And so, the day of departure for the Hunter Train arrived.
Hunters typically avoided participating in festivals, but since this was a multinational event with attendees from all over the world, they gathered in one place under the president’s speech.
“Dear citizens and esteemed guests both domestic and abroad, welcome. I sincerely congratulate the opening of the ‘Hunter Train’ in the Asia-Pacific Region, and I am grateful for the key figures who lead the global hunter community gathering here, especially to the elves from Daesanrim, which was recently recognized as a nation, for their attendance…”
Thanks to that, the plaza near New Busan Station was bustling with numerous crowds.
Not only civilians, but also hunters who weren’t participating in the Hunter Train had come here to simply sightsee and broaden their horizons.
Many had come to see faces they could hardly see otherwise, and many were watching the broadcast screens transmitted by numerous drone cameras hovering nearby.
It was certainly a rare sight to see the S-grade hunters from various countries gathered together like this.
[There’s Wooden Blackhand from America, Wei Wu from Taiwan, Zeus from the EU, Yujin from Korea, and even Queen Elizaveta IV and Hunter Yeonhwa from the UK.]
[Wow, damn! When have we ever seen those S-ranks gathered in one place? LOL]
[Even the Queen of England has come?]
[Yep, Elizaveta IV.]
[Can a queen even be a hunter like that?]
[Looks like Prime Minister Simon needs to take a disguise potion. LOL]
[If she dies, it’s her own responsibility.]
[They’ve been a constitutional monarchy both now and then. They say it’s good for leading public sentiment.]
[You could think of it like royalty doing military service.]
[But I heard she has quite a fiery personality for that.]
[But where’s the Gallery Master?]
[No idea.]
[Isn’t it because he’s not officially S-grade so he can’t get that spot?]
[Could be a king-level possibility.]
[For real, LOL.]
[Aah, I want an S-grade soon~]
[With so many people, it’s annoying, so he’s probably eating something inside the train.]
[There really are a lot of people, haha.]
[Anyway, most of those gathering for the opening ceremony are generally S-grade hunters.]
At that moment, Shia was enjoying popcorn, just as a net runner had jokingly said in the Hunter Gallery.
Crunch, crunch.
“Quite flashy.”
“Well, since not just Korea but almost every nation with hunters participated, it’s no surprise.”
Putting aside all the annoyances, she was watching the opening ceremony broadcast on a holographic screen.
In fact, for Menelapie and Teresa, who had participated in almost every ‘state event’ in the previous world, it was a bit refreshing to realize that they could just sit still and do nothing for an event like this.
“It sure is far more comfortable lounging here than facing that damn crowd.”
“By the way, Shia, are you sure you’re okay not going there?”
“Yep! Yeonhwa deleted me from the attendance list when I said I didn’t want to go.”
“Our pig saint has a tendency to abuse her power even after coming to Earth. Hey, give me some popcorn too! That’s made from Daesanrim corn that Lirisia prepared, right?”
“Huh… Teresa, don’t you not need food since you’re a doll?”
“I can still taste and feel full, you jerk!”
“Hey, don’t hog it all to yourself. Share a bit!”
“Sniff Your mother…”
Teresa, Menelapie, Yoonjeong were all tangled up on one bed, or rather cuddled up closely, creating a peaceful and comforting atmosphere at that moment.
It was nice to see the familiar toes of their acquaintances wriggling together on the bed.
By the way, the mermaid princess and Yane had gone to wash up, while Elder Mandragora was sunbathing stuck in a pot.
‘Being not S-grade is actually nice at times like this.’
It wasn’t that there were no discomforts at all, and while it was a bit embarrassing that she still hadn’t achieved S-grade, there wasn’t much inconvenience since the temporary hunter license was sufficient for entering dungeons or doing hunter activities.
It was a given that Shia’s abilities were already S-grade, but it wasn’t officially recognized in documents or databases, so she didn’t really need to show her face at such opening ceremonies or fulfill various obligations of appearing in public.
Of course, if the Hunter Train ended and there was a best contribution hunter award ceremony, then she would have to stand in front of the cameras then, but there was no need to expend her energy mingling in such crowds already.
‘Hah, speaking at the Rose Order back in the previous world was really nerve-wracking… Can I be a bit more comfortable here? By the way, this train is surprisingly spacious for a train?’
The hunter train car assigned to Shia was much larger and had better facilities than the Returnee Shelter in Seoul.
In fact, it felt like it might even be larger than a penthouse on the top floor of a luxury hotel, if a bit exaggerated.
Of course, it had rooms assigned according to the number of people, bathrooms attached to each room, and various facilities that made it rival a decent hotel, providing a cozy and high-tech atmosphere where she could remain inside without needing to step outside if her meals were sorted out.
After all, stepping into such a bustling opening ceremony seemed unlikely to be more enjoyable than giving up this coziness.
[Attention to all hunters aboard the Hunter Train.]
And while she was enjoying the opening ceremony, the internal hologram broke, revealing a message close to an alarm.
