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

Volume 3 Chapter 0 and Chapter 1 - A hectic future and Tactical instructor

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

Volume 3 Chapter 0    A hectic future

“——As expected, it turned out like this.”

Even though our vision was limited by the rain pouring down in front of us, there was a presence that we could clearly recognize.

It wasn’t because they possessed immense power or had a large physical stature.

They were small and weak, about fifty centimeters in size, the kind of creatures that even someone like me could easily kill with a single blow.

Flying jellyfish, colored in a reddish-purple hue. That’s what they were, to put it simply.

The noteworthy aspect was that these creatures were monsters flying through the sky.

As I pondered earlier, these jellyfish were weak enough for even me to defeat.

However, despite their weakness, we felt threatened by them, even in this limited field of vision, where we could clearly discern their presence.

Why? It’s because, even though we knew they were mere weaklings, we had to be on guard against them, and their sheer numbers filled the sky so densely that we could unmistakably identify them, even in the midst of rain.

“Wait, aren’t there too many of them?”

“A hundred or two hundred doesn’t feel like enough…”

“A thousand… or even ten thousand?”

“Well, surely not a million… right? They couldn’t possibly be that many…”

“I wonder. Considering that a similar scene is likely unfolding over there, I can’t help but think that it might not just be a million, but even more digits added to it…”

As far as the eye can see, jellyfish. If this is the center of their swarm, their numbers might not exceed a million.

However, if this isn’t the center and we can only see a fraction of the whole, the number of jellyfish could potentially surpass not just a million, but even ten million.

Likely, that line of thinking is correct. This is still only a fraction of the jellyfish in existence.

And their numbers will continue to increase.

“We understand the situation. Let’s retreat for now.”

We didn’t originally come here to defeat them. They’re irregular. They’re enemies we shouldn’t have encountered in the first place.

Given the current circumstances, it might be tough to fight them without having our equipment compatibility sorted out.

While our goal remains to find a way to deal with them, I decided it would be unwise to charge in against that many, and instead told Miyano and the others to back off temporarily for a discussion.

However, the moment we conveyed that message and began to withdraw, the jellyfish, who were simply floating in the air without doing anything, simultaneously extended their tentacles towards us.

“!?”

Before those tentacles could reach us, they were repelled by the barrier erected by Kitahara to protect ourselves from the pouring rain. However, they persisted in their pursuit, continuously being deflected.

Although they hadn’t attacked us until now, observing closely, I noticed that the shape of those tentacles had changed, with their tips now resembling needles. It seemed they were equipped with a means to prevent their prey from escaping.

Even though they had shown no signs of aggression until a moment ago, they launched this fierce attack the instant we tried to leave.

If I were to speculate the reason behind it, could it be because we were trying to distance ourselves from them?

“What are these things?! Why did they suddenly start attacking?!”

As I pondered why they had started moving, I heard Asada’s panicked voice. Realizing that there was no time to contemplate further, I decided that escaping from this situation should be our priority and shifted my focus.

“Tch! Asada, carry Kitahara. Miyano, carry Abe. Let’s run! Kitahara, reinforce the barrier, while Abe and Miyano take care of the ones in front!”

“Yes!”

With the additional activation of magical artifacts on top of Kitahara’s barrier, it should hold for a while longer.

Since Kitahara and Abe, who were both magic users, running at full speed would present a problem, I entrusted them to Miyano and Asada.

To be honest, I’m the one with the lowest abilities, so I’d prefer to be carried as well. However, I must remain ready to move at any moment, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to be carried by a girl while fleeing. It’s mostly a matter of pride for me.

“Even if we run, they keep chasing us!?”

“Nevertheless, running is our only option for now!”

“Is it impossible to wipe them out?”

“If we don’t eliminate them completely, they’ll keep pursuing us. Can we aim for total annihilation against creatures that multiply with a single blow? Just focus on escaping!”

Even if Abe launches a wide-range attack, it will temporarily clear the ones trailing behind us, but it won’t be enough to eliminate the ones in the distance.

It’s like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. Honestly, it’s futile. It would be better to focus on escaping.

“Igami-san, this is really impossible! They’re still chasing us, and their numbers have increased since before!”

“Damn it!”

However, the movements of the jellyfish are faster than anticipated, and we can’t easily shake them off.

Moreover, the number of jellyfish that were originally present in our path—where we had passed through—has significantly multiplied.

I believe that the moment they sensed our escape, they received some form of instruction, causing them to divide and increase in number. There’s an abundance of prey here, after all.

“Hold on! Even if we put down the container, we can’t stop! That barrier might be somewhat useful!”

Damn it! How did it come to this?

Certainly, this place is a dungeon. We can’t completely eliminate the possibility of encountering irregularities.

But we were only here for the preparations for the cultural festival.

It was supposed to be a fun student event, so why do we have to engage in this life-or-death chase?

If someone’s responsible for this, I’ll hold a grudge against you, God!

Coming here to collect materials and once again encountering irregularities… What kind of odds are we up against?

──◆◇◆◇──

Volume 3 Chapter 1   Tactical instructor

“Ah… This is what they mean by the impermanence of all things,” I murmured as I gazed at the sky from the school training grounds.

Why am I here? I quit being an adventurer, didn’t I?

I still kept my adventurer license, but I went through the proper procedures to leave my team.

So why am I now clad in armor with a sword hanging from my waist? And why am I in a place I thought I would never return to, especially in this state?

