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?

Volume 3 Chapter 10   First material, collection complete.

“Great job, everyone!”

With the new Gardener we found, we were able to collect it without any mistakes, avoiding breaking the trunk this time.

“Now that we’ve successfully defeated it, let’s try a taste test.”

I took out the “failed honey” we collected earlier and had Miyano and the others taste it.

“Hmm, bitter?”

“Yeah, there’s definitely a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste.”

“Could this be poison?”

“Perhaps. With this taste, it’s unlikely to be usable in a shop.”

Nodding in agreement with their reactions, I then had them taste the “successful honey” that Asada had just collected.

“And this one was collected without defeating it. The taste is different, but go ahead and give it a try.”

“It’s sweet.”

“No bitterness.”

“Is this… apple flavor?”

“The previous one was pineapple, right?”

“Well, depending on the honey, some may have bitterness, but even if it’s said to be poisoned, it doesn’t really feel like it.”

“Well, yeah.”

Although it’s just a slight difference in bitterness or lack thereof, it becomes crucial in these kinds of products, making the “successful” ones more valuable. And within those “successful” ones, their value varies depending on the scent and flavor.

“So, which flavor is the best?”

“We’re looking for peach, strawberry, apple, melon, and citrus flavors this time.”

Watermelon and kiwi are not suitable. They either have a weak flavor or are too sharp.

Though they could be sold as products, they won’t appeal to everyone.

“Apple, wasn’t that the previous one?”

“Yeah, but the color is off.”

“Color? Does it affect the taste?”

Regardless of whether it’s black or red, color doesn’t affect the taste. Normally, a change in color indicates a change in flavor, but in this dungeon, the materials we collect are dungeon-born. We throw away common sense here.

“Flavor has nothing to do with it. But if you’re going to sell it as a product, appearance is important too, right? The truly good ones have a transparent color, like gemstones.”

The previous one had a red color, but it was a cloudy red, leaning slightly towards purple. It lacked the purity and transparency of a vibrant red.

If we’re choosing a red color, the best would be a clear, sparkling red like a ruby.

It’s really rare, so I’m not expecting to find it, but what we’re searching for are those beautiful colors.

“Oh, I see.”

“And then there’s the scent. Although most of the time, the taste and scent go hand in hand, occasionally there are differences. Like a red bell pepper with a strawberry scent.”

“There’s a bell pepper flavor with a strawberry scent…”

“It’s in the unusual category, but it’s not limited to fruits.”

Basically, it’s rare for the scent to deviate, but occasionally there are cases where the scent and taste don’t align, so if you judge based on scent alone and bring it back, you’ll regret it later.

Though even in that case, it can be sold as a novelty item, but unless someone specifically requests it, it’s not something worth searching for or bringing back.

“Well, that’s the situation. Finding something with matching color, scent, and taste takes quite some time, so be prepared.”

It would be lucky if we find it by staying up all night and until tomorrow afternoon… Who knows what will happen.

──◆◇◆◇──

The next day in the early afternoon, we had finished collecting the honey and come out of the dungeon.

Inside the dungeon, it remained bright throughout the day since there was no sunset. But understandably, it was tough to stay up all night, and the older members of our group, Hiro and the others, seemed tired.

“Well, it’s been a while since I had an overnight stay outside.”

For me, it’s normal to stay overnight in the dungeon with these guys… Ah!

Come to think of it, when I mentioned going on an overnight stay with Miyano and the others, these guys made fun of me.

Perfect. It’s a good opportunity for payback.

“Hah, going on an overnight stay with high school girls, huh?”

“Well, if we’re talking about that, you’re doing the same, and all of us, right?”

“But if we’re counting the number of times, aren’t you the sketchy one?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so, but…”

“Why do you always willingly walk into a counterattack?”

As I stuttered, caught off guard by their counterattack despite intending to retaliate, Kei looked at me with an exasperated smile.

But somehow, is there any way I can get back at these guys? It’s not like I hold a grudge or anything, but being on the receiving end all the time feels somewhat unfair.

“Anyway, it’s seriously lucky that we found it this quickly.”

“No kidding. I took three days off, but we finished in just two.”

After Miyano and the others succeeded in their second attempt, Asada focused on transporting the backup machine, while the rest of us worked together to collect the random syrup.

After walking for more than half a day, with occasional breaks, we managed to find honey that was reasonably satisfying. We collected it and returned. It had a strawberry flavor. The color and aroma could still be improved, but the intensity of the taste was satisfying, and it should be sufficient for use at the school festival. As long as we have a quantity similar to a commercial refrigerator, we shouldn’t run out.

“By the way, what are we going to do with this?”

As Asada effortlessly walked with the refrigerator-sized container filled with honey on her back, it wasn’t feasible to bring it directly to the school.

It’s not that the honey would spoil, but we didn’t have a place to put it. We couldn’t possibly place it in their rooms.

So, I pointed at Yasu with my finger.

“Oh, Yasu will collect it and bring it on the day before the school festival.”

Yasu has a proper storage place and knows the correct method for preserving it.

We have benefited greatly from him during our adventurer days.

“Is it okay for him to go through all that trouble?”

“It’s more than okay. As I mentioned before, just think of it as part of the promotion.”

With that said, we loaded the storage container onto the truck bed, where Yasu and the others had arrived, and thus concluded the entire process of this exploration.

“Alright, let’s disband then.”

“Yeah, Koo will take care of the rest, I guess.”

“Wait, am I imagining things, or was there malice in your words?”

