Yoonjeong, Yane, Hana, and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess cautiously surveyed the outside landscape.
The train car assigned as Shia’s accommodation had been relocated to an underground nuclear facility by the Uranium Dragon, so in a way, they had simply fallen into an unknown dungeon.
“Ume, it’s dangerous!”
“Kiee…”
Yane realized they were being kidnapped by a glowing dinosaur and tried to kill it, but since they were moving at high speed, killing it could risk crushing the train car itself. Now they found themselves in an even more dangerous place—North Korean nuclear facilities.
Though there was a delay in understanding the situation, they had ultimately arrived at a place they had never seen before, held in the dinosaur’s grasp.
While looking around through the window, Yoonjeong could see all sorts of glowing substances shimmering everywhere.
‘This doesn’t look like a nuclear facility but like an ancient dungeon…’
Although he was a D-grade Hunter, Yoonjeong had his fair share of experience exploring various dungeons in Korea. Now that such suspicious glowing materials were integrated throughout the underground facility, it was clear that even if this were not inside a dungeon but on Earth, the environment and ecology would be inhospitable for humans.
‘If I go out there, my flesh would start rotting right away from that glowing stuff…’
Fortuitously, several of Yoonjeong’s Hunter Assistant Drones were operating fine, so if he just held on quietly, Shia and the others would likely notice the situation.
“Haah, this is why I didn’t want to come here… I’m not of any help, and I’m just a burden to Shia…”
“Kiee… Chu, umm?”
“No, stop it, Yane.”
Yane seemed to be trying to comfort Yoonjeong by licking her cheek, but he pushed her away with one hand. After all, it was quite uncomfortable to have such intimate and direct skin contact with someone who felt like a granddaughter.
Even though he pretended not to, Yoonjeong completely relied on and trusted Shia; however, the reality that he, as a motherly figure, was just causing distress and being of no help to his children was quite hard to bear.
He had always been the one receiving help, and now he was left wondering how to provide it. Such thoughts took root in Yoonjeong’s mind, and it seemed like the teabag of the Demon King had sensed his feelings, as the kettle shook slightly.
“Mother, please don’t say that.”
Noticing Yoonjeong’s slight despondency, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess delicately perched herself beside the bed where he was sitting. The trembling of the kettle ceased altogether.
“Bringing you here was entirely the Saintess’s will.”
“That’s true, but…”
“You were not meant to board this train as a Hunter. It was merely a sightseeing trip arranged by Saintess Isia to show you something good and feed you. You don’t need to feel like a burden at all.”
“Kie! Kie! That’s right! Yoonjeong, Mom isn’t at fault!”
It seemed true as Yane clapped her hands above her head, and Hana reluctantly nodded along, feeling a bit sulky but wanting to fit in. With the others giving her comfort, Yoonjeong’s face brightened significantly.
“The reason you’re in this situation is ultimately because of the Saintess’s neglect to pay attention to you; it is not your fault. Saintess Isia wouldn’t want you to feel that way.”
“……Is that so?”
“Of course. And more than anything, Saintess Isia brought us here for your sake.”
Though the term “family” was used, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, Elder Mandragora, and Kim Hana were essentially acting as guards to keep Yoonjeong safe.
“Well then, thank you, Princess Mermaid.”
“Not at all.”
“Oh dear. So now we just have to wait until that pesticide-like gas is sent here by Shia?”
“I think that’s the best course of action…”
Turning her gaze back out the window, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess looked at the glowing, polluted substances.
While the sparkling glowing dinosaurs were threatening, the real danger to Yoonjeong was definitely those creatures.
Turning back to Yoonjeong, the Mermaid Princess said, “Before that, Mother, may I ask you something?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Do you trust me completely?”
“Huh, what do you mean? Since Shia brought you here, I trust you.”
“You really believe that?”
“Shia brought you here, and Yane really likes you. It would be weird not to trust you; after all, we’re all family now.”
“…I see.”
At those words, a black energy wrapped around the hand of Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, the kind that a necromancer would wield.
“If you trust me, can you grant me one favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“Just for a moment… you’ll need to die.”
“What?”
○○○○○○○
In a space reminiscent of a coffin wrapped in black mist, Yoonjeong lay there, eyes glazed over as if hypnotized.
Carefully watching Yoonjeong, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess stood up.
“Just a moment, sleep well, Mother.”
“……..”
“Kieee… Mama… Mamaaa…”
Yane seemed incredibly worried about Yoonjeong, almost bursting into tears at any moment.
The Mermaid Princess restrained Yane as she stood up.
“Don’t touch her, Yane. If you get too close, you’ll be in danger as well.”
