Soul Devourer Chapter 7 Episode 34 — Triumphant Report
After clearing the SS-Rank dungeon, I returned to the surface through the return magic circle.
I ordered Samael and the others to “Wait here”, then headed over to report to the Guildmaster and the Clan Masters.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Guildmaster. Everyone else as well.”
The moment I appeared, the surrounding area erupted into murmurs.
The Guildmaster and the Clan Masters also left where they had been waiting and walked over to me.
I greeted the Guildmaster first, then exchanged glances with each of the Clan Masters.
“We're truly relieved to see you return safely. You have our heartfelt thanks for your hard work, Hunter Matsubara. So... what was the outcome of the expedition?”
The Guildmaster, who looked genuinely relieved by my safe return, thanked me before asking about the results.
“I defeated the Dungeon Boss and successfully cleared the SS-Rank dungeon. Though, as expected, it was on an entirely different level from an S-Rank dungeon.”
“I see... So it really is that dangerous. Still... congratulations! To conquer a dungeon that had only just appeared, and to do it alone... As expected of a〘Regalia〙!”
“I'll gladly accept the praise. It was just that difficult, and that enjoyable, a dungeon. Before I explain the details, though, why don't I show you the kind of monster that was inside?”
“Understood.”
“I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of what an SS-Rank dungeon monster might be like... but my curiosity outweighs that fear.”
“I'm simply looking forward to seeing what kind of prey Hunter Matsubara managed to bring down.”
“I'm... a little curious myself.”
After having the Guildmaster, the Clan Masters, and the surrounding hunters step back, I took Echidna's bisected corpse out of the《Magic Pouch》.
“ “ “ “ “!!?...” ” ” ” ”
Silence fell over the area.
Almost everyone gathered here was an upper class hunter of A-Rank or higher.
Even these people, who had defeated countless powerful monsters over the years, stood frozen in place, utterly speechless.
Anyone would react that way upon seeing such an enormous, grotesque creature stretching nearly a 100 meters in length.
It was precisely because they were hunters who had survived countless life and death battles that all they did was lose their words.
Had ordinary civilians seen this...
They would never have kept their sanity.
“S-... So this... is the kind of monster that appears in an SS-Rank dungeon...”
The Guildmaster was finally able to force those words out.
“Yes. In terms of size alone, it's not much different from Samael over there, so that part isn't particularly remarkable. Though its appearance is a little... no, far too terrifying. As for its individual combat strength, it far surpassed the Boss of any S-Rank dungeon.”
“Hunter Matsubara. Are you saying... it's far stronger than our country's S-Rank Dungeon Boss, the Fire Dragon?”
Suzuki Tensei, Clan Master of〈King of Sword〉, asked while studying Echidna's corpse with great interest.
“Yes. More accurately... it's overwhelmingly stronger even compared to the Bosses of upper tier S-Rank dungeons, the monsters that bear a King's title.”
“Hm? Upper tier S-Rank dungeons? And what do you mean by monsters with a King's title?”
“Well... hunter superpowers like China and Russia have higher ranked S-Rank dungeons among S-Rank dungeons. Even the ordinary monsters roaming those dungeons are Level 90, and some of the dungeon Bosses reach Level 100.”
“I see...”
“When you examine those dungeon bosses' statuses, you'll find a King's title displayed before their names, something like〈 __ King〉. My familiars also possess King titles, so try checking them with【Discernment】.”
“All right... You're right. They have King titles like〈Scourge King〉and〈Eldritch King〉... Wait a second. Aren't all of your familiars SS-Rank!?”
“They are. After clearing the SS-Rank dungeon, they gained a tremendous amount of levels and were promoted from S-Rank to SS-Rank.”
“So not only is Hunter Matsubara unbelievably powerful, but even his familiars have reached such level...”
“It's honestly terrifying. Every one of them surpasses us by a wide margin.”
“Only because Hunter Matsubara himself possesses even greater strength could such a feat have been accomplished.”
Well, it's not like I forced them into submission through brute strength.
I simply hatched the eggs I'd obtained as dungeon rewards...
And they recognized me as their parent.
That was all.
“Getting back on topic... Echidna was Level 140. Even compared to the Bosses of upper-tier S-Rank dungeons, she's 40 levels higher. She possessed an enormous number of skills, all of them fully maxed out.
…
Her attribute bonuses were also exceptionally high. Overall, her status may even have surpassed that of a〘Regalia〙.”
“...To think you managed to defeat a monster like that.”
The Guildmaster was probably wondering how I'd managed to kill Echidna.
Knowing it might be rude, I answered anyway.
“Well... I can't go into the specifics, but simply put... Echidna happened to be a favorable matchup for me. So, I didn't find her all that threatening.”
“Hahaha! You're probably the only person in the world who could say something like that, Hunter Matsubara. It's incredibly reassuring for the rest of us.
…
Well then, we'll leave the examination of the corpse to the guild staff. In the meantime... please tell us everything you can about Echidna and the Dungeon Boss.”
“Understood.”
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E/N:
This feeling… isn't bad at all! Now, let's buff up all the Hunters in Japan and strengthen Japan as well as the alliance! Banzai!
Stay tuned!
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