The 4★ and 5★ Hunters capable of hunting Large Flying Wyverns alone, while not as overwhelmingly powerful as High Rank Hunters, were truly elite in every sense.
To most Hunters, they were already experts worthy of admiration.
Even in a major city like Loc Lac, Hunters of this caliber were not numerous.
With Altaïr, who spent years at a time away from the city, and the two outsiders Nymera and Isis included, Loc Lac still barely had more than twenty such Hunters.
Unlike High Rank Hunters, who were obligated to obey the Guild's deployment orders, Low Rank Hunters enjoyed complete freedom of movement and were not required to report when leaving the city, making it extremely difficult to track them down one by one.
Ms. Aisha led a group of Guild staff across the city in search of leads. After searching from morning until dusk, they finally managed to track down thirteen or fourteen.
As for the rest, they might have left for other cities, moved without updating their addresses, or drunk too much the night before and passed out in an alley. In short, they were not so easy to round up.
They had only managed that much because, a few days earlier, the Guild had suspended the posting of most non-Urgent Quests and Hunters had begun venturing out less often.
Otherwise, finding even a third of them would have been considered pure luck.
Over a dozen elite Hunters of varying builds and temperaments had gathered in the meeting room.
Most were between thirty and fifty, though a few were older, with graying hair and beards. None were as young as Altaïr, Nymera, and Isis.
This drew plenty of curious, appraising looks their way.
Altaïr smiled and greeted a few of the senior Hunters he knew. Nymera kept her eyes lowered, as though deep in meditation. Isis, for her part, paid no mind to the stares around her.
She was too busy fending off Haifa's pestering.
"Little Miss Isis, I have a proposition." Haifa leaned close to Isis's ear and whispered, "Why not write a letter to your parents? Just say: Dear Mom and Dad, I'm off to slay an Elder Dragon, so come quick and admire my valor as I sever its head! Then two mighty figures will come soaring in on a high-speed Airship and handle every threat for us!"
Isis had nothing to say.
She had indeed thought about asking her parents for help.
The problem was that her parents traveled all over the world, and she had no idea where they were. Even if she wanted to write, she needed an address first.
"Do you even have a clue what you're saying..." Altaïr looked at Haifa in disbelief.
Was this really the only High Rank Hunter they could rely on? It felt as though Loc Lac were already doomed.
"Clap, clap!" The mustachioed Guild Master clapped his hands sharply twice to draw everyone's attention.
"I know everyone hates beating around the bush, so I'll keep this short. The mysterious Small Flying Wyverns appearing around Loc Lac, mentioned in the previous notice, have been identified by headquarters as a species called 'Egyurasu.'
They are directly connected to a terrifying Monster known as 'Guanzorumu.'"
Altaïr looked at the Guild Master in surprise.
Headquarters had confirmed it? Egyurasu? Guanzorumu?
There had been no such information when he and Haifa came over that morning. Had a reply from Dundorma arrived only moments ago?
The other Hunters also began muttering among themselves and did not settle down until Aisha called out, "Quiet!"
The Guild Master continued. "Normally, a threat of that caliber should be handled by High Rank Hunters.
But as luck would have it, almost all our High Rank Hunters are absent from the city for various reasons, and we cannot be certain how many can return before an attack begins.
That means all of you will have to face this formidable foe."
An old, gray-haired Hunter nearing sixty raised his hand. "Is this 'Guanzorumu' you mentioned anything like a Jhen Mohran?"
The old Hunter had voiced the question on many minds, and everyone turned their eyes to the Guild Master.
Although the Guild forbade open discussion of the subject, Loc Lac faced an Elder Dragon raid every year, so its Hunters had some understanding of what "Elder Dragons" were.
After all, it was impossible to conceal the existence of Elder Dragons when a gargantuan creature over two hundred meters long passed by the city gate once a year.
"Yes. They are collectively known as 'Elder Dragons,' beings whose power far exceeds that of Flying Wyverns." The Guild Master set the prohibition aside and chose not to hide the truth any longer.
"Some can whip up storms across vast areas, some can turn an entire swamp into a hell of poison gas, and some can easily burn a city to ashes. They are walking calamities."
"All this vague talk is getting us nowhere. Give us something concrete."
