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 19   Confirmation of Important Points and Departure

“Regarding Miyano and Asada, since the possibility of encountering enemies this time is low, I want both of you to carry recovery containers with you.”

“I see. Since we won’t encounter enemies while walking, having Mizuki carry a container would allow us to collect more efficiently.”

“…However, while considering efficiency, what about the possibility of unforeseen circumstances?”

While it’s more efficient for both of them to carry storage containers since enemies only appear due to the vibrations of the vehicle, as Miyano mentioned, it would be risky if both frontline members were unable to fight in case of encountering monsters or unexpected situations.

“Ah, that’s why I want Miyano to carry a slightly smaller container compared to Asada and also carry the main weapon. As for the containers, if you deem it dangerous, feel free to discard them.”

We’re only borrowing the containers from Yasu, so if they get damaged or lost, he might complain, but that’s about it.

Besides, it’s not like we absolutely need to use these candies for the cultural festival. If it means protecting our lives, we can discard them without hesitation.

As for Asada’s main weapon, the large hammer is impractical to bring along, but Miyano’s sword, although it might be a bit cumbersome, can still be carried.

“…Are you on edge about something?”

“More like staying cautious because there’s still a possibility of encountering enemies.”

“But if we’re walking, wouldn’t we go undetected?”

Miyano and Asada don’t seem to understand why I’m being cautious, but the idea of going undetected only applies if we act on our own.

“While walking, we won’t trigger any monster reactions, but remember that other adventurers also enter the gate.”

“…You mean intentionally trying to provoke encounters?”

“Well, that’s one possibility, but accidents can happen too.”

Provoking encounters—sometimes referred to as “train” in gaming terminology—it’s something I’ve mentioned to them before.

Although we’ve never actually encountered it by chance until now, it’s quite common in this place.

After all, while traveling by car. Some people think it’s better to just flee in the car and escape.

In reality, the more you try to flee in a hurry, the more enemies gather, so it’s easier to stop and defeat them.

Well, if you have enough power to defeat them, that is.

Alternatively, they could just maintain a slow and steady speed from the beginning.

However, those who ride in the car tend to start slowly and gradually increase their speed along the way. If they never encounter anything, so they assume it’ll be fine for a little while longer.

Veterans maintain a steady speed without making such mistakes, but newcomers who are here to earn quickly tend to make fatal errors in about 20-30% of cases.

And those who make such mistakes end up running around, trying to escape from the monsters they called upon, and end up provoking encounters with other adventurers they encounter along the way.

There are even some who intentionally try to provoke encounters.

“That’s the situation. In this dungeon, the rain hampers visibility, and our ears are of no use. Whether it’s by chance or intentional, if someone approaches in a car or brings along monsters, we won’t notice them as easily as usual. So be careful in that regard.”

“Yes.”

“Got it.”

With Miyano and Asada nodding firmly, I also nodded and turned my gaze towards Abe and Kitahara.

“Well, that wraps up our discussion here… Have you made your decision?”

“It depends on balancing mana consumption.”

“I-I’ll try it once, and if it seems okay, I’ll set up the barrier first.”

“Keeping some reserves and switching along the way.”

“Yeah, well, we won’t know until we give it a try.”

Of course, that’s true. We won’t know how long we can go before exchanging positions or how to handle it until we try it out.

Taking their words into account, we stepped outside the building to confirm how long we could prevent the rain.

“How about it? Are both of you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“I think I’m fine too.”

After confirming that, we were about to set off, but come to think of it, I forgot to convey something that could be considered the most important aspect in a way.

“So, we’re about to head out, but I didn’t mention an important precaution earlier. Be careful when using offensive magic.”

“Because it can backfire.”

Good, you’ve studied it well.

You see, if someone rushes in without prior information, they could end up getting hurt, so it’s important to be cautious.

Oh, by the way, the things falling from the sky are candies. Occasionally, I throw pebbles at the magic to trigger a misfire. Using explosion-type magic triggered by contact can have the same effect.

Magic dissipates upon contact with the target. Some, like fire-based spells, explode upon contact, but it still interrupts subsequent movements.

That’s why I sometimes provoke misfires by throwing pebbles.

