Chapter 24: Before the Monsoon Arrives!

Marydan slammed her Great Hammer down onto the wooden post target; even without using her full strength, a conspicuous large dent was smashed into the solid wood post.

Immediately after came the second strike.

At Marydan's reminder, Aolang, who had been staring at her waist and thighs, noticed the muscles in her legs and waist tightening like springs.

With every strike falling, the tightened muscles of her front leg would store excess "Inertia," and the instant she lifted the Great Hammer, those front leg muscles would release, accelerating the hammer's lift, while simultaneously the muscles of her back leg and waist would repeat this process, storing power to prepare for the subsequent strikes.

It was like a seesaw.

"Hah!"

As Marydan turned and swung the Great Hammer, gathering all her strength to complete the finishing strike, wood chips flew from the solid wood post, which was cracked open with a palm-wide fissure.

She slammed the Great Hammer heavily onto the ground. "Do you understand!"

Aolang nodded thoughtfully; he felt this technique of "recycling power" was very useful, perhaps not limited to the Great Hammer...

"Understanding is enough! This looks easy, but truly mastering it requires great effort; just practice it yourself slowly in the future."

Not knowing what Aolang was thinking, Marydan satisfiedly set the Great Hammer aside. "Training ends here for today; relax your muscles, then come back into the house; I have something to tell you."

"Ah, yes!" Aolang quickly performed a few sets of stretching exercises, then followed her inside.

When he entered the living room, Marydan was sitting cross-legged on an extraordinarily large floor mat drinking tea; seeing him approach, she pointed to another cushion beside her.

Aolang obediently sat down.

"Recently, you've been taking missions quite frequently; you should be close to meeting the standard for promotion to Two-Star, right?"

"Mm." Aolang nodded and said, "The number of missions is already sufficient; I plan to prepare for a while longer and claim the Promotion Mission soon."

"Hurry up." Marydan put down a huge teacup that wouldn't even fill from the teapot in her hand and said with meaning, "The Monsoon Season will arrive before long.

If you can promote to Two-Star before then, I can sell some face and arrange an opportunity for you to see the world."

"Monsoon Season?" Aolang was confused for a few seconds, then realized, "You mean...?!"

"Exactly! Just as you think." Marydan grinned widely. "Is your motivation for promotion suddenly much stronger?"

"Yes! I'll go accept a mission right now!" Aolang stood up with a face full of excitement, bid farewell to Marydan and Ramak, and left eagerly.

"Now that's more like a child; I wonder what this kid is doing with his face scowling all day." Marydan picked up the huge teacup again, took a huge gulp, looking as if she were drinking alcohol.

Ramak walked over with a worried expression. "Do you intend for Aolang to participate in the Harvest Festival? That's too early for him."

"Not too early." Marydan's smile faded slightly. "This kid isn't the type to follow the footprints left by predecessors, stepping steadily up the stairs one by one.

His peculiar talent requires an environment of immense pressure to stride forward.

And what else could exert more pressure than an Ancient Dragon?"

"That's an Ancient Dragon! A moving natural disaster of an Ancient Dragon!" Ramak's tone intensified, seeming somewhat angry.

"Yes, but that creature is also the Ancient Dragon humans are most familiar with, and the one with the lowest casualty rate upon contact."

"Low casualty rate is only relative! Don't the Sand Ship Fleet suffer casualties every year?!"

"Once you're a Hunter, where is there any notion of complete safety?" Marydan glanced at her husband, putting an end to the argument. "Stop talking nonsense; as long as a Hunter has drive, no one would let such an opportunity slip away.

If he can withstand the pressure and pass this trial, his state of mind and willpower will become different.

If he can't hold on and collapses, withdrawing early is also a good thing, saving everyone from being on edge."

"You plan to promote to Two-Star right now?" Qiaoda stared at him. "How long has it been since you promoted to One-Star Hunter? Four months? Or three?

Have you accumulated enough One-Star Mission completions... well, it seems you actually have."

