After leaving the oven-like lava cave, the two men and the cat came to the surface.
The temperature here is obviously close to, even over 40 degrees, but Gordon and the others still feel like "it's really cool."
Or an illusion.
The iron-gray ground has wave-like lines, which are traces of the flow of magma. There is no vegetation on the bare hillside, and the occasional small puddles store not fresh water, but strong acid.
"The environment is so harsh that I don't know what these volcanic creatures rely on to survive. Do they drink sulfuric acid and eat magma?" Gordon sighed.
"Occasionally, animals will migrate by. In addition, there may be water sources and heat-resistant plants in places we don't know about." Ancier held up his hat-shaped helmet. "Volcanic organisms are also very efficient in utilizing organic matter." high.
Insect scavengers are at the bottom of the ecological chain and are also food for many small animals. Above that are first-level predators, but even the most powerful predators will die, turn into carrion and become food for insects. . "
"Hey, the young master knows a lot!" Gordon teased with a smile.
Anhil glanced at him and said, "Don't just exercise your muscles on weekdays, read more books. Knowledge is power."
"Hahaha, there is an old guy who said the same thing as me, 'knowledge is power'!" Gordon remembered what Miles said when he gave him a book on his birthday last year, "He was also a high-ranking heavy crossbow user. Coming."
"Once? A retired old hunter?"
"Haha, no, the old man is still active, but he is getting older and it is more difficult to operate a heavy crossbow, so he switched to a light crossbow."
"I see. I really want to visit in person if I have the chance."
The two chatted all the way, and finally came to a steep rock wall along the hillside.
Gordon took out the map and compared it, and said with satisfaction: "This is it! Get ready to start construction!"
Seeing Gordon pick up the pickaxe, Ancier and Pork Chop also consciously entered a state of alert.
The previous encounters with the red velociraptor and the red-armored beast proved that this seemingly desolate and silent place was also full of danger and life.
Gordon was tapping and excavating the rock wall, cheering from time to time because of the high-quality ore he collected. Ancier on the side was alert and at the same time, he allocated part of his energy to observe the surroundings.
Suddenly, his eyes were attracted by a series of marks on the rock wall, and he couldn't help but take steps and walked over.
Putting another piece of pyrosaurus into his luggage, Gordon, who was just about to take a breath, noticed something unusual about Ancil and approached the trace.
It was a series of roughly diamond-shaped pits, regularly arranged on the rock wall that was almost vertical to the ground.
The pit was very deep, about 10 to 20 centimeters long, and the edges were sharp, just like the marks left by a sharp sword inserted deep into the rock wall and pulled out.
"Is this the footprint of a crustacean?" Gordon said to himself in surprise.
The crustaceans in his impression like to live in humid places, such as seaside, riverside, or dense forests. Shield crabs are the most typical example.
How come crustaceans inhabit such hot and arid places as volcanoes?
"You know?" Ancil looked slightly surprised when he heard Gordon talking to himself.
"what do you know?"
"Such a footprint."
"Oh, I've hunted Daimyo shield crabs before, and their footprints are almost like this. There are two rows of fine and regular pits. Why do they have so many legs?"
"Daming Shield Crab? No wonder, there is indeed some overlap." Ancier stroked the sharp edge of the pit and said: "This is the footprint of the sickle crab. To be precise, it is the general sickle crab."
After that, he hesitated for a few seconds, and finally continued: "It is the real goal of my coming to the volcanic zone."
"General Sickle? Your target?" Gordon couldn't help turning his head and looked at Ancil, "You thought about it and then collected materials to make equipment?"
"Well, that's right." An Xil's tone was a little low.
"You want to sneak away," Gordon said in amusement, "General Scylla is a four-star monster, right? Are you sure?"
Gordon's "escape" refers to hunting monsters higher than his own hunter level in advance and making equipment by participating in exploration missions or taking advantage of loopholes in certain missions where other large monsters can enter.
The benefits of doing this are obvious.
For example, Anhil is a three-star hunter at this time. If he obtains weapons made from four-star monster materials in advance, and then uses them to deal with three-star monsters, it will naturally be much easier.
However, the price of high returns is extremely high risk.
The danger levels assigned by the Hunter Guild to monsters are very strict and particular. The four-star Shogun Scythe Crab is a whole level stronger than the three-star Daimyo Shield Crab!
Gordon admitted that Ancil was very strong, but he probably had not yet reached the level of a four-star hunter.
What does a four-star hunter mean?
It means that they have the strength to hunt real flying dragon species such as male and female fire dragons, horned dragons, and boom dragons on their own!
In other words, the danger level of Shogun Scylla is the same as that of the Fire Dragon who almost killed Gordon.
"To be honest, I'm not sure." After another brief silence, Anhil said.
Gordon was speechless, "How dare you run away even if you're not sure? Are you risking your life? Why are you so anxious? Can't you just steadily improve your strength?"
Ancil lowered the brim of his hat so that Gordon could not see his expression clearly.
"I have been promoted to three-star for more than a year." Anhil explained with a hint of weakness, "In the past year or so, I have made no progress at all, from equipment to technology.
More than a year ago, Julius and I were promoted to three-star hunters at the age of less than twenty at the same time, and were jokingly called the 'Twin Stars' by everyone in East Doruma.
But now, Julius has successfully hunted the General Scythe Crab and been promoted to the fourth level hunter, but I am still lingering at three stars, with no way to see the direction of improvement. "
Hearing this, Gordon let out a long breath, "Ha---Julius is the dual-swordsman you like, right? You guy, you have too much desire to win."
Anhir shook his head and said in a serious tone: "No, I don't want to compare with anyone, nor do I want to prove anything. I just hope to break through this layer of shackles on myself.
I want to push myself and push myself with the general Scylla that Julius once faced. "
"So, the material of the General Scythe Crab is not the point. You are not trying to sneak away for the equipment, but you want to fight it to squeeze out your potential in a desperate situation and force yourself to improve?" Gordon crossed his arms and asked with a smile. .
"That's right." Ancil glanced at Gordon with some dissatisfaction, "Is this ridiculous?"
Knowing that Ancil had misunderstood, Gordon waved his hands and said, "Of course not, hahaha. I'm just surprised that someone has similar thoughts to me."
"Similar thoughts?"
“During the assessment mission to be promoted to a one-star hunter, I encountered the Big Wild Boar King. After I tried my best to kill it, I found that my strength had improved a lot.
Since then I have known that promotion in desperate situations, although dangerous, is not empty talk. "
Anhil raised his head after hearing this, his eyes full of surprise.
Not everyone can kill the big wild boar king with a two-star danger level during the apprentice hunter period.
"Humans, sometimes you have to push yourself. Before you learn to walk, why not run first?"
(End of chapter)
