Chapter 310: A Poaching Departure, Therefore I Like It (Kidnapping)

The New Continent Pioneer Ships. Three massive wooden vessels boasting nearly the exact same size as real-life luxury cruise liners, completed by mixing medieval civilization with magic and a tiny essence of science.
Following the Torvante Discoverie, the first pioneer ship that had already crossed the ocean, the morning had finally arrived for the newly constructed triad of colossal ships—the Belihemoth, the Leviathann, and the Zizzzz—to carry their selected pioneers to the New Continent.

"Kuaaaaa........."

Last night was incredible... What was incredible, you ask? It ended up becoming a watch party at the Rabituza Colosseum where we spectated a gauntlet of battles featuring Akitsu Akane and Saiga-san, or rather, Rei-shi. Both of them had grinded to the absolute level cap available prior to reaching the New Continent, which naturally meant the enemies assigned to them for their final bouts were utterly insane.

Akitsu Akane's final opponent was a gigantic Pseudo-Dragon (Dinosaur) draped in hellfire with chalk-white skin... the Jura Vulcanrex.
According to Vysache's explanation, it was an "Ancient Species" of some other monster, a lore detail that really gets the blood pumping. However, because it was simply a pure stat-monster, Akitsu Akane was forced into a massively grueling struggle.

Rei-shi's final opponent was a majestic lion adorned with a pitch-black mane and wrapped in azure lightning... the Leo Nemearex.
This one also had an incredibly grandiose lore description attached to it, something along the lines of "A beast possessing the majesty of a king that would not take a single step back even against Lycaon." The attack where the ground it walked on would become "Electrified" after a slight delay displayed a completely different kind of annoyance compared to the Atlanticus Repnorca, which also manipulated lightning.

Actually, what the hell was up with that lion bastard constantly glaring right at me? When Rei-shi despawned, it literally made a beeline straight for me. If this wasn't Rei-shi's Unique Scenario, I would have killed it right then and there... Although I probably would have died four times in the process.

Because both of them ended up losing multiple times, we settled into a routine where while one was fighting, the other was having a strategy meeting with me. If you think about it calmly, it practically looked like I was the one working non-stop without a break.

"Yo, I came to see you off, future castaways."

"Oh, my my~. Is the experienced castaway here to see us off?"

Today, there are four ships setting sail onto the ocean. That fourth ship is the deep-sea fishing vessel Celeste Celestial. It carries the players participating in the subjugation of the Unique Monster "Ctarrnid of the Abyss," hosted by the clan "Wolfgang" in a joint operation with the clans "Library" and "Black Wolf"... or rather, "Black Sword."

By clearing Ctarrnid's Unique Scenario EX, "Behold the Abyss Above, as the World Turns on Its Head," the existence of repeatable Unique Scenarios EX was revealed.
By disclosing a certain amount of the information written in the Tome of Truth, Library discovered a prerequisite scenario entirely separate from "Pierce the Apostle of the Abyss"... the Unique Scenario "Fearless Deep-Sea Fishery."

To put it simply, it's a Unique Scenario overflowing with death flags that basically screams, "The weather looks rough today, but we'll be fine! Let's set sail!" And considering they are scheduled to inevitably encounter a ghost ship if things go according to plan, it is quite literally a death flag scenario.

"Seven days, huh... What was it actually like? Did you ever get bored?"

"Given the number of people we had and the fact that massive hordes of monsters spawn day and night, it really wasn't as boring as it sounds."

While secretly praying that they get utterly trampled by something like the Atlanticus Repnorca and experience true hell, I casually brushed off Pencilgon's question.

"Muu, isn't it a bit unfair to restrict information when you already have the strategy guide, Sunraku-kun?"

"It would be one thing if it was like Wethermon where you'd still die even if you knew the mechanics. Unfortunately, once Ctarrnid's gimmick is exposed, the fight just becomes a series of chores... You'd seriously lose all motivation to fight it, right?"

"I honestly can't deny thatー. But you guys actually managed to beat it with just eight people, including NPCs, right?"

"Well, it took three consecutive shots of Rei-shi's Armageddon-class firepower and we even had to bring out a Tactical Mecha to do it."

"Akitsu Akane-chan is also pretty insane... A Dragon's Breath is supposed to be more like a flamethrower or something similar, but her version literally sweeps across the sky in a straight line."

Even though it depends on her lung capacity and MP, it's literally a massive, extra-thick beam capable of hitting the entire field... And to make matters worse, the cannon firing it is a highly mobile light warrior.

"...And? Why does the beached fish over there look like it has dead eyes?"

"Apparently his girlfriend found out about the 'I have to go to Fifticia for a seven-day long quest' thing, so he spent the entire night capturing her."

"Doing that straight through the night is legitimately suicidal..."

By the way, that guy has apparently been smoothly enhancing his build as an Immortal Grappler who stays on the frontlines via self-recovery... This is exactly why people have been saying since the last century that you shouldn't give boss enemies healing skills.

"Well whatever, enjoy the sightseeing."

"Hah... I'll clear it on my first try for you."

"Could you please save the cheeky remarks (Namiki) for after you actually trigger the Unique?"

"Ahー yes, yes, I knew you'd say that!"

Because the details haven't been widely publicized yet, the participating players are moving somewhat stealthily as they proceed with their preparations. However, even among them, there's one group that undeniably stands out the most.

