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 3 The social status of the girls

“Perhaps you all are in a situation where you need to enter the dungeon due to school lessons or assignments? However, it seems like there are only three of you. To enter the dungeon, with few exceptions, you need a minimum of four people. It seems like you’re struggling to find one more person to join. Is that the situation?”

“Yes. There should have been one more person, but she fell ill…”

“In that case, why not wait for her to recover before attempting the challenge?”

“It’s not possible. The deadline for this exam is one week, and we only have three days left, including today. But it doesn’t seem like she’ll recover in time…”

As Hiro suggested, I also thought that it would be better to reschedule and attempt the challenge later. However, it seems that it’s not possible.

Only three days left, and it’s truly cutting it close.

Dungeons can take longer than a day to conquer, depending on the location. In fact, it’s often the case.

Considering that these girls are likely inexperienced, they probably won’t venture into a place that requires overnight stays. However, even so, we need to consider the possibility of failure.

If they fail and have only two days left, one day would have to be used for preparation and rest for treatment. Then, the next day would be the second attempt. If they can’t attempt it today, they would have to give up on the second attempt or sacrifice their rest day. That would be quite risky.

That’s why, despite the slight recklessness, they probably decided to attempt it today.

“But, will it be okay if we participate? Doesn’t the sick girl need to come along for us to pass?”

“No, the pass or fail evaluation is conducted on a team basis, so as long as she is affiliated with the team, even if she doesn’t participate, it will still be considered a pass. Additionally, external assistance is allowed for up to one person per team.”

“External assistance, huh…”

“…So, is it still not possible?”

“Ah… wait a moment.”

After Hiro politely declined the offer to the girl, he turned back to us.

“What do you think?”

If we leave them as they are, they will likely invite someone else. It’s not a problem in itself, but there’s no guarantee that the person they choose will be reliable.

If they happen to encounter an unsuitable person, the girls might die on their first dungeon experience. That would be bad enough, but there’s also a possibility of incidents where they take advantage of these girls, thinking that no one is watching. Such incidents are not unheard of.

While these girls are strangers we just met, being in a position to prevent such a tragedy and later finding out something happened would leave us feeling terrible.

Hiro must have had the same thoughts, which is why he asked us for our opinion.

“Isn’t there no choice but to do it?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m confident that we’ll regret it if we abandon them here.”

“I feel the same… Honestly, it feels like a hassle though.”

And that was the sentiment shared by the three of us.

Having just returned from the dungeon not long ago, we were exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and rest.

But leaving them behind like this was also not an option we wanted to take.

“Um… By the way, would it be alright if you told us your roles and ranks?”

Upon hearing our question, Hiro let out a sigh and turned towards the girl. But as Hiro spoke, the girl’s face brightened, perhaps sensing a willingness to participate.

“Yes, I’m a swordsman, ranked as Special Class. This girl here is a first-class warrior, and this one is a first-class healer.”

“…No way. Special Class… Seriously…”

Hiro was surprised by the girl’s words, struggling to find a response. But that was to be expected.

Special Class… It was something extraordinary even among adventurers.

Among adventurers, there are ranks that indicate the degree of awakening or talent. It could be equated to aptitude. Ranging from Third Class to First Class. That’s the basic hierarchy.

However, there are those who surpass these basic ranks and break through to even higher levels. That’s what Special Class represents.

Special Class is said to be rare even among adventurers. It probably doesn’t exceed 1% of the whole. Only a handful of geniuses.

Technically, within the Special Class, there are further divisions like Special First Class or Special Second Class. Some even receive titles like “Hero.” However, those are determined based on achievements in their activities as adventurers, so they don’t apply to her as a student. She’s just a Special Class without any additional titles.

But even so, the fact remains that the girl standing before us is one of the few geniuses in the world.

Moreover, her companions are quite impressive as well. While they don’t reach the level of Special Class, being First Class is still a remarkable talent.

The difference between Third Class and First Class is like the difference between a bicycle and a sports car. And Special Class is like a jet plane. It’s not even a matter of comparison anymore.

“Even though we’re all just Third Class, does it really not matter?”

That being said, these girls who belong to an amazing team of First and Special Classes, unfortunately, all of us are just Third Class. Normally, we wouldn’t be able to join the same team.

“Yes.”

Nevertheless, the girl nodded.

“So, you’re saying you just need someone to fill the numbers and as long as we can at least protect ourselves, it’s not a problem?”

“Well… yes.”

It was clear that what they were seeking from us was not strength but merely to fill the numbers.

Perhaps feeling it would be impolite to state it so directly, the girl nodded with a hint of apology.

“…From what I can tell, you’re first-year students, right? So this would be your first time diving into a dungeon?”

“Yes. That’s why we’ve been taking our time to prepare, but during that time, the other member…”

“I see…”

Hm? What’s wrong?

After listening to the girl’s explanation, Hiro suddenly turned around and looked at us. Well, at us, or rather, at me? Our eyes met.

And then, Hiro whispered something to his companion who was standing beside him, Machida Yasuhiko—also known as Yasu. Yasu’s eyes widened in surprise as he glanced at me.

After seeming to come to a realization, he nodded and said he was going to the restroom before leaving the scene.

Clearly, it wasn’t really about going to the restroom… What’s going on?

Well, it’s Hiro’s instruction, so it shouldn’t be inconvenient for these girls. Maybe he’s going to find an acquaintance or talk to the guild staff or something like that?

“Then, it works out perfectly.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t mind sending a reinforcement for you guys.”

“Really!?”

As expected, they’re willing to help. Well, I thought they would.

But if that’s the case, who will they send? Will we all go together? …No, that’s not possible. We’re fine, but one of our companions, Kei—Okazaki Kei, is not in a condition to fight today. It’s not that he’s injured, but he has depleted his magical energy, which is required to use magic.

Moreover, if we add four people to their team, it will be a composition of three girls and four adult men.

If we were already close, it would be fine, but we’ve just met. The situation of having more adult men than the girls might make them feel uneasy.

In reality, if they have a Special Class member, Third Class wouldn’t matter much, but emotions are a different matter.

In that case, what their team composition needs is a rear guard. Among us, it’s either me or Kei, but Kei is out of the question due to the reason I mentioned earlier. Besides, they already have a healer like Kei among them.

Which means… it’s me.

So, that’s why Hiro looked at me earlier, right?

…Sigh. Well, I didn’t want to abandon them, and there’s no other choice…

“Yeah. However, there are conditions.”