Mercenary Wars

Chapter 86 The Art of Long-Distance Travel

Gao Gano's team did not rush in immediately because they knew that most hunters would stop before the third camp, while with their strength, they could explore the area behind the third camp and even the fourth camp.

They will definitely do it, so there's no need to rush.

After all, after years of hunting, the area around the valley had become quite barren, and the number of magical beasts was far from enough for so many hunters to share. That is why the Hunter's Guild closed the valley and punished poachers.

Only in relatively remote valleys can one find enough prey relatively easily.

They certainly don't want to fail the biennial assessment because there aren't enough prey—which is precisely the outcome many test takers have to face.

“Let’s all introduce ourselves,” John suggested as he led the group into the valley.

“My name is Andrew,” the dark-skinned hunter said. “Level 2 warrior, Level 2 hunter, formerly a fisherman from the Broken Isles.”

Calcro couldn't help but ask, "How did you go from being a fisherman to a combat professional?"

“I always wanted to be an adventurer, but I never had the chance until I caught a Queen Disson fish and sold it for a lot of money!” Andrew said.

“Queen Disson fish.” Calcrow seemed to swallow hard. “That is indeed a rare delicacy.”

Then came the short guy: "Colin, Level 3 Thief, Level 2 Hunter, Ironfist Brotherhood henchman."

Andrew: "You're already a Level 3 Thief, why are you taking the Level 3 Hunter exam? The Ironfist Brotherhood and the Hunter's Guild are located at almost opposite ends of Southshore. Isn't it inconvenient to travel back and forth between these two places so often?"

Colin paused for two seconds: "I've had enough of this business. I have a terrible relationship with those thugs. If I didn't have two years left on my contract, I would never want to set foot in Broken Finger Alley again in my life."

John said, "Lohar is a real bastard. If I could beat him up, I definitely would!"

Calcrown: "Hmm, it seems we have quite a few things in common."

He looked at Gaucano: "If I remember correctly, you were a page who was tired of church life?"

"More or less," Gao Jiano nodded.

Andrew seemed to have thought of something: "Tired of being a church page, you wouldn't...?"

Gaucano was a little embarrassed: "At least I haven't experienced what's rumored. Of course, churches aren't as glamorous as they seem on the surface. There's no real difference between pastors and lay believers."

Colin: "I have seen a church page in the fraternity who had that kind of experience. He was a man, but he had a beautiful head of smooth silver hair and was more beautiful than many women. He also had a terrible pastor. I can only say that sending him to the church was the worst decision his parents ever made, without a doubt."

John seemed to realize something: "You mean Nils?"

Colin shrugged. "Looks like it's not a secret anymore."

John: "That guy's nickname is 'The Skinner.' I don't know how many people he has cruelly tortured. If it weren't for his experience at the church, his mentality wouldn't be so twisted."

Calcro: "Gaugano must have met a very good priest."

John nodded and looked at Gao Gano, saying, "Yes, compared to a hunter, you seem more like a magician and scholar. I bet the priest who teaches you must be a learned and kind person."

"..." Gao Jiano didn't say anything.

After another conversation, Calcro suggested, "Do you know the spell for long-distance travel?"

The three of them, including Gao Jiano, nodded. John then said, "Young Master, are you planning to speed things up?"

Calcrow nodded: "I want to cross Camp 3 by tomorrow night."

John immediately quickened his pace, and although he was still walking, his strides were long and fast, even faster than a normal person jogging: "Everyone, keep up with me!"

The other four used their teleportation abilities to follow closely behind with light steps.

The Long March technique doesn't directly increase speed, but it greatly alleviates the leg strain caused by long journeys, allowing them to easily maintain a brisk walking pace throughout the day.

Under this intense walking pace, the five gradually caught up with and overtook the other hunters.

When they rested that night, they crossed the first camp and went ahead of most of the hunters.

The next day, they crossed the second and third camps one after another, leaving almost all the hunters behind.

The other hunters were left so far behind, partly because they didn't know the Long Travel spell, but mainly because they had already started to get busy hunting.

After all, only a few hunters dare to cross the third camp. Most hunters are not that strong and have to rely heavily on their speed and luck in stealing monsters. For them, the ideal outcome is undoubtedly to take advantage of the relatively large number of monsters and find enough prey in the outer areas.

The five-person team headed straight into the depths of the valley.

Shortly after they passed the third camp, the faint cry of deer could be heard.

"It's a giant antler deer!" They quickly discovered the source of the sound, their eyes lighting up. "It's definitely at least a level two creature!"

The giant antlered deer also spotted them.

The giant antler deer is a rather ferocious magical beast. Seeing the five hunters, its violent nature caused it to let out angry cries.

However, the giant antler deer is also a relatively intelligent magical beast, so it ultimately chose to flee.

Upon seeing this, John immediately roared and launched a swift charge in the direction the giant stag had fled, then leaped across the distance of several dozen meters.

"Boom!" Upon closing in, John raised his hand and smashed the antlers off with a powerful shield strike.

"Roar!" The giant horned deer roared and tried to resist, but it was obviously no match for the strength of a level 5 warrior and was quickly subdued on the ground.

The other four arrived and bound the giant antler deer with iron chains.

Andrew couldn't help but say, "We've only just passed the third camp and we've already spotted a giant antler deer. There really are more magical beasts deep in the valleys!"

Colin: "Maybe we'll be able to gather enough prey for the shooting and taming specializations soon, but the month-long survival specialization is a bit of a problem."

Andrew: "It's not too much trouble. After we gather the prey, we can go back to the outer area, find a place with water, and wait for a month."

Calcrown said, "There's no need to look for a water source. John and I have plenty of water and food in our storage rings, enough for five people. And you all have storage rings, so you should have some supplies as well."

Seeing the high-level storage ring on his finger, everyone couldn't help but show a relieved expression.

"Let's pitch our tents here."

(End of this chapter)