—
The Stonehide Beast, Cometras, lives by eating rocks.
It’s not as large as one might expect, and it has a gentle temperament. However, it’s extremely protective of its own body, so it can become surprisingly aggressive toward unknown threats. Among mid-tier monsters, Cometras is on the weaker side. It’s tough, but the parts not covered by rock are just soft flesh. Because it’s so docile, its attacks aren’t particularly fierce. That said, a large monster is still a large monster—its strength is undeniable. Structurally, bladed weapons have a bit of trouble dealing with it. No matter how cute it might look on the outside, in front of Cometras, humans are weak and powerless—a truth that applies to all monsters, really. But for those who haven’t encountered them yet, it doesn’t feel real.
“What do you think Cometras is like?”
“I heard it has round eyes.”
Leo gave a vague answer to Cloy’s question.
We were wandering through the Enchanted Floodplain. The client had spotted Cometras in the inner plains of the floodplain, and since the path there was dangerous, we stayed vigilant. You never know when you might run into a monster unexpectedly. Even though our target was just one monster, there were many others in the floodplain.
We didn’t chatter loudly. Noise is the easiest way to attract monsters’ attention. Everyone kept their mouths shut and maintained strict vigilance.
The weather was hot the entire time we walked. Occasionally, when I looked up, I could see the clear sky and the shimmering branches of trees. The humid air, typical of the floodplain, made me sweat. The wind that passed by cooled us down. The floodplain was always like this. On top of that, with the heavy bags hunters carry, we couldn’t go far in the floodplain.
Before setting out, we sprayed ourselves with a mist that keeps the body cool. It was fine at first, but as time passed, sweat pooled inside the armor we wore for protection, and our clothes clung to our skin. The intervals between resting in the shade grew shorter, and the breaks longer.
For meals, we relied on the wild herbivorous monsters living in the floodplain. I brought along the dismantling techniques and knowledge of edible foods I’d learned from Noah. Everyone was amazed by my swift movements and unhesitating hands.
“You’re fast…”
“I learned.”
I’d learned from a veteran, after all. Since they were all novices, it was natural for them to be impressed. But someday, they’d have to do the same.
“As expected of Alice! What would we have done without you?”
I tensed up, thinking Cloy might stick to me, but thankfully, she didn’t in this hot weather. What a relief.
After the meal, we continued through the floodplain, but still, nothing showed up. All we saw were monster carcasses and wild animals grazing. Not encountering other monsters was lucky. It was better to pass the time without any crises or fights than to not find Cometras.
The sun set quickly. With nightfall, the air cooled compared to the day. But wandering the floodplain at night was dangerous—Lugaraks often roam around late at night.
Awooo!!*
The howl of a Lugarak echoed from afar.
“…Shall we set up a base first?”
“Yeah, we should.”
Setting up a base is simple. We spread powder made from monster excrement—basically, dung—around the area. This keeps other monsters from entering, as they avoid intruding on each other’s territories. This creates a safe zone where most monsters won’t come.
I set down my heavy bag against a tree and threw off my armor for a moment. The stifling heat inside the armor dispersed into the air. Everyone finally looked relieved.
“I thought my shoulders were going to fall off. It’s so hot.”
“That’s the floodplain for you.”
Leo shrugged at Cloy’s grumbling. The floodplain was always like this.
“But we’ve secured a water source over there, so let’s go use some water later,” Leo said with a smile.
Dinner was the same as lunch. There wasn’t much else to eat here besides meat. It’s fine at first, but after a few days, you get tired of it. Still, there’s no choice—I didn’t want to resort to eating bugs.
After the meal, we decided to wash up, splitting into pairs: two men and two women. Even in a safe zone, water sources were likely places for monsters to appear. We couldn’t let our guard down, so we put our armor back on.
Leo and Aaron left first. Naturally, Cloy and I stayed at the base.
Once it was just the two of us, Cloy fidgeted awkwardly, twiddling her fingers. It was different from her usual clingy behavior, and I was a bit surprised.
“Alice, how did you end up becoming a hunter?”
