Soul Devourer Chapter 5 Episode 25 — The Optimal Cage
The Guildmaster who oversaw Japan’s Hunter Guild, Tadāki Ogawa, began considering possibilities the instant Matsubara Hunter requested “a place to manage his tamed monsters”.
Within Tokyo alone, there existed one S-Rank dungeon, three A-Rank dungeons, and countless lower-ranked dungeons.
Generally speaking, the higher a dungeon’s rank, the more sharply its difficulty rose, and the risk of a Stampede increased proportionally.
However, reality was not always so straightforward.
The S-Rank dungeon was regularly culled by some of Japan’s greatest forces, such as〈King of Sword〉,〈Ifrit Legion〉, and〈Valkyries of Restoration〉.
As a result, ironically, the S-Rank dungeon that should have been the most dangerous was, in practice, the most stable.
The situation differed with A-Rank dungeons.
There, monsters surpassing even B-Rank dungeon boss-class creatures appeared as ordinary enemies.
Because of that harsh environment, the task of thinning their numbers naturally fell to upper-tier hunters. It could hardly be called stable, but even so, no Stampede had occurred there in recent years.
The real problem lay in B-rank and lower dungeons.
The total number of hunters participating in culling operations was large. At first glance, they appeared to be the safest environments.
However, the greater the number of dungeons, the more dispersed the hunters became.
Furthermore, a monster’s strength varied greatly depending on its skill composition. As a result, there would inevitably be dungeons left undermanned.
“…Which is exactly why Stampedes occur most frequently in B-Rank and lower dungeons.”
Tadāki Ogawa quietly muttered while lightly resting his fingers on the desk.
Without question, the optimal management location would be a B-Rank or lower dungeon.
Among them, one especially stood out; a place lacking sufficient manpower for culling, and widely avoided due to the monsters’ characteristics.
A particular dungeon surfaced in his mind.
A dungeon inhabited by monsters that Hunter Matsubara had once annihilated alone before becoming〘Regalia〙and before even becoming an S-Rank hunter.
…Trolls.
Despite a Stampede having occurred there only recently, the number of hunters assigned to culling operations remained low.
The reason was simple.
No one wanted to approach creatures possessing【Regeneration】and their abnormally persistent combat endurance.
“No abnormal reports have come from the other dungeons… then this settles it. Besides…”
The monsters under Hunter Matsubara’s command were mutated boss juveniles. Once fully grown, they would eventually become beings equivalent to S-Rank monsters.
An S-Rank-class monster could single-handedly dominate any B-Rank or lower dungeon.
Even if signs of a Stampede appeared in another dungeon, dispatching them there could suppress it before it happened.
“The only problem is…”
Tadaaki Ogawa let out a small sigh.
“What kind of compensation can we possibly offer a〘Regalia〙?”
Special treatment such as tax exemption had already been implemented. He was neither lacking money nor equipment.
“…I suppose I’ll have to ask him directly.”
Having reached that conclusion, Tadāki Ogawa quietly rose from his seat.
His destination was that troll-infested dungeon.
The Guildmaster himself intended to explain the situation to the hunters currently assigned to culling operations there.
Boarding the dedicated vehicle parked in front of the guild, Tadāki Ogawa quietly departed from the scene.
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E/N:
Poor Trolls 🤣! Especially, Samael will screw them into oblivion since, poison! Wish Yuito gets a personal space artifact!
Stay tuned!
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