Chapter 5: The Runaway Plan

Just as he turned the corner of the street, Aolang began to regret it.

In fact, if he had calmed down a little, he would have realized that his anger came less from his teacher and more from himself.

He had been shouting that he could be independent and no longer needed to rely on anyone, yet at the critical moment, he still shamelessly "called his parents," didn't he?

But the pride of his rebellious phase did not allow him to turn back and apologize right now, nor did he want to go home.

Yet even if he didn't go home, there seemed to be nowhere to go... Thinking of this, Aolang wanted to slap himself.

A person who couldn't even figure out where to go or what to do when alone, how could he talk about independence?!

Stirred by an inexplicable desire to win, Aolang decided to run away from home for a while.

In a sense, this could also serve as a test of himself; as for the location, it would be within Locklak City, not leaving the city, otherwise it would no longer be a matter of running away from home.

The problem was that his daily necessities and change of clothes were still at home, and perhaps he should have said something to his teacher to avoid worrying her.

No, if he could prepare that meticulously, it wouldn't count as running away from home; that would just be a simple trip...

What he needed to do first was make a plan; no matter what he did, having a thorough plan could greatly increase the success rate.

Aolang checked his belongings on the spot.

He had just returned from hunting in the hunting grounds, still wearing his Armor, and the rations in his item bag were not yet finished; if he rationed them, they would last two or three days.

But surviving by gnawing on dry rations could hardly be called independence.

He weighed his money bag; he did have money, after all, he had just settled his quest rewards and sold some unused materials to the Guild.

Since he had money, the difficulty in all aspects was greatly reduced; the first thing to ensure was accommodation.

The most basic option was naturally to rent a single room for a short stay at the Gathering Hall Tavern; with his status as a Novice Hunter, he could rent a very affordable room at a quite low price.

But staying at the Gathering Hall Tavern had one major drawback: someone would surely tell his teacher where he was staying, and then he would be dragged home by her.

Eliminated.

"Haa—" Aolang let out a heavy sigh.

It was really too late now; finding accommodation wherever he went would not be easy, so he might as well just find some place to make do for the night, even if it was a bit cold.

In the desert region, the temperature difference between day and night was extremely large; even though the situation in the city was relatively better, once the night wind blew, he would still feel chilly.

"Ah, right." Aolang looked in a certain direction.

A super-gigantic tooth pillar, over a hundred meters high, stood in the northern area of Locklak City.

That was the symbol of this city.

Before humans arrived here and established this desert city, Luokelake was originally a giant rock platform covering more than ten square kilometers in the center of the Sand Sea.

That giant tooth pillar, resembling a pillar reaching the sky, had already stood on this rock platform in the ancient era long before humans were born.

The tooth pierced through the rock platform, and the clear spring water gushing out from beneath the platform formed a lake around the tooth, which never dried up even in the driest seasons.

The original Luokelake was a settlement established by Sand Nomads who wandered here, surrounding this lake.

What magnificent creature was the original owner of that long-stone tooth? How did that tooth remain in the rock platform? What was its relationship with the never-drying lake?

All of this was a mystery.

Aolang had no intention of solving those mysteries; he only remembered that there were many benches and other facilities built for tourists who came to the Great Lake.

Moreover, the Great Lake could store the heat left by the sunlight during the day, so the temperature by the lakeside at night was a bit higher than in other places.

If he considered sleeping on the streets tonight, that place could be said to be the most suitable choice.

Aolang was a person with strong execution; once he had a direction, he acted immediately.

Although he was not born in this city, he had lived here for nearly ten years, and he had even had experience guiding tourists; he knew even the most hidden alleys.

After winding and turning, he quickly arrived at the Great Lake.

The Giant Tooth Pillar standing in the center of the lake, the clear lake water with waves constantly rippling in the night wind, and the wide, flat lakeside promenade.

Familiar scenes could always make people feel relaxed.

He casually found a bench to lie on, tightened the clothes and Armor on his body, and the fatigue accumulated from hunting and the drowsiness from not sleeping for two days surged up together; in just a few short seconds, he fell into a drowsy sleep.

Two furry paws rested on his face, prying his eyelids open.

Startled awake, Aolang suddenly sat up, and the small creature squatting on him was knocked off, letting out a cry of surprise.

"Meow—!"

With his mind not yet fully clear, he looked up; the sky had already turned white, but the sun had not yet fully risen; was it already morning?

"Hey!"

A dissatisfied shout rang out, and Aolang then noticed a figure standing in front of the bench, arms crossed, glaring at him.

"This is not a place to sleep, young Mr. Drunkard!"

"Meow!"

Just now, due to his getting up, the Airou Cat that had fallen to the ground also put her hands on her hips, looking at him angrily.

Aolang stared blankly at the other person; she should be a rather young lady, but since she wore a veil, her face was unclear, making it difficult to accurately judge her age.

The reason he was stunned was not because of the other person's identity as a young girl, but mainly because he noticed the uniform on her body.

With yellow and beige as the main tones, this light armor made of leather and sturdy fabric was something any local of Locklak City would not find unfamiliar.

—The Citadel Archery Strike Team uniform, specialized armor for the Citadel Guerrilla Team Archers.

As for the so-called Citadel Guerrillas, it was an official institution initiated by the Luokelake Guild Master, that little-bearded old man from last night.

It could be roughly understood as the city guards of Locklak, responsible for daily security, patrols, caravan escort, and other tasks; when monsters attacked, they were also the last line of defense protecting the citizens, earning the trust of the residents of Locklak.

Since they often needed to fight monsters such as the Yellow Velocidrome and Winged Serpent Dragons invading the city, the members of the Citadel Guerrillas basically all possessed the identity of Hunters, though their ranks were mostly not high.

Many Novice Hunters would also choose to hone their skills in the Guerrilla for a few years; there were countless examples of those who started from the Guerrilla and, after becoming independent, grew into famous Hunters.

Because of all these reasons, unless one was a criminal with something to hide, anyone seeing someone wearing the Citadel Guerrilla Team Uniform would naturally feel a bit more goodwill, and Aolang was no exception.

He lowered his head a bit awkwardly and explained, "Sorry, I just couldn't find a place to sleep last night, and I was too tired, so I fell asleep here.

As for the drunkard thing, I didn't drink any alcohol."

The Guerrilla girl was stunned, leaned close to him, and sniffed twice; indeed, she smelled no alcohol.

Taking advantage of the dim light, she carefully examined Aolang's expression and the armor on his body.

He didn't seem to be lying, and his age should be younger than hers; could it be he hasn't reached adulthood yet?

The Novice Hunter's signature Hunter Set showed obvious signs of use, even with some bloodstains that hadn't been cleaned off in time; had he just returned from the hunting grounds?

"Didn't find a place to sleep..."

Because the mission failed, there was no reward money, so he didn't even have money for lodging? He was likely still hungry.

"So pitiful!"

The dissatisfaction in the Guerrilla girl's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by pity, heartache, and some inexplicable sense of responsibility, making Aolang feel all prickly.

She grabbed Aolang's hand and yanked him up from the tourist bench.

"Let's go! I'll treat you to breakfast, then find you a place to stay!"

Aolang: "?"

(Full-series City Fortress Guerrilla 【Bow】 Set illustration)

If I remember correctly from MH3, this set of Equipment requires materials from the Nargacuga... that's too absurd for the real world.

Here, define it as that kind of low-cost, high-value standard Equipment, referencing the Ore Set; it doesn't reach the Guard Team level, as the Guard Team uses the Guild Elite Knight's Equipment.