The Iron Sword, wreathed in crimson Spirit, came straight down and tore a deep gash through the Royal Ludroth's thick, sponge-like neck sac.
Altaïr landed without breaking stride, pivoted, and carved two more rapid slashes in a crossing pattern. The fully released Spirit transformed into an invisible storm of blades that erupted with his final spinning Wide Sweep.
In an instant, countless crisscrossing gashes burst across the Monster's neck sac and the vital points on its head and chest. With a pained wail, the unfortunate Royal Ludroth collapsed, convulsed, and gradually breathed its last.
Holding his final stance, Altaïr silently savored the last strike.
After a moment, he exhaled softly, snapped the blade to fling away the blood, and sheathed his sword. A faint smile of satisfaction crossed his face.
"Spirit Release Unsurpassed Slash... I've basically mastered it."
After placing the order for his new weapon, life had settled back into its familiar rhythm.
To rebuild the strength he had lost during a week in bed, he took several easy 2★ and 3★ quests in a row, hunting little more than Bulldrome, Great Jaggi, and Royal Ludroth.
To keep the fights from ending so quickly that they offered no exercise, he even bought the most basic Iron Sword from the smithy and used these low-difficulty hunts to rehabilitate himself through actual combat.
The approach worked well. Over the next few days, his condition gradually returned to its peak, with even faint signs of a breakthrough.
His command of Spirit Release in particular had grown much more assured.
Previously, he had only been able to perform the Release Combo with reasonable consistency. Now he could finally chain it after Spirit Helm Breaker and complete the Unsurpassed Slash he had pursued for so long.
"I suppose every cloud has a silver lining," Altaïr murmured to himself.
After quickly carving the prey's corpse, he returned to the outpost.
—--
Hunting a single Royal Ludroth hardly counted as a major battle. Once back at the outpost, Altaïr did not return to his lodgings to rest. Instead, he went straight to the Guild Hall tavern aboard the large ship to settle the quest.
Someone else would handle the Royal Ludroth's carcass. Its meat was not particularly good, but its sponge-like hide made excellent insulating leather and was highly prized by smiths.
More importantly, a special substance known as Dash Extract could be refined from its subcutaneous connective tissue. It was a core ingredient in Dash Juice and could not be allowed to go to waste.
Altaïr collected his share of the reward from Kagetsu, whose face plainly read, "If only this were my money." He was about to order some food when he heard someone call his name.
"Altaïr! Over here! Over here!"
He recognized the voice without even turning and strode toward it.
Isis stood beside a long tavern table, waving at him. Had she been alone, he would have been perfectly at ease, but Nymera and Senior Francesca were seated there as well.
That made it difficult to relax. He had the distinct feeling those two were plotting something...
Sure enough, before he had even settled into his seat, Nymera spoke. "I've received a reply."
"What reply?" Altaïr had no idea what she meant.
"The reply from Kamura Village!" Isis supplied as if it were obvious. "Didn't that physician say you should have those scars checked again?
"Nymera wrote to Kamura Village, and as luck would have it, that renowned traveling physician is staying there right now and plans to remain for a while.
"So we can leave now without worrying about making the trip for nothing."
"Oh... that," Altaïr replied vaguely.
Truth be told, he had barely given the matter any thought. In his eyes, the marks on his body were simply scars. As for the "abnormal agitation" the physician had mentioned, he felt that was mostly his own doing.
Both the red Spirit Gauge state at the limit of Spirit and Demon Mode, which set the blood surging, caused that so-called agitation. That was why Long Sword and Dual Blades users tended to be more impulsive than most.
Since he often activated both states at once, was twice the agitation, with twice the bad decisions, not perfectly normal?
"Well, I think we should leave it for another time. I feel great, and I'm perfectly healthy. Oh, right, I've mastered the Unsurpassed Slash..."
