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 18   Rain of candy.

The place we entered was not an exposed area like usual, but it was surrounded by a solid building.

The cause was outside this building we were currently in.

“Rain candy, is this what they mean? I saw the photo of candy falling, but it lacks any trace of enchantment when you actually see it,”

“Hail.”

As Miyano and Abe murmured, outside the gate of this building, candy was falling like a heavy rain.

Instead of falling one by one, drip by drip, it felt more like a machine gun, as if they were being pelted with a barrage of candies, with a loud sound of “Dodo-dodo” and “Gaga-gaga.”

It was a scene brimming with a sense of fantasy, and while it couldn’t be said to be completely devoid of enchantment, what Miyano was referring to was something more charming and different.

If we’re talking about the meaning of “fantastic,” then it can be considered enchanting, but this is more of a fantasy rather than a fairy tale.

” It certainly is raining candy.”

“But it seems difficult to proceed…”

“What should we do?”

“Shouldn’t we just go ahead? This should be fine.”

As Asada reached out from the entrance of the building, collected a piece of candy, confirmed that it could be eaten, and then reluctantly expressed dissatisfaction with a displeased expression, as if not wanting to proceed in this rain.

But that won’t work.

“The candies here become more flavorful as you go further inside. Plus, their magic-recovery effect increases.”

Although the rain in this area is certainly candy and has sweetness, it’s still different from what lies deeper inside.

“Magic-recovery effect? Oh, now that you mention it…”

“This rain contains a lot of magic, you see. Eating it replenishes the magic of those who consume it. That’s why it’s sometimes used as a magic-replenishing potion.”

“I see…”

“To use it as a replenishing potion, you need the ones harvested from deeper inside, which contain more magic. Well, you guys aren’t doing this as a profession, so it doesn’t matter much… Right?”

So, as far as I’m concerned, it would be better to go further inside, but now that I recall, these guys are students and not professionals.

What they use is the cheap merchandise for attracting customers. Even if it’s what they collected near the entrance, there’s no problem.

“But going deeper means we can collect better stuff, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Then let’s go for it! We’ve come this far, so let’s prepare something good!”

As I affirmed Miyano’s words, which weren’t lies about better things being found as they went deeper, Asada, as always, got excited, and the other three nodded in agreement.

“For now, let’s step back.”

We decided to go, but if that’s the case, we need to have a proper discussion again.

So we moved from that spot and walked towards a corner of the room.

If we just stayed near the entrance of the building, we would obstruct other adventurers.

“So, how are we going to proceed?”

After stepping back to the corner of the building instead of passing through the gate, we gathered in a circle and began discussing.

“As for the method, it’s a car.”

“Is it the one in that room over there?”

Miyano shifted her gaze to a place different from the entrance of the building.

There, a door connected to the adjacent room, not outside the building, but it was closed.

However, beyond that door, as Miyano mentioned, there was a car, or rather an armored vehicle, that could be used inside the ‘Land of Prosperity and Decay’ Dungeon.

Even though they couldn’t see beyond the door, it was clear—I mean, they have been researching, so they knew that much.

“Yeah, it’s a specialized vehicle with a defensive barrier set up on the body. It’s a fairly common method of progressing.”

“But in that case, won’t enemies gather?”

That’s correct. The monsters that Asada mentioned as a problem before entering the gate. They will attack us.

“Well, that’s true. When it comes to advancing in this dungeon, we face two problems. The first is that using the car attracts monsters. There are mole-like creatures here called Doro that sense vibrations in the ground and target their prey. They’re the only monsters in this dungeon.”

Although only one type of monster appears here, that one type is the problem.

As I mentioned earlier, when using the car here, the monsters react to the sound and vibrations, attacking from underground.

Moreover, they usually remain underground and are difficult to detect even when we try to search for them.

“Just to confirm, can’t we deceive them with the rain’s sound and vibrations?”