“…Kiee…”
“What did you do?”
Hana, who had been monitoring the glowing dinosaurs outside, asked the Mermaid Princess.
“Nothing much. Mother can’t leave here, so… I just temporarily faked her death.”
Even though “death” was used, Yoonjeong hadn’t actually died or turned into a corpse.
It was an intentional and brief state induced by the presence of black energy enveloping his living body, a measure to ward off the radioactive mana of the monsters that relentlessly targeted living beings.
Now no longer merely a monster but a member of humanity, the Mermaid Princess was once classified as an S-grade monster and, as such, was an expert in manipulating such dark energy.
‘It’s not just the radiation; it negates everything around her temporarily…’
She realized that if Isia didn’t arrive at the appropriate time, Yoonjeong would definitely be at risk.
“Yane, we need to get out of here quickly.”
“Kiee!”
At those words, Yane immediately stripped off her clothes and began putting on a Hunter suit from the wardrobe.
The Mermaid Princess was especially cautious of the radiation covered in dragon mana. While Yane might not have the abilities for great healing or purification like Shia, she had a deep connection to the Undying Saintess and possessed a high tolerance for impurities in her flesh.
No, it wasn’t just a high tolerance; her very cells thrived on such radiation.
While Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess created a barrier of darkness to fend off the dragon mana’s radiation with her necromancer’s energy, Elder Mandragora and Slime Empress Kim Hana could adapt to any situation.
However, Yoonjeong was merely a D-grade Hunter. Even without direct attacks from the Uranium Dragons, being in this underground facility for just ten minutes would likely twist and collapse his cells and mana due to the radiation.
If Isia arrived in time, it would be fine, but this was the Uranium Dragons’ lair in the underground nuclear facility.
The moment Yoonjeong stepped outside the train, his risk of death would soar. The only solution might be…
“Hey, wake up, plant.”
Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess shook the shoulder of Elder Mandragora, who was still asleep by the window.
It was surprising that after being shaken by the Uranium Dragon all this time, she hadn’t woken yet.
– Gryyy, hack, cough… whew… where am I?
Elder Mandragora, drooling in her sleep, suddenly jerked up in a startled motion.
Having enjoyed basking in sunlight just moments before, she seemed shocked to find only darkness before her eyes.
– It’s dark… There’s no sunlight…?
“That’s right, we’re underground.”
-U-U-Underground!?
The mere mention of “underground” drained all color from Elder Mandragora’s face.
– Kyuueeeeng! The Undying Saintess must have captured me to confine me in this dark and dreary place with her awful intentions!
“…………….Haah.”
“Kieek?”
“What’s that…?”
The Mermaid Princess let out a sigh, while Yane tilted her head in confusion, and Kim Hana wore a bewildered expression.
“That’s not it. But if you want to see sunlight, you need to come with us…”
– Kyuue… But that sounds tiring… And now that I think about it, it’s cozy here, with high humidity… The air tastes good. It’s a little mint-choco-flavored, but the mana tastes good… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad without sunlight…
“If you keep this up, the Saintess might really fry you! In a messy way?”
– Thinking about it again, I really want to see the sunlight again.
In the end, Elder Mandragora had to stretch and wake herself up.
“So, what we need to do is simple. We have to eliminate or drive away all those dragons nearby.”
“Kieek?”
“Why, why should we? Can’t we just stay quiet and wait? The train has a location tracker, so if we hold still long enough, Isia should come.”
– Kyuueeeng… That seems plausible…
While Yane was worried about Yoonjeong’s safety, only she seemed earnest in her concern.
Even though Elder Mandragora and Kim Hana had become part of the family, they hadn’t truly formed an emotional bond with Yoonjeong.
Their time together had been too brief. In Kim Hana’s case, she hadn’t grasped her circumstances well, while Elder Mandragora had remained aloof for too long.
It wasn’t that she disliked Yoonjeong, but it seemed doubtful whether it was worth helping her to this extent—her drowsiness vying for her attention.
“Let’s think simply.”
“What about?”
“If something were to happen to Mother, do you think the Saintess would just let it slide?”
“………”
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew tense. Even Yane was rendered speechless.
Shia wasn’t an evil person.
However, Shia’s kindness only acted within her own standards; if someone infringed on “her things,” then her sense of mercy for those needing help wouldn’t apply.
What if something unfortunate befell Mother and she died?
What would she say to us, who would be left beside her?
“This is a bit extreme, but killing those glowing lizards might be the best idea.”
“Kieek!”
“Then do you have any plans…?”
“Plans? Is that really necessary?”
The Mermaid Princess tilted her head earnestly at Hana’s comment.
