ALL NOVEL Chapter 278
[Blood Swamp Dungeon conquest completed]
[Blood Swamp Dungeon conquest completed]
[Dungeon’s initial danger level adjusted from A+ to C]
[No collapse of the dungeon confirmed]
[Reasons for the adjustment include the extermination of the contaminated area, destruction of the previously existing monster habitats, and confirmation of the boss monster’s death]
[Boss Monster Hunter: Korea-Isia]
[Most monsters hunted: Wooden Blackhand, Jeus, Elizaveta IV, Hoshimachi Yukinko, Hoshimachi Tsurara….]
The first conquest of the Hunter Train ended smoothly with not a single casualty.
“No matter how popular Hunter Train has become, it’s unprecedented to have such a smooth first conquest. Not a single death, let alone serious injury!”
Upon arrival at the Blood Swamp, a massive wave of monsters attacked, with over 300,000 mutant slimes attacking all at once. However, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of 21 S-grade Hunters and hundreds of A-grade Hunters, the base was not breached, and the monster wave was repelled.
This was quite an impressive feat.
It wasn’t just pathetic F-grade slimes.
Achieving zero casualties in a dungeon full of mutant slimes rated at least B-grade would likely send the entire Earth into a celebratory mood once the news spread.
Vroom~
On a bed covered with pristine white sheets,
Shia slurped cold noodles with one hand while watching the large holographic screen hanging nearby and listening intently to Yeonhwa’s words.
“Thanks to Shia unnie hunting the dungeon boss, the slimes lost their command unit and fell apart rapidly. Other hunters said if it weren’t for unnie, they would have been in big trouble.”
“Is that so? Gulp.”
“By the way, how did you manage to catch the dungeon boss?”
“Oh, the slime mama?”
“Mama…?”
“The slimes called her ‘Mother.’ So, it’s slime mama.”
“……”
Shia reported a rescue back to the agent on the Hunter Train while submitting evidence of the slime mother’s fragment. This fragment was immediately analyzed by monster researchers in the research car, confirming that Shia had hunted the dungeon boss.
Originally, the estimated stay in the Blood Swamp was set for at least a week to a maximum of a month, but thanks to Shia capturing the boss immediately after launching the dungeon invasion, the conquest was remarkably completed at an accelerated pace.
Olgania didn’t use a return Spirit Nuke just for ease of exploration.
They intended to stay here for a long time, analyzing the environment and harvesting resources.
However, Shia’s rapid success in hunting the dungeon boss resulted in the rapid completion of mutant slime capture, dungeon land survey, measurement, and environmental assessment all taking place within just a few hours. Consequently, the Hunter Train felt there was no longer a need to stay in the Blood Swamp.
“But still, unnie, you don’t have to hunt that quickly next time…”
“Huh? Why?”
“While this doesn’t apply to us S-grade Hunters, for other lower-ranking hunters, the Hunter Train is a way to make money and a shortcut.”
Though overshadowed by Shia and several S-grade Hunters’ performances, the Blood Swamp was a dangerous dungeon that could easily wipe out small groups of Hunter Guild parties if they unknowingly entered.
The Hunter Train’s primary goal was to conquer large dungeons that couldn’t be handled by unexplored dungeons and existing Hunter parties and guilds, but there was another purpose: to provide opportunities for languishing Hunters to make a fortune.
When else would they face hundreds of thousands of monsters all at once, especially knowing that there were 21 S-grade Hunters this time, leading to zero casualties?
“I honestly can’t believe there were 300,000 slimes attacking us.”
“That’s a lot…”
“Anyway, one of the biggest advantages of the Hunter Train is that Hunters can obtain various results and dungeon by-products that they couldn’t handle on their own. For Blood Swamp, thanks to winning a battle against 300,000 monsters right at the start, the Hunters got their share this time. But if we go to another dungeon and catch not a single monster and unnie suddenly catches the boss, I bet other Hunters might feel they’ve been taken advantage of.”
“Uh… did I make a trouble?”
“Not this time, but you need to be a little cautious next time. The Hunter Train isn’t just for simple conquest; it also provides opportunities for Hunters. Also, it has to do with various interests and political and economic competitions among nations. Honestly, you can practically do whatever you want, and I’ll cover for you.”
“Hmm, I definitely need to be careful about that.”
Of course, Shia didn’t intend for any of this, but after successfully “assassinating” the mutant slime’s ‘mother,’ the slimes lost their leader and were immediately simplified into ordinary monsters, causing the danger level of Blood Swamp to drop sharply.
