"Three more to go! Keep your core tight, don't slack off!"
"Twenty-eight! Twenty-nine! Twenty-nine point one... twenty-nine point two... one more!"
"Arghhh!"
Veins bulging on his forehead, Altaïr let out a low growl, struggling to push up the heavy metal barbell with Buck's assistance.
"Not bad! A little better than two days ago!" Buck laughed, racking the barbell.
Panting heavily, Altaïr sat up from the bench press, grabbing a nearby towel to wipe the sweat from his face. "Thanks, Brother Buck."
"Nothing to thank me for, it's my turn!"
Buck added several more heavy plates. The two swapped positions, with Altaïr acting as the spotter while Buck lifted.
As a Hammer user, Buck's strength was naturally beyond reproach. Glancing at the number of plates, Altaïr felt a twinge of envy.
He wondered if he would have the chance to reach this level within two or three years.
Many Hunters had come to the training grounds early in the morning to exercise.
The hardware at the Metapetatto Guild Hall was reflected not only in its luxurious rooms but also in its training facilities.
Aside from high-end gear like steam-driven mechanical dummies, it had almost everything else one could ask for.
Take common exercise equipment like dumbbells and barbells; many places were still using stone weights, whereas here, they had long since moved to cast-iron plates. Compared to the clunky stone weights that were difficult to adjust, these were compact and convenient.
"Hrah!"
Ten minutes later, amid a series of gruff roars, Buck finished his bench press sets.
Sitting up, he shook his aching arms before flexing, admiring his triceps and pectorals. Engorged with blood, they bulged like rocks, looking as if they might tear through his skin. Buck nodded in satisfaction.
For a strength-based Hunter, this was more reliable than any equipment.
Seeing Altaïr watching him, Buck struck a side-lateral bodybuilding pose.
Truthfully, it wasn't particularly aesthetic.
He wasn't the type to have low body fat. Though he was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with arms thicker than most people's heads and thighs like pillars, his muscle definition wasn't sharp, and he had a significant gut.
Of course, utilitarian Hunters didn't care about such things.
"Oh, move aside if you're done training, it's my turn!" Isis, wearing a skin-tight shirt, spoke up nearby in dissatisfaction.
Buck, who had been flaunting his muscles a second ago, slunk off to the side. He and Altaïr watched as Isis aggressively stacked plates onto the bar until it began to bow slightly, then she lay down beneath it.
Balina, who was supposed to be Buck's apprentice, followed behind her with a look of pure adoration, helping to steady the bar.
However, as far as Altaïr could tell, if anything went wrong, the small girl would be unable to do anything except fall on top of Isis. He had no choice but to call Buck over to stand by the bar and provide a spot.
Amidst the "creak" of the overburdened metal bar, Isis huffed and puffed through her reps.
The Hunters breaking a sweat in the training ground couldn't stop glancing over. They might have seen Hunters with such monstrous strength before, but without exception, those had been burly, seasoned men in their thirties or older.
A tall, slender young girl with muscle mass that wasn't even that exaggerated; this was truly the first time they had seen anything like it.
After finishing several sets of bench presses, Isis took Balina off to practice something else, leaving Altaïr and Buck staring at each other in silence.
Buck extended a large hand and patted Altaïr's shoulder with a look of deep sympathy. "Living every day in self-doubt... it must be tough, huh?"
Altaïr: "..."
"Don't doubt yourself; the problem isn't you, it's her," Buck sighed. "Your strength is at a normal level for your age, no, for a 3★ Hunter.
I'm not talking about light weapon Blademasters, I mean heavy weapon users like Great Sword users. It might not be exceptionally prominent, but it's certainly not bad.
Plus, your agility and coordination far surpass theirs, so you're actually quite incredible."
At this point, Buck looked into the distance at Isis, who had a stack of weights tied to her waist and was performing pull-ups. "That girl's strength is immense, but at least... she can't run as fast as you, right?
Damn, even saying that sounds bitter!"
Buck smacked his lips and slapped Altaïr on the shoulder. "I'm heading out first. I've got a quest later. Let's train together again when I get back!"
Altaïr exhaled and continued his unfinished training.
It had been nearly a week since they arrived in Metapetatto, and Altaïr's life had become very disciplined.
The first two or three days were mainly for rest, maintaining only the bare minimum of training. Once their fatigue had dissipated, they resumed their regular training routine.
After finishing training, they would eat a nutrient-rich breakfast, then wander around, or read and rest in their rooms to prepare for future hunts. They would eat lunch, repeat their morning activities, eat dinner, chat, play chess, craft some hunting items, and go to bed early.