Well, I know why things turned out this way… It’s completely unfair.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Yeah, get it together. Do your job, ‘sensei,'” said Asada Kana and Miyano Mizuki, my teammates who were also armed, as they approached me.

Miyano called me “sensei,” but it wasn’t because I taught them anything profound.

Well, from their perspective, there is some truth to that, but the correct reason is that with the official licensing of instructors, the role of a tactical instructor became equivalent to that of a teacher, hence being called “sensei.”

Although I don’t actually stand in front of a classroom and teach, I still impart knowledge to the students. Categorically speaking, I fall under the teacher category as a public servant.

Well done, me! I’ve transitioned from a rootless adventurer to a government employee! … Sigh. It’s not a role I aspired to.

… I wonder if time can be turned back.

No, there’s no problem with quitting being an adventurer. There was no issue until I quit. If there’s a problem, it lies in what happened afterward.

… I wish I had chosen a different profession.

“… We’ve decided to move forward, but aren’t we rushing a bit?” I murmured.

On the day of the school attack incident, I had a dream or rather a hallucination of my ex-lover.

Thanks to that, I was able to convince myself to move forward from the past. But even if I want to move forward, isn’t it a bit too hasty?

After quitting as an adventurer, I wanted to take it easy for at least a year, sort out my thoughts, or well, live like that.

Mika, you pushed me forward… But you didn’t expect things to unfold like this either, did you?

With thoughts of my deceased ex-lover’s face in my mind, I sighed deeply and decided to respond to my team members in front of me.

And so, for various reasons and circumstances, I found myself once again working as a member of Miyano’s team and as a “Tactical Instructor.”

Well, it may sound grandiose with the addition of “tactical,” but to be honest, there isn’t much of a difference between the previous “Instructor” role I had and the new role of “Tactical Instructor.”

It’s mostly the same as before, diving into dungeons, participating in classes with the students… well, that’s about it.

However, unlike the part-time instructors who simply recruit students through individual negotiations, being a Tactical Instructor is a legitimate job, and a government position at that.

In other words, what’s different is that the working hours are clearly defined, and the tasks to be done or not done are clearly specified.

Previously, I only had to take care of the minimum required classes a few times a week, but now I have to go to school every day.

Well, even though I say every day, there are weekends off, but still, it’s five days a week at school. It’s a bit tough.

Well, even in a regular job, it’s five days a week, but because of the reasons and circumstances that led me to be here, it feels burdensome, you know?

Technically, I’m a government employee, so I do get paid, right? The salary is quite good, actually.

But honestly, I don’t need that money—rather, I’d pay the same amount to quit, so can’t they just let me resign? … They probably won’t let me, huh?

So, that’s why I’m at school today, on a weekday, but I’m not in a classroom or a waiting room for instructors during classes that I don’t have to participate in. Instead, I’m in the private room assigned to me by Asada in the dormitory.

Why am I really here?

“Now, the reason I gathered everyone here today is none other than the cultural festival.”

“The cultural festival? Kana-chan, are you participating?”

“Yeah. I mean, we’re high school girls, right? We want to enjoy these kinds of events.”

As Asada spoke, her room was indeed… well, contrary to her usual attitude, rough fighting style, and seemingly careless demeanor, it had a rather girly atmosphere befitting a high school girl. …At least, that’s how it felt.

Well, if you ask me what a girly room actually looks like, I can’t really answer, so it’s just a subjective feeling. There were stuffed animals placed around, and there were probably her casual clothes. Girl-like clothes were hung on the wall.

And if you looked into a corner of the room, there was a partially completed plush toy… crochet, was it? The remnants of that were placed there.

I wonder if she won’t finish that? But well, there’s no need for me to worry about that.

Besides, it’s better than my sister’s room during her student days.

When you entered her room, there wasn’t even space to step because clothes were scattered all over, and even if she cleaned up because guests were coming, you could tell she hurriedly tidied up—it was such a messy room.

Instead of having a trash can, there was a large garbage bag left as it is in the room, and it hadn’t been taken out for a month or so.

I was worried that despite getting married, she wouldn’t be able to escape from her laziness, but it seems things worked out somehow, which is a relief.

Well, it might be quite rude to compare her to my sister, but this girl seems to do a decent amount of cleaning on a regular basis, and there are neatly arranged books on her desk. It’s a very pleasant room, I must say.

“Well, even if we decide to participate, won’t it be quite challenging if it’s just the two of us?”

“In that case, you know, we can come up with ideas or call for help from outside.”

Anyway, what was it again? The cultural festival?

The cultural festival… isn’t it unusual to have it at this time? In my mind, it’s usually in October or around that time… Ah, right, the ranking tournament.

I remember there used to be an event similar to the sports festival around October. Are they trying to avoid overlapping with that?

Well, whatever the case, it’s a typical student event. Well, these girls are also… no, they’re legitimate high school girls, so they would want to participate, I guess.

But high school girls, huh?

They usually effortlessly handle life-or-death battles like true warriors, but when you see them like this, they just look like ordinary girls around here… Huh?

Hmm… Ah…

It’s too late to bring it up now, and I didn’t pay much attention since they didn’t say anything, but entering a high school girl’s private room… Isn’t that dangerous?

And moreover, I was just casually looking around the room as if it was nothing, a while ago?

I thought I had drawn the line there, but did it loosen without me realizing?

Well, I mean, technically I can say that I’ve put an end to my past relationship, and Hiro also mentioned something similar, so it shouldn’t be a problem… No, actually, it’s a problem. Not in terms of legality or anything like that, but it’s a matter of feelings and social perception.