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 4 Chapter 15   Second ranking match

After the summer vacation ended, school started again, but this time we were awaiting the highly anticipated ranking battles.

However, they didn’t start right away. While summer vacation ended at the beginning of September, the ranking battles would begin around the beginning of October. In other words, there would be about a month-long gap.

During this time, Miyano and the others continued their regular student life, without anything particularly noteworthy happening.

If I had to point out something, it would be that Miyano and the others were determined to participate again this year, or rather, they were determined to advance further. They had been training for this purpose.

And today, the day finally arrived for the ranking battles to begin. By the way, today is the opening ceremony.

However, we are not fighting today. Right now, I am in the waiting room for instructors, separated from Miyano and the others.

The proceedings of this ranking battle are not broadcast nationwide, but they are broadcasted in certain schools and facilities. So, the current opening ceremony is being displayed clearly on the television in the waiting room.

Thus, while casually watching the footage, I am lazily sipping tea in the waiting room.

This ranking battle will be a long and enduring event, lasting for a month.

It feels quite lengthy, but there is a limit to the number of gates that can be managed by the school, and there are also issues of management and manpower, whether they are conducted simultaneously or consecutively.

As a result, we are using five relatively safe gates located around the school, and each gate will have only one match in the morning and one in the afternoon, leading to unavoidable prolongation.

Well, considering the irregularities that happened last year and the need to prioritize safety, it can’t be helped.

Today, after the opening ceremony, we will immediately proceed to the morning session of the first day, which involves a treasure hunt-like competition called “Adventure Hunt,” which gamifies the tasks of adventurers.

However, it seems that the students participating in the first match have already moved to their respective locations, as it would be late to relocate after the opening ceremony.

The basic rules remain the same as last year, with only one change.

The change from last year is that although participation was supposed to be voluntary, it is now mandatory for all teams.

The reasoning behind this is to provide practical game-like experiences, enabling students to respond more effectively if there is another attack.

With roughly four to five members per team, there are about thirty teams per grade… so that makes about ninety teams across the three grades.

With ten matches per day, split between morning and afternoon, it would take at least nine days for just the first round, using simple calculations.

Originally planned to last for nearly a month, the ranking battles do feel long when considering it again.

“—Well, with that, we conclude the opening ceremony.”

As I contemplate the past events and what lies ahead, I let the meaningless and overly lengthy words of some important person wash over me, and finally, the opening ceremony comes to an end.

As an instructor, I only needed to watch the broadcast, but I can’t help but think about how challenging it must be for the students actually standing there.

“Well, let’s go then.”

After saying that, I tidied up the tea and snacks, stood up, and stretched my body.

“Oh, well then, I shall accompany you.”

As I did so, the man sitting in front of me, Shun Kudo, also stood up just like me.

“There’s no need for you to come along.”

“Either way, we’re heading in the same direction.”

Well, if he’s going to the young lady’s location, it’s only natural that he’s going to the same place as me, where Miyano and the others are. After all, both of us were present at the opening ceremony.

“Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”

“Then, shall we go?”

With that, we left the waiting room for instructors, and side by side, I walked towards Miyano and the others, while Kudo headed towards the young ladies under his guidance.

“Oh, by the way, Igami-san.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you for your advice. The young lady took your words to heart and worked hard during the summer vacation.”

“I see. Well, that’s good to hear.”

As we were walking, Kudo brought up something as if he suddenly remembered. It was about the advice I gave to the young lady before summer vacation.

But I see. So the young lady actually listened to my words.

Well, I can’t say I’m not pleased about it, but it could also become a problem.

“However, as I mentioned to the young lady, are you okay with what I told?”

That was my concern when teaching something to others.

In simple terms, my concern was whether receiving partial advice would disrupt their previous way of fighting and weaken them.

If they were to weaken after receiving my advice and still recklessly dive into the dungeon and end up dead, it would be unbearable.

That’s why when teaching, I intentionally gave vague advice to prevent them from blindly accepting my thoughts. But I wonder how it turned out? Well, they’re not dead and don’t seem to have suffered serious injuries, so that’s a relief.

“Yes. The young lady didn’t directly use your words, but she thought, researched, and incorporated what she could into her previous battles. Without being reckless or pushing herself too hard, she simply integrated the new ‘power,’ so it didn’t compromise her previous strength.”

