The Returning Hunter
"Cough cough cough—"
After entering the mountainous area to the southeast, Sand Dune felt his mindset calm down considerably.
"We'll be there soon."
The Wilderness Hunter sighed.
He had previously been ordered to go to the southern part of the world, as close as possible to the Green Swamp's administrative area, to gather information.
The Sand Dune did indeed live up to their mission, actually venturing into the swamp.
However, the result left the Wilderness Hunter somewhat helpless.
He operated within the Green Swamp's controlled area for two full months. Although he encountered some dangers, he ultimately escaped unscathed thanks to his Third Stage Awakened skills.
However, he gained very little in his attempt to gather information.
Aside from confirming that the Awakened Ones at the Yarrow Camp were being used as slaves, the Green Swamp currently has no plans for the Banyan Forest and knows nothing about this emerging power.
That's the outcome, anyway.
He could only take the news back to the Banyan Forest.
"But no news is the best news, I suppose."
"With Lord Linsey's help, the longer we have a period of safety, the stronger we will become."
"If this continues, it will be too late for the guys in the Green Swamp to stop it."
The Sand Dune allowed him to recover his strength.
He looked up at the distant sky. It was getting late, and the setting sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, dragging its last rays down its slopes.
"Mountain roads are not suitable for walking in the dark."
"Let's find a place to rest."
Between the Mountain Peak, the hill found a depression that could shelter it from the wind and rain.
He spread his cloak on the ground and hung a rag on the rock outside the depression, thus completing his simple campsite.
To prevent any accidents, the hunter didn't even light a fire.
Following his established habit, he recorded the route he had taken that day as a simple map. Only then did he take out a piece of dried meat and begin his dinner with the alcohol from the kettle.
"Well..."
"Life in the Banyan Forest is still the best."
"Abundant and fresh food, clean and clear well water."
"Where else in this Wasteland can you find a second place like this?"
Although I don't have this definition in my mind, the Sand Dune still evoked a sense of longing for home.
After finishing dinner, just as I was about to go to bed,
The hunter suddenly became alert and scrambled to his feet.
"Huh? What's that noise?"
Preparations for the Sand Dune began immediately.
He positioned the short sword at his waist and prepared his bow and arrows before activating his skill and peering out from the mountain hollow of the camp.
"Claw marks, left by scaly animals, more than three days ago."
"There were no signs of other animal activity on the nearby ground."
After confirming that there was nothing unusual on the ground, the Sand Dune took two more steps forward and looked up at the sky.
That one glance completely banished his sleepiness.
High in the sky, a huge vulture was circling.
Vultures primarily feed on the carcasses of large animals, but occasionally they will also attack smaller animals.
But this is Wasteland!
Such a desolate environment has long since altered the habits of most creatures.
Moreover, with the keen eyesight of a hunter like Sand Dune, one can tell that this vulture is not an ordinary bird, but a mutated Devil Beast that has fused with Essence!
"A third-tier Devil Beast? A fourth-tier one?"
Sand Dune wanted to assess the bird's strength as accurately as possible.
But just as he began to observe, the figure circling high in the sky suddenly changed direction and began to dive directly towards the ground!
The Sand Dune immediately confirmed the reality:
"This guy's target—is me!"
The hunter in the Third Stage broke out in a cold sweat.
Leaving aside the difficulty of dealing with Devil Beast.
Even for ordinary hunters, hunting creatures that fly in the sky and those that run on the ground present different challenges.
He knew all too well that one could not place hope in mercy or luck on Wasteland.
So, facing the swooping vultures, Sand Dune drew his bow and arrow.
Boom——
The arrow flew towards the giant vulture in the sky.
The arrows fired by the Third Stage hunter are so accurate that they never miss their mark.
Just as the arrow was about to strike the vulture's eye, a whirlwind swept around the Devil Beast, shattering the arrow into pieces!
Damn it!
"It still controls the wind!"
The Sand Dune readily abandoned their attack.
He grabbed his cloak and slid down the mountainside:
"Flying? And manipulating air currents!"
"Even at only level three, this thing is still incredibly difficult to deal with. We have to utilize the terrain..."
The Sand Dune descended rapidly, and the figure quickly disappeared into the side of the Mountain Peak.
The good news was that some plants grew sparsely in the rugged mountain terrain, and he used these natural shelters to begin dealing with the vultures in the sky.
"Fight or flee?"
While shooting arrows to disrupt the vulture Devil Beast's movements, Sand Dune pondered his next move.
Although I have been away from the Banyan Forest for a long time.
He vaguely remembered that before he set off, the Lord had reached an agreement with the Insectfolk in the mountains.
Normally, he could easily lure the Devil Beast in the air in that direction.
But now...
If my actions cause problems in the negotiations between the two parties, I could be in big trouble!
Sand Dune gritted his teeth and deliberately created an opening under the tree canopy.
Upon seeing the food appear, the vulture Devil Beast above charged down without hesitation.
At that moment, Sand Dune drew the short knife from his waist.
He pushed off the tree trunk in front of him, launching himself into the air to confront the swooping vulture head-on.
Bang!
With a muffled thud, the Devil Beast's blood splattered high into the air.
The vultures and Sand Dune dunes flew backwards in two different directions.
One of the Devil Beast roared and flew upwards before diving down again, this time aiming directly at the head of the Sand Dune.
On the other hand, look at the Sand Dunes.
He had just severed the opponent's left claw with a single strike, but it couldn't truly affect the enemy's flight.
Instead, he was hit hard by the vulture, causing him severe chest pain.
"..."
The Sand Dune made their judgment—
He had at least a few broken ribs. As an awakened being, the injuries were not fatal, but he was too weak to fight back for the time being.
The exchange just now seemed to have a clear winner and loser, but in reality, I lost.
In addition to its ability to manipulate air currents, this vulture-like Devil Beast also has a layer of gaseous armor on its feathers.
"Fourth Stage..."
Sand Dune gave a bitter smile in despair, then took out his notebook and map and threw them aside.
Having finally reached the south, they dived into the Green Swamp.
But this happened when they successfully returned here and were about to reach the camp.
The Sand Dune found it all laughable and absurd.
They even felt that it was because they hadn't brought back any useful information that they were subjected to this sudden attack.
"In any case, I hope you can find my belongings."
"This stinky bird eats my corpse, it wouldn't bother with useless scraps of paper, would it?"
Just then, the Sand Dune came into play as a hunter's hearing aid.
He heard something rapidly approaching from the nearby forest, at a speed that... it would arrive at his side almost simultaneously with a swooping vulture!
"Ah?"
The Sand Dune turned its head to look.
Brush--
An insect with an exaggerated body, resembling a praying mantis, suddenly rushed out.
Before the vulture Devil Beast could react, a flash of light appeared on its carapace, and the bird's wings were instantly sliced into pieces.
Then, the Sand Dune saw a somewhat familiar figure, but one that had grown a bit older, appear there.
—It's Vivian.
She rode a large, fat insect, with a terrifying army of insectoids beside her, and they approached from between the Mountain Peak in a grand procession.
The girl looked at the hunter, her tone anxious:
"Mr. Sand Dune, are you alright?"
"Mr. Linsey said you'd be back in the next couple of days, so I came to pick you up!"