Boran, The Monster-Infested Planet

The Dragon-Slayer Rangers Guild at the space station had two facilities. One was an administrative facility with a reception counter, while the other was a commercial area resembling a supermarket.

After receiving my new Dragon-Slayer Ranger card, I went shopping with Sario. I desperately wanted to eat something delicious.

“Is everything sold here edible?”

“No. The food is divided into categories, and you have to choose the things you can eat from those.”

Apparently, even Sario and I couldn’t eat exactly the same things. Of course, there were supposedly far more foods that both of us could eat, but we still had to be careful.

I had already learned my genetic classification code through an examination with the rented medical machine. Apparently, foods labeled with that code were safe for me to eat.

I wandered around the store, putting anything that looked edible into my cart. The most common products were Preserved Food Tubes with added flavors and aromas. I would have liked to sample them, but there didn’t seem to be any system for that.

When I looked for other kinds of preserved food, I discovered a wide variety of frozen meals. I purchased a large quantity of frozen food and arranged to have it delivered to our ship.

“Oh, we don’t have a refrigerator.”

Until now, we had been living on Preserved Food Tubes, so we hadn’t needed a refrigerator. We also lacked cooking appliances resembling microwave ovens, tableware, spoons, and other utensils, so I bought those as well. Incidentally, they didn’t sell chopsticks.

After purchasing various necessities for daily life, we returned to our Small Spacecraft. Then we waited for our purchases to arrive. Until then, we still had to survive on Preserved Food Tubes, so I spent the time desperately hoping our delivery would arrive as soon as possible.

If the space station had any restaurants, I would have loved to eat a proper meal at one, but unfortunately, there weren’t any.

Once our purchases arrived and we had installed the refrigerator and other appliances, we finally enjoyed our first proper meal in ages.

“It actually has flavor. But it’s been so long that I can’t even tell whether it’s good.”

In truth, the taste was rather mediocre. Considering how much I had been looking forward to it, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

We decided to head for Chiratia. Naturally, the question of how to generate a Trans-Spacetime Jump Field came up, but apparently, advanced civilizations like this one had devices called Trans-Spacetime Jump Field Generator Rings.

These Trans-Spacetime Jump Field Generator Rings were installed far away from their stars. Commonly known as “Jump Rings,” they generated Trans-Spacetime Jump Fields for spacecraft that paid to use them.

We headed toward a Jump Ring aboard our Small Spacecraft. As we approached the doughnut-shaped structure, which appeared to be roughly three kilometers in diameter, a message came through our communicator.

“Would you like to use the Jump Ring?”

When Sario replied that we would, we were instructed to transfer the required payment to a designated account. Sario used his interstellar bank account to make the transfer.

“Payment confirmed. Please accelerate to at least Varch 1 and follow a course that will take you through the ring.”

Sario made minor adjustments to our course and guided the spacecraft toward the center of the Jump Ring. Just as we were about to pass through it, a Trans-Spacetime Jump Field appeared inside the doughnut-shaped structure.

Our Small Spacecraft transitioned into Trans-Spacetime Space. Once again, I experienced the sensation of my internal organs being twisted. Apparently, I still hadn’t gotten used to it.

“Sario, how much did that cost?”

“The fee for generating the Trans-Spacetime Jump Field was approximately three million Crebits.”

I let out a sigh.

Upon arriving in the Chiratia Star System, we looked at the star displayed on the holographic screen. It resembled the Sun, although its color seemed slightly redder.

Like the Sun, this star was also a yellow dwarf, and its fifth planet was inhabited. It took us five days to reach that planet. With its blue oceans and green continents, the planet reminded me of Earth. As we approached, an enormous structure came into view.

“What’s that?”

When I asked, Sario glanced at the planet displayed on the holographic screen.

“That’s a space elevator. The section extending into space serves as a spaceport.”

The spaceport was approximately thirty kilometers in diameter. As we approached, we contacted its traffic control system. The system transmitted our designated docking point and flight route, which we followed until we successfully docked.

We packed our spare clothes and equipment into storage cases, then entered Chiratia Spaceport through the hatch. There, we underwent an inspection by the security system.

We were checked for dangerous pathogens, and our luggage was inspected as well. The inspections were conducted by androids. However, these particular androids had cat ears.

