The ones capable of transformation had an absolute blast playing with the Transformation Mushroom. Even Joseph managed to turn into some bizarre humanoid creatures from his own world—only then realizing that there were still species in his world he hadn't known existed.
Joseph, Shield Hero, Kazuma, and Laios were thoroughly enjoying the fun with the mushroom… while Kairo Retsu, Guildmaster of a world that had no humanoid species besides humans, sat dejectedly in a corner, mushrooms literally growing around him in despair.
"Guildmaster, it's okay," Tanjiro said sincerely. He hadn't joined in the fun and instead came over to comfort him. "Doesn't it just mean your original world was a safe one? Without beings like demons…"
"Tanjiro, you don't have to sugarcoat it. I just wanted to play too…" Kairo Retsu responded pitifully, sighing as he got up to wash off the mushroom spores.
Meanwhile, the others had all collected some of the Transformation Mushroom's spores. Whether it was Joseph, Shield Hero, or Kazuma, they all had to contend with powerful species in their own worlds, so the mushroom could be a wild card with potential battle applications.
Despite the chaos, the ordeal quickly brought Kairo Retsu and Laios closer together.
After washing off the spores, the group slung arms over each other's shoulders in the canteen, ready to enjoy Meowscular Meals—and hold a meeting.
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask…"
Kazuma leaned his elbows on the table and shaded his chin in a contemplative pose. "Why are we always holding our meetings in the canteen?"
"No idea," Naofumi shrugged. "But I like the vibe. It's pretty relaxing. I'm already thinking about bringing Raphtalia and Filo here to unwind for a few days."
"Let's ask Grandma Felyne later if we can invite guests to the Gathering Hub," Kairo Retsu said, raising his drink. "Besides, if the meeting's too stiff, no one wants to attend, right? I mean, those black-hearted companies and whatever, having a mini-meeting every day, a big meeting every three days, and the occasional progress report…"
"!"
Joseph blinked in mild surprise. "Wait—don't you guys have labor laws? I remember back when I was fifteen, we already had labor regulations. Just last year we had a Fair Labor Standards Act…"
"Damn, that's some dark humor," Kairo Retsu muttered, then grew serious as the Felynes busied themselves preparing Meowscular Meals.
"Let's go over what we currently have at our disposal."
Kairo Retsu steepled his fingers in the classic Gendo Ikari pose.
"The weapons and equipment we can use now are those crafted from standard monster materials. As for Elder Dragon gear and gear from rare variants, I already asked Grandma Felyne."
"Elder Dragon and special variant materials require us to hunt those monsters ourselves. Grandma suggests we hold off until we're stronger."
"Next, from completing our first major quest—defeating Muzan—we unlocked the Hunter Rank system and the Demon Series equipment. The Demon Series is centered around health regeneration, so it could come in handy situationally."
Kairo Retsu explained all of this mainly for Tanjiro and Laios's benefit.
"As for Hunter Rank: complete quests, visit the training grounds, go on expeditions, hunt monsters—basically fight, and you level up. Nice and straightforward."
"That's all we've got for now." He spread his hands. "You've all seen what kind of threat the demon is. This time, we can't just count on Wide-Range support skills and ganging up on it. We'll need to adjust our gear."
"Before dealing with the demon, isn't the real problem that crazy sorcerer guy?" Kazuma interjected. "He seems way harder to deal with! Even if he's kind of a noob in battle… the guy controls the dungeon! And with a wave of his hand, he summons a bunch of dragons!"
"Fighting dragons is a Hunter's specialty," Kairo Retsu said, stroking his chin. "A dungeon, huh… a dungeon…"
"Hey! I've got an idea!"
He raised a finger.
"What if we don't deal with the demon directly? We go after the Mad Sorcerer first, rescue Falin. As long as no one else becomes the new dungeon master after we defeat him, the demon won't threaten the world. That should fulfill the repel condition in the quest!"
The others mulled it over. And indeed—it actually sounded viable.
"Now that you mention it, since the quest says 'slay / repel / capture,' repelling is one of the conditions." Naofumi nodded. "That would significantly reduce the risk."
"Woohoo! Suddenly this quest feels way less stressful!" Kazuma exhaled in relief. "Though that Mad Sorcerer guy still seems like a handful…"
"Doesn't matter! We all go in together—this isn't some kind of one-on-one duel." Joseph was hyped. "I'll take point! My Ripple training's been going great. I can even use Ripple to manipulate other creatures' actions now!"
"Um…"
Tanjiro raised his hand. "I have a question."
"Go ahead, Tanjiro." Kairo Retsu nodded. "No need to be formal—we're all part of the same Gathering Hub here."
"I was wondering… about the demon. Shouldn't we ask Mr. Laios for his opinion?" Tanjiro said, still holding his hand up. "Since this is a crisis from his world."
"!"
The four of them, who had been focused on the 'repel' plan, suddenly realized that Tanjiro had a point. They exchanged glances and turned to Laios.
"Tanjiro's right," Kairo Retsu said. "Laios, what are your thoughts about the demon—or Winged Lion, I guess?"
"Just destroying the dungeon… that would mean the demon still exists, right?"
Laios answered seriously.
"The demon constantly tries to consume all of humanity from other worlds. Even if we repel it this time, with that insatiable hunger, it'll just tempt the next dungeon master."
"The demon can fail infinite times, but we can only fail once. I don't think we can leave it alone."
Kairo Retsu scratched his chin. "So you want to do the same as before—devour the demon's desire and kill the demon, which is the personification of magical will?"
"No. What concerns me is something else."
Laios awkwardly opened his quest panel and pointed at the quest description. "Why is it… that along with 'slay' and 'repel'…"
"…there's also a capture option?"