By the time those two Yian Kut-Ku recovered from the dizzying, high-frequency noise of the Sonic Bomb, three of their companions were already on the brink of death or had already lost their lives.
Realizing things had gone south, they attempted to flee, only to be entangled by Sajji and the other Palicoes. Kagetsu, who had remained on the periphery of the battlefield, also commanded her Kinsect to harass them; for a time, they simply could not break away.
Once the other Hunters freed themselves, the last two Yian Kut-Ku fell swiftly under the divided assault of four 5★ hunters, three 4-star Hunters, one 3-star Hunter, and several Palicoes.
Even though one of them was a Hyper specimen, it couldn't change the ultimate outcome.
The battle reached its conclusion shortly thereafter.
Hunting five Yian Kut-Ku in one go was a level of efficiency that left Olivia very satisfied. She stationed the Gunners on watch while the others quickly gathered materials before retreating.
As for the flesh of these Yian Kut-Ku, other creatures would eventually deal with that for them.
Unfortunately, the Hunters didn't place much value on these Yian Kut-Ku materials. Even Kagetsu, who had the lowest Hunter rank among them, had no real need for them.
Crafting gear from the materials of a Hyper specimen would indeed provide better Defense than the Supporter Set she was currently wearing.
However, this set of Armor was a vital link in her combat system, so she naturally wouldn't swap it out lightly.
Ms. Sheila collected some tissue samples from the Hyper Yian Kut-Ku for research purposes, while Sajji claimed all the wing membranes to use for his glider development.
The remaining materials could only be piled up somewhere for the time being, with the hope of selling them to a Guild recycler after the mission to split the earnings.
On the way back to the camp, everyone was talking and laughing.
Having fought side-by-side, their bond was now on a completely different level compared to just having exchanged a few introductory words.
Previously, with the exception of Olivia's group, there had been a faint, lingering sense of distance between Altaïr and the other Hunters.
Now, that barrier had vanished. Even Dawn, the man of fewest words, chatted with him for a bit, appearing quite surprised by that strange technique of entering Demon Mode with a Long Sword.
Altaïr was equally curious about Kagetsu's abilities.
"Kagetsu, were those potion-like effects I felt during the battle the result of the Wide-Range blessing from your Supporter Set?
"That's incredible, the radius must have been nearly thirty meters, right?"
He had heard of this special blessing called Wide-Range before, but it seemed few people actually used it, so this was his first time experiencing its effects firsthand.
In his eyes, the effect of this blessing was almost too powerful.
A Hunting Horn user has to play specific melodies to support and buff their teammates, but Kagetsu could do it just by chugging various potions. Aside from the high cost, there was no learning curve at all.
"Um, the armor actually isn't the key part," the girl said, glancing at Olivia. Seeing the latter give a small nod, she seemed to make up her mind.
"We only just met yesterday, so I didn't dare say anything, and big sister Olivia helped keep it a little secret for me. But since you're someone Big Sister recognizes, it's fine to tell you the truth.
"Actually, the reason I can function as a support-type Hunter is primarily thanks to this."
As Kagetsu spoke, she pulled down her collar slightly, revealing a Talisman shimmering with a pure, sky-blue light.
"This Wide-Range Talisman is a family heirloom. My grandmother, who was an Archaeologist, dug it up from some Ruins.
"The Wide-Range effect provided by the Supporter Set is actually quite weak, not even a third of what this Talisman offers. It's only by stacking the two effects together that I can achieve what I do now."
"I see..." Altaïr nodded in realization.
If armor alone could provide that level of protection, every squad would be equipped with a supporter like her.
Furthermore, it wouldn't just be support-type Hunters; scholars or Handlers traveling with Hunters could wear it too, providing significant auxiliary support. Its versatility would be incredible.
But as Kagetsu said, the armor's effect was merely the icing on the cake. The true key was that heirloom Talisman. It was precisely because of this that such a combat style couldn't be replicated or popularized.