The person who knew best how many One-Star Missions Aolang had completed in these few short months was definitely him, since the receipts for most missions Aolang completed were handed out by him.

"No, why are you in such a rush? You just turned seventeen this month, right? People your age are still receiving training in the Training Camp; aren't you thinking about promoting to Two-Star already? Wouldn't it be better to polish yourself a bit more?" Qiaoda couldn't help but nag.

He had a clear understanding of Aolang's strength; promoting to Two-Star was not a stretch for the latter, and could even be said to be a natural progression.

But over these years, he had seen too many arrogant young Hunters, driven by excessive enthusiasm, crash headfirst into the cruel forces of nature.

As a senior, he still hoped Aolang's choice would be more prudent.

Aolang felt somewhat conflicted; according to his original plan, he actually intended to settle down for another month or two, promoting only after mastering the newly learned Great Hammer Inertia Technique.

But the "carrot" Marydan had dangled before him was simply too tempting; he wanted to try it no matter what.

So, he decided to tell the truth. "Actually, it was Lady Marydan who suggested I promote as soon as possible."

As for the Monsoon Season, selling face, or seeing the world, there was no need to mention those, as it would make him seem like he was showing off.

"Marydan? Which Marydan?"

Aolang tried to describe her. "Well, she was once a Hunter, now retired, looks nearly seventy, skilled with the Great Hammer, very tall, very strong, covered in tattoos, with very sharp teeth..."

"Stop." Qiaoda raised his palm, making a "wait" gesture.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Aolang felt Qiaoda's neck had shrunk back a bit.

"Ahem, since it is the suggestion of that senior, then without a doubt it is correct." Qiaoda stopped discussing with Aolang whether he should promote now, and instead seriously considered how to increase Aolang's success rate for promotion.

"There aren't too many Two-Star Danger Level monsters in the Desert area, and even fewer near Luokelake; the most common is the Yellow Velocidrome King; further north, there are also the Armor-Piercing Beetle and the Red Armored Beast.

But to be honest, I don't recommend you choose the latter two; the Armor-Piercing Beetle can fly, you have no experience dealing with such monsters, and you're likely to suffer losses.

As for the Red Armored Beast, for a very long time in the past, this monster was classified as Three-Star Danger Level; only in recent years, as Hunting Records accumulated and methods to deal with it were gradually summarized, was it updated to Two-Star Danger Level.

Even so, the Red Armored Beast is one of the most deadly among all Two-Star monsters; I recommend teaming up for the hunt; it is truly unsuitable as a choice for your Promotion Mission."

Qiaoda's advice was detailed and objective; Aolang made his decision without much hesitation. "Then the Yellow Velocidrome King; I'm relatively familiar with this monster."

As for the other two, forget it; his goal was to promote to Two-Star as soon as possible to obtain recommendation qualifications, not to torture himself.

"A wise choice." Qiaoda nodded gratifiedly. "You can't claim Promotion Missions directly from me; you need to apply at the Gathering Hall yourself.

Although this is a mission you undertake not as a Guerrilla member, but as 'One-Star Hunter Aolang,' you should wear this Citadel Guerrilla Team Set for now; it's sturdier than your original Hunter Set, and I believe the Guild people won't mind that.

As for the rest, let me think... just in case, how about this."

Saying this, Qiaoda stood up, walked outside, raised his voice, and shouted, "Shaji! Are you there? Come quickly!"

"Coming, meow!"

Hearing the call, Shaji came running over. "Boss, what's the matter, meow?"

"You two have partnered so many times and know each other well. Here's the plan: Shaji will temporarily serve as Aolang's Hunting Partner and accompany him on the Promotion Mission."

Aolang opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Qiaoda cut him off. "Shaji isn't a mature Hunting Cat yet. I'm having it follow you not to lower the mission's difficulty, but to add a layer of insurance."

"In case you're careless and get knocked down by a Monster, it might be able to drag you back."

"Boss, isn't saying those things a bit unlucky, meow...?"