A little bit of story has been shared, but the real reason Shia originally came to Busan was to participate in the world-renowned event known as the [Hunter Train], alongside family and friends to enjoy a summer vacation.
Shia was staying at a hunter-exclusive hotel far from downtown Busan, so she wasn’t well informed about the civilian news. However, starting a month before the event, the city of Busan and the government had been throwing all sorts of giant festivities, including a pre-event celebration.
This was quite a hot topic on the genre Hunter Gallery.
Bing!
[The pre-event for the Hunter Train is such a blast!]
ㄴ[All those A-grade hunters that you normally wouldn’t see all gathered for the festival, drawing tigers in the sky.]
ㄴ[I never thought I’d actually see a Confucian Dragon breathe fire.]
ㄴ[The Confucian Dragon moves around and breathes fire? How did they do that?]
ㄴ[What? Show me, too!]
Ding!
[Hunter Train D-3]
Breaking news: ‘Snow Woman’ has entered Busan from Japan!
ㄴ[Looks like the ‘Comet’s Axe’ has come along too?]
ㄴ[LOL, they really are holding an axe! HAHA!]
Snap!
[Yep, all cut from Icicle Nine’s perspective.]
[What the heck is Icicle Nine, you weeb?]
ㄴ[Yeonseo’s granddaughter.]
ㄴ[Oh no!]
ㄴ[Oh no!]
ㄴ[They are soon to be buried!]
ㄴ[So sorry, so sorry, so sorry!]
Bing!
[Hey, hey, someone spotted the US’s second ranking hunter in the new city of Busan.]
ㄴ[Wooden Blackhand?]
ㄴ[Yep.]
ㄴ[What was it like seeing them in person?]
ㄴ[They looked like they were 4 meters tall, for real!]
ㄴ[What the heck, how can that be a person? HAHA!]
ㄴ[Since the US’s top hunter was crippled during the last raid and is basically retired now, Wooden Blackhand should be seen as the actual number one.]
Normally, there are millions of users in the genre Hunter Gallery, but before and after the Hunter Train, net runners flock from all over the world, increasing the numbers by more than fourfold.
Of course, there were pure civilian users, but behind the scenes, there were numerous undercurrents of various factions at work.
Although it’s referred to as a global hunter festival, the gathering of so many factions has made the Hunter Train resemble a sort of proxy war between nations.
The initial purpose of the Hunter Train was to unite hunters from different countries to fight off monsters and gates scattered around the world. However, in modern times, it has increasingly become a battleground for guilds and nations.
And the starting point for all these activities was the genre Hunter Gallery.
The genre Hunter Gallery holds sway over the world. It may not be an absurd story, but as the largest integrated community for hunter information in the world, it’s a gathering place for all sorts of hunters and guilds looking to spy on each other’s information. And it became the forefront of public opinion warfare.
Bing!
[By the way, I’m not a fool, but that new recruit from the Olympus Guild in Greece is quite the sight.]
ㄴ[Who?]
ㄴ[A woman named Aphrodite or something?]
ㄴ[Yup.]
ㄴ[I thought Zeus was pretty darn cool for Olympus.]
ㄴ[Shut up, you rapist!]
ㄴ[Yeah, I heard rumors he has hundreds of illegitimate children!]
ㄴ[Is that really true?]
ㄴ[I think it’s exactly 182 kids!]
ㄴ[What the heck, HAHA!]
ㄴ[No, honestly, how could a guy not hit on the lightning character?]
ㄴ[Looks like Zeus is back with part-time jobs! HAHA!]
ㄴ[It’s not a part-time job!]
ㄴ[Then he must be the real Zeus!]
ㄴ[What’s with this guy, why isn’t he replying?]
ㄴ[Is it really Zeus?]
ㄴ[This guy is losing it! HAHA!]
ㄴ[HAHAHAHAHA!]
ㄴ[We caught him, HAHA!]
Bing!
[In the top rankings, it’s likely the US representative will come out on top, right?]
ㄴ[I heard they were grinding their teeth because they couldn’t beat Yeonseo in the past.]
ㄴ[With Yeonseo retired now, it seems like it’s their world.]
ㄴ[What a joke, how can someone who can’t even beat the Mountain Guild do anything?]
ㄴ[Indeed, your Mountain Guild has been devastated!]
