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 5 Chapter 49   Reinforcement of unstoppable anomalies

And so, another two weeks had passed when, on one particular day, we were once again exploring the dungeon to find and destroy its core. However, something seemed off.

“Hey, what are we going to do? We’ve been searching for two whole days, but we still haven’t found the core anywhere,” I voiced my frustration.

“Should we keep going like this? We have enough food supplies, and hygiene-wise, there are no immediate issues,” Asada added.

This time, due to the emergency situation, we were able to borrow a military vehicle for faster exploration inside the dungeon. However, even speeding through the dungeon without following any speed limits, we were unable to locate the core.

“Dungeons that spawn powerful monsters aren’t usually that vast, so I think we should have found it by now…”

The strength of the monsters and the complexity of the dungeon were inversely proportional. The more intricate and extensive the dungeon, the weaker the monsters within it, and vice versa.

Since this dungeon was specifically assigned to us, it housed moderately strong monsters that would pose a challenge for other adventurers. We should have found the core by now, usually within a day, and sometimes within half a day. But this time, despite searching for two days, we were still unable to find the core.

With Abe, who was sensitive to magical energy, being with us, we should have been able to at least sense the direction or traces of the core, even if we couldn’t find it directly. But for some reason, we couldn’t do that either.

In Nina’s case, she could enter a small dungeon and unleash her magic at full power, potentially incinerating everything inside with a single blast. But for us, such an extreme feat is impossible… What should we do?

“Is there no core?”

While I was contemplating our next move as I drove, I heard Abe’s voice from behind.

“No core… Is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. But right now, nothing seems normal. So, even the impossible might be possible, you know?”

Not normal, huh? Well, it’s true that our current situation is abnormal. It’s not just about not being able to find the core; the fact that a massive number of gates have appeared itself is unusual.

So, even if another abnormality were to occur at this point, it wouldn’t be too surprising.

“Based on the map, the majority of the area seems to be covered.”

“We’ve circled around the outer perimeter, so we have a general idea of its size.”

“But if it’s supposed to be underground, then we’re clueless.”

Thanks to the military vehicle, we’re exploring much faster than usual. However, there’s still a limit to how deep we can investigate, especially if it involves underground locations.

Still, even if the core were underground, there should have been some reaction or change that we could detect. But we haven’t found any such “something” yet.

“Let’s continue searching for the day, and if we still can’t find it, we’ll head back.”

Upon hearing my words, each of the four members nodded in agreement. However, by the end of the day, we still hadn’t found the core, so we decided to temporarily withdraw from the dungeon.

Once we emerged outside, I made sure that Miyano and the others replenished their equipment and took a break. I then decided to call Saeki-san to explain the situation.

“——Again?”

“So, you mean this has happened in other places too?”

“Yeah. Despite not being such a vast area, there have been reports of the core not being found no matter how much they searched.”

In other places as well, huh? Then, it’s likely that there truly is no core in this dungeon, and it wasn’t our oversight.

…But isn’t that problematic?

“What are we going to do? If we can’t destroy the core, the gate will remain open.”

“Well, there’s not much we can do about it. We’ll have to block it off and leave personnel and equipment behind. You guys can come back.”

Leaving the gate open means the possibility of monsters continuously coming out from within, making it dangerous. However, if we can’t find and destroy the core, we have no other options.

“Understood… Does this mean the situation is progressing?”

“Likely so… I never thought the gate occurrence would be the end of it, and it’s becoming evident that the situation is changing. Be cautious.”

Feeling the ominous atmosphere, we decided to call off the exploration of this gate and returned to the research institute.

──◆◇◆◇──

One month later. Although we encountered dungeons where the core couldn’t be found, since that incident, we haven’t come across such dungeons again, and we’ve been successfully destroying gates.

“Phew, finally found it!”

“After we set the bomb here, we’re done.”

Today, too, we delved into the dungeon and located the core responsible for constructing it. Thanks to the presence of a hero, we’ve been assigned dungeons with stronger monsters, but that makes the exploration easier for me.

Once we set the specialized bomb for core destruction, all we have to do is return to the gate’s entrance, and we’re finished.

“But really, using the phrase ‘set the bomb,’ I never thought I’d say that.”

“Of course, who would’ve thought? I certainly didn’t.”

“That’s something you’d never say in a regular life.”

“A regular life… Can we go back to that?”

As I began rummaging through the items stored in the car to retrieve the bomb, I overheard Miya and the others conversing, and my hands paused.

A regular life… It’s been nearly three months since then, or rather, should I say it’s been less than three months?

We still don’t know the cause of the gate occurrences or how to stop them, but will we ever be able to return to our old lives?

Perhaps we’ll continue to live on, constantly wary of the gates…

“…”

However, it seems that the vague anxiety I felt wasn’t exclusive to me, as Miya and the others fell into silence as well.

“Anyway, let’s just finish this quickly!”

As if trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, Asada shook her head and raised her voice.

“And that’s why I have one more favor to ask.”

With a warm smile, Asada casually brought up the request, as she always did.

While Miyano’s strength reassured everyone, Asada seemed to be the mood-maker, supporting everyone in different ways. Of course, Asada was not only that; she possessed her own strength as well. She was a truly appreciated and dependable presence.

