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After returning from the Training School, Ethan spent a day resting to adjust his condition, and then once again went to the Gathering Hall.
"Eh? Where's Konoha?"
Standing at the quest counter, Ethan scanned left and right. He didn't see the familiar Konoha; only the calm and quiet Sasayu, who looked like she was slack at work.
"She is off today. Mr. Ethan, are you here to accept a quest?"
Sasayu made a polite gesture and straightened up slightly.
Ethan scratched his head, walking closer. "I thought Miss Sasayu only handled matters related to High-Rank Hunters… Could you please help me see what suitable quests are available? Hunting or gathering is fine, as long as I don't have to travel too far."
"Of course."
Sasayu responded first, then, while searching through the appropriate quest forms, she used her calm and gentle voice to correct Ethan's common knowledge.
"I am responsible for High-Rank Hunter affairs, but both High-Rank Hunters and High-Rank quests are a minority in the Guild. They aren't available all the time. The vast majority are actually low-star quests. I can't leave all of these to Konoha alone."
She paused, then asked, "Do I look like I'm always slacking off, leading Mr. Ethan to harbor a subtle misunderstanding?"
Eh?!
Ethan was dumbfounded. Sasayu chuckled softly. "I'm just joking… Actually, Konoha is too energetic and often volunteers for many tasks, which leaves me with nothing to do. That's why I appear to be slacking off…"
"Hmm… Well, put that way, I suppose I am technically slacking off, but Mr. Ethan isn't a gossip, so you'll definitely keep this a secret, won't you?"
Sasayu gave a playful wink.
Eh?
Ethan felt like he was rediscovering this Quest Maiden. Based on her composed and calm demeanor, who would have thought she would crack a joke?
"Uh… Y-Yes, of course? Also, you can just call me Ethan."
"Alright, Ethan. You can call me Sasayu too…"
She spoke while smoothly continuing to look through the quests. "There we are. All one-star quests limited to the Stream area are here. Take a look."
It must be said that the ecology around Yukumo Village was exceptionally stable, so much so that the few forms laid out before him were all gathering quests. The only hunting quest was for subjugating Bnahabra.
Hiss… Bnahabra. Maybe not.
Killing those things always felt like a net loss. You either needed Flash Bombs or Poison Smoke Bombs, and those items weren't cheap for him. As for gathering and combining them himself? That was too time-consuming. He might not even find enough materials before the quest deadline. Killing those things consumed too many items.
The remaining gathering quests were all similar. After a quick look, Ethan eventually accepted a quest to gather honey.
He hadn't been to see Bear Bro since he escorted Sophia straight back to Yukumo Village. This was a good chance to bring Bear Bro some delicious food.
After the quest was processed, Ethan suddenly remembered the Great Jagras leader whose head he had smashed. Konoha had said two days ago that a subjugation quest would be issued. He wondered what the situation was now.
Thinking of it, Ethan asked about it casually. Sasayu answered almost without thinking, showing that she was quite attentive to the matter.
"The Great Jagras leader subjugation quest was issued as an Urgent Quest yesterday. Old Man Kia took the mission. If you leave now, you might even run into him in the hunting ground."
Yukumo Village, being a resort town, had most of its quests completed by visiting Hunters stopping for R&R. The few local Hunters mostly focused on gathering quests. Old Man Kia was one of them.
Ethan had seen him a few times at the Gathering Hall but wasn't familiar with him. He only knew he was a cheerful Light Bowgun user, with graying hair and deep wrinkles on his forehead, who looked like he might retire soon.
He's already quite old, and his usual missions are mainly gathering. Going to challenge a large monster right before retirement—isn't that a bit reckless?
"'I'll take a gamble before my Hunter career ends, so my grandchildren can proudly tell their friends that their grandpa was once a very formidable Hunter,' is what he said."
Sasayu noticed Ethan's slight concern and reassured him:
"Don't worry. Old Man Kia has been a Hunter for half his life. He is experienced, steady, and reliable. He set off fully prepared, and to be safe, he hired the Guild's Palico Rescue Team. He'll be fine."
Hmm, he supposed so. The man must have a clear understanding of his own strength and wouldn't get carried away by passion. Why should he worry needlessly about someone else?
"I hope so. I'm setting off."
"Wishing you a safe journey!"
…
When Ethan reached the Hunter's Camp halfway up the Stream mountain again, he clearly felt a difference compared to the last time.
The travel consumed much less stamina. Last time, he had to rest to recover his energy upon arrival. This time, his breathing was only slightly heavier, and overall, his stamina was still plentiful.
After a brief adjustment, Ethan set off immediately. He followed the familiar route, passing over the cliff above the Jagras nest. He found no signs of battle. He couldn't tell if Old Man Kia hadn't started hunting yet, or if they were already locked in fierce combat somewhere nearby.
Shaking his head, Ethan followed the mountain path to the spot where he had previously lured the Jaggi by bleeding the Mosswine. This time, however, he didn't stop there but continued deeper into the mountain forest.
The various broadleaf trees and shrubs gradually thinned out, while the bamboo grove—some tall, some short, but all well-arranged—grew denser. After another quarter of an hour of travel, the boundless green suddenly acquired a patch of gray-white. A few more steps, and a cliff face covered with vines appeared before him.
Looking up, he could vaguely see a dark, deep fissure leading into a rock cave.
"It really is here… So, the Great Jagras leader that forced me to jump off the cliff was indeed the same individual I submitted the observation report about?"
Feeling a slight regret for not being able to personally exact his revenge, Ethan shook his head. He gripped the vines—which he had climbed many times before—and ascended. He remembered he had stored the Bnahabra materials he collected, along with some combining materials that wouldn't fit in his ragged pouch, here. He never had a chance to return for them until now.
Squeezing through the fissure and entering the rock cave, Ethan was momentarily stunned. Firelight?
What is going on? Why is there firelight here? Could it be Old Man Kia? Why would he drill into this place instead of fighting the Great Jagras leader?
With a belly full of questions, Ethan turned the corner and met eyes with a short figure. The figure's height, barely over a meter, fully confirmed that this was not Kia, as he had thought.
The man had a smooth, shiny forehead and a reddish face, instantly bringing to mind the cheeks of a Congalala. His ears were pointy, clearly marking him as another little old man from the Wyverian race, and he had a rhomboid white mark on his forehead.
A bulging backpack lay beside him, and the walking stick in his hand was darkened, having just been used to poke the firewood.
The old Wyverian looked up in surprise at the Hunter who had suddenly burst in.
"How curious. To think someone would come here. Did you lose your way, perhaps?"
(No-prize guessing game: Who is the little old Wyverian?)
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