Originally a hunter, then after retiring he was a popular recruiter for the Explorers Association, and he was now the formidable Explorers Association Imperial Capital Branch Chief. There was no person in the Capital that didnât know of him.
It had been a long time since he had retired, but he was still known far and wide by current hunters from the time when he was active. Freely manipulating a hard to manage weapon like the halberd, and annihilating any obstacles in his way whether monster or phantom, he was a man given the name ăWar Ogreă.
His transcendent combat skills made him one of the highest certified level 7 hunters. Withdrawing from the front, and with the loss of Mana Material resulting in a drop in power, his ability was still comparable to active hunters. It was a bit of a custom in the Capital for hunters that got carried away and entangled with Explorers staff to receive severe punishment from Gark.
However, Gark was one of the key figures in the Imperial Capital. He had a certain position, and from the start he was busy involved in negotiations and the like with the Empire. No matter how much power he had, primarily he wasnât the person that should be expected to appear on a dangerous battlefield like this.
Feeling the atmosphere of a shrine after a long time, Gark seemed emotionally moved. Stunned, Sven pointed his finger out.
âBranch chief, youâre not a hunter any more, you know that right?â
âYeah, of course. Well, thereâs still a long way before I lose to the hunters these days.â
Gark frowned and beat his chest with his fist.
That figure. Bulging muscle with no excess flab covered by crimson armor, with a relic held in his hand. He was perfectly ready.
Ah, this guyâs hard to understand. The assistant branch chief goes through a lot. Sven sighed deeply.
It certainly didnât seem like Gark had gone through a ten year blank period, and his strength was preserved. He probably had a high natural ability to withhold Mana Material. His body still seemed to be trained. In Svenâs eyes he was still enough to pass as a hunter.
But while that was true, the front was another story.
The two men who seemed to be examiners from the ăHouse of Remnant Investigationsă looked around uneasily whenever they heard howls from the Phantoms.
The ăHouse of Remnant Investigationsă was a division of the Empire that investigated shrines and relics. Investigations of shrine abnormalities such as this one was also under their control. By itâs nature it had close ties with the Explorers Association.
However, most of itâs members were researchers and civilians. The two that came with Gark wouldnât be very different from an ordinary person in fighting capability.
As the two squat on the ground, scooped out dirt and talked about something, Sven spoke to Gark while he watched them.
âThose guys are?â
âI asked for a big budget increase this time. They wouldnât take no for an answer. They wonât get in the way.â
To the words that wouldnât allow a refusal, Sven was swayed for the time being.
It wasnât the time for an argument, he would make a complaint after returning. Many of the members of the ăHouse of Remnant Investigationsă took a condescending attitude towards hunters, but Gark was here so there shouldnât be any problems. They had better stay quiet within eyesight.
Branch chief Gark was a former high level hunter. Even though he had been absent for a while, he wouldnât get in the way. More than that, a former hunter that was part of various legends taking part would lead to increased morale.\n
And above all, he had no right to veto.
At the center of camp, he gave a report running down the situation from the beginning. As Sven spread out the map and explained, Gark gave a low murmur.
His expression held relief that he was in time, and grasped the strong vigilance.
One of the examiners spoke up at Svenâs report.
âA slimeâŠ? What appears at this shrine are wolves. Up to now there havenât been any reports of other types of Phantoms appearing, and this area isnât a suitable habitat for slimes.â
He understood all that. When Iron Cross arrived at the shrine, they hadnât known the information from Cry. But the members that had arrived as reinforcements were investigating every possibility.
As he was about to say that, one of the examiners crossed his arms and opened his mouth. An older man with a sharp look in his eye, his tone of voice exuded feelings of suffering.
âBut, itâs the word of ăInfinite Varietyă. That man never fails to miss strange occurences at shrines. âŠUp till now, weâve also had some terrible hardships.â
âTerrible hardshipsâŠ?â
âBecause of that guy that can expose accidents without any precursor, weâve been treated as incompetent. Even in this case, if we didnât increase the personnel and something happened then someone would be chased after to be held responsible. Thatâs why weâre closed in from every direction. Damn itâŠâ
For some reason Sven felt some affinity for the man that treaded on the ground in agitation.
âItâs better to deal with it all at once. Donât you think itâs stupid to be influenced by the words and actions of a man who only says he was unlucky?â
ââŠOi, leave it there.â
âAh, it was just a slip of the tongue.â
One investigator strikes the others shoulder and apologises.
However, hearing the mans words the eyes of the hunters that had been looking over changed. It wasnât as if their doubts had vanished, but the ridiculing factor was gone.
âBut really, the chance of a slime appearing here is equal to zero. No, there are no shrines in the Empire that have slimes that could harm you lot. Of course, thatâs the story for now. Unfortunately our predictions are outside the range of foresight. We canât deny that this shrine could become specialised in slimes now, but, from the opinion of an expert itâs probably impossible.â
âYeah, thatâs seems about right.â
To the almost sarcastic roundabout way of talking Sven nodded. to him Gark was frowning but also didnât say anything.