In the end, thanks to the Spirit Nuke provided by the elves, over 90% of the slimes’ habitat was destroyed. As a result, the Blood Swamp was ultimately judged to be completely conquered, leading to a remarkably quick end to the dungeon invasion.
“Now that the dungeon danger level is comprehensively C, I think soon opening operations will take place, and when the Hunter Association starts managing the gates, other guilds will gradually begin to visit this place. Moreover, the value of the mutant slime fragments seems to be much higher than expected.”
“Mm, smacks lips.”
“According to the researchers in the first car, these mutant slimes weren’t originally red like blood; they have excellent adaptability to their surrounding environment. If you put in iron ore, it takes on the properties of iron ore, and if you put in methane hydrate, it takes on those properties. Of course, it seems like they struggle to adapt to high-mass, high-output materials like uranium or adamantium, but even this much suggests that these mutant slimes have tremendous economic and military benefits…. Unnie, are you listening to me?”
“Gulp, exhales… yes! Do you want some too, Yeonhwa?”
“……”
As Shia continued to listen to Yeonhwa briefing her in the train car, she offered her a bowl of cold noodles.
Hehe, this is my 38th bowl of cold noodles, and it’s so delicious.
It’s hard for Shia to resist; the mutant slime had perfectly “adapted” to the cold noodles, creating a chewy yet soft texture.
The noodles were so sticky and soft, bursting with flavor like meat with each bite. Before she knew it, a whole bowl of cold noodles disappeared into her stomach.
Plus, the slime fragments adapted to the wyvern egg yolk and pickled radish on top of the cold noodles were quite exceptional.
Other hunters would probably freak out seeing this.
Shia was simply using a new strategic resource that could be utilized for supplies, fuel, and power as her meal.
To be fair, Yeonhwa was also somewhat shocked inside.
In a way, this might look like using uranium or similarly classified resources for food.
Still, Yeonhwa decided to graciously accept Shia with a somewhat “here we go again!” mindset.
“Hehe, I see. I understand! Slurp!”
“…Is it tasty?”
“Yep!”
“Stop chowing down, you glutton!”
“GAAH!”
In the end, as Yoonjeong couldn’t watch anymore, he whacked Shia on the back, forcing her to stop her noodle eating saga, much to the amusement of Teresa and Yane, who burst out laughing at Shia.
“HAH! I knew it would happen!”
“KEEK~! HAHA!”
“Ugh, why… I’m strong… yet why does mom’s strikes hurt so much…?”
“Well, the cold noodles are delicious.”
By the way, while Lirisia was having a secret meeting with Teresa, she seemed to find it awkward to meet with Yoonjeong. The moment the Hunter Train’s return broadcast echoed, she quickly took ten bowls of slime cold noodles and disappeared into the car where the elves stayed.
“Ugh, mom, I feel sorry. I couldn’t really show you around the dungeon…”
“Well, it’s okay. It seems like everywhere is either black or red, so I couldn’t really see the scenery properly.”
Though the environment had changed considerably due to Olgania’s Spirit Nuke, this was still the Blood Swamp.
Even though it had become a forest, there were still swamps left here and there. Trees that had absorbed the Blood Swamp were now colored dark red, making the area look more like a terrifying hellish forest where necromancers or demons would reside rather than a beautiful natural landscape.
Visually, it wasn’t an ideal place for sightseeing.
“Oh right, where’s Menelapie?”
“She probably went to report to the agent, so she’ll come soon.”
“Hehe, Menelapie must love cold noodles too, right?”
“She probably likes whatever you give her, even if it’s dirt.”
“No, these are actually delicious! Teresa enjoyed them too!”
Ding!
Just then, they heard the sound of someone opening the train door where Shia was stationed.
Thinking Menelapie had arrived, Shia cheerfully opened the door.
“Menelapie! You worked hard….”
“Oh, so you’re Isia?”
“Huh…?”
A new blonde troublemaker appeared.
This time, unlike Jeus, it was a white-skinned blonde woman in an elegant dress.
The reason I’m calling her a troublemaker is that despite wearing a fancy dress and what looked like an expensive tiara, there was something indescribably obnoxious about her aura that couldn’t be concealed.
Who are you now?
I guess there seem to be a lot of blondes getting tangled up this time around.
○○○○
And so, the first invasion of the Blood Swamp Dungeon concluded, and the Hunter Train began to move again as it broke through the gate.
“The vanguard continues.”