The old Hunter bluntly cut off the Guild Master's speech. "How big is Guanzorumu? Bigger than a Jhen Mohran? Does it have any elemental weaknesses?"
"Jalal, what's the rush?" Haifa, the only High Rank Hunter present, spoke up. "You haven't even asked what everyone thinks yet.
An Elder Dragon's power is beyond your imagination. If one truly attacks and everyone here charges it together, the most likely outcome is still total annihilation."
Jalal was not the least bit cowed by Haifa's higher rank. He glared at her. "What is there to ask? Whether we should fight?
What the hell is there to ask? It's not as though we're being asked to defend some other city. This Monster is knocking on our damn door. What, should we run for the refuge with the civilians instead of fighting?
No one from Loc Lac is that much of a coward, right? Right?"
As he spoke, he cast a scrutinizing look around at everyone nearby.
The Hunters around the meeting table bristled as though he had jabbed them, some slamming the table with fire in their eyes, others shouting at the tops of their lungs.
They seemed eager to prove they were not cowards by charging straight into a fight to the death with the Monster.
The Guild Master felt a headache coming on as the meeting room descended into a clamor.
He had never doubted the courage of Loc Lac's Hunters.
They had all grown up under the blistering sun, swallowing sand and dust. That held true not just for these elite Hunters. Even the 1★ and 2★ youngsters and the children at the training camp would throw themselves into a fight without a second thought for life or death.
But this was not a question of valor or courage. As Haifa had just said, sending the dozen-plus elite Hunters present against a single Elder Dragon would most likely end in their total annihilation.
And then what? Send the 3★, 2★, and 1★ Hunters next, until every last Hunter in Loc Lac was spent? Even if they ultimately managed to repel or kill the attacking Elder Dragon, victory would still amount to a devastating defeat.
The Guild Master pounded the table for some time before the Hunters finally fell silent again.
He said irritably, "I didn't call you here to find out who's willing to throw their lives away. I want to hear your ideas! According to the Guild's intelligence, the Elder Dragon known as Guanzorumu isn't especially large, reaching no more than twenty meters in length, but its scales and carapace are incredibly tough. Ordinary weapons can't even breach its defenses.
It also commands Egyurasu in battle, has a roar even more terrifying than a Tigrex's, practically a sonic attack, and can unleash a high-energy breath attack capable of melting rock.
That's all the information we have for now. Think carefully and see whether you can come up with a clever way to defeat it.
I have no intention of sacrificing lives to overwhelm it by sheer force. If that were our only option, we'd be better off sheltering in the refuge and waiting for our High Rank Hunters to return, or for reinforcements from other major cities."
The gathered Hunters, Jalal included, exchanged uncertain looks. For a time, no one spoke as they racked their brains.
Unfortunately, asking most Hunters to rack their brains was a rather tall order.
After the silence had dragged on, Altaïr reluctantly raised his hand, instantly drawing everyone's eyes.
"Apart from luring it to a designated area and ambushing it with a large number of pre-positioned Heavy Ballistas, Cannons, and even a Dragonator, I haven't come up with a particularly good solution yet.
But there's one problem I think we should address first.
We previously couldn't determine whether exterminating the Small Flying Wyverns outside the city... ah, they're called Egyurasu now, correct?
We didn't know if exterminating them would trigger even worse consequences, so we let them roam and gather, and their numbers kept growing.
Now that we've essentially confirmed they serve a certain Elder Dragon, and that its hostility is beyond doubt, shouldn't we launch a proper Hunt to cull them? Otherwise, if Guanzorumu attacks with dozens, hundreds, perhaps even more Egyurasu under its command, this battle will be unwinnable.
Don't forget, these Egyurasu are no ordinary Remobra. They can use breath attacks.
Even though the vast majority of Loc Lac's structures are stone, the Egyurasu are still fully capable of turning the city into a sea of fire, and the civilians sheltering in the refuge would not be spared either."
"Exactly!"
"Indeed, we can't keep letting them run loose!"
"If we wait for them to swarm us, our city is finished!"
The Hunters echoed their agreement.
"You make a strong point." The mustachioed Guild Master nodded emphatically.
The decision was reckless in some respects and could have unforeseen consequences, but as Guild Master, he had to commit to a course of action.
"We strike first, before the worst happens!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)