It wasnât that shrines never went through drastic changes. But there were only a few cases up until now. More than anything, if such a thing happened, it would be too much for Iron Cross to handle.
âAny other possibilities?â
âWho can tell. I donât have the faintest idea what could appear. If it wasnât an order from above, I would never have come to this place.â\nThe man shrugged his shoulders and sighed. Even though the older man was in a higher position, the other looked at him reproachfully but said nothing.
Apparently their wills were united. They both wanted to return safely. Another party came back, and another portion of the map was filled out.
âIf itâs unlikely a wild slime will appear, what about one that isnât wild?â
Gark raised his head and spoke to Sven.
âCreating slimes is one of an alchemistâs specialties. Certainly itâs improbable that a wild slime will come out, but itâs possible if there was an alchemist that created one.â
Sven gave Garkâs idea some thought, and then shook his head.
ââŠNo, itâs doubtful. A good alchemist can make powerful slimes, but even so there is a limit. If you were going to pour so much money into researching powerful slimes, if it was me I would research ăGolemsă and ăAutomataă.â
âI-If itâs slimes⊠if there are good things to say about slimes, Sytry-chan had said a few things thoughâŠâ
The sole alchemist Talia cut in, but didnât deny Sven. An ăAlchemistă used magic differently to a ăMagiă, and it had costs and took time. If you had time to spend on slimes, it was better to use it researching another field. That was common sense.
Sven turned his gaze towards the glass of dark liquid on her waist.
ââŠEither way, if worse comes to worst, we have this slime potion. It would be best if we didnât have to use it.â
âSince thereâs only one, we need to be careful.â
Talia nervously clenched her fists and nodded.
The information source was just the word of one hunter. The basis behind it was not explained. But all the people in that place took some amount of caution at the words.
As the unknown spots inside the shrine became accounted for, caution was turned towards the forest as well.
ââŠSpeaking of which, that guy that went into the forest earlier-â
Was he back? At the time he was about to verify it, a faint sound entered Svenâs ears. It was a sound small enough to be lost in the wind. It disappeared in an instant, but it wasnât misheard.
âItâs a single sound out. All hands, be alert!â
Sven shouted out.
A single sounded whistle was the signal for the discovery of a monster. Since it was a brief sound, was there no time afforded against the monster? The remaining hunters quickly went into formation and readied their weapons.
The investigation was already nearly over. There were three parties left within the shrine. Most of the hunters were mobilised outside of it.
Gark grasped his Relic â the ăBlizzard War Fangă, and asked Sven with a stern expression.\n\nThen, as the fully prepared hunters lied in wait, the monster from the forest came into view.
Under the magical light sources, Sven widened his eyes in shock.
âA âŠâŠ.slime?â
a
It was far away from any creature Sven and the others had ever fought.
The sound of footsteps were faint, but if you listened carefully the strange sound of something damp and heavy creeping forward could be heard. The body was large. In terms of height it was taller than Sven.
Itâs body was deep red and humanoid. Itâs body was larger than Svenâs, but it was more appropriate to say it was lumpy rather than muscular.
âIs itâŠ.meltedâŠ?â
At the bizarre form, Taliaâs breath caught and she took a step back.
At her words Sven noticed that the creature before his eyes resembled the phantoms from the Shrine.
There was nothing preexisting to compare it with. But if he had to say, then it would be a ăMelted Wolf Knightă.
The arms, legs, fur, and armour, not only on the surface â more than half had dissolved into a viscous mass. It was nearly collapsing and could hardly maintain itâs posture. However only the eyes remained clear, shining gold towards the hunters waiting.
It was a creature with itâs body in a liquid state. Certainly if you only listed itâs features you might say it was a slime.
But, that form was much too violent to call it that. Slimes were that sort of creature, but this life form had experienced a failure in the construction of itâs body.
As the monster passed by, nothing was left behind.
A part of itâs almost liquefied shoulder touched a tree. With just a touch, the tree shattered into fragments and fell. It wasnât magic. It didnât launch an attack. It was only a touch.
Unknown whether blood or flesh, the surface of itâs body frothed and bubbled. At that ugliness, one of the examiners opened their eyes to the limit and covered their mouth.
Itâs legs were not agile. Itâs speed had allowed the injured hunter to escape. One of the hunters muttered while taking a step back.
âYou nearly die?â
âNo! At the time I ran into it, that was-â
It was the ăenemyă that ăInfinite Varietyă had wanted to dispatch the clans strongest for.
That thought suddenly crossed his mind. Sven pulled out his bow and shouted.
âAll hands, commence the attack! Bring it down by keeping your distance! Cry damn it, how is this thing a slime! Stop kidding around!â