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 8   Gathering Random Syrup

“Alright, for now, let me show you an example, but pay close attention.”

As we entered the dungeon, what greeted our eyes was a plain field.

However, it was certainly no ordinary plain.

There was a dungeon called the “Rabbit’s Paradise” back when we first started, and this place was similar to that. The only difference is the type of monsters present here.

Here, there were no “rabbits.” Instead, there were abundant pools of honey-like nectar and towering “trees” that produced it.

Before we actually set out to find and collect the promising nectar, we decided to demonstrate how it’s done. Well, we were the ones who decided, or rather, we chose to show them.

“…Um, are you sure about this?”

However, Miyano, perhaps understanding that we retired due to our age, seemed somewhat anxious as she asked.

“Oh, oh, look at you, Miyano-chan. Worried about us old guys, huh?”

“Getting concern from a young one like you, we’re still not completely washed up, you know.”

“Well, it’s true that we may have declined compared to our prime, but we’ll be fine.”

Not only Hiro, but Yasu and Kei also responded without any signs of panic or anxiety. I also believe that we’ll be alright.

“I’ll be joining them over there, but make sure you guys stay alert to your surroundings.”

Since Hiro’s original team fell apart when I left, for now, I’ll temporarily detach from Miyano’s group and join Hiro’s team. Well, “detach” doesn’t require any special procedures like in a game or anything.

“Now then… Which strategy should we go with?”

“The most orthodox one should be fine since we have a demonstration to make.”

“True. So I’ll act as bait, Yasu will provide firepower, Kei will hinder the enemy, and Koo will be the scout.”

“Well, same as always, huh?”

We quickly concluded the strategy meeting, and each of us prepared ourselves in our respective positions.

“Alright then. Let’s do this!”

With those words, Hiro raised his weapon towards the sky and dashed forward.

“Hey, over here! Come this way!”

Hiro ran forward, wielding two swords in his hands, getting closer to the tree-like monster, “Honey gardener,” in front of him.

As he approached, around a certain distance, the Honey gardener extended its tendrils, seemingly trying to capture Hiro.

“That’s it! Alright, come over here! Take this!”

The Honey gardener extended its tendrils towards Hiro, but he scattered a powdered herbicide, causing the tendrils to dive into it.

The tendrils that directly touched the herbicide thrashed about, and the main body, which extended those tendrils, writhed in agony.

Using herbicide near the main body would affect the nectar as well, but it’s not a problem when the distance is this far.

The tree, which serves as the source of the tendrils, also writhed, but in reality, it didn’t affect the main body. It was just suffering due to the effects on the tendrils.

It’s similar to when a human gets injured and experiences pain. If you hurt your fingertip, it doesn’t mean there’s a problem with your heart. It’s the same principle.

“Yasu!”

“Yeah!”

Seizing the opportunity, Yasu approached and swung down his two-handed sword, cutting off the tendrils, though they weren’t as tall as his own height, they had a considerable size.

While in agony from the herbicide, the Honey gardener extended its tendrils, attempting to attack Yasu in resistance.

However, Kei’s attack pierced through in that moment.

Kei is a healer, but due to the low amount of magic power corresponding to a Rank 3, he can’t perform recovery repeatedly.

However, if he can only perform a few rounds of healing, it becomes a hindrance. So, he fights by providing support with his bow.

That’s what he’s doing now.

Using magically infused arrows, he launched an attack against the Honey gardener’s main body.

And taking advantage of the opening, Hiro and Yasu swiftly cut off the extending tendrils. If the Honey gardener’s attention turned towards them, Kei would halt its movement. If that still didn’t work, Hiro would act as a decoy while Yasu cut off the extended tendrils.

As for me, as Hiro mentioned, I play a guerrilla role.

If there’s a significant amount of tendrils, I assist in severing them. If the Honey gardener focuses on Yasu, disregarding Kei’s attacks, I join in attacking the main body or serve as a decoy in Hiro’s place. It’s something along those lines.

We repeat this process multiple times.

Initially, the Honey gardener regenerated even when tendrils were severed, but gradually, its regeneration speed slowed down.

Eventually, despite having only two remaining tendrils controlled by the Honey gardener, they no longer regenerated, and its movements lost their finesse.

It initially had sharp movements, producing a satisfying “paan” sound like a whip, but now its movements were feeble, sounding more like a “peshin.”

“Alright, let’s move on to the retrieval phase. Get ready.”

“Sure thing!”

Although our response may sound lackluster, it doesn’t mean we’re being careless.

Kei and I, who were standing in the rear, move up to the forefront.

Normally, Kei, who should be a rear guard, rarely advances this far. But in this case, it’s different.

After all, the nectar that needs to be collected is at the base of those tendrils.

So, the plan is for someone to act as a decoy while another person goes to collect the nectar.

That’s how we gather Random Syrup.

And this time, Hiro and I are taking on the role of attracting the attacks.

The two of us will draw the attention of the remaining two tendrils of the Honey gardener, while Yasu and Kei collect the accumulated sap—Random Syrup—like a pond.

