"You really are... younger than I expected," Olivia said with a wry smile.
When she heard the Guild Manager mention "young 4-star Hunters," her first thought was a group of juniors in their mid-twenties.
While a few years younger than herself, they could still arguably be considered the same generation.
As it turned out, among the three people before her, the eldest, the Gunner, was only twenty-three, while the other two were not even twenty yet.
She used to feel that at thirty, she could still be counted as a youth, but in front of them, she suddenly felt as though she had started stepping into middle age.
A team like this, provided no accidents occurred, was almost guaranteed to grow into a high-rank hunting party.
For any city, even a metropolis like Dundorma, a high-rank hunting party was a pillar of the community; considering their age, this pillar would stand for a very long time.
It was no wonder the Guild Manager held them in such high regard.
Of course, that was a matter for the future. For now, they were still slightly... well, a 4-star Hunter could hardly be called "naive" anymore.
"I heard a bit about you from Miss Noya," Olivia said, gathering her thoughts and words. "You aren't exactly greenhorns who just stepped into the hunting grounds for the first time. Although I am several... a dozen or so years older than you, I have no intention of putting on airs as a senior.
May I ask why you want to hunt that Glavenus?"
Across the long table, Isis and Nymera both looked toward Altaïr.
You tell her! You tell her!
Altaïr straightened his posture. "Senior Olivia, there isn't really any deep secret. Our team's Gunlance user's weapon is a bit outdated. We're hunting the Glavenus to gather materials to forge a new weapon for her."
Olivia glanced at the Defender Gunlance behind Isis and nodded. "I see. To be honest, I also asked the Professor about you just now, and he thinks very highly of the three of you. To earn the appreciation of both Miss Noya and the Professor at the same time means your abilities shouldn't be in doubt. I agree to team up with you to hunt the Glavenus together."
Olivia didn't beat around the bush and gave her answer directly.
"There is just one thing I must emphasize: during the battle, you need to follow my orders. No reckless actions. Is that acceptable?"
As she spoke, Olivia looked Altaïr straight in the eye.
From the way the three interacted, she judged that he was the spokesperson for this three-person cell.
"Of course, no problem!" Altaïr agreed readily.
The fact that she was willing to take them along at all was already a favor to Miss Noya and the others. Besides, Miss Olivia had a higher Hunter rank; it was only natural for her to be in command.
"You trust me that much?" Olivia looked at him with a smile.
Altaïr tilted his chin, gesturing toward the armor Olivia was wearing.
It wasn't just any stranger of a 5★ hunter met for the first time that he would confidently entrust his life and the lives of his companions to.
The Guild Guard Armor Set Olivia wore played a crucial role. That armor set was the standard equipment for the Guild Knights; hunters who wore it, even if they weren't direct armed personnel of the Guild like the Knights themselves, were invariably "direct-line" hunters recognized by the Guild.
It wouldn't be wrong to see it as a literal endorsement from the Guild.
As for her abilities, the Professor had already hinted earlier that the Guild placed great importance on this operation. Under such circumstances, any hunter sent to assist would likely be exceptionally capable in all areas.
"I see," Olivia said with a smiling nod.
Conflicting combat habits and struggles over leadership were the most common points of friction when strange hunters collaborated on a hunt.
She appreciated Altaïr's straightforward attitude; at the very least, he wasn't one of those arrogant brats who thought too highly of themselves and refused to listen to anyone.
"Alright, since we've formed a temporary team, let's start by getting to know each other," Olivia said, her own personality proving to be quite brisk.
"I'm Olivia, a 5★ Hammer user. I usually act alone, so I've picked up a bit of everything. I can serve as the heavy vanguard, an attacker, or a skirmisher.
And this is my partner Athos, a fight-type Palico who excels at close-quarters combat."
Altaïr and the other two introduced themselves and the specialties of their own hunting partners in turn.
Olivia nodded repeatedly as she listened. "One heavy vanguard who can balance Defense and offense, a Gunner proficient with both light and Heavy Bowguns who can switch between kiting and heavy assault, and an attacker who can double as a skirmisher.
You're all versatile, aren't you? If we paired you with a companion skilled in support, this would be a very well-rounded team."
Altaïr said with a smile, "If you feel it's necessary, Ma'am, I can use a Sword and Shield and participate in the operation as a support."