It sounded mundane to the point of being boring, but it allowed their strained bodies and spirits to relax to the greatest extent possible.
The physical recovery of young people was naturally strong; after these few days of adjustment, they had all returned to peak condition.
—--
Ending today's training, they each went back to their rooms for a shower, then headed to the tavern area to order several large sets that were far too substantial to be called breakfast. After quickly filling their stomachs, Altaïr and Isis headed to the Quest Counter.
For the past few days, they had come to the counter several times daily to see if there were any suitable quests.
The number of 4★ Monsters was far lower than those of 2★ or 3★ difficulty, and since they had specific hunting requirements, appropriate quests were not that easy to find.
Finally, today, they had results.
Seeing the two of them approach, the young receptionist Noya waved her hand excitedly. "There's news!"
Altaïr and Isis glanced at each other and quickened their pace.
Noya first pulled out a quest form. "In the southern Kuruputiosu Wetlands, a Basarios has blocked a trade route. A caravan suffered casualties because of it. The Guild has authorized the hunt. The quest form only arrived last night. Do you want to take it?"
"Of course! Thanks, Noya! I'll adjust my items and head out immediately!"
Isis snatched the quest form and tossed a "I'm one step ahead!" over her shoulder to Altaïr before running off with an equally excited Clawdia, giggling as she went.
Altaïr looked at Noya expectantly, hoping for some good news.
Noya's expression was slightly awkward. "About that... as for your request, there's still no word on any Yian Garuga. That kind of monster is truly rare.
I do have some bad news, though. That Shogun Ceanataur quest in the Volcano region I mentioned yesterday? Someone else already snapped it up."
Altaïr's eye twitched.
From here to the Volcano, even by airship, it took two or three days. More importantly, the volcanic terrain was a region he had never set foot in.
He had hesitated at the time and didn't take it immediately; as a result, someone else had beaten him to it.
"Fine..." Altaïr had no choice but to leave the Quest Counter and return to his room.
He lay on his bed and tried to read for a while, but the thought of Isis joyfully rushing off to the hunting grounds at this very moment made it hard to focus.
Feeling a bit restless, Altaïr tossed the book onto the table and walked toward a corner of the room, where Sajji had set up a makeshift workbench made of crates.
At the workbench, Sajji was meticulously fiddling with something. Altaïr approached quietly and found him blending some kind of powder.
"Mixing gunpowder?"
"Meow!" Sajji jumped in fright, spilling some of the powder from the mortar.
He turned around and snapped irritably, "Boss, why do you walk without making a sound, meow!"
"Sorry, sorry." Altaïr sat cross-legged next to Sajji. "So, what is this? It doesn't look like ordinary gunpowder."
Sajji continued his work while explaining, "It's mostly fire herb powder, meow. Later, I'll add some other liquid flammables to make it into a gel, meow.
Boss, you can think of it as an Incendiary Round that focuses more on burning than exploding, meow."
"Is it for your Rathalos Model-06?"
"It's Model-06 now, meow!" Sajji boastfully held up a thick, dark-red cannon barrel. The critical parts of the firing mechanism were even inlaid with Rathalos scales to provide heat insulation and increase strength.
Altaïr could only grimace. One had to admit that the Meownster Hunters had a massive advantage over human hunters when it came to "pilfering" monster materials.
If it weren't for these monster materials that Altaïr himself couldn't have obtained, Sajji's "Rathalos" and "Rakna-Kadaki" series wouldn't have progressed so quickly.
He heard that Sajji had recently started researching a "Zinogre" series as well.
The Rathalos was a cannon, and the Rakna-Kadaki was for binder shots; he had no idea what the Zinogre would be.
"And there's been progress on the tank part recently, meow!" Sajji stood up with his paws on his hips. "Future Rathalos models won't just be cannons anymore; they'll finally be worthy of being called real tanks, meow!"
Hearing Sajji say this, Altaïr was truly surprised. "You finished the engine?"
He didn't understand mechanics, but Sajji often updated him on his research progress, so Altaïr knew that Sajji had been stuck on that miniaturized engine for over a year.
Had he finally made a breakthrough?
Sajji's expression stiffened. "Well... it's not exactly the engine, meow. I just thought of a different way, meow!"
"What way?" Altaïr was about to ask for details when there was a sudden knock on his door.
He went to open it and found the young receptionist, Lillian, standing there.
The little one spoke with an urgent tone, "Mr. Hunter! Noya sent me to get you. She says there's an emergency quest!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)