The Hunter's Camp closest to the mountain forest where they had encountered the Gajalaka and the Glavenus was located in a small rift valley over ten kilometers away.
The crack in the canyon was only a few meters wide, and the dense tree canopy, along with the countless vines twisting through it, formed a natural barrier. This made it difficult for Large Monsters to invade and also obscured the view from the air.
In short, it was a very safe camp.
The cargo Airship could not enter such a narrow rift directly; it had to land on a forest clearing near the camp, using camouflage netting as a cover to avoid attracting any overly curious Flying Wyverns.
With the help of the Hunters, after all the various supplies were moved into the rift camp, the Professor directed the scholars and technicians through a series of preliminary tasks: organizing supplies, expanding the camp, and reporting their itinerary to the Guild.
Once the manual labor was finished, the Hunters were gathered together by Olivia.
"All the preparation work here at the camp will take about one to two days. After that, the investigation team will begin the formal investigation of the target area.
Eliminating the threat of that Glavenus can also be considered part of the preparations. If no one has any objections, we will set out after a short rest.
Let's strive to finish the hunt before nightfall today."
Altaïr and the other two answered in unison.
Normally, when hunting a monster of the Glavenus's caliber, one should conduct more meticulous preliminary reconnaissance, confirm the terrain of the hunting grounds and the target's location, and devise specific tactics before officially beginning the hunt.
A typical example was last month's hunt for the Duramboros; though it seemed a bit slow, it was the most stable and Guild-recommended method of hunting.
This time, however, there was no need to force themselves through the usual process.
It had only been a little over a week since Altaïr and his team had been wandering that area and were chased all over by the Glavenus. While they weren't intimately familiar with the terrain, their basic impression of it was still clear.
Furthermore, the existence of the Cohoot had completely revolutionized the way Hunters scouted.
Especially for a monster like the Glavenus that couldn't fly, a clever Cohoot could quickly lock onto its position and confirm whether other Large Monsters were in the surrounding area, effectively preventing any unexpected intrusions.
As for tactics, they had already been established before they even set out.
The only thing left to consider now was the fight!
Sharpening his blades, Altaïr instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt; he was already itching to go.
"Wouldn't it be better if we had a good meal before we set out?" Isis suddenly raised her hand after a quick equipment check. "Save up energy and prepare for the battle ahead!"
"A Canteen meal? Of course." Olivia's gaze naturally fell upon Sajji and Clawdia.
Her partner, Athos, didn't know how to cook, so she instinctively assumed that either Sajji or Clawdia moonlighted as a Felyne Chef, which wasn't uncommon among Palicoes.
"Fine." Altaïr helplessly put away his Dual Blades and pulled a portable grill and a frying pan from his pack.
At the same time, Nymera pulled out a large bag of glutinous rice flour. "Hunger is the greatest enemy! We must prepare well!" Even Isis excitedly produced a large bag of ingredients she had prepared in advance.
The trio's reaction left Olivia looking a bit dazed. "Are you... always like this before every hunt?"
Altaïr twitched the corner of his mouth. "Not necessarily. We're just throwing together some hot food to fill our stomachs. Nymera, let me handle it this time. Your Dango require steaming and boiling, which takes too much time."
"What a shame..." Nymera regretfully put away her glutinous rice flour.
Altaïr set his frying pan over the portable grill and greased it with butter. Under Olivia's somewhat bewildered gaze, he prepared to make his specialty: thick-cut fried bacon.
Just then, Clawdia suddenly spoke up. "Don't eat too much, meow. Remember to save plenty of sides and seasonings, meow."
"Eh?" Isis looked at her, puzzled.
"Glavenus Wyvern Filet is delicious, meow. Though it's a bit chewy, it's the highest grade of meat ingredient, meow."
As Clawdia spoke, she licked her lips. "And unlike things like Basarios Tail or Yian Garuga claws, where you're basically just tasting the flavor, this is a massive cut of meat, meow. You can tear into it and eat your fill, meow."
Isis swallowed hard at the description.
"Altaïr, maybe hold off on making that for now? Let's just make do with some rations and save this Canteen meal for after the hunt!"