For hunters, what was truly important wasn’t the opening ceremony or the hollow encouragement of politicians; it was likely information about the dungeons they were about to dive into and the monsters inhabiting them.
[The first dungeon scheduled for invasion is the -Blood Swamp- located near Geumgangsan’s Oknyobong. The gate has been open for four years, so the entire area has been consumed by the dungeon, and the invasion is scheduled for midnight today. The main monster that will appear in this dungeon is…]
[Slime]
[It’s a slime. Everyone, please pay close attention to the dungeon forecast and check your equipment.]
●●●●●
After the bustling opening ceremony ended, the Hunter Train departed smoothly, carrying the hunters along.
It wasn’t like it launched like a missile or anything of the sort.
While each train car was quite large, similar to a building, the Hunter Train began its journey quietly and smoothly, floating slightly above the rails as it moved forward with many hunters onboard.
And Shia, along with Menelapie, Teresa, and Yoonjeong, headed toward the briefing room located in the central car of the Hunter Train.
They could see a few familiar faces here and there.
There was Cheon Ah-Young, who once shared a wyvern egg dish with them, and Yeonhwa was greeting other hunters over there.
Yujin and Big Olgania were sitting together over there happily too.
But since Yujin was a famous S-grade hunter who had returned to Earth decades ago, Shia thought he’d be busy greeting others as he recognized many faces…
Oh, Big Olgania wasn’t letting go of Yujin’s hand.
Cough, cough. Yujin… tough job today!
“By the way, I heard Lirisia is coming…”
“She’s probably in her room. With the Mapo District erosion incident, she mentioned that she might be recognized by someone, so…”
“Teresa, is it really fine not to go see Lirisia? Huh? Where did that girl go?!”
“She just left to find Lirisia a moment ago.”
“Well, to be honest, Teresa doesn’t really need to be on the front line for the briefing, since you won’t be going out…”
As they were chatting, a member of the Hunter Association wearing black sunglasses stood up tightly-lipped on the podium.
“Hello, and thank you sincerely to all the hunters who attended this pre-briefing session. To give you a brief overview of the current schedule, the Hunter Train has departed from New Busan Station and will soon pass through Seoul Station. After passing through, this Hunter Train will deviate from the existing route and initiate a dungeon invasion within the hour.”
“Wait, it’s not headed straight for Geumgangsan?”
“It’s a big event, after all. I imagine some politician requested to show the scene of passing through Seoul Station on purpose.”
“Politicians really know how to be annoying, that’s for sure.”
Cough, cough.
The briefing room was filled with many hunters.
However, not all hunters were present.
It seemed that each guild or participating group had only sent representatives to listen to the information.
“I believe you all saw the information screen sent to your rooms earlier, but just in case someone wasn’t able to see it due to unavoidable circumstances, let me reiterate. The -Blood Swamp-, which we are invading, encompasses both the foothills of Oknyobong and the dungeon itself.”
“Hey, agent, is the dungeon gate type or erosion type?”
“It’s mixed type. Monsters can occupy the Geumgangsan area through the gate, but according to the association’s analysis of the magical wave, it has been confirmed that any human entering the inside will not be able to exit until the boss monster, which is the core, is defeated.”
“So once you enter, you can’t come out?”
“Whether you like it or not, it means you need to find the boss first.”
“This is pretty harsh for a slime dungeon…”
“Imagine if it was a Goblin Empire or something. That would be a real disaster.”
The veterans gathered in the central car started to formulate battle plans at the agent’s words.
Slime.
A monster that was common everywhere. There were many slimes not just in dungeons but even in the wild on Earth in 2088.
This was because slimes lacked the intelligence to unconditionally oppose humans, being at the bottom of the ecological chain.
Depending on the individual, it was generally weak enough for an average person to handle, and it was considered less dangerous than goblins of the same F-grade.
Moreover, slimes were weak enough to be at the bottom of the ecological hierarchy, feeding mainly on moisture, soft plants, and the carcasses of dead animals.
They were the lowest monsters in the ecosystem and acted as new cleaners to help nature cycle through.
Thanks to such a slime ecology, scholars published several papers suggesting that the emergence of slimes, as new cleaners, was one of the main reasons Earth, devastated by the Great Rift, rapidly recovered.
[There are numerous hunters from all over the world participating here. A total of 21 S-grade hunters and 683 A-grade hunters, along with over 2,000 others to support the hunters. Of course, all of you here know that slimes are among the lowest-ranking monsters, merely cleaners of the ecosystem.]
“By the way, Shia.”
“Yes, Mom?”
“I’ve caught an awful lot of slimes before, but even if there are a ton of them, isn’t it just a matter of A-grade hunters or two or three regular ones taking care of them?”
“Probably, but I doubt the association verified that these are normal slimes.”
“Normal?”
“It could be a variant, or perhaps the slimes’ souls have merged to form something like [Slime Queen].”
As if to prove Shia’s words, the agent in charge of relaying information to the hunters in the train said in a somber voice.
“However, the slimes we will invade in this dungeon are not ordinary slimes.”