“Shouldn’t we just smash everything?”
“…Huh…?”
○○○○○
Thus, the Mermaid Princess, Slime, Mandragora, and Yane armored themselves in their Hunter suits, boldly heading outside the Hunter Train.
Why were they wearing tight-fitting Hunter suits?
Because of Yane.
While searching for Shia at Yoonjeong’s request in the Blood Swamp, it seemed Yane had really liked the Hunter suit Yoonjeong had donned on her.
She simply suggested that they all wear suits together because she liked it a lot.
And they had no right to refuse.
After all, Yane was the most senior among Shia’s retinue; not to mention the various functions attached to the Hunter suit and its practicality in combat were also significant advantages.
“Justice, Bug, Fairy, Formation~!”
“……..What is that…?”
“…….Don’t ask me. I don’t even know what this is.”
– Gryyy… Hah, that place is sensitive… Cool… Hahng… Kuuul…
Yane seemed entirely thrilled by them all donning the Hunter suits because she came boldly outside the Hunter Train and introduced herself to the Uranium Dragons.
Wearing the suit was one thing, but why was she acting like that?
The Mermaid Princess felt no hostility toward Yane, but witnessing her lose her mind without reason stirred some doubts.
[…What the hell is that crazy girl saying?]
Look at that. She was publicly attracting the attention of the Uranium Dragons, practically announcing their presence.
‘Well, it’s not a big deal since we planned to fight anyway.’
“Kieek~!”
– Gryyy…
“Ugh, there are so many…?”
Hana still didn’t recognize their true strength.
She hadn’t realized her own power or existence, so it wasn’t surprising that she wouldn’t understand anyone else’s strength.
However, Yane was the Bug Saintess who held the deepest connection with Shia.
Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess was classified as a top-tier necromancer among S-rank monsters.
Elder Mandragora was also ranked among the highest in the monster category with an S-grade classification.
And as such, they were preparing to unleash their killing intent.
Kuwung!
[…!]
[What the…!?]
[Who dares engage us here!?]
The Uranium Dragons immediately sensed the murderous intent and roared, channeling their radioactive breath.
The breath attacks were deadly, but dodging them would still risk the sleeping train of Yoonjeong.
Realizing this, Yane crouched down slightly.
Her thigh muscles bulged as she propelled herself toward the gathering Uranium Dragon preparing to unleash its breath.
Paaang!!!
Along with a massive sonic boom that shook the underground facility, she instantaneously closed the distance.
In the blink of an eye, Yane disappeared and, faster than sound, her blade-like tail severed the jaw of one Uranium Dragon.
[Ugh, Aaaagh!!]
[Our comrade is down!]
It happened so swiftly that the Uranium Dragons could barely react, and as it so happened, the dragon had been collecting breath when its jaw was cut, sending the amassed huge mass of breath out of control, exploding.
Kuuuaaaam!
[Ahhhh!]
[I can’t see!]
[Those rascals!!!]
Yane didn’t stop there; using the injured dragon as a foothold, she propelled herself once again.
“Kyaaah!”
Purrk!
Kwang!
Crack!
Before long, Yane was grinning at them, her inner monster’s destructive instinct manifesting uncontrollably in battle.
Like an ability user performing short-distance blinks, Yane repeatedly appeared and disappeared, and wherever the sounds echoed, some part of an Uranium Dragon’s body was ruptured.
There was no need for restraint.
In this place, no one was watching. Yane had no intention of letting those naughty glowing dinosaurs that had put Yoonjeong in danger live.
[Kruahhh!]
[Ugh!]
[Ankhroarrr!!]
’T-This is insane… She’s doing this barehanded without any equipment…? What kind of physical level is that!?’
Even if they were weak dragons, seeing one so easily torn apart left Hana captured in a mix of admiration and horror.
Despite being a slime, Yoonjeong’s human understanding and knowledge rendered Yane’s movements as both beastly and transcendent.
Yane’s prowess and speed, her sheer force, showcased that she had reached the pinnacle of physical ability.
While Hana marveled, Yane was already lunging towards a new Uranium Dragon to put it down.
[You dare touch our fallen comrade!? I shall show you my proper nuclear breath!!!]
Naturally, the Uranium Dragon, far from Yane, would have a thought or two. It was apparent that one of them had finished charging its radioactive breath and was preparing to fire it.
Indeed, if Yane were to receive the radioactive breath empty-handed, it could be risky.
However, just as an Uranium Dragon opened its mouth to unleash a breath, something bit down on its neck from behind.
[Yooo, what the heck!? A comrade!? What are you doing!?]