“That’s good. If my advice led to any unnecessary deaths, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

It seems that the young lady has managed to think for herself and grow stronger.

I don’t know exactly how she incorporated my advice, but if Kudo says she has become “stronger,” then she must have made some progress.

“Well then, let’s make sure we win this year.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Your team won last year, didn’t they?”

While waving goodbye to Miyano and the others, I respond to Kudo’s words. Even if he says, “let’s win this year,” we were the ones who lost last year.

In terms of the match between Miyano’s team and the young lady’s team, I feel like Miyano’s team won, but we ultimately lost the overall competition.

“Do you think we can incorporate that and win?”

“No matter how unsatisfactory it may be, winning is winning, and losing is losing.”

“Well, that’s certainly true.”

The game based on adventurers’ activities in the dungeon reflects the outcome of life and death in the dungeon, whether it’s winning or losing.

If you actually dived into the dungeon, whether you’re satisfied or not, if you die, it’s the end.

Even if you’re not satisfied, if you won—if you survived—that’s what matters.

However, it’s also true that it has a gaming aspect.

Perhaps because of that, Kudo nodded in agreement with my words, but immediately shook his head and continued speaking.

“However, let’s say, ‘We will win this year.’ These are also the young lady’s words.”

“I see. Then, make sure to convey my encouragement.”

“Yes, understood.”

With those words, I joined Miyano and the others, and we proceeded to move from that location.

During that time, perhaps while talking with Miyano and the others, the young lady, who was nearby, looked at us and our eyes met.

But when I casually waved my hand, she averted her gaze.

──◆◇◆◇──

The place we moved to was a room with a large television, essentially a viewing room.

In this building, which has a decent amount of space, we can see all the matches that are happening simultaneously. However, it seems that they haven’t started yet.

But even so, it’s almost 8:50, and the matches are scheduled to start at 9:00, so they should begin soon.

Of course, we are here to watch the matches on the first day, but starting from tomorrow, we won’t be able to do so.

After all, it’s a long “festival” that lasts for a month. We can’t simply cancel classes for the students during this time, so starting tomorrow, the students who are not participating in the matches will have regular classes.

That’s why today is probably the only day we can watch the matches properly.

“By the way, I hope we don’t encounter any irregularities again this year.”

Last year, we encountered an irregularity during one of the matches, but will we be okay this year?

Normally, it would be ridiculous to entertain such a possibility, but based on my past experiences, I can’t completely deny it.

“Having it happen two years in a row would be quite something… don’t you think?”

At first, Miyano seemed inclined to deny it, but midway through her sentence, she stopped and tilted her head.

I understand why she would think that way, and well, I’m doubting it myself, but if possible, I wanted her to firmly deny it until the end.

“But I heard they invited some special-ranked adventurers this year.”

“Is that so?”

Last year, they apparently had prepared a team of first-ranked adventurers, but since nothing happened up until now, it was just a customary measure, and they weren’t immediately ready for it.

In addition, they had to spend time preparing equipment and ensuring the appropriate team composition to deal with the monsters.

By the way, there were also transportation-related issues. It was about a thirty-minute drive from the school at that time.

From the moment we confirmed the presence of the special-ranked monster, it probably took nearly two hours. It seems that various circumstances contributed to that delay.

Well, naturally, I was in the dungeon with Miyano and the others, so I only heard about it secondhand and wasn’t directly present.

“Oh, right. That’s why the students received a message to stop fighting immediately if any abnormalities occur and that they would arrive within ten minutes.”

Ten minutes is quite fast. It’s unlikely they can move that quickly on the surface. Are they preparing helicopters or something?

Or perhaps running? If they have abilities befitting their special rank, they could easily reach the gates around the school within five minutes if they prioritize speed.

“Oh, well… Normally, if students recklessly challenge it, they’ll end up dead. So it’s probably to prevent anyone from doing what happened last year.”

“Uh…”

“That’s… right?”

As I shifted my gaze towards Miyano and the others who rushed in without hesitation last year, Asada looked embarrassed and averted her gaze, while Miyano gave me a forced smile.

But it’s not just “right?” The fact that they survived back then was like a miracle.

In fact, if I had arrived even a little later, the young lady would have died.

Even though we fought on equal footing with all of us together, it’s clear what would have happened if even one person was missing.

If I had arrived just five minutes later to provide assistance, we might have been wiped out.