"Then let's… pick up the pace!"
After Kairo Retsu issued his final instructions, Naofumi Iwatani and the others were attempting something else within the Dungeon.
"The method you mentioned to control familiars… is it really true?" The three of them were now questioning Mithrun together about the matter of familiars.
"Mhm."
Mithrun nodded, her gaze constantly drifting toward the direction of the Najarala, but she still dutifully answered the questions from Joseph and the others. "Since you created those monsters, there's a certain link between them and you. You can command them as familiars."
"After all, those monsters weren't born naturally, nor do they inherently exist. You created them yourselves." Mithrun explained this, turning to look toward the target of Joseph, Kazuma, and the others.
A massive elephantine monster was currently walking through the Dungeon. With each of its footsteps, the ground trembled under the weight.
Gamuto, the Immovable Mountain God. Adult specimens average over 20 meters in length and stand nearly 14 meters tall. Its forehead is covered in a thick, shield-like shell, and a pair of massive shovel-like tusks extend from either side of its large mouth. Its sturdy limbs are layered with rows upon rows of hard shell plates—if it lived in snowy regions, these shells could even compact the thick snow into natural snow armor.
And the beast before them was a specially created variant introduced by Kairo Retsu and brought into being by Naofumi Iwatani. It was larger than a typical Gamuto, with silver-white fur and even greater brute strength than its native kin.
Its name: Silver Ridge Beast.
"You sure picked a troublesome one," Naofumi Iwatani said with a wry smile as he looked at the Silver Ridge Beast, as massive as a building.
To ensure the plan didn't go awry, it had to be him—the hunter with the strongest defense—to take the first step.
"Good luck, shield guy!" Kazuma called from his hiding spot on the slope as he watched Naofumi Iwatani walk alone toward the Silver Ridge Beast. "Go tame that Silver Ridge Beast!"
"That's right! Shield bro, we're Hunters!" Joseph, also hiding without shame, added. "If you get stomped to death by that elephant, we'll head back to camp and pick up your remains..."
"I'd prefer if you had a little more faith in my success," Naofumi replied darkly. "But still…"
Naofumi Iwatani looked up. "The Silver Ridge Beast… really is a colossal monster."
"But… it's thrilling!"
Watching the Silver Ridge Beast draw closer, a surge of excitement bubbled within Naofumi.
Though he had endured much in the other world—betrayals, false accusations, hostility—forcing him to reject others… in the end, he was still just a young man in his early twenties.
Had he not experienced those injustices, he wouldn't have turned out this way.
But after letting go of those burdens, Naofumi finally had the mind to enjoy the more interesting experiences.
"Who could resist a mount like this?" A smile surfaced on Naofumi's face.
At the same time, he pulled a small fireworks canister from his pocket and lit it on the ground.
The spark of the firework immediately drew the Silver Ridge Beast's attention. It had been slightly agitated before, sensing an intrusion into its territory, but upon clearly seeing Naofumi's figure, it calmed.
The Silver Ridge Beast—created by Naofumi—lowered its head and gently extended its trunk toward him.
Naofumi's heart raced as he raised his hand and soon touched the thick, muscular trunk of the Silver Ridge Beast.
The heavy breath from the beast's mouth and nostrils stirred the primal instinct inside him.
"Guildmaster."
Naofumi couldn't help but speak through the assembly's voice channel. "Will we ever get the chance to meet a real Silver Ridge Beast someday?"
"Of course we will—we're Monster Hunters, after all!" Kairo Retsu replied happily over the channel. "Looks like you really like it. Well?"
"Do you feel the allure of monsters?" Kairo Retsu added. "You've been way too uptight lately! We're all in this together now! Hunting joyfully as a group is what our assembly should be all about!"
"Next time, let's go steal some Wyvern Eggs together!" Kairo Retsu invited.
"Sounds good." Naofumi responded while patting the Silver Ridge Beast before him, thinking to himself...
"One day, I'll tame a real Silver Ridge Beast to be one of my companions."
The Silver Ridge Beast—currently one of the most powerful monsters created within the Dungeon—used its trunk to lift Naofumi Iwatani onto its back and let out a thunderous roar.
"Ahahaha…"
Riding atop the Silver Ridge Beast, Naofumi laughed joyfully and called out, "Joseph! Kazuma! Stop hiding already!"
"It's time to go after the two Four Heavenly Kings you two created! The ones named Bubble Fox Wyvern of the All-Seeing Eye and Thunderlord Zinogre, right?" Naofumi shouted cheerfully to his companions. "Hurry up—Guildmaster's still waiting for us to regroup!"
"Hssss…" Kazuma sucked in a cold breath and said to Joseph, "Was Naofumi always this cheerful? Did the Winged Lion eat his desires and take all his gloomy expressions with them too?"
"The Winged Lion can do that? Crap, what if it ate my handsome charm and I can't get it back?" Joseph touched his own face worriedly.
"He probably heard you." Mithrun had been watching Naofumi and now saw him charging toward them on the Silver Ridge Beast's back.
The next moment, the area where Joseph and the others had been hiding—along with a massive chunk of land—was flung into the air by the Silver Ridge Beast's tusks. Joseph and Kazuma clung to each other, spinning midair and screaming, "What kind of image do you all have of me?!"
"Eeeeyahaa!"
Kairo Retsu smiled as he listened to the commotion over the voice channel.
"Hm?" The Winged Lion appeared beside Kairo Retsu, noticing his mood shift. "Feeling good? Did something nice happen?"
"Yeah," Kairo Retsu grinned. "Hunters like us should stick together—birds of a feather, partners in crime."
"The good kind."
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