‘Well, I guess the Hunter Train wouldn’t be operating just for a plain F-grade slime dungeon…’
Shia recalled the explanation she heard from Yeonhwa regarding the Hunter Train.
According to Yeonhwa, the Hunter Train was somewhat of a multinational collaboration aimed at tackling dungeons that even existing hunter groups or guilds had not been able to defeat.
If the dungeon required a Hunter Train, it certainly had dangerous elements beyond existing knowledge.
[We don’t have many confirmed details yet, but…]
As the agent gestured, the hologram illuminating the central car changed, displaying the image and characteristics of the slime.
Typically, slimes changed colors according to the plants they consumed or their surrounding environment for camouflage. However, the hologram revealed a rather conspicuous black slime form.
[Commonly known as the Balamuisa Fowleri slime, listed in the Hunter Wiki as the -Brain-Eating Slime-.]
“Black?”
“Isn’t it usually blue or green?”
The briefing from the international hunter association member revealed a palpable tension in his deep sighs.
If it were typical slimes, hunters might have laughed and sarcastically asked, “Are you seriously nervous about slimes?” but all hunters aboard the Hunter Train were seasoned enough to refrain from mockery.
Instead, they all sensed that a rather abnormal situation warranted the inclusion of such low-level monsters as targets for the Hunter Train.
And from afar, a large black man known as ‘Wooden Blackhand’ raised his hand.
[Ah, Mr. Wooden Blackhand! Please speak.]
“Did you say it’s a brain-eating slime? Does that refer to the human brain?”
[Yes. The association also hasn’t gathered enough information about this slime, so the risk assessment and overall level of it are currently undefined.]
“It’s possible it could be parasitic as well.”
[That’s correct! The association currently suspects that the unusually expanding gates and the slimes’ spread indicate there’s likely a mother slime acting as a ruling class residing within the dungeon.]
“Or it’s possible that the species itself is a variant that evolved as a constant of the dungeon. We need to consider the chance that a variant slime could have consumed the existing slimes and replaced the ruling layers of the dungeon. I’ve seen similar occurrences in California before, where lizardmen built a kingdom by pushing goblins out of a goblin-filled dungeon. Monsters kill each other too, so it’s not unusual for ruling layers to change.”
‘He’s actually pretty smart despite how he looks…’
Following that, the agent mentioned that the precise range, size, mana density, and risk level of the dungeon could not be measured.
Originally, hunters would have expressed discontent at such news, but… this was the Hunter Train, and they were gathered to tackle dungeons that were unlikely to be handled by existing hunter groups or guilds.
“And since this is a competition, who will measure the contribution?”
It was Zeus speaking.
Shia scowled at the fact that that Golden Sun was still alive, but whatever…
She could always deal with that later…
[The contribution in the dungeon will be assessed by the Hunter Integrated Support AI under fair criteria, so there’s no need to worry about that.]
“If the AI assesses contributions, then the fairness should be okay…”
Boom…!
At that moment, a heavy vibration shook the central car.
When the self-propelled Hunter Train experiences a shudder that hunters could detect, it could only mean one thing.
The start of the dungeon invasion.
It meant the Hunter Train had breached the dungeon’s gate and initiated the attack.
[…The estimated time of arrival is now anticipated to be in one hour, but the schedule has changed.]
Now the outside of this train was no longer Earth.
[Dungeon Name -Blood Swamp- The erosion area is more extensive than anticipated. Therefore, from this point on, we are commencing the hunt. Hunters, please initiate your hunts.]
Commence the hunt.
With those words, the mana of all hunters aboard the train flickered at once.
Some for money.
Some for power and combat.
Some for other purposes.
The different desires of those who had boarded the Hunter Train for various or shared reasons began to stir simultaneously.
“Alright!! Let’s go!”
“Let’s go!”
“We’re charging in immediately! First to the front line and territory expansion hunters, move out!”
“Let’s go!”
“Contact the guild master right away!”
“He’s probably drunk and sleeping…”
“Damn it…!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Let’s get started, everyone.”
“Make ready.”
“Ha ha ha! Is anyone willing to join this queen? Right now, I…”
“Me! Me!”
“Great, you’re the one I like!”
“Hey, you all better work properly to raise the funding for your wedding, you hear?”
“Yes! Guild Master!”
“Are you participating right away too, Zeus?”
“Just one more glass of nectar… Uh, sorry. Alright, alright, Aphrodite. Let’s go…”
An unpredictable dungeon where anything unreasonable could happen.
Certainly, it was worrying that the variants and risks hadn’t been measured yet.
If it were a slime that could indeed eat brains and take over human bodies, it could be quite dangerous.
However, no one showed fear.
“So, Mom. Since we’re dressed comfortably, shall we go right away?”
“Huh? Can we go right away? What about Yane and Teresa?”
“They’ll follow along as they see fit. Menelapie, you ready?”
“Yeah, just say the word.”
Alright then…
What kind of food should I make with slimes?
‘But… there’s no way a variant slime might eat a hunter’s brain and take over their body, right?’
