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 22   Irregular investigation

“…Yes, that’s right. We should go and take a look, shouldn’t we?”

While saying that, Miyano seemed to have a sense of unease, tilting their head unlike the other three.

But I can’t blame them for feeling that way.

Probably because an irregularity appeared, they’re on guard. After all, the first encounter was with a high-ranked irregular.

Well, normally there wouldn’t be encounters with irregulars, especially not high-ranked ones. So being cautious as soon as we know it’s an irregular is not wrong. I’ve taught them that too.

However, even so, I can’t help but feel like everything will be fine this time.

It might be because Miyano and the others have grown more than I anticipated, but it’s also like… I don’t sense any “pressure” from the enemy this time.

…Wait, didn’t I think earlier that I should be more vigilant? Huh? Why did I think that?

Certainly, caution is necessary, but in the current situation where I don’t feel the overwhelming presence of a high-ranked threat, I don’t think it’s too dangerous… What is this sense of unease?

“Well, even though they’re called irregulars, it doesn’t mean they’re all high-ranked. It’s just that at this point, I don’t feel the same level of intimidation as with a high-ranked irregular. When a high-ranked one appears, you instantly get that unpleasant feeling, but it’s not there.”

“So, are the enemies of lower rank?”

“Or maybe they’re rank two… Well, I don’t think it’s that, so I’m assuming it’s rank one.”

When they manifest as irregulars, it implies they possess a certain level of power, so the possibility of them being rank two is low. That’s why the enemy is most likely rank one. However, I believe they aren’t in the category of significantly powerful rank ones.

Well, even with irregulars below high-rank, encountering a rank two or lower without prior information would likely result in death. And even with rank one, it’s a fifty-fifty chance of surviving. So, it’s still dangerous regardless.

“However…”

“However?”

“There are still concerns.”

Although I don’t feel the intimidation, it doesn’t mean I feel nothing at all. Additionally, in the back of my mind, the lingering question of whether we should really go and check or if it’s okay to go remains. Even though everything should be fine, there’s a feeling of unease and discomfort planted within me.

“In this case, the relationship between dungeons and the monsters that inhabit them is quite deep. Whether the monsters exist because of the dungeon, creating an environment that suits them perfectly, or if the dungeon exists and the monsters adapt to it, I don’t know which comes first, but there’s a certain ‘relationship’ between the dungeon and the monsters.”

It’s like the chicken and the egg situation, but regardless, there’s a connection between the dungeon, the monsters, and even the abilities of the materials they provide. Rather than a relationship, maybe it’s more like a commonality?

“Even if irregulars appear, they won’t deviate significantly from that relationship. For example, there will never be fish on land.”

Well, it’s just based on past records, so we can’t definitively say they will never appear in the future. However, while we can keep the possibility of such true irregulars in the back of our minds, there’s no need to consider them at this stage of summarizing the situation.

“But this time, we have a mole digging in the ground and an octopus flying in the sky. Well, the octopus sighting could be a mistake, but regardless, I can’t see the connection.”

Considering the nature of the original monsters, if irregulars were to appear, it would be highly likely that they would be monster species that occur and inhabit the underground.

However, in reality, that’s not the case.

“The mole dislikes falling candy and stays in the ground. So why is the octopus flying in the sky? I mean, it would make sense if it were flying above the clouds, but that’s not the case, right?”

The reason the monsters here burrow underground is because they dislike the falling rock candy from above. Even if they are monsters, they wouldn’t want to be continuously bombarded by stones falling from the sky.

Therefore, they have optimized themselves to avoid that and become monsters that dwell underground.

In such an environment, if irregulars were to appear, I would expect them to move in a similar manner to avoid the falling candy. However, according to the information from Miyano, that octopus seems to be flying through the falling rock candy.

“It appeared to be in the rain.”

“Yeah, that’s right. In that case, it becomes truly incomprehensible.”

As possibilities, it could possess the hardness that renders the candy’s attacks ineffective, or it could be a non-corporeal type like a ghost that is physically immune.

However, if it has the hardness to render the candy attacks meaningless, it shouldn’t be flying in the sky. And a non-corporeal monster, like a ghost, wouldn’t survive because the rain candy relies on the use of magic, and there is little magical energy in the airspace they occupy.

“In any case, we have no choice but to go and see, right?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

So, although I was getting lost in confusion, there’s no doubt that Miyano’s words were right. I can’t just ignore it even though I feel something strange about it.

“Everyone, check your equipment. Once that’s done, we’ll go immediately.”

As I said that, Asada pointed to the container he was carrying on his back and asked.

“Hey, what about this?”

“Well, take it with you just in case. There’s a possibility that it’ll be over quickly, and the barrier might come in handy. But make sure you can discard it if necessary.”

As Asada and the other three nodded in response to my words, they began checking their own equipment, and I also lightly activated and confirmed the usability of my own equipment.

“…?”

What’s this? Suddenly, I feel a stronger sense of unease?

Is this really okay? I can’t shake that feeling.

Am I overlooking something?

But there shouldn’t be any mistakes in the basic thinking.

Even though I don’t understand the nature of this unease, I should be more cautious than I was thinking a moment ago.

Despite not feeling a significant level of strength, the opponent is an irregular.

I can’t afford to let my guard down from the start, and the fact that I felt something was off is true.

“Anyway, we have no choice but to proceed with caution,”

Even if it comes to a battle, we can’t afford to engage in a flashy fight and awaken the underground mole monsters. We need to act carefully.

With that in mind, we finished confirming our equipment and proceeded forward to investigate the irregular.