[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage":3,"chapter-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-467":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},148130,246,"Chapter 466: Shell Hunting","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-467",467,"\u003Cp>CH466 Shell Hunting\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My babies are always hungry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex stared at Kavakan for a moment—then burst into hearty laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well,\" he said. \"Can I leave the big one to you, then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leave it to me.\" Kavakan thumped his chest confidently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex nodded before turning to Silver and Havel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about you two? Are you up for the challenge?\" he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel shrugged casually, but the hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed katana betrayed his excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll need the steel arrows,\" Silver muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and swapped quivers with a Crossbowman carrying her spare ammunition, then looked back at Alex and nodded once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex was about to give the order when another thought struck him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze shifted to Fen, who was currently nestled in Zora’s bosom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Fen,\" Alex said casually. \"Don’t they look like quality cooking ingredients?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen locked his gaze onto the Desert Crabs for a long moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bark~!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cooking the crabs wouldn’t be easy given their anatomy, but Chef Fen welcomed the challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Zora saw that smile, she knew a scheme was brewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know the difference between a world-class chef and an ordinary, forgettable one?\" Alex asked solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A world-class chef knows how to source his own ingredients. A true world-class chef must be able to hunt for his ingredients when needed,\" Alex said, as though imparting the greatest secret in existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you want to become a world-class chef?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bark!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then go hunt your ingredients yourself!\" Alex pointed theatrically at the crabs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bark!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen leapt out of Zora’s embrace, morphing back into his direwolf form the instant his paws hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bark! (I am ready!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good.\" Alex smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zora shot him a reproachful glare but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the expedition party struggled to suppress their amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the elven party, they stared in disbelief—none of them had expected Alex to have such a joking side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex turned back to his three chosen combatants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kavakan, the Crystal Scorpion is yours. Havel, take out the five small fry. Fen will provide control support. Silver, do as you wish.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He motioned for the others to pull back slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have fun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen, Havel, Kavakan, and Silver locked their eyes on their prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m going first!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kavakan shot forward, taking a wide arcing path toward the rear of the formation where the Crystal Scorpion had retreated, its glossy carapace shifting through the ground as if it were searching for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can I get a lift?\" Havel asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen gave him a brief look before nodding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel hopped onto Fen’s back, and the direwolf made a beeline for the cluster of arthropods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver, meanwhile, advanced calmly, already nocking one of her specialised steel arrows—longer, heavier, and far denser than her usual arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Desert Crabs and Armoured Scorpions had notoriously poor eyesight. Instead of sight, they relied on vibrations transmitted through the ground to locate threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As such, Fen—deliberately loud and fast—was the first to be detected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clack—clack!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Armoured Scorpions snapped their massive claws together and surged forward to intercept him, while the three Desert Crabs fanned out, attempting to encircle their target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Fen was far too cunning to charge them head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Frost Breath]!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A torrent of icy mist blasted forth from his maw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scorpions themselves remained unharmed, but their legs instantly iced over, freezing them in place and robbing them of mobility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel leapt from Fen’s back mid-charge, twisting in the air before bringing his sword down toward the crab on the left—while Fen lunged at the crab on the right with raking claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the last moment, Havel sensed something wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instinctively rotated his grip, striking with the flat of his blade instead of the edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clank!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sparks burst outward as the blade struck the crab’s carapace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact sent a tremor through Havel’s arms, while Fen felt the shock reverberate up his limbs as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Man and beast both recoiled slightly, staring at the crabs with renewed seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Fen and Havel failed to bring down the Desert Crabs, their assault wasn’t without purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It drew the attention of the entire group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That opening was all Kavakan needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slipping in from behind, the weretiger brought his axe down in a powerful arc toward the Crystal Scorpion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clank!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The axe struck true—yet the scorpion didn’t even flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch—damn!\" Kavakan growled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His arm trembled violently from the impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his wrist to his elbow, numbness spread almost instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s one tough skin...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, before Kavakan could even finish appreciating the scorpion’s defence, its stinger lashed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He barely managed to twist aside as the stinger pierced through the space where his chest had been a moment earlier and slammed into the ground behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corroded earth offered no resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stinger plunged in like a hot knife through butter, leaving behind a one-metre-deep hole as the ground hissed and bubbled violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kavakan rolled away immediately, opening distance between himself and the Crystal Scorpion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I can’t let that thing even graze me,’ the grim realisation settled in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’One hit... and I’m dead.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the expedition party—and the elven group—had repositioned themselves at a safe vantage point to observe the unfolding battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the unfavourable situation of Alex’s followers, Naena and Aylora exchanged a glance before turning to Yerion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Say something...\" Aylora whispered urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yerion hesitated, then shook his head—but still stepped forward toward Alex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir Alex,\" he said carefully, \"we might be able to assist your people if you would allow us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for the offer,\" Alex replied calmly, \"but my people can handle these beasts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued evenly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If these were different creatures of similar strength, I might have accepted your help. But with how skewed their strengths and weaknesses are, those four are more than enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those attacks were only probes,\" Alex cut him off, his tone firm but confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now watch. This is where the hunt actually begins.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tilted his chin toward Silver, who had just arrived within range of Fen and Havel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver moved into position with practiced calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fen and Havel had drawn the full attention of the Desert Crabs and Armoured Scorpions, engaging them so thoroughly that none noticed her arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If their shells can deflect Havel’s blade and Fen’s claws,’ Silver assessed coolly, ’then they’ll withstand my arrows as well.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Unless...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nocked a steel arrow and loosed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel sensed Silver’s presence the instant she arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He adjusted his movements, subtly guiding the crab he was engaging into her line of fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden glint flashed toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every instinct screamed for him to dodge—but he forced himself to hold position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steel arrow whistled past his face by a hair’s breadth and struck the crab a few metres behind him instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting to confirm the hit, Havel surged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’As expected.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver’s arrow had buried itself cleanly at the base of the crab’s eyestalk—right into the nerve cluster hidden within the socket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crab spasmed violently, then froze mid-step, its massive body locked in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel arrived in the next instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove his blade diagonally upward into the creature’s soft underbelly, just behind its mouthparts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Desert Crab collapsed, lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From their vantage point, a proud smile tugged at Alex’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>",1221,"2026-05-29T03:49:10.137Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","d1100910b4956ab0c3ce35a4e6213a1e6d6f8dbe529d82ae07ccff14e0af8f17","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-468","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-466",692,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fre-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-cover.jpg"]