ㄴ[That’s been a rumor for ages! HAHA!]
ㄴ[Another troll just popped by.]
ㄴ[Hey, how much you getting paid?]
There were already people throwing out bait to elevate their country’s representative hunters, and as the public opinion warfare between guilds and hired trolls took reign in the genre Hunter Gallery, it could surely be described as a chaos of humanity.
Normally, the mods of the genre Hunter Gallery would sweep away overly heated topics to restore peace, but with an international mega event like the [Hunter Train] about to be held, they couldn’t keep up with the thousands or even tens of millions of net runners rushing in from around the world.
Some of them were even net runner hunters raised within guilds, and since they had forcibly restored deleted posts by mods in the past, the mods eventually raised their hands saying, “Just do whatever you want” during the period of the Hunter Train.
Though they tried to block and delete posts, the chaos returned like waves with trolls and spy hunters from various guilds flooding in, not to mention even direct entries from the government and international hunters, making it impossible for mods to contain them all.
Bing!
[The British Commonwealth is also participating this time. Elizaveta IV is expected to directly observe the event.]
ㄴ[What, is that girl coming again?]
ㄴ[That crazy girl…!]
ㄴ[She’ll probably directly enter the Hunter Train.]
ㄴ[Without Yeonseo around, she’ll probably go wild! HAHA!]
ㄴ[Breaking news: The Prime Minister has been rushed to the ER due to blood pressure again…!]
ㄴ[It’s not the Prime Minister, it’s probably the Science Minister!]
The strongest individuals from each country, the rulers of the guilds, representatives of major factions, and prominent candidates for the top rankings began to gather one by one in Busan.
Bing!
[I see this Top Rank will be a bit different.]
ㄴ[What, are you watching in 8K?]
ㄴ[No, no! Is Isia there?]
As interest from around the world began to concentrate, naturally, stories about Shia began to circulate among the netizens.
Bing!
[Oh, the gallery master?]
ㄴ[The great mango gang has arrived.]
ㄴ[These mango kids are starting to look like their master!]
ㄴ[For real, HAHA!]
Crunch!
Munch!
Shia, the strongest in the genre Hunter Gallery for half a year now, was starting to become known to countless people without her even realizing it.
Bing!
[About a month ago, the gallery master said they were joining the Hunter Train.]
ㄴ[Weren’t they just joking? Is it for real?]
ㄴ[Of course it’s real! They’re going to Busan to do mermaid broadcasts and cook Mandragora herbal soup!]
Slurp!
Yeah!
[Isia is seriously going insane, right?]
[She’ll conquer the Hunter Train after dominating the Hunter Gallery!]
[Now she’s even gonna cause a ruckus on the Hunter Train! HAHA!]
Bing!
[Here’s a GIF of the gallery master shaking it!]
ㄴ[Wow!]
ㄴ[No matter how many times I see it, it’s amazing!]
Bing!
(Top 1) [Drew a picture of the Meat Fairy Gallery Master] (3428)
ㄴRecommended Count: 11029
Bing!
Crash!
[What the heck is going on with this artisan; what is this?]
ㄴ[Wow!]
ㄴ[Damn, so cute! HAHA!]
[Is the gallery master your friend?]
ㄴ[For real!]
[Don’t start a flashbang at dawn! HAHA!]
[Now I can die without regrets…!!]
Bing!
[………]
Bing!
[……….Hey, but is the gallery master getting involved?]
ㄴ[What?]
ㄴ[What?]
ㄴ[?]
ㄴ[??]
Whispering.
[Hold on, let’s be honest here. If you think about it, isn’t it quite absurd for this random girl to be thrown into the ranks where the world’s top hunters are gathering? Aren’t they gonna be overshadowed by international talent? (Truthful opinion.)]
ㄴ[?]
Whispering.
[Isn’t this guy a ‘Blackhand troll’?]
ㄴ[Why are they acting out when others are fine?]
Whispering.
Bing!
[What’s up with this guy?]
[Crazy troll is rising! HAHA!]
[This dude’s a mod, for sure!]
[HA!]
[Block this guy. We just can’t take his nonsense anymore!]
bzzt!
[We’ve processed the troll! Let’s keep going, everyone!!]
ㄴ[What a troll! HAHA!]
