"Pop, pop~!"
The Guild Manager and young receptionist Lillian each pulled a small party popper, sending a flurry of colorful confetti drifting down, covering Altaïr and the others from head to toe.
"Welcome to the Metapetatto Guild Hall!!" Miss Noya seized the still somewhat dazed Nymera's hand, shaking it vigorously up and down.
To an outsider, these words might not mean much, perhaps only thinking the receptionist here was a bit too enthusiastic.
But anyone with a slight understanding of the situation knew that this enthusiastic receptionist's "welcome" wasn't just for a few days.
This woman was already scheming on how to tie down this Gunner who looked quite skilled.
Faced with Noya's enthusiasm, the more reserved Nymera felt uncomfortable. She forced a stiff smile. "Hello…"
"Hello to you too! Hello to you too!" The Guild Manager, lacking words, forced a reply. "Hope you enjoy your time here in Metapetatto! Need a room? Our Hunter Cabins here are super awesome!"
The young receptionist Lillian promptly handed over that price list where every prefix was "ultra-luxury."
Altaïr and Isis exchanged a glance, feeling this scene was all too familiar.
Nymera looked at the two with a hint of pleading in her eyes. She'd visited many cities, but such an "aggressive" receptionist was truly a first.
The other's excessively warm attitude made her uneasy, even giving her the impulse to turn and run immediately.
Altaïr used his hand to push away the Guild Manager who was trying to get even closer, apologetically saying to Nymera, "Sorry, to be honest, this odd character is the Guildmarm here.
She's not really a suspicious person, she's just too eager to recruit people, so she gets especially hyper every time she sees an unfamiliar Hunter.
Setting aside their sales pitch which feels like a scam, the facilities at this Guild Hall are truly top-notch. Even choosing the most basic Fighter's Room comes with a private bathroom and shower. The higher-tier rooms offer a living experience comparable to a vacation, and the prices aren't steep either.
We probably won't head to the hunting grounds immediately. We'll need to buy some items in the city, service our equipment, get ready for a day or two. Personally, I suggest staying here; it saves us the trouble of finding an inn outside."
Nymera glanced at Isis again. Seeing the honest Isis give her a thumbs-up and a nod, she felt slightly more at ease.
"Then… I'll trouble you, Guild Manager, to prepare the most basic room for me." Nymera withdrew her hand, adjusted her composure, and handed over her Hunter's Notes.
"Sure thing! No problem!"
The already seasoned receptionist, Miss Noya, processed the check-in while saying to Altaïr and the others, "Oh, by the way, the application for the Duramboros Hunting Quest has also been approved. You can go ahead and complete the formalities to accept the quest now.
The quest time limit isn't short either. If you're worried about someone else taking the quest first, you could consider accepting it now and setting out in a couple of days once you're ready. That shouldn't be an issue either."
"Hmm."
He didn't really think anyone would actively accept this quest whose main objective was a Duramboros, and which also had the ridiculous Subquest condition of "bring back the Tail Hammer." But just in case, we should take it first.
It'd be terrible if we went through all the trouble of inviting Miss Nymera here from Geo Wandreo to help, only to find out some Hunter with a screw loose had grabbed the quest before us. That's not something we could smooth over with a simple "Sorry."
"Please just start the procedures for us right away. I'll cover the Contract Fee."
"Alrighty~"
Soon enough, the brand new quest form was handed to Altaïr.
---
Hunting Quest: Destroyer of Mountains and Rivers (★★★★)
Objective: Hunt one Duramboros
Subquest: Do not destroy the Duramboros's Tail Hammer; keep it intact
Location: Southern Region of Metapetatto Jungle
Time Limit: 30 days
Reward Money: 6500z; 3000z
Possible Monsters: Jaggi, Bullfango, Vespoid, Yian Kut-Ku
Village Elder: It's a lone male Duramboros. It seems to have lost a fight over a mate and become extremely irritable. Not long ago, it attacked one of our outposts, wrecking and devouring the fences and buildings. If we hadn't evacuated in time, there could have been casualties. Please, help us deal with that thing!
Subquest Requester, Workshop Owner: A completely new model of Duramboros Hammer is in hot development, but we've hit a bit of a bottleneck. If you could manage to bring us back an intact Duramboros Tail Hammer for reference, we'd be ever so grateful.
