The Moment of the Hunt Had Awakened!

Old Qu went offline, made a phone call, and took a few minutes to give his face—which he hadn't properly washed in two days—a quick cleanup. Then he chewed on an energy bar, lay down on the bed, and put on his helmet. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes on the hidden hillside where he'd logged out.

He was already beyond the area of the Blackflame Pass stronghold ruins.

More precisely, the hillside had entered the region known as the "Hunger Plains." Heading west from here would take him to Brass Fortress. Of course, crossing the Hunger Plains on foot right now was extremely dangerous, since while the gnolls were attacking Transia, they were also fighting over at Brass Fortress.

Given the situation, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Dark Mountains had become a complete mess.

But precisely because this mountainous area lay beyond Blackflame Pass, the twelve patrol teams stationed here hadn't discovered in time the "big event" the Bloodscar gnolls were up to nearby.

"Damn it!"

Old Qu glanced back at the still-unhealed "astral rift" in the gloomy sky in the distance and cursed under his breath:

"Ever since the Tower of Rings used this thing, it's like everyone learned how to do it overnight. Even the damn gnolls are trying to throw psionic nukes at us now. Damn it, couldn't these bastards learn something useful?"

He cursed, but still quickly got to his feet and moved a few steps forward, crouching behind a boulder. He asked Mia, the huntress corporal beside him, who was watching the valley below through binoculars:

"How's it looking?"

"The psionic energy is still gathering, Lieutenant Qu."

Mia answered at once:

"North and Papelle went down along the ridge to get a closer look, but they'll have a hard