ㄴ[Get out of here, you fool!]
Thus, while the world and the genre Hunter Gallery were exceptionally loud…
Ding!
“Mom, give me food.”
Rustle!
Shia found breakfast to be more important than all that chaos.
Even though everything from Busan to the world, and all the online buzz seemed to be on fire like a forest fire, Shia didn’t realize it or feel the need to.
Bam!
“Hey, you brat! You already cleaned off that leftover pigeon herbal soup you had the other day, so what more do you want for breakfast!”
“Yeah, but I’m hungry…”
Crunch!
“Right, hungry…! Slurp, slurp.”
“Stop licking!”
By the way, the hotel room where Shia was staying in Busan was rather raucous.
It wasn’t just Shia, Yoonjeong, Teresa, and Menelapie.
There was also ‘Yane,’ who was brought over from the Great Forest yesterday, and ‘Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess.’
Shink… huffle… huffle…
And even Elder Mandragora, who was dozing by the window basking in the morning sun!
There were quite a number of people.
And Shia was planning to take all of them to participate in the Hunter Train.
Normally, it would be right for Shia to participate alone.
There were no restrictions against bringing family or friends on the Hunter Train, but since it involved continuous dangerous battles, most hunters would never take unarmed civilians along, and those who accompanied them had to be at least B-rank to gain permission.
Yet despite that, Shia wanted to take all her people with her, and the reason was simple.
Because I’m lonely.
How long has it been since she met ‘her people’…
Moreover, once the Hunter Train sets off, taking a trip around the world would take an undetermined amount of time.
According to records, the trips ranged from as short as a month to a couple of months, and the longest Hunter Train journey reportedly lasted over a year.
Moreover, the Hunter Train served as a luxurious mobile five-star hotel equipped with all sorts of the latest technology funded by various countries, companies, and major guilds.
Inside, there were blacksmiths and technicians living to repair and manufacture hunters’ equipment, along with media and journalists sanctioned by various countries or organizations, government officials, and even politicians, making it an exceptional world tour for the most part, aside from the threat of monsters.
Bam!
‘Well, if I’m along with Menelapie and Teresa, a safe world tour is a given.’
Of course, Teresa was in a state where she couldn’t fully utilize her powers, but that didn’t matter.
Even if the complete form of the Demon King burst out, Shia had the power to take it down herself. By doing appropriate hunter activities while spending time on the train, she could enjoy a fun vacation around the world with ‘her people.’
And they mentioned a prize of 2 trillion.
While it certainly wouldn’t be 2 trillion cash, it was probably the total prize money allocated for the top-ranking hunters, meaning that as long as she engages adequately, she could snag a significant sum to move into a nice new house!
Ding!
‘Since our family is getting larger…’
There was even a chance it could become bigger, so moving into a nice big house was definitely necessary.
While the Returnee Shelter wasn’t terrible, Shia knew that with her, her mom, and Menelapie, a 20-pyeong house would feel cramped.
Crunch!
“Oh ha ha, it seems our little piggies have once again eaten everything up!”
Teresa casually laid down on Shia as though the bed were hers, resting her head on Shia’s chest while munching on snacks with one hand.
Given this childlike view and her snug fit, Shia didn’t mind, and it seemed Teresa was comfortable in this situation too.
Bam!
“My point is that if Shia eats as well as our Teresa baby, how much better off would she be?”
“Hehe, I’m not a baby, mom.”
“Looking like one, though!”
“You’ll be surprised to see my real form, mom.”
“Ah, if Teresa reveals her lewd and wicked true form, you might faint!”
“Curse you, you cheater!”
“Hey, Teresa! Watch your words!”
“Damn it!”
“Mom, I’ll handle the cooking, so please rest.”
“Right, there’s no one better than you, Menelapie~”
Meanwhile, Menelapie, who was quickly tying on her apron, now looked quite natural in the role of a housewife.
Bam!
“Ugh, Menelapie, you are the prettiest.”
“Mom, what about me?!”
“You’re just pork!”
“Hey!”
Shia feigned sadness but was secretly pleased.
This kind of trivial daily life, spending time with those she thought she’d never see again, brought her immense joy and happiness.
But suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.
Hmm… What happened to dad?
“Hmm?”
“What?”
“Eh?”
“Gah?”
Bing!
