Bear School Astartes

The investigation team went to great lengths to organize this convoy all for the Molten Mountain Dragon.

So there’s nothing much to say; as soon as everyone arrived at the Great Ant Mound Wasteland, they immediately engaged in investigating the Molten Mountain Dragon without even a moment to rest.

Led by the hunter Wende, who discovered the traces of the Molten Mountain Dragon, the Commander-in-Chief, Lann, Aiden, and other frontline combat personnel from the plan, set out to scout the situation together.

Although Aiden hadn’t received the authorization to take on four-star and above missions yet.

But this time, it’s a group operation, and the Molten Mountain Dragon’s lethality mainly lies in the active volcanoes on its body, referred to as ’harsh environment’.

Facing harsh environments is something hunters must learn even at the one-star level.

Therefore, hunters like Aiden, who haven’t regained their star levels, are also allowed to participate in this operation.

Lann wore a resigned expression as he was once again pulled into the middle by Wende and Aibo.

”Hey, Lann. Why the long face after such a long time? Give us a smile!”

Aibo laughed easily as she pulled one of Lann’s hands with surprising strength.

”Yeah, Lann. Give us a smile, meow.”

Lann, caught in between, became a bridge as Gaffi leapt from Wende to Aibo, running happily.

This orange cat recently got a new set of equipment and it seems quite hefty.

The Demon Hunter forced a smile, showing a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

”Haha.”

”I remember someone boasting they would find a mount worthy of them. Yet here you are, still hanging like a dried sausage.”

Aibo seemed carefree but loved to joke around.

Now she mischievously teased Lann.

And the Demon Hunter could only chuckle awkwardly, turning his head aside.

He had been busy communicating with the researchers at the ecological institute and learning techniques from hunters lately.

Although he also took on missions, he always chose those not far from the stars. Gradually, the thought of finding a mount was pushed aside in the hustle.

The Commander-in-Chief, Aiden, and Little Jack stood by watching the commotion with smiles.

However, Wende’s voice saved the awkward Lann in time.

”Stop joking, Aibo. It’s time to get to work!”

His stern voice brought Aibo back to mission mode immediately.

The mischievousness vanished, and she returned to being the professional and energetic investigator.

At the same time, a wisp of white smoke rose from the ground to the skies.

It even drifted near the investigation team riding the flying wyverns.

The white smoke carried a pungent sulfur smell.

Everyone looked down.

A scorched path nearly a hundred meters wide stretching to the horizon lay directly below them.

The wind-eroded rocks and sand of the Great Ant Mound Wasteland were all melted into glass-like forms on this path due to high temperatures.

But even this glass is far from pure; the lava shed by the Molten Mountain Dragon maintained a semi-solid viscous shape, cooling and solidifying into black residues and hard chunks.

”Good job, Wende. Well done!”

The trail of the Molten Mountain Dragon was right in front of them, and even the always calm and composed Commander-in-Chief couldn’t help but have a hint of excitement in his voice.

This trace looked very conspicuous and huge from a human perspective.

But on the vast land of the Great Ant Mound Wasteland, it was no more than a tiny stream on a hilltop.

Finding it wasn’t easy.

Then, several of them urged their flying wyverns to pursue along this trail.

In no time, Lann once again saw the mythical creature he had seen when he first arrived in this world.

The immense Molten Mountain Dragon moved its body.

The body, over 240 meters long, appeared clumsy and heavy, but in reality, each move covered over ten meters.

The high-temperature secretions within its body resembled the scorching lava erupting during a volcanic explosion, trailing black smoke tails through the air before crashing to the ground.

Every breath brought a roar in the air due to its immense lung capacity.

This is the elder Molten Mountain Dragon.

It was their first time seeing the body of the Molten Mountain Dragon directly, and some of them were momentarily dazed.

However, Lann and Wende’s performance was much better.

”So...” Lann, hanging like dried meat, tilted his head and said expressionlessly.

”Our plan is to block this... ’thing’? A living volcano?”

The Commander-in-Chief was also at a loss for words.

Those who hadn’t seen the physical form of the Molten Mountain Dragon always had no concept of it.

The resulting plans thus became a bit... presumptuous.

”Uh, can we predict its movement trajectory?”

The Commander-in-Chief lightly cleared his throat awkwardly at Lann’s words, then asked to change the topic.

”We’ve been tracking it continuously for nearly two months before the convoy arrived. Based on the data collected during this time, I believe it’s heading straight for that mountain range.”

Aibo, in professional mode, cleanly and succinctly completed her report.

Her free hand pointed to the far horizon, where a chain of mountains lay along it.

”Mountain range?” Aiden asked in confusion. ”Does it really want to climb with its weight?”

”Not climb. I guess it wants to crash directly through the weak parts of the mountains.”

Wende calmly suggested a notion that made Aiden drop his jaw.

”From what I understand about this guy over the period, its size leads to habits completely different from smaller creatures. After all, the mountains to us look like mounds to it.”

”Activities that require us to cross the ocean take just a simple walk for it.”

”I reckon these mountains in its life experience are just thicker walls it needs to find a way through.”

The stark contrast in perspectives due to different creature sizes throughout long lifespans was laid bare to the hunters, delivering an immense psychological shock, leading to a moment of silence.

”So now, we need to reassess the operation plan, Commander-in-Chief.”

Lann broke the silence first, hanging in place.

Everyone looked at him as a result.

”According to your plan, we need to locally source materials to construct a barricade primarily out of timber, equipped with cannons and ballistae, to hinder the Molten Mountain Dragon’s advance and deplete its already waning strength due to old age.”

”But if this creature can crash through even the mountains’ weak points... Commander-in-Chief, a twenty-meter-thick rock wall in these mountains is like paper.”

”And if we replace this ’paper-thin’ defense with a wooden wall based on similar strength, even with optimized structural support, the wall needs to be at least a hundred meters thick, right?”

”Can we manage the construction progress on time?”

”Can we gather the timber on time?”

The series of pointed questions laid the data starkly on the table, making the Commander-in-Chief’s face grow even darker.

In the end, the old man’s gaze locked solemnly onto the ancient dragon seemingly set to bulldoze everything in its way.

He nonetheless turned to ask the alternate-world hunter.

”Seems my plan was quite presumptuous... This awe-inspiring nature.”

”So do you have any ideas, Lann?”

”I suppose I do.” The Demon Hunter responded almost without thinking.