Altaïr: "?"
Eat it after the hunt? Do you have some kind of fundamental misunderstanding of why Canteen meals exist?!
Ignoring Isis's fickle whims, Altaïr went ahead and fried several servings of bacon to fill his companions' bellies; after all, he had already set up the pan.
Besides, this meal wasn't just to satisfy their palates. Fatty meats provided more lasting energy than carb-heavy rations, offering a tangible boost for the battle ahead.
Unbeknownst to him, however, this meal had firmly labeled the three of them as "gluttons" in Olivia's mind.
After bidding the Professor goodbye, the well-fed hunters left the camp and headed toward the target zone.
A trek of over ten kilometers through the Jungle wasn't an overly heavy burden for hunters, but as they neared the target area, Olivia signaled for the team to halt and rest.
Once everyone had caught their breath, Olivia looked at the Gunner mounted on her Palamute. "Nymera, confirm the Glavenus's location again."
In truth, they had already confirmed the target's position via Cohoot from several kilometers away.
However, Brute Wyverns moved quickly. It was vital to confirm its position in real-time while ensuring no other Large Monsters were nearby.
Nymera nodded and gave a sharp whistle.
The Cohoot circling high above nimbly dove through the canopy, landing on her arm and chirping busily into her ear.
"Yes, yes, I see. Good girl." After rubbing the Cohoot's head, Nymera raised her arm and let it take flight again.
"The Glavenus is directly north of us, less than a kilometer away in a straight line. It's moving slowly toward the east. Within a three-kilometer radius, no traces of other Large Monsters have been found."
"Good." Olivia nodded firmly, tightening the straps of the Hammer on her back as she looked at the youths beside her. "We won't take this final stretch slow." "We charge straight to the target and drag it into combat; accelerate!"
With those words, Olivia took the lead and broke into a run, with Altaïr and the others following close behind.
Hibiki, carrying Nymera on his back, gave a low growl. His limbs surged with explosive power, and in the blink of an eye, he was about to overtake the other Hunters. Nymera quickly tugged at his neck fur, signaling him to slow down.
She was the only Gunner in the squad and the one who most needed to lower her presence and remain hidden; she couldn't exactly charge right into the target's face before the Blademasters even arrived.
Just as the Palamute slowed its footwork, a cannon cart painted fire-red and adorned with leaves and greasepaint to resemble an abstract Rathalos roared past him, surging to the very front of the group.
"Meow-hahaha!" The frantic laughter of a Felyne echoed through the woods.
Compared to the old Rathalos Model-07, the current Rathalos Model-09 was a size larger.
Behind the turret, the "power zone," which previously could barely fit Sajji alone, now had an extra seat.
Sajji and Clawdia were positioned one behind the other, their legs pumping the pedals furiously.
Because the chassis was larger, the weight of the cannon cart had increased. However, by upgrading from a single-cat engine to the current dual-cat engine, the Rathalos Model-09's power had more than doubled. Not only was its speed significantly faster, but it also handled much more steadily.
An exposed tree root, as thick as an adult's thigh, blocked the path of the cannon cart.
If it had been the old Model-07, they would have had to steer around such an obstacle, as forcing their way over it would likely have resulted in a flip.
However, Sajji had gained plenty of experience navigating the thickets from the Rathalos Model-08 (the cart) that had carried them through the Jungle, and he had completely overhauled the tread system.
Facing that protruding root, the high-speed Rathalos Model-09 treated it like a common slope, flying over it with a loud "Vromm!"
As the cannon cart slammed back onto the uneven ground, the chassis began to sway violently from side to side.
Sajji gripped the steering firmly while Clawdia, in the back, pedaled with all her might to provide continuous, powerful thrust. In an instant, the Rathalos Model-09 regained its balance and sped forward.
"We'll go on ahead, Boss, to grab that Glavenus's attention, meow!"
The Hunters' faces were masks of bewilderment.
Athos, the martial Palico following closely at Olivia's heels with his paws pounding the dirt, glanced back at the heavy Felyne Sword on his back and fell into deep thought.
(Translated by yourtl.app)