“Focus on the barrier. It seems one side was about to collapse after getting melted by a slime.”
“Yes, understood.”
“What about the damaged equipment?”
“The equipment is fine. I checked with the train’s blacksmith; it should be repaired within three hours.”
The Hunters reviewed their combat strategy while recalling the recorded battle scenes from the drones. They repaired equipment that had been melted or broken by the mutant slime.
“Who wants to go swimming?”
“I’m too tired; I think I’ll take a nap…”
“You’re falling asleep? You could hardly get a few slime fragments.”
“Come on! The rear guard had no opportunity with all those Hunters around!”
“Then improve your contribution rates.”
“I don’t care. I just want to sleep.”
Of course, Hunters confident in their abilities or satisfied with the results of the recent battle quickly finished their review and gathered in leisure vehicles or the casino to unwind.
Each car was almost like a building, and the Hunter Train featured facilities for blacksmiths, a swimming pool for entertainment, bars, dining halls, casinos, game rooms, and even a soccer field set up for various leisure activities.
And some Hunters…
“Hello~ A-grade Hunter streamer Cheon Ah-Young here!”
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Y1JoUjh1dXpQd0Y5cmtwZkU4c0NSYlYrdmFNNkdZSEJZd0dGTTVBdEVvWQ
The Hunter streamers also activated their broadcasts with drones.
– Cheon Ah-Young~
– Cheon Ah-Young~
– Heyo
– Why are you so late to the meeting?
– I thought the streamer was dead.
– Seeing the washboard still intact makes me feel good.
– LOL
– Hahaha, that’s too much, LOL
“Alright, alright, the chat is moving too fast. I’ll switch to slow mode. And do you want to get banned for mentioning the washboard?”
Cheon Ah-Young, an A-grade protector barrier hunter who previously did a mukbang with Shia featuring wyvern egg stew in the Kurtala Mountains, skillfully operated the drones and began her broadcast.
Naturally, the participation of streamers in the Hunter Train became a focus of interest for various net runners and members of the Gallery Master community.
The Hunter Train was an event capable of changing the entire atmosphere of the Hunter community. With a new dungeon, new byproducts, and new resources, life on Earth became richer, leading to a global event that reshaped international trade and political relations.
It’s no surprise that stock traders, businesspeople, politicians, and even ordinary citizens were all focused on this enormous Hunter Train. Because Hunter streamer broadcasts provided information more rapidly than official announcements from the Hunter Association, Cheon Ah-Young’s numbers greatly exceeded her usual viewership.
“Wow, today’s viewership is over twice as much…. I apologize to the listeners who waited, but the dungeon conquest has already ended.”
– ?
– ?
– Didn’t the Hunter Train begin invading the dungeon just three hours ago?
– Isn’t a dungeon invasion usually a week-long?
– What’s going on?
– Why is it over already?
“Hahaha, I have so much to say.”
Cheon Ah-Young gradually began to share information about the Blood Swamp with her viewers.
Of course, she had to keep quiet about information under embargo until the association’s approval was granted.
– Was it hard?
– Since the streamer didn’t get hurt, it was probably easy, huh?
– If the streamer didn’t get hurt, that’s all that matters.
– True.
“First of all, the precise environment of the dungeon and information about the appearing monsters will be uploaded on the association’s website and wiki tonight. To put it briefly, right when we started the invasion of the dungeon, someone got caught between the train and the gate and fell!”
– ?
– What incident…?
– Oh no, must have died…
– But what happened that made them fall between the train and gate!?
“Huh? No, that person didn’t die. You all know Isia, right?”
– Isia?
– The Gallery Master?
– Why is the Gallery Master here…
– No way, was the person who fell between the train and gate the Gallery Master???
– No way, LOL
“Yeah, that wild story is true.”
– LOL
– Hahaha
– No way, LOL
– What even…
“Anyway, Isia fell right into the middle of the dungeon and got stranded. Our Hunter Train and the Hunters faced the monster wave. But, it turns out that Isia managed to take down the dungeon boss! Thanks to that, we could easily defeat the monster wave.”
– ?
– ?
– ?
– ?
“So to summarize, there was a dungeon boss near the place where Isia fell, and because of Isia, the monster wave weakened, allowing us to finish the conquest that usually took a week in less than half a day.”
– I’m still not sure what’s going on…
– But it seems like this Hunter Train was a piece of cake, huh?
– In the past, didn’t we have hundreds dying right after the Hunter Train started?
– When are you talking about?