She brought up a rather serious topic. Since we’d gotten somewhat close, it was natural to ask such things at night. I stared at the crackling campfire.
“There’s no particular reason.”
I didn’t have a reason for becoming a hunter. It’s just that in this Hunter Land world, being a hunter is what you do. If this were an FPS world, I’d be wielding a gun. It’s the same logic—to live in this world, I do what this world requires. Besides, fighting monsters without thinking makes me feel alive in this world at this moment. It might sound a bit depressing if I said it out loud. I kept my thoughts to myself and looked at Cloy.
“What about you, Cloy?”
“Me?”
Cloy tilted her head.
“I don’t have a big reason either. Honestly, I just wanted to make money.”
Cloy spoke honestly, without pretense. I liked that about her. She was straightforward, without any airs. That’s probably why she didn’t feel intimidated around the two men.
“I could have just worked a regular job, but my family needed money. I send most of what I earn back home,” Cloy shrugged.
“And if I’m going to do something, being a hunter is nice. Sitting by the campfire and chatting like this is romantic…” she said softly.
The night was cool. The campfire flickered in the wind. We chatted while watching the dancing flames. Since our only common ground was being hunters, most of our conversation revolved around that. I enjoyed these kinds of talks.
“Alice, do you have someone you like?”
But this question was quite tricky.
“…No?”
“Really? Well, someone like you probably doesn’t need to worry about liking someone.”
I think the same could be said for you, Cloy.
I blinked and looked at her. Cloy twisted her purple hair around her finger. She chewed her lips a couple of times before speaking again.
“For me, it’s more like being a fan. You know, among the Master Hunters, there’s Kyle.”
“…I don’t know him.”
“You don’t? He’s super famous. You’re surprisingly clueless about these things. Yet you handle hunter stuff so well… You’re a natural-born hunter.”
Well, I’ve dedicated my life to hunting.
I didn’t really care about other people’s affairs. I’m too busy taking care of myself to have time for that. I scratched my cheek, at a loss for words.
Cloy looked at me and chuckled.
“A while back, a Korashius appeared near my village.”
Korashius—the Great Flame Dragon—is one of the strongest among high-tier monsters. A monster I can’t even dream of facing right now. In the game, it appeared in the latter stages. It’s so powerful that it threatens the entire ecosystem, and other monsters flee from its presence.
“At that time, Master Hunters came to help, and I saw Kyle. He was amazing.”
“…Did they defeat Korashius?”
“Yeah. They managed to do it somehow. Isn’t that incredible? Master Hunters seem different from hunters like us.”
Cloy said that, but I’m not so sure. In front of monsters, does it matter whether a human is strong or weak? I think Master Hunters aren’t that different. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen one myself. Matillo is a blacksmith now.
In my opinion, Masters are just people who are better at hunting monsters than others. They’re skilled with weapons and understand monsters well. If that’s the case, I’m the same. Even though it was just a game, reaching rank 999 wasn’t for nothing. I’ve killed countless monsters and cleared every challenge the game offered, except for one. The last one—I fell into this world on the day of the update and couldn’t clear it.
“Someday, I’d like to meet Kyle again. If I keep being a hunter, maybe I’ll get the chance?”
“…What does he do now?”
“Master-level hunters’ activities are mostly kept secret, so I don’t know.”
Cloy touched her lips.
“From what I’ve heard, he’s investigating anomalies nearby?”
“…I see.”
Anomalies—that is, the main story. The main storyline of Hunter Land.
It’s not that I haven’t thought about the main story. But the story is already in progress—without me, the player… That thought left me with an inexplicable bitterness. I opened my hand and looked at my palm, calloused from gripping the greatsword tightly. What am I in this world?
“Cloy, Alice. You can go wash up now.”
“Oh, were there any monsters?”
“No. It was quiet while Aaron and I were washing.”
“No strange signs either.”
“That’s a relief. Alice… Alice?”
Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality at Cloy’s voice. I pressed my cheeks and exhaled. Instead of dwelling on useless thoughts, I should focus on taking down more monsters. I need to raise my rank quickly and prove my worth in this world. There’s no time for this.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I need to cool my complicated head with some water.
—