Perhaps the species that manufactured them had cat ears themselves. I decided to ask Sario about it.

“This planet is administered by the Werecat Race. Their Civilization Level is D, but they’re retainers of the Aurebas Celestial Gods, so we mustn’t defy them.”

Some members of the Werecat Race were subordinate to the Celestial Gods and worked on their behalf. Although they belonged to the same race, they seemed completely different from the deceased Berta and Rieto.

Apparently, the interior of the spaceport was normally kept in zero gravity. Since there was no telling what species might visit, its artificial gravity system was disabled. The atmosphere contained the standard mixture of gases used throughout the Space Alliance. Fortunately, it was also suitable for me to breathe.

We decided to take the space elevator down to the surface. I was surprised that it cost 250,000 Crebits per person, but apparently, that was considered cheap. We talked inside the elevator.

“If I hunt monsters here, I’ll be able to obtain Space Alliance citizenship, right?”

“That’s right. But you need to reach Rank D as a Dragon-Slayer Ranger.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I already knew that Dragon-Slayer Rangers had a ranking system. Newly registered members started at Rank G, and as they defeated monsters and accumulated achievements, they advanced through the ranks in the order G, F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. However, I hadn’t known that reaching Rank D would qualify someone for Space Alliance citizenship.

“So, how many monsters do I have to defeat to reach Rank D?”

“You need to become capable of defeating Threat Level 3 monsters.”

Since Space Sea Angels and Space Jellyfish were only Threat Level 1, the road to Space Alliance citizenship seemed long. However, Sario apparently believed I would reach Rank D very quickly. I couldn’t help thinking he was overestimating the Higher-Dimensional Access Methods Zorofienne had given me.

“Are you going to hunt monsters too, Sario?”

“Of course not. I don’t have Bosol Sensitivity or any special power. Instead, I’m planning to obtain my Second-Class Spacecraft Pilot’s License.”

Apparently, when members of species without Bosol Sensitivity or special powers hunted monsters on planetary surfaces, they fought using equipment such as the Armed Mobile Armor employed by Mobile Heavy Infantry.

Armed Mobile Armor was a type of Mobile Armor equipped with powerful integrated weapons. It reportedly amplified the wearer’s strength by more than tenfold and allowed them to fight using its built-in weaponry.

“In that case, why don’t we buy one and aim for Rank D together?”

“Even the cheapest Armed Mobile Armor costs three hundred million Crebits.”

Our combined savings had already dwindled slightly to forty million Crebits, so there was no way we could afford one. It was decided that I would have to hunt monsters on my own.

The elevator reached the surface, and we set foot on Boran, the Monster-Infested Planet. The area surrounding the base of the space elevator had developed into a thriving settlement known as Elevator City. One section of the city housed a Dragon-Slayer Rangers Guild Training Center, so we headed to its registration counter.

By registering for the training program at this counter, participants gained access to accommodation provided by the Dragon-Slayer Rangers Guild, known as the “Guest Tower,” and were issued an Achievement Collection Badge on loan.

The Achievement Collection Badge was a circular badge approximately five centimeters in diameter. It apparently counted the monsters I defeated and automatically reported them as my achievements.

The counter here was staffed not only by robots but also by several female Werecat employees. Apparently, some Dragon-Slayer Rangers disliked being served by robots. The employee assigned to us was a Werecat woman named Adelina. Her cat ears twitched adorably.

“Here are your room keycards for the Guest Tower. Please be careful not to lose them.”

Adelina handed me two keycards. They were for a room on the second floor of the Guest Tower, located beside the space elevator. Apparently, two cards were provided as standard practice because some participants arrived with family members.

As Rangers increased in rank, they gained access to rooms on higher floors. The Guest Tower was enormous, with enough rooms to accommodate approximately ten thousand Dragon-Slayer Rangers.

When we entered our room, I found that it was roughly thirteen square meters in size and came equipped with a toilet and shower. Sario intended to stay with me. He didn’t want to waste money on hotel accommodations.

The robot at the registration counter had told us there was a cafeteria and a shop resembling a supermarket where we could obtain food.

“Come to think of it, shouldn’t I buy some equipment?”

The thought of hunting monsters on the planet’s surface somehow reminded me of fantasy novels. I wondered whether I ought to buy armor and a sword—or rather, not a sword, but a gun.