“No, we can’t. For some reason, they don’t come out for things related to rain. They respond to other sounds. But well, they only react to loud sounds and significant vibrations, so if we’re just walking normally, they won’t appear.”

They won’t come out even if we run, but if we put too much force into it, they should come out.

I’ve never experienced it because I can’t shake the ground enough to be noticed by the underground monsters.

“So, it means we either walk while getting hit by candy or progress while attracting enemies, right?”

“That’s right.”

This information is also mentioned on the union’s publicly available information website, so it’s just a confirmation for us.

That being said, there isn’t much interesting information beyond this.

This dungeon doesn’t have any secret tricks or anything.

If we try to dig through the ground, the Doro will detect us and destroy us, and if we use an aircraft, it will crash due to the rain.

Well, there is something I should tell these guys, though.

“And the second problem. None of you have a driver’s license, right?”

“「「「「Ah」」」」”

As I spoke, the foolish voices of the four of them overlapped.

Even though it’s a tool used in the dungeon, you need a license to use it.

Technically, the armored vehicle here is designed to be driven with a regular driver’s license, as the restrictions are looser compared to using it outside the gate in the dungeon.

However, the fact remains that a license is required.

“But, well, you see, if you drive it… Do you have a license?”

“I have one.”

I don’t have any intention of using it today, and I didn’t bring it in the first place.

“But remember, if there’s a situation where you guys have to go alone, you won’t be able to use the car.”

As these guys get older, they’ll probably get their driver’s licenses, but for now, since they don’t have one, it’s important for them to understand that there are things they can’t do without a license. That’s enough for now.

“Um, so, um, what does that mean? If there’s no car available now, does that mean we have to walk?”

“Yeah.”

That car is expensive. Even if we call it a rental, if we break it, we have to compensate for it.

Besides, these guys still don’t have their licenses, so it’s better for them to know how to manage without one. If they get their licenses in the future, they can consider it then.

Experienced people would use road bikes or bicycles that don’t make engine noises and don’t cause much ground vibration, but since these guys are beginners, it’s better for them to walk.

“But that rain, it’s quite strong, isn’t it? It might not be a problem for me or Kana to ignore and proceed, but for Yuzu, Haruka, and also Igami-san, it might be tough, don’t you think?”

That’s true. If an ordinary person were to be caught in that rain, they would likely be done for. Even for awakened individuals, if they try to push forward, they’ll end up dying for sure, and even as a rank 3 rear guard, I’m practically the same as an ordinary person, so I’ll just die without any special treatment.

Though, if we’re talking about rear guards, Abe and Kitahara, who are rank 1, might just find it “unpleasant.” As for Asada and Miyano, the vanguard… it might be more of an annoyance for them?

“As a countermeasure, either using a metal umbrella or casting protective magic would be options.”

“Protective… Are you suggesting I do it?”

When I say umbrella, it’s not something like a regular umbrella used during rain, but more like a large parasol would be more appropriate.

But well, that’s only in cases where there’s no one among us who can use protective magic. We have Kitahara, who serves as a healer and defender. Although she seems to be more skilled in healing, she’s not incapable of providing protection, so it should be fine.

“That’s something we can discuss. Even if it’s not Kitahara, as long as Abe can deploy flames in the sky, we can defend against it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“As for taking turns during the journey or exchanging midway while progressing, that’s something the two of you can discuss.”

However, if we’re planning to go deeper, relying solely on Kitahara won’t be enough in terms of magical power and concentration.

So, we need Abe’s assistance as well, taking turns and dealing with the situation. As mentioned earlier, if Abe can produce flames, it’s possible to prevent the candy attacks.

Well, if we want to defend effectively, we might need to increase the firepower of the flames or come up with some clever techniques for generating and manipulating the flames.

By the way, I’m not capable of providing a protective barrier. I can manage something basic, but afterwards, I’ll run out of magical power and end up being hit by the candy attacks.

That being said, the rest can be decided through a discussion between the two of them. With that in mind, I shifted my gaze towards Miyano and Asada,.