“Um, I’ll go into more detail later tonight. By then, the embargo should be released. Just remember that this was a lucky situation.”
Everyone couldn’t assure one another that the dungeon invasion would always go as smoothly as it did this time.
Especially among the Hunters who experienced a massive monster wave of 300,000 right from the first dungeon, some were uneasy.
Though no deaths were reported, it was only due to the fortuitous presence of 21 S-grade Hunters on their side that it was even possible.
“It’s probably best not to think of dungeon invasions being this effortless all the time. I feel like I was tremendously lucky this time. The number of monsters was effectively in the hundreds of thousands, and thanks to Isia taking down the dungeon boss, all other S-grade Hunters were in the same place to face the wave with us, keeping the casualties to zero. If dungeon gimmicks hadn’t strangely activated and scattered the Hunters, it could have been a real disaster.”
– Was it dangerous?
“If I had fallen stranded alone, I probably wouldn’t have been able to say hello to all of you!”
– 
–
– Yikes…;
– Be careful, Streamer!
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. I have to stay alive for your support! Ah, by the way, it seems we’re about to enter North Korea.”
Since Geumgangsan, the North Korean region has practically been a wasteland.
After the Great Rift occurred, the regime collapsed, and countless individuals died or relocated to South Korea, China, or Russia. Currently, North Korea was known to be a territory occupied by monsters.
“I’m not yet sure where we’ll invade next. It could be an invasion, or we might just stop near Pyongyang and hunt down the monsters that have come out…”
– But where is the Gallery Master?
– If she took down the dungeon boss, she’d probably have the highest contribution.
– Why’s the Gallery Master being looked for in the Streamer’s room, LOL
“Ah, I was actually intending to request a brief interview with Isia, but what do you think?”
– Go Go Go Go Go!
– Gallery Master Gallery Master Gallery Master GO!
– Cheezy Cheez! Cheezy Chicken!
“These guys….”
Originally, Cheon Ah-Young planned to request a brief interview with Shia, but seeing the audience shift their motivations made her understand that there was now a mark on her forehead.
What can she do?
The strength and achievements of Isia were on a whole other level compared to her as an A-grade Hunter.
Yet, she didn’t feel any malice.
It was mainly due to Isia’s powerful performance taking down the dungeon boss in record time that the number of potential casualties was reduced to zero.
As such, Cheon Ah-Young followed the map of the Hunter Train and made her way to Shia’s room.
The Hunter Train featured a long space with a corridor running from one end to the other, with a door leading to a train car at every section.
Having been chatting with the viewers, Cheon Ah-Young arrived at Shia’s door thirty minutes later.
“Here, Ahem.”
Knock Knock
“Isia, are you there?”
– No one?
– I can hear some noise inside, though?
– No, the Master doesn’t even want to deal with the likes of us.
– Let’s GO!!!!!!!!!!!
– Don’t you understand the character of the Great Priestess!!!
– Losing faith signifies death!
– Waakakaka! Grwooow!
“Whoa, the comments are crazy…”
Eventually, Cheon Ah-Young decided to open the door just to check things out, even if she might later apologize.
Then….
“Just one match!! I just want to play one match!”
“AHH! Get away! I’m not buying! Go away!”
“Why? Do I not appeal to you? I’m the Queen of England! If you take money, I’ll give it! If you want a knighthood, I can also give that to you! Just play one match with me, okay?!”
“Ugh, I said go away, you merchant!!”
What the heck?
Who is that?
Cheon Ah-Young closed the door marked Shia’s room and turned to the window.
And she reflected on the sight she just saw.
‘Wait, so… the Queen of England, Elizaveta IV, is clinging onto Isia and being dragged along?’
No way, this can’t be happening.
Why would the Queen of England be doing this here?
It would be better to believe that she saw an illusion…
-???
– What is this, LOL?
– LOL LOL LOL
– What is even happening, LOL?
– No way, did I just see Elizaveta IV just now???
– The master looks confused, LOL.
– Everyone’s confused, but the master is even more so, LOL.
“………….”
Cheon Ah-Young let out a deep sigh inside.
What the heck is happening?
What am I even witnessing?
Is what the viewers are saying true?
Cheon Ah-Young opened the door again to Shia’s room.
“Isia, could we do a simple paired interview….”
“Just one match! One match!”
“GET AWAY!”
And this time, she saw Shia perform a slap on Elizaveta IV.
“………”
– What the heck, LOL?
– This is insane, LOL!
– What is even happening?
Cheon Ah-Young felt her mind starting to fade.