"That shouldn't be necessary," Olivia said, shaking her head. "The weapon on your back is the Cool Cleavers, right? Ice and water dual element Dual Blades are extremely advantageous against a Glavenus.
It would be a pity to give up such a sharp tool just for the sake of theoretical balance."
At this, Olivia paused for a moment and looked toward Isis. "Miss Isis, with your Defender Gunlance, it might be a bit much to try and tank the Glavenus's pressure head-on.
Are you familiar with the tactic of mutual cover and alternating suppression?"
"Please just call me Isis!" Isis said, giving a thumbs-up. "I know how to do alternating suppression; Altaïr and I do it all the time."
"Then that makes things easy. How about this?" Olivia rested her hands on the table. "Isis and I will coordinate on the front line. That should be enough to keep the Glavenus pinned down.
As for the other two, just focus on all-out offense.
Of course, this is just a general outline. I won't go into detail about mobile combat, attempting stuns or KOs, the Gunner observing the battlefield from a distance to give callouts, or the attacker striking at the right moment to create openings... You're 4★ Hunters; you should already know the drill."
Altaïr and the others nodded in unison.
In fact, one could tell from Olivia's tactical arrangement that she was also a hunter who favored the offensive, which happened to align perfectly with their team's combat habits.
Had the newcomer been a Gunner specializing in long-range sniping or a leader who focused on battles of attrition, they would have had to figure out how to adapt to the other's pace. After a rough confirmation of the tactics, the Hunters began to chat.
After a period of interaction, Altaïr and the others discovered that this senior named Olivia wasn't actually as stiff and somber as they had initially imagined.
On the contrary, she was a very cheerful and talkative person.
She hit it off with Altaïr while discussing Hammer techniques, joined Isis in complaining about the perennial deadpan expression of a certain Chief Guild Knight, and could even chat with Nymera for a while about making desserts.
She gave off the impression of someone well-traveled and knowledgeable.
Sajji was also circling around Athos incessantly, inquisitively asking about this and that.
This tall, sturdy, hard-boiled Palico, carrying a heavy Felyne Sword and bearing a scar from a Monster's claw across his eye, fit Sajji's mental stereotype of a "powerful Palico" perfectly.
He was nothing like Lady Shalan; if he hadn't seen her in action with his own eyes, he would have thought she was just some pampered pet cat.
Clawdia, however, was rather uninterested.
Unlike Sajji, who tinkered with mechanical gadgets, she was a pure martial artist and could roughly sense the other's strength.
He was a decent fellow, but not necessarily stronger than herself.
As for being well-built or having a scarred face...
Heh, meow. To someone who has faced a Deviljho, a Barroth doesn't seem particularly sturdy or terrifyingly fierce, meow.
"The Professor sent me to see how your talk is going." A cheerful voice drifted into the ears of the group, and Erik practically skipped over to the Hunters' long table. "It looks like you're hitting it off quite well?"
Olivia glanced at him, her face full of unconcealed exasperation. "Seeing how happy you are, did the Professor agree to take you along?"
"Of course!"
"Sigh... I just hope nothing goes wrong." Olivia let out a heavy sigh.
Seeing her reaction, Altaïr didn't even have to guess to know that this senior Hammer user must have worked with the Professor and Erik before.
"Senior Olivia, are you worried about Erik running off everywhere?" Altaïr asked bluntly, completely disregarding Erik's presence.
"Hey!"
Olivia looked at him in surprise, then quickly realized. "I almost forgot, the Professor mentioned you've collaborated more than once. No wonder you're so familiar with him."
She was too polite to bring up Erik directly, but her tone made her meaning perfectly clear.
"Tie him up! Just tie him up directly!" Isis interjected before Altaïr could speak.
"Isn't that... a bit much?" Olivia said with some hesitation.
Altaïr finally realized that Olivia's personality was actually very similar to Serl's; in a way, she was simply too upright.
His expression turned solemn. "You have to realize, this is for the sake of his personal safety. Otherwise, once we're in the wild, he might slip away and end up in a Monster Den the moment you take your eyes off him."
"Hey!"
"That... actually makes sense." Olivia, who had been hesitant, slowly nodded her head.
(Translated by yourtl.app)