The Professor swept his gaze over every Hunter. Once he had confirmed that no one was reluctant or showed any sign of hesitation, he nodded.
"The quest to slay the Ioprey and Remobra is complete. Under the Guild's authority, I am now issuing you a new investigation request. Track the Shen Gaoren that has strayed from its original migration route and determine what caused its abnormal behavior."
The statement was brief, but in practical terms, it was no different from the Hunters accepting a quest directly at a Guild counter. As a high-ranking Guild official, the Professor had the authority to issue one.
This formally established the legality of the Hunters' next actions. As long as they operated within reasonably acceptable bounds, the Guild would not hold them accountable even if their actions resulted in unforeseen killings or other repercussions.
After issuing the quest, the Professor continued, "None of you are in any condition to undertake a difficult quest immediately, especially you, Isis. Rest for half an hour. There is a hot spring nearby. The sulfur concentration is rather high, but at least you can wash off the blood and grime. Your scent is far too obvious right now, and once that filth dries and clogs the joints of your armor, it will hinder your movements."
Isis wasted no words. She nodded, scooped up Clawdia, whose blood-soaked fur had also turned dark red, and ran toward the hot spring.
Altaïr thought for a moment, then said to the others, "Let's rinse off in the spring as well. The sulfurous smell will mask our scent and make it easier to move later."
The Professor nodded approvingly.
—--
The group reached a hot spring whose dark yellow water barely came up to their thighs. After briefly testing the temperature and confirming that they could endure it, they jumped straight in without even removing their armor.
The sulfurous smell was not the only problem. The water was also extremely hot, clearly unsuitable for a leisurely soak. Altaïr and the others stayed only long enough to drench themselves, then immediately climbed back out.
Isis spent a few extra minutes roughly scrubbing herself and Clawdia. By the time she emerged, she was red from head to toe. Whether the heat or the sulfur stinging her skin was responsible, no one could tell.
While Isis washed away the blood and grime, Sajji disassembled and inspected her Glavenus Gunlance. Once he confirmed that it had suffered no serious damage, both he and Isis breathed a sigh of relief. They had neither the time nor the facilities to repair a weapon here.
The Hunters hurriedly ate a couple of dry rations, relaxed and stretched their muscles, then redistributed their items and ammunition. They completed their rest as quickly as possible.
Altaïr stood, shouldered his weapon, and adjusted the straps. "Professor, you and Erik will ride Hibiki. Once we enter the deeper reaches of the volcano, there will be far more Monsters, and we may not have anyone to spare for your protection."
The Professor did not stand on ceremony. He climbed onto the Palamute with his student. "Do not be too aggressive. Unless absolutely necessary, never attempt to attack the target. This is an investigation quest. Gathering information and ensuring your own safety are the highest priorities. Understood?"
The Professor was clearly worried that the young Hunters might act recklessly, so he placed particular emphasis on those instructions.
The Hunters acknowledged his orders and swiftly moved out.
—--
Tracking the Shen Gaoren itself was not difficult.
The volcanic terrain had little soil, making it difficult for even Large Monsters to leave footprints on the solid rock. That was only true of ordinary Monsters, however.
A Shen Gaoren standing over fifty meters tall and weighing thousands of tons would leave deep craters even if the ground were solid iron, let alone bare rock.
There was no chance of losing its trail as long as they followed those craters.
Altaïr lifted his gaze from the cannon-blast craters in the ground and looked to the sky. After studying it for a moment, he said, "Normally, we could estimate the Shen Gaoren's position from the flocks of Remobra overhead, but have you noticed that they have disappeared?
"Are they also wary of the dangers deeper within the volcano?"
"Maybe we killed them all, meow." Clawdia wiped her face and licked her claws, frowning at the sulfurous smell clinging to her fur.
"You could not have killed that many." The Professor spoke from the Palamute's back. "Altaïr's judgment is correct.
"Both Remobra and Ioprey follow Shen Gaoren to scavenge whatever they can. But this one is heading somewhere they will find no easy pickings and may even encounter danger, so naturally, they have stopped following.
"Neither Large Flying Wyverns nor even more powerful creatures will tolerate animals the size of Remobra circling overhead and screeching at them."
Nymera immediately understood. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean..."
"Yes. Send up your Cohoot." The Professor nodded slightly. "A Remobra seven or eight meters long would provoke those Large Monsters, but a small raptor like a Cohoot will not.
"As long as she can withstand the heat in the air, the depths of the volcano will actually be safer for her than its outer reaches."
Nymera whispered a few words to Mochi. The Cohoot beat her wings and took to the air, though she did not fly too high, circling less than a hundred meters above the Hunters.
With an early warning from the air, the Hunters relaxed slightly and continued following the trail of deep craters left by the Shen Gaoren.
The Shen Gaoren was enormous, yet the distance between the craters showed that its stride was surprisingly short. Combined with its naturally sluggish movements, this made its pace quite slow.
Before long, they felt the dull thud of its footsteps shaking the earth.
At first, Nymera mistook the unusual rhythm for an earthquake. Then they spotted the majestic giant in the distance.
Nymera, Morgan, and Erik stared in horror. Morgan, especially, could not remain calm at the thought of such a creature attacking his hometown.
Altaïr, Isis, and the Professor remained composed. Isis had seen it only recently, the Professor was widely traveled, and Altaïr had helped confront something even larger...
"Whoa!" After a brief moment of awe, Erik became utterly exhilarated.
He instinctively tried to jump down from Hibiki's back and run closer, only to discover that his belt had been firmly tied to the saddle with rope...
That was Altaïr's handiwork. He had not forgotten what happened last time.
Feeling the struggle behind him, the Professor looked back. His knifelike glare made Erik flinch and come to his senses.
Erik laughed awkwardly and stopped trying to leave the Palamute's back. Instead, he took a telescope from his pack and observed from a distance.
"Is that a Lao-Shan Lung skull on its back?" After only a few glances, he could not help asking, "If the Shen Gaoren is fifty meters tall, that skull must be more than thirty meters long, right?
"How large was that Lao-Shan Lung? Two hundred meters?! But the records I've read say Lao-Shan Lung are usually around seventy to one hundred meters long, don't they?"
"Most of the Lao-Shan Lung we have discovered fall within that range," the Professor corrected him. "This world is vast and hides many unknowns."
Altaïr, walking at the front, glanced back as well. "Jhen Mohran that roam the depths of the sand sea commonly measure between one hundred and one hundred fifty meters.
"But in the great lake at the center of Loc Lac stands a giant tusk nearly one hundred meters long. Judging by its proportions, it may have belonged to a supermassive Jhen Mohran more than four hundred meters in length.
"Every time I see that tusk, I'm grateful that the Jhen Mohran arriving with the seasonal winds during the Autumn Harvest Fest are only little ones by comparison."
"That's truly..." Erik was momentarily speechless.
"Professor, do we need to get any closer?" Altaïr turned his gaze toward the elderly Wyverian.
The Professor shook his head decisively. "No. We will follow from this distance.
"If it only intends to wander around the volcano's depths, we may be fine. But if it truly means to head all the way into the volcano's core area...
"Even maintaining this distance would not be safe."
(Translated by yourtl.app)