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  40   Mizuki: “S-class monster”

＿＿＿＿Mizuki Miyano＿＿＿＿

“Why is that happening?!”

While Koosuke finished his battle with Shun and started running, Mizuki and her companions were discussing what to do amidst the confusion caused by the sensation Koosuke felt.

The source of the aura they currently sense is stronger than any monster they have faced before… in fact, it was terrifying to an incomparable degree.

“Perhaps they didn’t defeat it completely,” Mizuki speculated, “or there’s a possibility of a new emergence. Either way, it’s undoubtedly an irregular presence.”

While Kana was in a state of panic, Mizuki and Asuka maintained relatively calm reactions. However, deep down, both of them couldn’t deny that their inner thoughts were far from their usual selves.

“What should we do?!”

“Of course—we’ll defeat it,” Asuka answered firmly, tightly gripping her spear in response to Kana’s almost panicked question.

“Can we do it? It seems like the boss of this place…”

While they were indeed S-class adventurers, they could have easily defeated ordinary monsters or dungeon bosses.

However, the source of the aura they sensed, though uncertain, was also S-class.

They had only been enrolled in school for about half a year, barely considered newcomers, and were still inexperienced. Could they really defeat it?

Mizuki anxiously asked Asuka, her voice tinged with doubt.

“What reason do we have to hesitate? Defeating monsters is what adventurers like us are supposed to do.”

“I know, but… it could be an A-class or even S-class monster…”

“Even so, it doesn’t matter.”

Yet, Asuka stood her ground.

Mizuki and the rest of their team didn’t waver either. Without any concerns, they focused their gaze straight ahead towards the overwhelming presence.

“If we back down here, that monster will attack the people waiting near the gate.”

They were in the midst of a ranked battle. Consequently, there were numerous equipment setups and a large gathering of people near the entrance to capture the battle’s footage.

No matter how powerful the enemy was, they had to defeat it here. At the very least, they had to buy enough time to prevent those people from being attacked.

For Asuka, who aimed to become an adventurer to protect people, it was something she couldn’t allow.

“Don’t you think they’ll chase after us regardless? If that’s the case, the outcome of fighting won’t change. So, if we’re going to fight anyway, it’s better to face them before we get exhausted from running. Don’t you agree?”

Upon hearing Asuka’s unwavering words, Mizuki and the others, who had received Koosuke’s advice to prioritize their own safety, furrowed their brows and looked at Asuka.

Yet, Asuka remained undeterred, looking straight ahead without hesitation.

Mizuki couldn’t help but find that kind of determination to stand up and protect someone cool.

(…I’m sorry.)

She knew it was foolish.

She knew it would be a waste of Koosuke’s teachings.

She understood that it was nothing more than self-indulgence.

—But even so.

“…Yes, you’re right. We can’t run away from this, can we?”

“Yes. That’s why we’ll defeat it right here.”

Mizuki stood by Asuka’s side, drew her sword again from its sheath, which she had put away for the purpose of escape, and prepared herself.

“Huh?! W-Wait, you’re really going to fight that thing!?”

“If you want to run away, please go ahead. I’m simply choosing to fight.”

Surprised by Mizuki’s sudden action, Kana, who had intended to flee, voiced her astonishment. But it was Asuka who responded to her.

“I’m not asking you, Mizuki!”

“I’m sorry, Kana. Haruka and Yuzu too. I feel like I can’t back down here.”

Her teammates were calling out to her. Surely, they were also criticizing Mizuki’s actions.

Mizuki felt a pang of guilt, but after a moment of hesitation, she gathered her resolve and spoke to her comrades.

“…I won’t force anyone. This is something I decided on my own without discussion. So—ouch?!”

However, Mizuki’s words, filled with determination, were forcefully interrupted by a hit to her head.

Holding her head in pain, Mizuki turned around to find Kana with a face that seemed both sad and angry.

“You idiot! Why… why… Argh! What nonsense are you spouting? We wouldn’t abandon our friends and run away!”

“I-I won’t run away either!”

“Same here.”

Hearing the words of her friends who chose to stand by her side despite her foolish decision, Mizuki smiled, appearing both helpless and genuinely happy.

“…Thank you.”

The fact that they were still laughing together despite the crisis situation remained unchanged. Seeing Mizuki and her friends, Asuka couldn’t help but recall the words Mizuki had once said about being the “best team.”