Altaïr tried to change the subject, but Isis cut him off. "No. Nymera has already written on your behalf and arranged everything. It would be terribly rude not to go."
"But Kamura Village is so far away..."
"Oh, what perfect timing!" Francesca interlaced her fingers beneath her chin and grinned. "As it happens, the advance team just ordered a shipment of medicinal herbs and potions from Kamura Village. The Airship that delivered it will be heading back, so you two can hitch a ride."
"...What kind of potions do we need to order all the way from Kamura Village?"
"Kamura is rich in resources, and its medicinal herbs are excellent." Francesca shrugged. "More importantly, I'm in charge of procurement."
She was not even pretending otherwise. Altaïr sighed helplessly. "A trip like this will take more than a few days. Won't the advance team be short-handed while we're gone?"
"Don't worry. I'm in charge of personnel too!"
Altaïr could only stare at her in silence.
"All right, I'm joking." Francesca's expression grew more serious. "First-wave construction at the outpost is essentially complete. The Village Chief's strategy is cautious, and there are no plans to expand the survey area for now. You Hunters have been fairly idle these past two months, haven't you?"
Altaïr fell silent.
That was true. In recent months, 1★ and 2★ quests had been plentiful, but 4★ and 5★ quests were hard to find. On an average day, they were lucky to snag a 3★ quest.
After all, Large Monsters with 4★ or 5★ danger ratings occupied the upper reaches of the food chain. Only a few lived in any given region, and they could not all be killed without upsetting the ecological balance.
As a result, elite Hunters like them had been bored for quite some time.
"Our progress has been faster than expected. Under the original plan, we were supposed to spend two or three months on the initial survey and confirm the outpost's location, then take another year to a year and a half to build it and lay the foundation for later operations.
"Yet less than a year after we landed, the outpost is nearly finished. The Guild and the Merchant Guild are already discussing bringing the next phase of development forward."
"What will the next phase involve?" Isis asked curiously.
"Simply put, we'll expand the operation. As far as the Hunters are concerned, we'll recruit more rookies at 2★ or even 1★ to accelerate resource development and collection, allowing us to expand the outpost further.
"At the same time, we'll build a port and establish trade routes."
Altaïr pressed her for more details. "What about exploring deeper into the island, such as the Great Volcano at its center?"
"That..."
Francesca looked uncomfortable. "That will have to wait a while. The Guild wants to develop the Mangrove Forest in the south, the plains, and the outer reaches of the mountain region before we go any deeper.
"The Merchant Guild also wants to accelerate construction of the port and storage warehouses so Mangrove Outpost can begin serving as a hub for maritime trade as soon as possible."
Disappointment showed plainly on Altaïr's face. Francesca scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed.
She had imagined the advance effort would be full of excitement and adventure, which was why she had so enthusiastically recruited Altaïr and Isis.
Reality, however, revolved around "stability" and "profit."
Adventure was the exception; steady construction was the day-to-day reality.
She glanced around, leaned closer, and lowered her voice. "So while things are quiet, there's no harm in getting yourself checked out.
"As for the advance team, recruitment is already underway in the Old World. A large group of new members should arrive in about two months.
"The Guild plans to designate the Mangrove Forest and the nearby mountains as public hunting grounds and establish regular shipping routes.
"Then we won't need so many elite Hunters permanently stationed at the outpost. Hunters from all over will be able to accept quests and travel here.
"By then, our contracts will effectively be complete.
"You two can stay if you like, and returning to Metapetatto is fine too. Or, if you find being stationed in one place boring, I can recommend you to the Wycademy. Its people travel all over, so that might suit you better."
Altaïr pressed his fingers lightly to his temple. "So that's how things stand. I understand."
"Then what are you still hesitating for? Hurry to Kamura Village and see the physician. If you're sick, get treated!"
"...What does any of that have to do with what you just said?"
"Nothing. But Isis is worried about you and wants you to go. So, damn it, are you going or not?"
"..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)