Looking at the innocent expressions of Isis and Hibiki, the Professor felt a tightness in his chest.
He wanted to lash out and scold them, but on second thought, it wasn't exactly their fault.
Isis had mentioned she was going to prepare food for Hibiki earlier, and he had seen her returning with the Kelbi on her back.
But at that time, no one knew a Glavenus was in the vicinity, so he hadn't stopped them and had tacitly allowed their actions.
Who could he really blame?
The Professor took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "Stop eating. Get ready for battle immediately."
Hibiki turned to look at him, forcefully swallowing a large chunk of meat he had just torn off, licking the Kelbi blood from the corner of his mouth.
Isis held a raw Kelbi leg in her hand, her face full of regret, but she still reached back and stuffed the leg into Hibiki's mouth.
"Professor, why choose to engage?" Nymera, standing beside the Professor, asked in confusion. "Aren't we considering a retreat?"
The Professor's expression darkened further, cursing his own quick reflexes. "If it were two minutes ago, before the SOS Flare was fired, I would have certainly ordered a retreat.
But now that the signal has been sent, any Hunter using Paintballs who sees it will head toward this location. If we just retreat now, we'd essentially be summoning them right into the path of that Glavenus."
Realization dawned on Nymera. "I see..."
Walking away and leaving others to face the danger would indeed be unethical.
Understanding the Professor's intent, Nymera hurried over to Hibiki's side and took extra Spread Ammo magazines from the ammo box, hooking them onto her belt.
A Glavenus is weak to Water and Ice, but her Valkyrie Fire was not suited for firing Water Ammo or Freeze Ammo, so she hadn't prepared any.
Using Normal Ammo against a thick-skinned Brute Wyvern like the Glavenus would be underestimating it; by comparison, Spread Ammo was a more appropriate choice.
Isis also wiped her hands and began loading Shells into her Gunlance.
Seeing both of them preparing to attack, the Professor quickly warned them, "Once the Glavenus appears, do not rush to attack. Focus on evading and circling it. First, see if we can drive it away with Dung Bombs."
"Okay."
"Understood."
As the two Hunters responded, they moved apart.
Hibiki looked at the half-eaten Kelbi, feeling a sense of longing, only to be slapped across the face by Clawdia.
"Still thinking about eating, meow? Hurry up and rub those bloodstains off, then hide, meow! A Glavenus isn't a Monster you're ready to face yet, meow!"
"Woof–"
Hibiki had no choice but to dejectedly spit the Kelbi leg aside before picking up the Professor on his back and hiding within the Jungle.
To a large Brute Wyvern built for running, a few kilometers was a very short distance.
Before long, the sound of collapsing trees and the rumbling vibration of the earth reached the ears of the prepared Hunters.
"It's here!" Isis barked, raising her Large Shield and flicking her Gunlance to deploy the weapon.
"Roar!"
Amidst a ferocious roar, a colossal beast over twenty meters long smashed through the large trees obstructing its path and burst into the Hunters' field of vision.
This was a Monster that radiated pure aggression from head to tail. Its physical structure was compact and robust; beyond the fangs and claws essential to any carnivore, its entire body was covered in jagged, counter-growing spikes that slanted forward like rows of curved daggers.
Of course, the most striking feature was that massive, anomalous tail, which accounted for more than half its body length.
It hardly looked like a biological limb at all, appearing more like a colossal blade that had undergone repeated grinding. The tip and edge reflected a metallic, cold light, hard and razor-sharp.
As the Glavenus swung its blade-tail, the massive trees behind it were swept aside like weeds under a scythe, a whole swath felled in a single stroke. It seemed as though nothing could withstand the slash of that tail.
Isis, her eyes locked onto her opponent, couldn't help but swallow hard.
Intuition told her not even to think about using her shield to block that massive blade-tail; given the durability of the iron Large Shield in her hands, it might not survive the impact.
Having burst from the Jungle, the Glavenus fixed its gaze upon the Hunters.
As for the meager remains of the Kelbi carcass on the ground, it didn't even spare a glance. Compared to such cold scraps, it was far more interested in living prey.
"ROOOOOAR!!"
The shockwave of the roar echoed through the woods. Isis, being closer, gritted her teeth against the wall of sound, yet her body inevitably stiffened under the pressure.
"Watch out!"
From further away and with a better vantage point, Nymera noticed the Glavenus suddenly take a half-step back and shouted a warning.
The Glavenus pivoted a full hundred and eighty degrees on one powerful hind leg. Its massive blade-tail, over ten meters long, rose high into the air, plunging vertically downward like a true greatsword.