“Was I mistaken?”

“Huh?”

“No, never mind. More importantly… here it comes.”

And finally, the entity that had been emanating a powerful presence revealed itself.

Its body was massive, comparable in size to a single-family house.

In addition to the usual pair of arms, this enormous ape-like creature had numerous extra arms sprouting from its body, reminiscent of the Thousand-Armed Kannon.

Though it didn’t possess a thousand arms like the Kannon, there were still close to a hundred of them, or so it seemed.

However, these arms were not uniform in size. Some were thick and short, while others were thin and long.

This irregularity only served to amplify the terror of the monster.

“Gooooooaaaaah!!”

A piercing cry that sent shivers down the spine.

It bore no resemblance to the typical call of a primate; its sheer intensity was enough to render someone unconscious just by hearing it.

“Kuh! Haruka!”

“<Zekka>!”

In the instant Haruka chanted the spell, a small fist-sized flame appeared before her, hurtling towards the head of the giant ape.

The ape tried to dodge by bending its body, but such efforts were futile.

The moment the small flame reached above the ape’s head, it burst into a full blaze.

The power behind it was tremendous, capable of reducing an ordinary monster to ashes in an instant.

However, after the flames subsided, the giant ape remained with only slightly singed fur, bellowing in anger.

“This… looks like it’s going to be quite challenging.”

With a nervous drop of cold sweat, Mizuki focused her trembling body and locked her gaze on the monster.

The giant ape, fueled by anger from the sudden exposure to intense heat, let out a fierce cry and charged forward, extending its arms before it.

“Miyano-san!”

“Yes!”

In this situation, only Mizuki and Asuka could serve as the vanguard, drawing the enemy’s attacks.

While Kana was also part of the vanguard, most of her abilities were dedicated to offense, so she wasn’t particularly skilled at defending or evading.

Therefore, if Kana were to join Mizuki and the others in confronting the enemy, she would only end up being overwhelmed.

Feeling frustrated by this realization, Kana took action, determined to do what she could.

──◆◇◆◇──

Has it already been enough time since Mizuki and the others encountered the giant ape?

Whether it’s already enough or not is subjective, but for Mizuki and her team, it was still in the “not enough” category.

Despite only a short period of time having passed, their fatigue had already accumulated.

Part of it was due to their initial strategy of aiming for a quick battle, but even so, they should have had more room to spare if they were at their best.

However, during this short time, the three members other than Mizuki and Asuka had already triggered the healing barrier spread throughout the dungeon, which slowed down their movements.

Currently, they were focusing more on defense, but continuously evading attacks that could cause serious injuries with just a graze was tough for Mizuki and the others, who had never truly fought a battle where their lives were at stake.

“Gah!… Kana!”

“Sei, yaaaah!”

Nevertheless, even in such a fatigued state, Mizuki and her team fought on without giving up.

Mizuki and Asuka acted as decoys, while Haruka and Kana kept launching attacks, with Yuzu ready to heal any injuries.

They had already cut off several of the giant ape’s arms, giving the impression that they might somehow make it through this battle.

It was remarkable how they could continue fighting against their first formidable enemy like this.

“Take this!”

However, just like how top-class adventurers discarded common sense, top-class monsters also shattered conventional expectations.

The seemingly severed arms regenerated, and the giant ape struck Asuka, sending her flying.

“Asuka!”

Asuka, who had been struck and sent flying, slammed into the ground and bounced several times before finally crashing into a tree, coming to a stop.

She was alive and conscious, but unable to move.

Yuzu rushed over, but whether it was intentional or just a coincidence, Yuzu ended up on the exact opposite side of the monster from where Asuka was.

“Guh… Not yet… Not yet!”

With Asuka gone, leaving only Mizuki as a decoy, the giant ape’s attacks became even more ferocious.

Mizuki desperately tried to defend herself, but even before, when it was already a close call, she couldn’t handle the doubled number of attacks.

(At this rate… I’ll die–)

—Grrrrrrr!?

“Huh?”

In that moment, as Mizuki imagined a future that wasn’t too far away, the giant ape’s movements became erratic, and for some reason, it began clutching its own face.

“I clearly taught you to run if you encounter something unexpected, you fools.”

“Igami-san…”

And then, Koosuke Igami, one of the team members who had joined them as their instructor, appeared.