Bear School Astartes

”Thank you,” Lann said again, reattaching the small Shield Emblem with the [Early Revival Talisman] to his waist. ”A great farewell gift.”

The captain of the Second Period Team sat back down on the small stool, scratching his bristly beard.

”Well, it’s not entirely a ’farewell gift,’ but also a token of gratitude. After all, without you, I doubt I would have experienced such a forging process last time. It gave me a lot of inspiration.”

”Don’t be fooled by my age; I’m still ambitious in technological innovations! Haha!”

”Goodbye, Lann.”

”Goodbye, mate.”

The two hands clasped over the conveyor belt, then parted without any hesitation.

Lann waved a hand behind him without looking back and walked out of the forge.

Descending a level, he arrived at the circulation area of the Star Base.

It was still busy and fulfilling here, as the New Continent Expedition Team continued to sustain their livelihood while exploring nature.

Outside the base entrance, many people were already waiting.

With Lann’s face and social skills, he had already made quite a few friends during this time.

Wende, Aibo, the Sword Master, Aiden, Little Jack, the Commander-in-Chief, the Grand Commander, the head chef of the cafeteria...

As soon as Lann appeared, Wende, leaning against the door, raised a hand in greeting.

Lann naturally walked past him, giving a high-five in passing.

This fellow now looked like a streamlined knight in his armor, with two sharp horns jutting skywards from his head.

In recent times, his explorations had extended to the Land Coral Plateau.

He slashed his way through, turning paths once traversable only by a few elites into roads navigable by supply caravans.

Even the monsters of the New Continent likely accepted those roads as the territory of this ’powerful creature.’

Although the shape of this territory was a bit odd, there was no choice; who told him to be so formidable?

If the monsters passed by and tried to resist, he would just beat them up. If that didn’t work, he’d slay them.

After a while, things would settle down.

The armor he wore now was made after arriving at the Land Coral Plateau, from flying wyverns that had harassed hot air balloon ships, preventing them from taking off for years.

Apparently, they were called Wind Drifting Dragons.

”Did you receive the gift?”

Wende lifted the faceplate on his helmet and asked Lann with a smile.

”I did, and it took quite some effort to gather the materials for the talisman. How does it feel?”

The Demon Hunter gently stroked the small Shield Emblem on his belt, a fresh and natural sense of ease flooding his mind and body since he first wore it.

It was the nourishing and restorative vitality.

”It’s amazing.”

Lann first thanked Wende, then turned to smile at everyone.

”It’s not necessary for everyone to come, right?”

”That stag-head spirit may have been banished back and sealed, but its totems are still hidden in vast areas. Those stag-head spirits using [Random Teleportation] are very likely to be directed to the now ownerless totems during spell casting.”

”I definitely have to come back regularly for checks.”

”Let’s deal with things as they come,” the Commander-in-Chief said, stepping forward to speak to Lann.

”But for now, you’ve been acknowledged as a member of the Expedition Team. Since you’re going ’far away,’ we certainly have to see you off.”

”Or are you thinking of giving up the title of ’Fifth Period Team Special Recruit Hunter’?”

”Of course not, I’ve enjoyed being here,” Lann responded amidst the Commander-in-Chief’s banter, shaking his hand.

”Since you’re happy...”

A muffled voice, hushed by a helmet, came from behind the Commander-in-Chief.

The Commander-in-Chief stepped aside, revealing the Sword Master.

He still wore armor and wielded a longsword made from Firedragon materials.

This elder, who was the first to recognize that Lann was not a local, later spared no effort in teaching Lann hunter techniques.

He was someone Lann respected, someone who could be called ’teacher’ as a hunter.

”Do you plan to stay here longer? After all, we talked before, your homeland seems... like Hell.”

After the Sword Master spoke, the bustling base entrance fell into silence.

Everyone looked at Lann, who appeared to be deep in thought.

But eventually, the Demon Hunter raised his face, showing his usual smile.

His hair, like molten silver, and his face seemed to glow in the sunlight.

”Hell...”

Lann seemed to reflect, but then his tone shifted, becoming bright and calm.

”But do hunters turn away and flee because the monsters they face are too strong or too disgusting?”

In the silence, a quiet, muffled laugh suddenly came from the Sword Master under his helmet.

”Haha, indeed,”

”A person like you... surely doesn’t turn away and flee, huh.”

His armor clanking, the Sword Master came to Lann’s side, looking up at the tall young man.

Their palms grasped each other’s forearms firmly.

”Then continue to ’hunt,’ kid.”

”Of course, old man. The hunt never ends.”

Lann later received a large cloth bag from Aibo, filled with various flowers, mushrooms, and dried bugs she’d collected over time, useful for Alchemy.

Lann took the opportunity to pat Gaffi, the orange cat, on the head.

”Oh, I need to remind you,” Lann emphasized to the Grand Commander and the Commander-in-Chief after bidding farewell to everyone.

His expression was serious and earnest.

”Remember what I told you about being able to see the [blue dots] in the void? These dots are increasing in number.”

”During the Molten Mountain Dragon’s mutation, these dots gave me a bad feeling. Although no official reports of biological mutation have been submitted yet, I believe that from the state of these dots, the ecological changes have likely begun.”

”Ecological reactions have a latency,” said the research institute director, stroking his white beard from the side.

”The invisible [blue dots] causing the Elder Dragon’s behavioral changes... It’s a new theory. Well done, Lann!”

”Get moving! You lazy pigs! We have a new research direction!”

The old man of the Douding Dragon Race called out to his team while trotting briskly.

No more words were needed.

Lann and the hunters were not ones to linger.

So right there at the entrance to the Star Base, after waving each other off, everyone returned to their respective paths.

And the Demon Hunter continued walking outward, with a Three-Floral Kitten holding a stick, with a small bundle tied to one end.

Seeing Lann approaching, the furball jumped with joy.

Meowing, it trotted on all fours to Lann’s side.

”Ready to start the adventure, meow?”

The big round eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation.

This enthusiasm made Lann pinch his forehead, ”It’s not really an adventure... life isn’t always a dramatic journey after all.”