Within seconds, the excitement on Isis's face was replaced by regret.
"Aww, if I'd known, I would've worked harder to take down that Glavenus before. With Auntie Shalan helping us, the hunt would have been much easier."
Altaïr shot her a look. "Don't talk about 5★ Monsters as if they're just some Bulldrome. Even if the three of us team up to challenge a 5★ Monster, it's still extremely dangerous."
"I know, I know..." Isis knew that well enough in her heart.
It was just that Altaïr had managed to ride Auntie Shalan's coattails while she hadn't, leaving her feeling a bit disappointed.
As it stood, regardless of their actual strength, the three of them were 4-star Hunters; they couldn't even post a quest to hunt a Glavenus. They would have to find a leader who was at least a 5★ hunter to take them along.
Such a person wouldn't be easy to find. If they wanted an opportunity, they would have to rely on luck.
Having received a promise from the old smith that they could collect the goods in ten days, Altaïr and the others expressed their thanks once more before leaving the smithy and returning to the Guild Hall.
That was the life of a Hunter; once back in town, there were two places they frequented most: one was the smithy, and the other, naturally, was the Guild Hall tavern.
This time, they didn't think about ordering a table full of food. Although the income of a 4-star Hunter was quite decent, they couldn't afford to eat lavish feasts every single meal, especially since forging new Armor and weapons cost a lot of money. Thus, the three of them decided to be a bit more frugal.
They each ordered a budget-friendly, large-portion Fighter Set Meal.
There was nothing fancy in the set.
It featured grilled steaks that weren't the best cuts but were served in large portions and were just as delicious, a thick Flash-dressed vegetables, mashed potatoes seasoned with butter and black pepper, a large handful of fresh vegetables like carrots and celery that could be snatched up and eaten raw, and a large mug of weak beer that was almost non-alcoholic.
It was more than enough to fill one's stomach. For someone with a large appetite like Isis, she could just order a second portion, or even a third if need be.
But no one could finish a fourth. If someone claimed they weren't full after three portions, the Felyne Chef would feel insulted, march out of the kitchen, and start stuffing food into their mouth with a pot...
Having eaten his fill, Altaïr set down his utensils. "So, our next goal is to find a way to hunt a Glavenus so we can upgrade Isis's weapon. Is everyone okay with that?"
This was the benefit of having a fixed hunting group; when one member needed materials, everyone could work together to hunt for them.
Isis chuckled; as the beneficiary, she naturally had no objections.
Nymera also readily agreed. She knew that given Altaïr and Isis's personalities, they would give their all to help her when she had a need as well.
"Then we'll need to prepare while keeping an eye out for a suitable leader," Altaïr mused.
Back when their vacation had just started, he had planned to go hunt a Glavenus with Serl, so he had specifically asked a few questions and had a decent understanding of Glavenus intel.
"The Glavenus's elemental weakness is very clear. Water element attacks are the most effective, followed by Ice and Dragon Element. It just so happens that my Cool Cleavers can be put to use again.
Nymera, do you have any Bowgun suitable for firing water ammo?" "Naturally." Nymera made a reassuring gesture. "The Royal Torrent+ can fire water ammo with Rapid Fire, and combined with its massive 15-round (5x3) magazine, the firepower is formidable!"
"That's good to hear. As for armor... we don't need to make any special preparations." Altaïr laughed, gesturing to the gear the three of them were wearing.
Glavenus possess a Flame Sac within their bodies. While they cannot compress flames into high-speed fireballs like a Rathalos, they are capable of close-range breath attacks.
Most importantly, they use their teeth to grind against their bladed tails while simultaneously exhaling fire to heat them, turning the tail blade white-hot and further increasing its power.
Therefore, anyone intending to hunt a Glavenus must consider the heat and fire resistance of their armor.
Altaïr's own Skalda S had rather average elemental resistances overall (-5), but its Fire resistance was exceptionally high (+15). As for Isis and Nymera, their Basarios Armor Set and Rathian Armor also possessed decent resistance to high temperatures.
It was a stroke of good luck; aside from Nymera needing to craft extra water ammo in advance, both he and Isis were ready to head out at any time without additional preparation.
"But how are we going to find a reliable 5★ hunter who's actually willing to take us along to hunt a Glavenus?" Isis asked, raising a crucial point.
As Isis said, that was the greatest difficulty.
The most promising and suitable candidate, Senior Serl of the Vanguard Hunting Party, seemed to be away from Metapetatto at the moment. As for the other seniors, they hadn't been here long, and there weren't many they were on speaking terms with.
"Could we ask Guildmarm Noya for help?" Nymera suggested.
"We could, but I have another idea." Altaïr pinched his chin. "Didn't we encounter a Glavenus just a few days ago?"
The other two nodded; they weren't goldfish, they wouldn't forget that quickly.
"And that mysterious insect wing membrane was discovered near there, right?"
"You mean...?" Nymera was starting to catch on.
"Yeah. The Professor and his team will definitely want to investigate that area. In fact, if that Glavenus hadn't been there, he probably would have started the investigation right then and there.
For the sake of future safety and a smooth investigation, the Professor should be applying to the Guild to hunt that Glavenus.
Perhaps we can go through the Professor and negotiate with the Hunter who accepts the quest? The three of us aren't exactly dead weight, and since we just got back from there, we're familiar with the terrain.
There's a pretty good chance we can reach an agreement."
Nymera and Isis exchanged a look, both feeling that this plan seemed sound. Even if they couldn't reach an agreement in the end, they had nothing to lose.
"Altaïr, you're better at communicating than we are, so we'll leave the talking to you!" Isis grandly dumped the diplomatic work onto him.
Nymera nodded twice in firm support. "I concur."
Altaïr was momentarily speechless.
Before Nymera joined the team, whenever he and Isis had a disagreement or dispute, they could eventually settle it with rock-paper-scissors. But since Nymera's arrival, things often turned into these two-to-one voting situations.
"Fine..."
Altaïr stood up from the dining table with a sigh. To be honest, if he really left the communication to those two, he wouldn't feel easy about it anyway.
In the two days since returning to Metapetatto, the Professor had remained inside the Guild Hall, organizing and analyzing intelligence alongside the scholars from the investigation teams, trying to find useful information within those seemingly ordinary clues.
After asking the guild receptionist for some directions, Altaïr quickly found the room where the Professor was located.
Upon learning of Altaïr's intent, the Professor, holding a dossier of intelligence, didn't immediately agree or refuse. Instead, he said, "I do indeed plan to re-investigate that area, and I have submitted an application to the Hunter's Guild headquarters to hunt that Glavenus.
Headquarters will likely treat this matter with great importance. There is a high probability they will directly arrange for an elite Hunter to come and assist our operations."
Speaking to this point, the Professor paused and glanced at Altaïr over the rim of his glasses. "I do not know exactly who will be sent.
I will not speak on your behalf, but I will not stop you either. When the time comes, handle the communication yourself. As for whether you can convince them, that depends on whether your tongue is sharp enough."
"Can we mention that we were involved in the previous investigation?" Altaïr asked tentatively.
"As long as it is the truth, you may say whatever you like."
Hearing the Professor say this, Altaïr felt relieved; this was as good as tacit approval.
"Will it be someone you're familiar with? A member of the Guild? Or an independent Hunter like us?" Altaïr tried to fish for more information.
Faced with Altaïr's ceaseless questioning, the Professor grew impatient and waved him away like he was shooing a fly.
"Who knows? Maybe one of the Guild Knights will show up and lock you little brats up for trying to sneak off!"
"..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)