Now, if you’re thinking we could detect contact using mana reactions, that’s not possible either. I mentioned that candies contain a significant amount of mana, right? They react to it.

I can’t use magic powerful enough to penetrate the earthworm-like monsters that appear here, and I manually control my actions from start to finish, so I don’t have to worry. But it’s different for Abe.

Abe has the ability to pass through enemies with her attacks, and her magic operates in a semi-automatic mode once activated, following the preset settings.

Moreover, many fire-based attacks have explosive effects upon impact.

If she casts a spell and it hits a candy the moment she steps out of the barrier, it could cause an explosion.

“So, what should we do?”

“It’s either setting a predetermined operating time or manual control, considering the time limit.”

“But… it’ll be slower than usual.”

Asada, who isn’t well-versed in magic, furrowed her brows lightly and complained, questioning the situation. However, Abe seemed to understand that from the beginning and nodded in response.

Simultaneously, she muttered with dissatisfaction, but it was understandable. It’s like changing the way they usually fight, so it’s naturally challenging.

“Yeah, that’s true. Additionally, as I mentioned to Miyano and the others, the rain makes it difficult to see and hear. Be more cautious than usual.”

After confirming that the four of them nodded in understanding, we set off once again, prompted by Miyano’s command.

──◆◇◆◇──

Sigh

With that, we set off, or rather, we started running. And it didn’t take long for me to let out a sigh, almost immediately.

“Why are you sighing so soon?”

“Well, I was the one who suggested it, but do you know how vast this dungeon is?”

“I think it took about three days by car—roughly three thousand kilometers, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

There have been reports that it took about three days of traveling at a speed of forty to fifty kilometers per hour to finally reach the core of the dungeon.

That’s the distance we have to cover.

“What? We have to run all that way!?”

Asada, who perhaps hadn’t researched the distance, was surprised by Miyano’s words, but in reality, we won’t be walking that far.

Well, we won’t go that far, but if we want to gather good items, we have to move forward even just a little. We have to keep running until we reach our limit.

“It’s impossible. The two of you will exhaust your magical power and stamina. And so will I.”

Currently, we’re not just walking, but lightly running to cover as much distance as possible. But while Miyano and Asada might be able to keep going, it’s a different story for the rest of us, including myself. In fact, I’ll probably tire out before Abe and Kitahara.

Running for even a single day, let alone three days, is out of the question. Heck, even half a day would be tough.

And the same goes for Kitahara and Abe. Even if they can endure a little longer than me, the difference won’t be significant.

“So what should we do then?”

“Seriously, we don’t need to push ourselves that hard just to gather some items.”

In the first place, the rain candies we came to collect this time are not essential. We plan to sell them cheaply if they can attract customers, but it’s not a big deal if we don’t have them. Frankly, the quality doesn’t matter. I even considered the possibility of taking something that could be found near the entrance.

“If it’s for a school festival rather than commercial use, even candies gathered from shallow areas would be sufficient, and selling them at a lower price would be a reason to avoid complaints.”

“Complaints?”

“Are there any?”

Abe and Asada tilt their heads in confusion regarding my reason for mentioning complaints, but I’m prepared for such a situation.

“Think about it. There are people who put effort into collecting these and make a business out of selling them. If we sell them cheaply, even for a limited time, there will be customers who complain, saying, ‘They were cheaper over there.’ And that might lead to some stores blaming us. That’s why we need a justification based on the quality not being high to create an escape route.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“Yeah, that’s right. Even I would think the store is ripping me off if the price was different.”

If we label it as a “special price” or “limited to the cultural festival,” I think most people would understand it to some extent.

Normally, people would understand that and not say anything, but there are idiots who can’t grasp it and only focus on the price, complaining about this and that.

So even if we take measures like that, I expect there might be some complaints, but it won’t be a big deal.

In the worst case, we can contact Saeki, and they should be able to resolve it.

“But what about the others?”

“Oh, as for the others, it’s fine. We’ll sell them at a price that falls within the range acceptable for a ‘school festival.’ It’s just for the rain candies that we’re selling cheaper than the market price to attract customers, so we need a suitable reason for that.”

While discussing such matters, we continued moving forward, gathering whatever good items we could find.