Looking at it this way, the Supporter Set served as both a reinforcement and a disguise. Otherwise, a young girl who had just reached adulthood running around with a top-tier Talisman would be a dangerous prospect to think about.
Beside them, Olivia patted the girl's head and said with a smile, "Don't go thinking this kid got this far relying solely on a family heirloom.
"A Wide-Range Talisman makes her very popular when looking for a team or during group combat, but it can't help her pass the promotion exams.
"The things this girl is truly good at haven't been shown yet."
Altaïr recalled that when Olivia introduced Kagetsu yesterday, she mentioned that Kagetsu was very knowledgeable about the habits of insects.
That comment had struck him as a bit odd at the time, but he hadn't thought deeply about it. Now, it was finally clicking. "Olivia said you understand insect habits... are you good at raising Kinsects? Are you a Kinsect user who follows the Kinsect-only playstyle?"
"You actually guessed it?" Kagetsu stared at him, eyes wide. "Most Kinsect users know a fair bit about insect habits, right?
"But Kinsect firing is such an obscure playstyle... was that just a lucky guess?"
"Not exactly a guess," Altaïr said with a smile. "Didn't you say before that you were good at 'cheesing' fights? As it happens, I know a rather... well, unique Insect Glaive user.
"He also uses similar methods to deal with Monsters and has talked to me about this sort of thing."
"A unique Insect Glaive user? How unique?"
"Uh, how much do you weigh?"
"How rude, asking a girl a question like that." Kagetsu pouted, but she answered honestly anyway. "A little bit under fifty kilograms!"
Unlike the large-framed beauty Isis, Kagetsu was petite, with a build similar to Senior Francesca. A weight of around fifty kilograms was pretty much what Altaïr had expected.
"He weighs about three and a half of you."
"Are you joking?!" Kagetsu's eyes nearly popped out. "Big brother Dawn doesn't even weigh three of me. An Insect Glaive user even taller and brawnier than Dawn?"
Due to their combat style, the average weight of an Insect Glaive user was arguably the lightest among Hunters. They strictly controlled their muscle mass to avoid compromising their agility.
Consequently, whether male or female, Insect Glaive users were almost always petite or slender; you practically never saw one with a heavy build.
Altaïr gave a dry laugh. "He's not actually that tall. About the same as me, maybe a bit shorter? It's mostly that he's... a bit fat."
"You call that a bit fat? He's a freaking ball at that point!" Kagetsu couldn't help but swear. "Wouldn't a vaulting jump just snap the Insect Glaive in half?"
"It's not quite that exaggerated. He's actually quite agile, though he certainly isn't good at that 'flying through the air' style of combat.
"He has his own way of fighting that he calls the 'grounded Insect Glaive,' and he uses Kinsect firing as well."
"The world is full of wonders. That's really something new," Kagetsu muttered. "If there's a chance next time, introduce us. I want to exchange insect-rearing tips with that fat guy."
Altaïr smiled and agreed.
This girl's personality was a bit boisterous, similar to Naziya; she would likely get along well with Big Brother Jara.
Chatting and laughing, the group returned to camp.
The battle at noon had proven the practicality of the new strategy. In a time when "The Law of Four" was deeply ingrained in everyone's minds, eight Hunters fighting together would naturally cause unease.
However, if they looked at it from a different perspective, they weren't one team, but four.
The two Gunners were one team; the Long Sword, Sword and Shield, and Lance user were another; the two heavy weapons, Hammer and Great Sword, formed a pair; and the Wide-Range Insect Glaive user acted as a solo unit.
Doesn't that technically follow "The Law of Four"?
"With our current tactics, even a cluster of five or six Yian Kut-Ku is within our hunting range."
Olivia looked at her companions, who had just finished a Hunt but remained in good condition. "Expand the search radius. Let's try to take down another pack before dark!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)