“We’re done!”

“Alright, this is the last one!”

Upon hearing those words, Hiro and I each attack the tendrils we were responsible for and cut them off.

As the last remaining tendril is severed, the Honey gardener’s body trembles as if squeezing something before regenerating the tendrils.

However, the tree withers rapidly during the regeneration process and eventually collapses into the pool of sap it created.

“Phew, I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while, and we were a bit rusty.”

“Well, age is also a factor. We’re already turning forty.”

“Speaking of which, I’m already over forty.”

After defeating the Honey gardener following the collection of Random Syrup, we return to where Miyano and the others were waiting, holding the small containers we gathered, and exchange a few words before joining them.

“This is roughly how it goes. This is how we defeat the Honey gardener—or rather, how we collect the syrup. We cut off the tendrils to weaken it and then collect the syrup.”

“I-I’m impressed.”

While pointing to the jar of honey Kei was holding, Hiro explained. Miyano and the others looked at Hiro’s group with astonishment.

“Is that so? Well, if you say that, it was worth the effort,” Hiro replied, slightly embarrassed, as if he had received praise from his own daughter.

“Why didn’t you cut off all the tendrils?”

“Well, if you cut off all of them, it self-destructs.”

“Self-destructs?”

“Yeah. It exhausts its power trying to regenerate the tendrils forcefully and ends up withering away.”

“I see…”

Abe questioned as she pointed at the fallen Honey gardener, but that was indeed the case.

“Oh, right. When it withers away, it falls into the pond like that, and for some reason, the taste deteriorates rapidly from there. So we leave a few tendrils behind when they stop regenerating and collect the syrup.”

“I see…”

Miyano and the others nodded, seemingly understanding the explanation. However, they didn’t grasp the reason behind our actions because it wasn’t mentioned in the information they had gathered.

The official adventurer information site states that the tree attacks with tendrils and has the ability to regenerate even if they are cut off.

But that’s about it. There is no further information available.

“Why? Because anything beyond that is unnecessary information for defeating it. The taste of the syrup collected after cutting off all the tendrils doesn’t affect the lives of adventurers. The necessary information for defeating it is already provided. If adventurers die despite having that information, it’s simply because they lacked preparation or training.

Of course, as an association, they would want to prioritize safety and disclose all information. However, if they were to do that, they would be taking away the livelihood of adventurers who earn a living in that area.

If that were to happen, no one would seriously attempt to explore new gates. After all, if others can easily obtain the information we risked our lives to gather, they would ruin our source of income.

In that case, it would be safer and potentially more profitable to pursue regular jobs once our “duty” is over, rather than putting in the effort as adventurers.

But it would be troublesome if adventurers were to decrease as a result.

So, as a compromise, they only provide the necessary information to defeat the enemy, while withholding other tidbits or secrets.

You can ask people for information or use membership-based information sites to research, but it seems these guys haven’t gone that far and rely only on surface-level information.

Did it give you some insight?”

“Yes!”

“Well then, it’s your turn now. Come up with a strategy on your own. This time it’s just practice, so once you’ve collected four cups worth in small bottles, that will be the end. But imagine that you’ve actually come here solely to collect the syrup and act accordingly.”

While Hiro and the others were here as escorts this time, and I’m also here as an instructor, once they’re no longer students, they’ll have to handle it on their own. Considering that future scenario, it’s better for them to experience collecting the syrup while fighting in their own situation.

Saying that, I started walking back, signaling to Miyano who nodded energetically in response to Hiro’s words.

“Just a moment, even if you tell me to do it, I don’t have a weapon.”

However, Asada grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“Ah…”

Oh right, I had her bring a weapon for this.

As a general rule, Asada acts as the baggage carrier, so there’s no need for a big and cumbersome weapon. I called Hiro and the others as escorts precisely because it’s okay even without weapons.

But I thought it might be better to have her fight at least once in the beginning for the sake of familiarizing herself with the flow… I messed up.

What should I do? Should I step in and fight in Asada’s place? But then again, well… It’s not impossible, but it feels pointless, you know… Hmm.

…No, Asada should be able to manage even without a weapon. Probably. After all, she can twist chunks of iron with just her fists. She shouldn’t die.

“Oh, I got it. Consider that too… Like running around and throwing stones, or punching or pulling the approaching tendrils. There are various ways, so do it however you like.”

“Hey, what was that ‘Ah…’ just now? You’re not going to say you forgot, right? Hey, look at me for a moment.”

While trying to defend myself and avoiding eye contact, of course, I couldn’t deceive her.

Asada exerted force in the arm holding me, forcing me to face her, and she glared at me from below.

…It feels like I’m being hassled by some low-life.

Or maybe a delinquent? They’re pretty much the same, and I haven’t actually been bothered by either of them.

But even so, it seemed she concluded that the situation wouldn’t change no matter what we talked about. With a dissatisfied expression, Asada returned to where Miyano and the others were, starting a strategy meeting to challenge the Honey Gardener.