with genuine anger. They produced loud bang! bang! sounds each time.  

“Hey, calm down. You’re scaring the new explorers who joined us today.”  

“Oh, right. …Thank you for participating today, everyone. It’d be great if you could join us again whenever you feel like it.”  

I smiled politely as I addressed the group. But the university-age explorers visibly flinched, their shoulders jerking up.  

What’s with the reaction?  

“Looks like that had the opposite effect. Anyway, I’ll handle the cleanup as usual.”  

“Sure. I’m counting on you. I’m off to grab some breakfast.”  

“Got it. If something comes up again, I’ll call you.”  

“Roger that!”  

I gave him a casual salute for fun and left the area.  

The Kamino Town Dungeon is like a needy child. In a few hours, it’ll probably start another hyperactivity spree, metaphorically crying out, “I miss Amakusa-kun!”  

If this were a little prank from a girl, it might be cute enough to tolerate. But no—it’s not cute, and I’m not tolerating it.  

Normally, dungeons don’t activate this frequently. Once a week or once a month is typical, and that’s only in places completely devoid of explorers.  

In that sense, the Kamino Town Dungeon is absurdly hyperactive.  

Because of that, I don’t have the luxury to challenge other dungeons.  

I can’t trust the Association, nor can I expect reinforcements from elsewhere. 

If I were to leave this town, who’d step in to handle the situation?  

—

Having successfully completed the suppression mission in the dungeon, I began walking home. On the way, I noticed an unfamiliar woman standing nearby.  

A beautiful woman in a suit.  

…Yeah, she’s really pretty. She had a slightly stern vibe, but it was well within my acceptable range.  

She’s probably not an office worker—no one strolls near a dungeon like this. Besides, today’s January 2nd. Most companies should be on holiday now. They are, right? Only explorers would be out working on a day like this.  

Or maybe…  

The Explorer Association might be an exception since they handle emergencies and don’t follow typical holiday schedules.  

………She’s probably associated with the Association.  

“Excuse me… Are you Haruto Amakusa?”  

She hesitated slightly as she called out to me. …She didn’t seem to dislike me. But she wasn’t exactly thrilled, either.  

…Well, given my online reputation, her reaction wasn’t surprising. Thanks to the internet’s love for trash-talking me, my first impression everywhere tends to be the worst.  

I had foolishly thought appearing on TV might help me meet someone nice. But reality is cruel.  

Not that I was seriously looking for a relationship—it’s hard to commit in a job where death can come at any moment. Losing me would only bring sadness to whoever was left behind.  

“Uh… Who are you?”  

Since I didn’t recognize her, I asked. She handed me a business card.  

“I’m terribly sorry. My name is Ryoko Kirishima, a staff member from the Explorer Association’s Akisaki City branch. I’ve come to investigate the current situation regarding this town’s dungeon.”

I took her business card.  

…So, it really was the Explorer Association.  

The Explorer Association is an organization that manages explorers and handles material trading. It also oversees explorer rank evaluations.  

Internally, it’s a dumping ground for retired government officials. It’s filled with people who know nothing about exploration but somehow end up managing it. Naturally, their operations are a total mess.  

“Oh, you’re from the Explorer Association? It’s rare for someone from the Association to come out here in person, isn’t it?”  

I said, letting my sarcasm show.  

The Explorer Association has its headquarters in Tokyo and branches in every prefecture. From there, branches extend to cities and towns. But in sparsely populated areas, one branch often oversees multiple municipalities.  

In this small town of Kamino, there’s no Explorer Association branch at all.  

That’s why the Association staff rarely visit. It leaves the local explorers to grumble endlessly.  

Just thinking about it made my irritation rise again.  

That smug grin of the last official! I’d even researched online how to knock someone out so hard they’d forget their own name.  

Kirishima-san’s eyebrow twitched slightly at my words.  

“Oh? Is that so? …I believe someone came here for an investigation about two weeks ago, though.”  

“Well, then I guess they must’ve come and gone without me noticing, just to check things out.”  

“…No, um… according to this report, they claim to have spoken with you, Amakusa-san. And confirmed there were ‘no issues’.”  

“Haah!? What the heck? I have no memory of that at all!”  

The previous official, Tanoue, wasn’t it? That guy. I thought he hadn’t been showing up lately, but turns out he just filed fake reports instead!  

“…It’s been the same kind of report every time. I’m your newly assigned liaison, so I came to formally introduce myself this time.”  

“……Then what about the dungeon issues I reported previously!?”  

“Your previous report? Are you referring to the claim that surges occur roughly once a week?”  

“That was two years ago!”  

“…It was that long ago?”  

…Crap. My voice got louder than I intended in my surprise.