Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Chapter 25   Five years ago was shitty

“I said I’ll let you win, but you need to understand the rules first. Can’t do anything if you don’t know them.”

Miyano left the alchemy room momentarily, saying she needed to use the restroom, but she returned soon after, and we decided to proceed with the conversation.

“Well, first things first, do you know the basic rules?”

“I don’t.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know.”

Miyano looked at me with wide eyes, surprised by my response, but if I don’t know something, I simply don’t know.

“Um… You did attend this school, right?”

“I did, but only for a short period. I’m aware there were events like the sports festival and ranking battles, but I never participated. To be honest, I didn’t even have the luxury to care about such things. I didn’t have any days off.”

“Is short-term enrollment really that harsh?”

Miyano frowned, but I suppose the severity of short-term enrollment isn’t widely known. Well, the separate building for short-term students speaks for itself.

“It’s terrible, absolutely terrible. It’s not something I would recommend to anyone. Like I said before, they try to cram as much as possible into one year, but if you just go about it normally, one year is nowhere near enough. That’s why we have classes for 365 days a year, making the most of our time. Technically, we had half-days off, but even that was once a week at best.”

I understand that natural awakeners like us who are over thirty aren’t expected to excel, but I still think the treatment is harsh.

“So, even though I attended, I was completely clueless about school events. At most, I heard rumors after graduating. But even that didn’t matter much because delving into dungeons was more important, so I didn’t bother researching or anything.”

“I see, I understand. Well then, let me explain from the basics.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

When I requested that, Miyano slightly relaxed her expression and smiled before starting the explanation.

“The ranking battles, although they are referred to as the Sports Festival, actually span over a month-long period.”

“A month? Wow, that’s quite long.”

“Yes. However, there are two types of ranking battles: individual and team-based. It’s not possible to finish them in just one or two days. But since it’s difficult for everyone to participate, after conducting the minimum required events for all participants, only the teams that applied for participation engage in simultaneous battles… Oh, by ‘simultaneous,’ I mean they fight in different locations, with one-on-one matches taking place at various venues.”

Is it to maintain the minimum appearance of a school event by ensuring everyone participates?

If it’s called a Sports Festival but people can’t participate, the general public would surely complain.

Nevertheless, rankings, huh…

“Well, first of all, what exactly is this ‘ranking’? I understand it determines the order, but what kind of ranking is it and for what purpose? Is it to join a major team after graduation?”

“That’s one aspect of it, but the objectives differ between first and second-year students and third-year students. For third-year students, as I mentioned earlier, it’s about preparing for post-graduation. However, it’s not the same for first and second-year students. By achieving a high ranking, they receive various benefits and conveniences.”

“Benefits, huh…”

“Yes. For example, they receive exemptions from certain classes, and even if they cause minor problems, they may be overlooked. They also receive support when dealing with external companies or teams. They are provided with special rooms, reserved for top-ranked students, in the dormitories. And there are many other privileges as well.”

“So, it’s like a privileged class.”

“Yes. That’s why those with sufficient skills aim higher and higher.”

Considering the government’s involvement in this school, it seems that assigning rankings aligns with their intentions. It’s probably meant to foster competition and enhance the strength of adventurers.

To cultivate strong adventurers, they are willing to deviate from the norm to some extent.

Well, I can understand their perspective to some extent. From the perspective of those in positions of power who haven’t awakened, an increase in Gates would likely be seen as a crisis.

“Hmm. Well, I understand about the rankings, but can you actually fight against the opponents?”

“…They probably manipulate the match schedule.”

“Can ordinary students really do that? Isn’t that usually decided by teachers or randomized?”

“The teachers do a final check, but the student council is primarily responsible for creating the match schedule.”

“I see. She’s part of the student council, right?”

“Yes. Normally, she’s not the type to resort to such strong measures…”

“Well, as long as it’s certain that we’ll have a match.”

If they manipulate the match schedule, they’ll probably arrange for Miyano and me to face each other in the first round. Otherwise, if one of us gets eliminated midway through, all the effort put into setting up the stage would be in vain.

Even if we manage to claim victory over them, it’s highly unlikely they’ll have more remaining participants than Miyano’s group… probably.

We only had a brief conversation back then, but I don’t think she’s the type to be satisfied with such an outcome. She’s the kind of person who confronts head-on and only accepts recognition under those circumstances… or so I believe.

If I’m wrong, well, let’s proceed with this assumption for now.

To devise a strategy, we need to know their capabilities.

Speaking of which, since it’s called a ranking, the opponents must have their own rankings. I wonder what rank they hold.

“By the way, what rank are you guys at the moment?”

“If we’re talking about first-year students only, we’re around 15th place. There are about 50 groups in our year, so it’s considered relatively high. As for the overall rankings, I think we’re probably not below 100.”

“Well, if there are upperclassmen, that’s understandable. And what about the opponents?”

“…First place in their year. Around 30th place overall.”

“30… That’s tough.”

“Yes… However, that evaluation was before the summer break, so I believe they can achieve an even higher rank now.”

Miyano briefly cast her gaze downward, but quickly transformed her expression into one filled with determination.

“But well, they’re just students after all. We made that promise earlier, to let them taste defeat.”

“Yes!”

“Anyway, let’s get back to the details of the rules.”

“Oh, right. Sorry for getting off track.”

“No, it was me who veered off. It’s my fault, actually.”

And then, Miyano cleared her throat and resumed explaining the rest of the rules.

“So, the basic rule is essentially a ‘treasure hunt.’ Have you heard of it? About five years ago, they started organizing tournaments as official competitions, even outside the school, under the name ‘Adventure Hunt’…”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I think I’ve heard of it. Haven’t seen it though.”

Five years ago… It was around the time when I was busy with awakening and attending school. It remained equally hectic for three years even after I started working in the general field. And afterward, I never had the luxury to risk my life and watch sports events.

On my days off, I slept as if I were dead, and I couldn’t even watch TV properly. What did I see… No, I haven’t even checked the weather forecast.