As Hiro and the others drove away, still exchanging banter as usual.

“Miyano-chan and the others, we’re heading back, but if anything comes up, feel free to call us.”

“Ah, thank you very much!”

As Hiro and the others spoke while raising their hands out of the car window, Miyano and the group bowed their heads once again and expressed their gratitude.

“Oh, and if you have any concerns about Koo, I’m always here to listen.”

“Do your best!”

“Now get going already!”

As I urged those fools who had said unnecessary things to leave quickly, Hiro and the others drove off with laughter.

“Oh, and regarding the contract, I’ll send you some documents later, so think about it!”

And with those words, Yasu left as well, the car gradually disappearing into the distance.

“Those idiots should just go home quietly…”

As I sighed and shook my head at their unnecessary comments before leaving, I turned towards Miyano and the others.

“Anyway, with this, one thing is ready. Honey won’t spoil, so as long as we store it properly, it will last until the school festival.”

Although there’s still time until the cultural festival, the chosen ingredients are not perishable, so we can gradually gather them, and we should have enough collected in time.

Usually, storage space would be an issue, but if we hand over the collected honey to Yasu as we did this time, they should store it appropriately.

“Now, what was it again?”

“I think it was Usuba Hana, Warm Chocolate, and Raindrops Candy, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Three more to go. I proposed them myself, but each one is quite troublesome.

Well, that’s exactly why they’re valuable. If it’s something that anyone can have access to, it won’t be that expensive, naturally.

“Which one should we focus on next?”

“We can do without the candy. If we can get some, we can use it to attract customers by selling it at a slightly lower price, but it’s not essential. Let’s start by gathering the Usuba Hana and Chocolate, which are planned to be the main attractions.”

Both are important, but if we have to prioritize, it would be the Usuba Hana.

“Let’s start with Usuba Hana. Chocolate can be substituted, but with this one, it’s not as simple, and we need a certain quantity to collect. Even in the worst case, we can use store-bought chocolate. It will still be impressive enough. However, without the ‘original’ that shines, it would be meaningless. The ‘original’ refers to the Usuba Hana, which are like the bananas in chocolate bananas.”

“Well then, the next break will be for gathering Usuba Hana.”

“Ah, right. However, the gathering itself can only be done when we have a full day off, so on weekdays, it’s mainly for preparation. Unlike the syrup, the gate location isn’t too far from the school.”

If I remember correctly, it should take about an hour to get there from the school. We should be able to go there even after school.

However, Miyano tilted her head in response to my words.

“Preparation?”

“Yeah. This time we managed to coordinate with Hiro and the others, but that was just for this time. Next time, it will be just us. If we’re going with a small group, it’s better to practice beforehand.”

I’m planning to bring smaller containers than this time, but even with that, we can’t unload them in the heat of the moment. It will inevitably slow us down by a beat.

To ensure that we can handle such situations properly, I intend to practice without the containers a few times first.

In any case, we probably won’t be able to reach our destination at first.

“Then we’ll gather little by little during those practice sessions.”

“No, I said it’s practice. I’d like to do that if possible, but it’s probably impossible.”

As Asada enthusiastically declares that she’ll do it, I shake my head.

“Why not?”

“The habitat of the Usuba Hana is about a two-hour journey into the dungeon. If we assume it takes an hour to get to the gate after school on a weekday and another hour to return, the exploration time would be about two hours. Even for those accustomed to it, it’s assuming there are no battles along the way.”

In addition, it takes two hours for the return journey as well, so even if we only consider the round trip, it would take at least four hours.

Assuming school ends at 3 p.m., it would take two hours for the round trip to the gate. Then, another four hours for the round trip within the dungeon.

That alone would make it around 9 p.m. in the evening. It would already be night time. We should disband and go home.

“Well, if that’s the case, why don’t we just extend the exploration time? Even if it’s after school, as long as it’s around 9:30 p.m., we can still make it back to the dormitory before curfew. It should be fine.”

“We shouldn’t aim for the last minute before curfew. Besides, it’s not appropriate for a young girl to be out at night with an older guy.”

Even if I were to exceed curfew, it would be me who gets reprimanded by the school. Taking high school girls out at night would earn me a bad reputation!

I absolutely don’t want that, so I have no intention of compromising on extending the exploration time.

“So, if we can gather the materials, we’ll do it, but the main purpose is to get familiar with the dungeon and avoid getting lost when we go for a full-scale gathering. We won’t push ourselves too hard.”

Therefore, exploring after school on weekdays is meant to help us get accustomed to the dungeon, so that when we dive in on holidays, we can smoothly reach our destination.

“For now, let’s go to school normally tomorrow and focus on training and preparing the tools we consumed or might need. Then, starting the day after tomorrow…”

Wait a minute? These girls are, after all… I mean, they’re real students, so going into the dungeon every day would be tough. At the very least, it doesn’t seem healthy.

While I have no intention of slacking off when it comes to training, I think they should have a day off once in a while, shouldn’t they?

After gathering all the necessary materials, if we have some spare time, we can relax the exploration a bit.

Festivals like that are supposed to be enjoyable for the preparations as well. It would be boring if the cultural festival only revolved around exploration.

“Well, let’s take one more day off and start the exploration training in the dungeon with Usuba Hana the day after that. Anyone have any objections?”

As I considered the future plans, I made a revision to the collection schedule, but no one objected.

Perhaps they also wanted a break.

“Alright, that’s it for today then. Good work, everyone.”

“Good job today!”

And with that, we completed the collection of the first material.