The dragon that was about to unleash its breath was bitten by the recently fallen Uranium Dragon, having been corrupted into a puppet by Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess.
The illusions of a necromancer, she had transformed the fallen Uranium Dragon into a marionette.
Suddenly, as their fallen kin attacked, the socially intelligent Uranium Dragons fell into chaos, and amidst that confusion, Yane darted about at an inconceivably quick pace.
At that moment, yet another Uranium Dragon couldn’t even counterattack before it crumpled.
With every fallen dragon, the contingent of Yoonjeong’s puppets under the Mermaid Princess continued to grow.
“Those damned bugs!! Where on earth did they come from!?”
[Leader! What do we do!?]
“It’s those filthy girls!!! Ggrrowww!!”]
And in the meantime, the Elder Mandragora, rested and oblivious, adapted to the radiation permeating with dragon mana.
Around Elder Mandragora, green plants began to sprout and grow, unfurling blooms born from those vines.
The magical power within each flower vastly outclassed that of the Uranium Dragons themselves.
One flower began to blossom with the concentration of power accumulated over time; soon, these flowers bulged with mana.
Likewise, Elder Mandragora had gradually absorbed the dragon mana-infused radiation entirely.
[Bloom – Collapse Breaths]
These weak Uranium Dragons.
Having remained sedentary without training or struggle, the breath of the Uranium Dragons seemed almost laughable compared to the potency of the blooms Elder Mandragora was nurturing.
Drip.
And then, all at once, the flower petals released the mana-infused radiation and began tearing through the environment.
Kuwaaaah!!!!
Uranium Dragons struck by the breath perished without a moment to feel the pain of death.
And those dissolved Uranium Dragons were disassembled into fragments and returned to being the Mermaid Princess’s toys.
Meanwhile, Yane, dancing elegantly in the air like a ballerina, speared down onto the heads of the Uranium Dragons, pierce, flee, kill, and tear, only to repeat the cycle.
If given another thirty seconds, another breath of magic would be unleashed by Elder Mandragora.
[Bloom – Collapse Breaths]
[Bloom – Collapse Breaths]
Phew!
Kwang!
Kuwung!
[That… That’s our radioactive breath!?]
[You filthy, US-based gas!!]
Of course, the Uranium Dragons weren’t foolish; they sent waves of reinforcements to resist the three girls.
Yet the dragons at the front were being systematically cut down.
Even as the dragons targeted Elder Mandragora directly, they would find themselves skewered by jagged vines sprouting from somewhere.
In the end, as the Uranium Dragons realized the shifting tide of battle, they began to flee one after the other.
[Flee, fly away!]
[Run faster!]
[Where are you going?! Didn’t you hear the Leader?!]
[It’s a matter of life and death—who cares about the orders!?]
As individual dragons scrambled for their lives, the leader dragon’s pride crumbled.
The leader dragon might have had thoughts of how certain individuals could rival its strength, yet when it came to fighting together as a coordinated group against the girls, its icy arrogance faltered.
At one time referred to as the Swamp, the Uranium Dragons had built a formidable society and previously intimidated even the true dragons of their kind.
Yet how could this be happening?
Why must it be that they were falling to these insane girls?
“Kieek!”
[We can’t lose this!!]
Yet the leader dragon also had no intention of surrendering quietly.
It shone brilliantly as the twisted radioactive beams rippled and illuminated the dark underworld.
The strongest of the Uranium Dragons, the leader conventionally classified as an S-grade monster, stepped forward into the fray.
Even against Yane, it knew facing off against a titan like that would mean sustaining injuries.
However…
“Bitten.”
Kuwadak!
[Kyah!?]
As the leader dragon leaped toward Yane, something viciously clamped onto its leg.
The neck of a decapitated dragon drew forth, now transformed into a puppet, that had bitten down hard on its prey.
Caught unawares by this sudden pain, the leader dragon ceased its movements.
In a fleeting moment, perhaps less than half a second, but that was more than enough for Yane.
Kwahhh!!
Yane landed gracefully atop the leader dragon’s head, her claws now grotesquely transformed.
“Justice, Bug, Fairy, Formation~!”
If the leader dragon happened to take offense at her playful taunt, its face twisted in anger, much as a human might show.
Yane, upon hearing her mistress say such things, felt it would be amusing to test the reactions of the opponent.
[That damned bug… AAAAAK!]
“Keep biting.”
Kuwadak!
Crack!
Crunch!
As the leader dragon writhed and attempted to fight back, the puppets created by the Mermaid Princess sank their teeth into its arms and tail, capturing it in a swift onslaught.
It took just a moment before the leader dragon fell beneath Yane’s relentless assault.