Having just recovered from the roar, Isis didn't have time to think. She kicked off into a side-hop while simultaneously pulling the trigger to fire a blank Shell. Using the recoil of the shelling, she extended the distance of her evasive leap even further.
Before her feet could even touch the ground, the Glavenus's blade-tail slammed into the spot where she had stood a heartbeat before.
The tail, over a meter wide, bit deep into the earth, and the Glavenus failed to pull it free immediately.
With an attack of such sheer force, a direct hit would have hammered her into the ground like a nail, even if her great shield and hard armor managed to keep her from being split in two.
To be honest, she wasn't confident she could have withstood that strike.
With a violent heave of its body, the Glavenus finally wrenched its giant tail from the ground.
It swung its head back, preparing to resume the offensive, when an inconspicuous little sphere flew in from a distance and struck it squarely in the side of the face.
The brownish-yellow contents splattered across its head, and a nauseating stench began to diffuse.
To a Glavenus with its extremely keen sense of smell, this stench was nearly suffocating. It shook its head violently, finally managing to fling off some of the filth.
However, the odor trapped in the crevices of its shell and scales would not be so easily removed.
For a moment, the Glavenus ignored the Hunters in front of it, shaking its head and pawing at its face with its short forelimbs in a desperate attempt to rub the stench away.
"It's working! It's likely to retreat!"
The Professor came galloping past on Hibiki. A second Dung Bomb flew from the old Wyverian's hand, once again hitting the target with precision. Isis took the opportunity to retreat quickly, while Nymera, who had been ready to provide cover fire, lowered her muzzle.
After a bout of howling and struggling, the Glavenus, unable to bear it any longer, gave a stifled roar and turned to flee in a pathetic scramble.
The Professor breathed a sigh of relief and hopped down from the Palamute. "Fortunately, the repelling operation went smoothly enough. Everyone, put on your Ghillie Mantles and hide in place to mask your scent. We'll wait for the team with the Paintballs to find us."
Isis walked over pinching her nose and asked in a muffled voice, "Professor, what if the Glavenus ran exactly in the direction that team is coming from?"
The Professor's expression shifted instantly. He turned to Nymera and said, "Have the Cohoot keep a close eye on that Glavenus. If anything happens, report it immediately."
"Understood." Nymera blew a whistle, signaling the Cohoot circling above.
Before long, the cry of the Cohoot reached their ears.
Nymera's face went pale. "They've made contact! The Glavenus ran straight into that team!"
The Professor's expression darkened; it felt as though every possible stroke of bad luck was hitting them all at once today. Nevertheless, he issued orders immediately.
"Follow it!"
Guided by the Cohoot, the group sprinted at full speed. They hadn't gone far when a battered and broken cart burst from the forest shadows, rushing toward them.
"Meow–!"
Sajji was screaming, pedaling the cart so furiously that the gears looked ready to start smoking. Altaïr and Erik were sprinting right behind at full speed.
And chasing them was that furious, stench-ridden Glavenus, roaring incessantly as it lowered its head to snap at their heels.
The heavy bundles filled with Seregios materials had long since been discarded. Only Shalan remained standing on the cart floor, hurling Dung Bombs at the Glavenus one after another.
"It's no use, meow!"
Seeing that the Glavenus refused to turn away despite being covered in filth, Shalan shrieked in frustration. "Someone just used Dung Bombs to repel this monster, and now the Dung Bombs won't work anymore, meow! They even drove the damn thing right toward us! If I find out who it was, I'll scratch them to death, meow!"
"Auntie Shalan! Quickly, think of something, meow!" Sajji meowed loudly while pedaling for his life.
Snap!
The Glavenus's massive jaws slammed shut less than a meter away from the cart. The bloody, rank stench mixed with the odor of the Dung Bombs nearly made Shalan vomit.
"You're really pushing it, meow!"
Gritting her teeth, Shalan dug a small, sealed package from the depths of her bag and poured out the contents. Normally, this item was meant to be fired from a Slinger, but there was no time for that now. Shalan raised it high with both paws and threw it with all her might at the pursuing Glavenus's head.
"Taste a big one, meow! Huge Dung Bombay, meow!"
Boom!
A low-intensity explosive made of Nitroshrooms detonated the "payload" into a massive cloud of brownish-yellow mist. An odor several times more potent than a standard Dung Bomb erupted, enveloping most of the Glavenus's body.
Unable to endure the torture of the stench, the Glavenus let out a panicked, muffled roar and turned to flee.
Shalan stood with paws on her hips, laughing wildly, but a second later, she was swallowed by the expanding cloud of brownish-yellow mist.
(Translated by yourtl.app)