"My, aren't you supposed to be boarding the New Continent Pioneer Ship?"

"I still have a little bit of time, so I figured I'd come see you off."

Replying to the intelligent net-kama of Library, the Professor—who possessed an excessively gritty inner persona wrapped in a hyper-cutesy exterior—I shifted my gaze to that thing currently carrying the Professor on its shoulders.

"Oh my, so you're Sunraku-san? I've heard so much about you from Saiga-san and my husband, you know? I go by Massive Dynamite... It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Sunraku... Ahー, i-it's nice to meet you too..."

Muscles, muscles, muscles. A heavy warrior whose appearance practically screamed that power was absolute justice and everything else was unnecessary... How should I put this, it truly looked as if Massive was quite literally Dynamiting. It was a colossal, hulking avatar even larger than Rei-shi, loaded with the muscles of a professional bodybuilder.
The combination of slightly wavy blonde hair, stubble, and a deeply sculpted, statue-like face emitting a gentle aura, paired with a voice that held the deep resonance of age, radiated a level of sheer incoherence that arguably surpassed even the fake Magical Girl.

"Ah, she is my wife, you see. She's participating as a member from 'Black Wolf'... Ah, no, 'Black Sword'."

"Ufufu, when I heard from Zero-san that Ctarrnid possesses incredible power, I simply couldn't contain my curiosity..."

I don't know why, but despite hearing that she's the Professor's wife—meaning she must be at least in her fifties or sixties—she exudes a youthful energy quite similar to Akitsu Akane.
That being said, seeing a muscle-bound behemoth carrying a ridiculously massive greatsword—one that could easily crush someone like me from directly above—laughing "Ara ara ufufu" is honestly straight-up terrifying.

"Even so, this is an incredible dream team. I hear the participants from 'Black Sword' are all strictly front-line veterans."

"Indeed they are. It might not seem like much to you, but for us, the decisive battle against the Unique Monster 'Ctarrnid of the Abyss' holds a significant meaning."

Listen closely, the Professor said to me, shifting his gaze toward the port at the far end of Ruffian Street, where the three pioneer ships were faintly visible.

"According to my estimation, the decisive battle against Siegwurm the Heavenly Sovereign is still quite a ways off."

"Meaning?"

"Are you listening? The clear conditions for that Unique Scenario EX are either the defeat of the five... no, since one is reportedly already dead, the defeat of the four dragons, OR the defeat of Siegwurm. However, the Golden Dragon has concealed his whereabouts, and the five dragons are likely scattered entirely across the New Continent... Do you understand? At the very least, one of the clear conditions cannot be fulfilled without 'fully exploring the entire New Continent'."

And currently, the player base has only made contact with two dragons. One was the Green Dragon encountered by the player traveling with the Elves?, and the other was the Black Dragon that attacked the frontline base on the New Continent.

"In other words, Sunraku-kun, unlike Wethermon or Ctarrnid, Siegwurm's Unique Scenario EX is likely tied far more directly to the World Quest. The conclusion derived from this is..."

"That it's not a side story like the other Uniques, but a massive, long-term scenario that requires the involvement of all players... Is that it?"

"───Splendid. I'll give you a perfect score."

The face of the Professor praising me with a smile was—even taking into account the innocence of the young girl avatar—undeniably the face of a teacher guiding a student......... Even if he was currently riding on the shoulders of a hyper-macho bodybuilder.

Author's Afterword
Mad-D-san's weapon is shaped like a greatsword, but it is actually a blunt/strike weapon with completely flattened edges. In terms of weapon category, it's essentially a club.
Like Survival, she uses the highest-tier warrior class, and she runs an incredibly romantic build that dumps absolutely everything into extreme offensive power, meaning a missed swing equals death. However, if she lands a clean hit, it's a devastating cannon capable of shattering even the outer shell of a Crystal Scorpion.

• Jura Vulcanrex
  An ancient species of the "Tyrannos Cerberus," which eventually evolved into the Draclus Dinocerberus... Conversely, why it gained extra heads during the evolutionary process remains unknown.
  During its prime era, both predators and prey possessed massive bodies, so its size wasn't an issue. However, during the evolutionary process leading to the modern era, other creatures either evolved to become extremely massive or extremely small. This made securing a stable food source nearly impossible, turning it into an endangered species.
  To put it simply, a flaming Deviljho ended up living a life where its only food options were either entering an all-you-can-eat competitive eating contest or snacking on bar nuts, leading it to the brink of extinction.
  Because it lacks stamina management capabilities, engaging in prolonged combat causes it to run out of gas and severely weaken.

• Leo Nemearex
  A lion-type monster standing near the absolute pinnacle of indigenous monsters... However, it is an endangered species precisely because of its ecology.
  It is an incredibly bellicose, muscle-brained monster with a natural instinct to aggressively challenge stronger opponents the moment it's born. Because of this, very few individuals survive to adulthood. But if one were to reach adulthood, an unparalleled lion boasting an unmatched physique and wielding azure lightning would reign supreme over the world───!
  Or so it likes to act tough. But because a certain wolf sits at the absolute apex of the beast ecology, its fate as a jobber—not a jobber dog, but a jobber lion—was sealed. A truly pitiful monster.
  It doesn't have any particularly notable weaknesses, but destroying its mane seals away its lightning attacks. And once its lightning is sealed, it just becomes a really big cat.