Taking a deep breath, we prepared to resume our work, but suddenly, a phone rang.

“What? A phone call? Who is it? …Saeki-san?”

I wondered why a phone was ringing when there should be no signal inside the gate. This was an unusual situation, so I answered the call without further thought.

“Hello—”

“Thank goodness, the call went through!”

“What do you mean? And how are you able to make a call inside the dungeon?”

Saeki-san’s voice sounded flustered as he spoke through the phone.

What happened? I’ve never heard him sound this agitated before.

“Right now, we’ve sent someone to the entrance of the gate as an intermediary—but more importantly! Have you found the core!?”

“Yes. We found something that looked like it, so we were about to set up the bomb—”

“Don’t touch it! There’s a core that self-destructs upon contact!”

“Wha—”

Upon hearing those words, I immediately turned my gaze to the core, but there was nothing unusual about it. It appeared to be a completely ordinary core.

“Are you saying that anyone who touches it—”

“They vanish along with the collapse of the dungeon.”

To destroy the core, whether by our own means or using the bomb, we had to touch it directly. However, if it crumbled the moment it was touched, then using a bomb became pointless.

Moreover, if it could be destroyed by such a simple act of touching, it meant that something could happen at any moment, causing the core to collapse.

With that thought, I unconsciously clenched my fist.

“If you’ve found something resembling the core, that’s enough. Come back right away.”

“Understood.”

Feeling a sense of foreboding, we left only a beacon near the location of the core, got back into the car, and headed back to the gate.

──◆◇◆◇──

When we returned from the gate, Saeko and the others were already busy, just like when there was a massive gate outbreak, and we couldn’t have a proper conversation.

Later, we heard that we received the message in time and managed to retreat before touching the core. However, many adventurers were caught up in the collapse of the gate that occurred simultaneously with the destruction of the core.

Fortunately, due to the urgency of the situation, all gates were sealed the next day, and after a week, no one could destroy a gate at will.

However, that would leave us vulnerable to being killed by monsters that come from the gate. We couldn’t allow such a situation to persist. While we refrained from destroying cores, we had to hunt monsters within the gates to keep the situation under control.

But the fact that the gate could collapse just by touching the core meant it was highly unstable, and there was a possibility that the gate could collapse suddenly even without touching the core.

As a result, adventurers like us, who were somewhat important, were tasked with eliminating only the monsters that emerged from the gate.

However, not destroying the gates at all, even though their numbers were increasing, would eventually become impossible to manage. So, we resorted to using moderately skilled adventurers as sacrifices to gradually deal with the gates.

However, limiting the use of combat power also increased the danger. Even those with sufficient skills were ultimately human, and many died during the gate explorations.

Although we knew that if we went, we could reduce the casualties, we were in a situation where we couldn’t go. Miyano and the others were frustrated and gnashed their teeth.

Today, one more month has passed, and we were summoned by Saeki.

“Ah, you came. Please have a seat.”

Following Saeki’s suggestion, we took our seats, but he looked unusually serious.

“We won’t waste time with a lengthy introduction since you’re probably curious too.”

The sudden acceleration of the conversation could mean…

“As we investigated the abnormalities in the cores, we also noticed anomalies in the flow of magical energy at multiple locations. Upon further investigation, we found some places that are connected to the gates. Moreover, it’s evident that human hands were involved in these connections.”

“So, you mean these places could be the bases of the Savior’s Army?”

“That’s what we’re hoping to find out.”

Hoping to find out. It seems plausible, but there’s no concrete evidence yet.

Well, it wouldn’t be wise to get too involved and risk being discovered. We’ll have to play it safe.

“In that case, why don’t we launch an attack on those places?”

Perhaps this could put an end to the disturbances.

“But it’s a gamble. We’ve found several bases scattered across the world. Completely destroying them would require substantial forces, and…”

Exactly. If we were to attack, we’d have to hit all the bases simultaneously, without giving them any chance to respond or prepare.

However, our current situation is already stretched thin, dealing with the gates. We don’t have the resources or capacity to launch such an assault with considerable forces, let alone simultaneously in multiple locations.

If we still insist on attacking, we’ll have to gather reinforcements from somewhere, but the question is… from where?

“While we launch the attack, the security around the gates will weaken, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. If we manage to completely destroy them, even if tens of thousands die from the monsters, it’ll be a price we have to pay. But if we fail…”

With a deep sigh, Saeki expressed the inevitable truth. Succeeding in the assault and putting an end to the crisis would justify the losses, but failing would result in unimaginable consequences.

However, if we stay idle, we’ll eventually be pushed into a corner. Knowing that, regardless of the risks involved, we must take this gamble and face the danger head-on.

During the attack, we’d have to leave only the necessary guards at the gates and gather as much force as possible.

Naturally, it means that the ‘Hero,’ Miyano, and her team, including us, will participate in the assault.

“This was decided during the recent meeting. In one month from today, at noon, we’ll simultaneously attack the locations that each country has identified as possible enemy bases. You, as the ‘Hero and her party,’ will be assigned to high-risk locations. So—”

With that, we were tasked to launch an assault on the enemy’s bases.

“Be prepared and resolute.”

If only this battle could be the final one. I curse those damn gods.