Amos's gift was also much liked by Gordon; it was a portable telescope.
"Observation, thinking, hunting—you don't just rely on muscles, but on your brain too, don't forget that," Amos said with a smile, watching Gordon hang the small telescope around his neck.
"I'll remember that, thank you, Amos Senior, I really like it!"
Zhu Pa gave him a bone flute only the size of a finger, uniquely Airou in design, which, when played, produced a clear, ringing sound identical to a titmouse.
Rubbing Zhu Pa's small head hard, Gordon smiled happily, "You're very skillful, Zhu Pa!"
Hayata's gift seemed unremarkable; it was a thin string she had personally woven, with fine metal threads mixed in, making it beautiful and strong, perfect for hanging foreign ancient coins.
This gift made Oshura's eyes red with envy; in her eyes, it was simply the strongest lucky charm!
"It's beautiful! Thanks, Hayata!"
Gordon immediately replaced the beast sinew string he had originally used for the foreign ancient coin, then held the re-threaded coin in front of Hayata, looking at her expectantly, and said, "Help me put another buff on it, Hayata!"
"Buff?" Hayata's face was full of question marks.
"It's like a Hunting Flute's status boost, the kind that adds luck!"
"Ho-how do I do that?" Hayata also understood that Gordon was engaging in superstitious activities.
"Sing a hymn? Do a prayer dance?" Oshura, who believed in these things the most, couldn't help but lean over and suggest, "Or blow on it or something?"
The first two options were too difficult for anyone, only the last suggestion was simpler. Hayata, with a flushed face, leaned towards Gordon's hand, swept aside the beautiful hair by her ear, and gently blew on the ancient coin.
His palm felt ticklish, but Gordon didn't notice the delicate sensation; he just chuckled foolishly as he hung the "Luck +1" ancient coin back on his chest, patting it with satisfaction.
Oshura, watching with a sour feeling in her teeth, almost couldn't resist snatching it.
After a feast, the birthday party finally entered its final stage: eating cake.
The huge cake, which looked incredibly delicious, was said to be the result of the combined efforts of Tiki and Machi, the two Receptionists.
—The soft cake base, the smooth cream, the exquisite and beautiful piping were all the work of "reliable senior" Machi, while "lazy vase" Tiki was responsible for writing a scrawled "Happy Birthday, Gordon!" on top of the cake.
Candles, wishes, cutting the cake.
With a not-so-neat, but sufficiently sincere and enthusiastic "Happy Birthday!"
Gordon turned eighteen.
Shuretsusen Hill, Southeast Hunting Field, Hunter Camp.
Gordon double-checked his item carrying situation and the sharpness of his Giant Scissors, then meticulously tightened the straps of his Refined Ore Set.
After confirming everything was ready, he waved to Zhu Pa, "Time to go, Zhu Pa, this time it's for real!"
"Meow!"
Nearly a year had passed since he arrived in Minagarde.
During this year, Gordon spent at least seventy to eighty percent of his time either in the Hunting Field or on the way to and from the Hunting Field, finally accumulating enough Two-Star quests.
He had also teamed up many times with Oshura, Ted, and several other familiar Hunters, successfully hunting many Three-Star monsters like King Yian Kut-Ku, Daimyo Hermitaur, Nemiau, Water Beast, and River Beast.
In the eyes of those familiar with Gordon, the only difference between him and a true Three-Star Hunter was the missing half-star on the cover of his Hunter's Notebook.
And this time, he finally applied for the long-awaited promotion quest.
—
Hunting Quest (Urgent Quest): Orange-Red Shadow (★★★)
Quest Content: Hunt the Great Izuchi
Reward: 8000z
Quest Location: Shuretsusen Hill
Possible Monsters: Blue Velocidrome, Great Wild Boar, Qimian Tribe
Time Limit: 7 days
Royal Paleontological Scribes Observer: A restless Great Izuchi has left its original territory and arrived at the southeastern foot of Shuretsusen Hill. Under the coverage of its hunting range, passing travelers, merchant caravans, and even villages will be threatened.
Please hunt it down before it causes greater destruction.
—
Considering the difficulty of the hunt, Gordon's decision to accept this quest as his promotion quest to Three-Star Hunter was actually very unwise.
In terms of combat power alone, the Great Izuchi is on the same level as large monsters like the Daimyo Hermitaur, but the former's excellent flying ability makes this Bird Wyvern monster, known as "Teacher," several notches more troublesome.
According to Miles, the easiest weapon to deal with the Great Izuchi is actually the Light Bowgun.
As long as you carry as many Armor Piercing Grenades as possible and aim for the head, you can easily inflict heavy damage. If the Great Izuchi is in the process of taking off, you can even directly shoot it down, creating a huge opening.
In contrast, swordsmen like Gordon are at a disadvantage.
Their long and powerful legs make it difficult for swordsmen's weapons to reach the Great Izuchi's soft chest and abdomen vital points. Its constantly flapping wings not only create wind pressure that makes Hunters unstable but can also easily repel approaching Hunters with a swing.
Once they fly, swordsmen without ranged attack methods can only stare helplessly, truly passive in every way.
There were too many reasons to avoid this quest.
Gordon could have waited a few more days and chosen a Three-Star monster he had hunting experience with as a target, such as the King Yian Kut-Ku, and then easily completed the promotion.
However, when he saw the words "Great Izuchi" marked in the hunting target column, he still resolutely accepted this urgent quest slip.
The reason was simple.
Becoming a Three-Star Hunter was never his goal, not even a short-term one.
What he wanted was to become stronger.
So what if it can fly? So what if its difficulty ranks among the top of Three-Star monsters? Isn't it just a "small flying wyvern"?
Compared to how much stronger he had become since first arriving in Minagarde last year, if he were to cower before "Teacher Yian Kut-Ku" and worry about failing the promotion quest, then what was the point of talking about hunting the "King of the Skies"?
"My Giant Scissors are already itching for action!"
The sun was about to reach its zenith, and the late spring midday sun already had some power.
By the riverbank, Gordon cupped river water and drank a couple of mouthfuls, then casually washed his face, immediately feeling much cooler. After filling his waterskin and hanging it back on his waist, he stood up and carefully observed his surroundings.
The rainfall in recent weeks had been somewhat exaggeratedly frequent. The river channel was full of water, and the soil by the bank was very soft and muddy. Numerous mounds left by the activity of small river crabs, snails, and earthworms covered the riverbank, and the growth of aquatic plants and Moss was also quite good.
All of these were very valuable pieces of information.
Fish, shrimp, crabs, river snails, earthworms—these were all favorite foods of the Great Izuchi. At a time when the target's activity area could not be determined, searching for clues along the Great Izuchi's preferred feeding grounds and water sources was a good option.
"Zhu Pa, let's search carefully!"
The Hunter and the cat searched along the riverbank for a long time, but unfortunately, they found nothing. Perhaps due to the heavy rain last night, no notable footprints were left on the riverbank.
A gentle breeze blew by.
Zhu Pa, who had been lying on the ground searching carefully, suddenly stood up. It twitched its nose, carefully discerning the faint unusual smell carried by the wind.
"Did you find anything?"
"It's the smell of rotting corpses, meow!"
"Come on, let's go see!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.