---
Looking at the two entries for the Subquest and the reward money, Altaïr asked curiously, "So, is this counted as one quest or two? How exactly is the reward settled?"
"It counts as one quest, you see~" Miss Noya patiently explained. "For 2★ and 3★ Monsters, which are more numerous, situations like this don't often come up.
But the stronger the Monster, the fewer their numbers tend to be.
Most 4★, 5★, and higher Threat Level Monsters are the dominant powers of their regions. To avoid disrupting the local ecosystem, the Guild doesn't grant Hunting Licenses arbitrarily.
For example, this time, a reason like the workshop owner wanting to 'get a look at a complete Duramboros tail' wouldn't normally be enough to permit issuing a specialized hunting quest unless the Duramboros population was truly excessive.
So starting from 4★, situations with 'Subquests' like this will appear more frequently.
Take this quest as an example. As long as you successfully hunt the Duramboros, the primary objective of the quest is considered complete. The 6500z reward is settled and added to your account, and it counts towards your quest completion tally.
As for the part about leaving the Tail Hammer intact, that's something you decide to attempt or not based on the situation. If you can accomplish it, the extra 3000z reward will be added to your account, but it won't count as an additional quest completion. Understand?"
"Got it!" Isis summarized simply. "So the so-called Subquest is like a bonus, right? Complete it and you get extra reward money, don't complete it and there's no penalty!"
"That's exactly right! Isis is so clever!" Noya praised loudly, which actually made Isis feel a bit embarrassed.
Altaïr raised his hand and asked, "Then what if we fail to hunt the Duramboros, but somehow manage to cut off its tail and bring it back? Could we still collect the 3000z part of the reward?"
Noya put her hands on her hips. "No, you can't. Not to mention how utterly absurd it would be to try and sever the tail from a live Duramboros." The Guild doesn't approve of such sneaky shortcuts. If the main objective of the quest isn't completed, it's considered a quest failure. You'll pay the Penalty Fee and get zero reward!"
"Alright then," Altaïr spread his hands, "I was just asking."
With that, he ignored the Guild Manager's indignant glare, handed the quest form to Isis and Nymera, and let them confirm the details.
Once everything was verified, Altaïr paid the Contract Fee and completed the quest registration.
Then he took the quest form from Miss Noya, tore it in two along the perforated line, and handed the stub portion to Nymera. This was the participant's proof.
"The preparation time is set for two days. We'll head to the hunting grounds first thing the morning after tomorrow. How does that sound to you two?"
"Works for me."
"I have no issues."
Receiving affirmative replies from both companions, Altaïr declared the meeting adjourned, and everyone went off to make their own preparations.
In truth, these two days were mainly reserved for Sajji.
He and Isis, as Blademasters, either had their Armor and Weapons recently acquired or freshly serviced; they didn't have much else to prepare. Nymera was a Gunner, but she'd already prepared the necessary Ammo and such beforehand.
Only Sajji needed to perform a certain degree of modification to its Rathalos Model-06, to enable it to fire Wyvernblasts.
It also needed to produce more Incendiary Rounds and Wyvernblasts, replacing Altaïr to become the other "attacker" in this hunting operation.
In the past, Sajji had done all these preparations alone. After all, Altaïr and Isis were pure Blademasters, lacking understanding in mechanical work and Ammo Crafting.
Clawdia was even more hopeless; aside from leaping onto Monsters and fighting tooth and nail, she couldn't do anything else.
But this time, Nymera actually volunteered to help.
Most Gunners have the habit of personally Crafting their Ammo and possess some degree of mechanical skills, handy for emergency repairs when their Weapons malfunction.
With her assistance, Sajji not only completed the integration of the Rathalos Model 06 with the Wyvernblast Launcher at the fastest possible speed but also seemed to have performed some secret modifications.
As a result, Altaïr hadn't seen Sajji at all these past two days; it even slept in Nymera's room, leaving Altaïr with a rather complicated feeling.
—--
Two days passed in a blink, and the day of the hunt had arrived.
Watching the bizarre-looking contraption Sajji and Nymera were hauling onto the Airship together, Altaïr couldn't help but ask, "What on earth have you two built?"
"This is the chassis of Rathalos Model-07, nya!" Sajji declared proudly, hands on hips. "Just watch, nya! Boss, you can relax and play support this time, nya!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)