Chapter 11: The Support of a Wilderness Hunter

Chapter 11: Support from a Wilderness Hunter

Furong tore open a piece of gauze from her medical kit and knelt beside a Guard operative, carefully dressing his wound as she muttered, “If only the drones could be deployed, this problem would have been solved long ago.”

Migloo looked at his shield, scratched and battered, his face full of concern as he sighed, “With drones out of commission for the foreseeable future, this level of activity requires demolition—sealing the mine shaft and waiting for the Originium dust to settle before resuming extraction. Honestly, it’s incredible that such a rare event—Originium dust activating the ore vein—could happen, especially with so many accompanying Originium bugs. Maybe I should buy some lottery tickets in Lungmen; who knows, I might win enough to reinforce my shield properly.”

“You’ve been on more missions than any of us. The Doctor must have paid you well, plus the elite operator bonuses. With so much money, if you don’t spend it, the currency will depreciate. Then you’ll be the one crying,” Furong teased as she finished her work. She then turned to the Guard operative with a warning: “This is just a temporary dressing. Once back at the base, you’ll need surgery. Another accident and you might lose the limb. You won’t be deployed anymore.”

“Thank you,” the nearly exhausted Guard operative said, lying motionless on the cold ground, exhaling thick white breath.

Migloo ran his fingers through his orange hair in frustration. “Hey, how did you know I was saving money? I heard there are training classes in Lungmen where you can learn a lot of useful knowledge. We can’t be stuck as C-rank operators forever. I still feel too weak compared to many veterans. Promotion definitely requires a wealth of knowledge, and now that the Doctor is back, there will be plenty of opportunities…”

Nearby, Yanrong’s face was full of irritation. For a Five-Star warrior to call herself weak was simply too much.

Though they were teammates, Migloo was like a humble top student at school—after exams, she’d check the answers and say she only got two out of ten right, sure she’d fail, making the weaker students nervous while the underachievers couldn’t care less. But when the results came out, the humble top student scored perfectly, the fragile students missed five, and the underachievers got six right.

The top student would still claim she guessed everything, while the underachievers scoffed, saying they just picked ‘C’ for everything and didn’t care if they were wrong.

So, Migloo, the heavily armored operator who constantly doubted herself, actually had five As on her report card—truly a stellar newcomer, though unaware of her own excessive modesty. Yet her enthusiasm made Yanrong and Furong, the two sisters, impossible to dislike her.

“Doctor, Doctor…” Yanrong looked down at the heavy book in her hands. They said, “The path to redemption lies within,” but it felt like a joke. And that nickname, the Flame Dancer Yanrong, was always teased by her teammates.

Sighing, she felt a surge of anger and wanted to throw the book at that annoying face. The title Flame Dancer belonged to Miss Eyjafjalla. Now that the Doctor was back, revenge was finally possible!

Just then, from a nearby platform, a signal arrow soared into the sky, bursting into brilliant flames.

“It’s Kross’s signal! Armored operators, follow me! We must block all the Originium bugs at the mine entrance!”

Migloo sprang up, grabbed her heavy shield, and shouted as she sprinted toward the front line. Her body emitted a faint glow, making her appear slightly larger as six other armored operators followed, shields raised.

“Time to work,” Yanrong dashed quickly to the nearest platform, with two other caster operators close behind. As one foot landed on the platform, a black dagger slipped from the pages of a book into Yanrong’s hand. A spark of flame erupted in the darkness, accompanied by the chirping and squeaking of Originium bugs. The purple-haired girl gasped in surprise.

“That is…”

On the ground, Migloo planted her feet firmly and raised her Rhodes Island-issue shield. A blue energy barrier shimmered across its five-meter width, shielding the team. The barriers linked together, blocking the mine exit firmly. A burst of flame exploded from the Originium bug swarm, toppling many enemies and kicking up dust.

Before the dust settled, the first wave of bugs charged forward, crashing into the barrier. Migloo felt a heavy weight on her arms, noticing a fine crack forming on the energy shield.

“Why are there acid Originium bugs?!”

Swish.

An arrow flew from behind, piercing the foremost bug and knocking it away. Kross’s backup had finally arrived, easing Migloo’s mind. She swung her sword with one hand, fighting off the enemies, but quickly sensed something was off.

Kross fired single arrows with limited rate of fire—this was known to the team—and she was familiar with the sniper’s attack rhythm. But there was a new figure among the comrades on the rear platform, someone unknown who could shoot two arrows simultaneously. This drastically reduced the pressure from the acid bugs’ shield-breaking effect, allowing the armored operators to handle the situation more calmly.

Who could this be?

After the Originium bugs’ second feeble charge, Migloo exhaled deeply and lowered her shield. Looking up at the dim sky, dawn was still some time away. She wondered how far Fen was in escorting the laborers from the extraction point and when the Rhodes Island support squad would arrive. Thoughts swirling, she headed back toward the makeshift shelter and encountered the unfamiliar archer who had lent support from the platform.

The young girl was about Migloo’s height, with light-colored hair and a pair of finely furred pointed ears. The left ear bore a missing piece for unknown reasons. Her gaze was sharp and unrelenting, even after the fight, fixated on the Rhodes Island emblem on the armored operator’s uniform.

“Hey, are you the Rhodes Island operatives?” the girl asked.

Migloo nodded. “I’m an armored operator from Rhodes Island’s A1 Reserve Unit. May I ask your name…”

Realizing her phrasing was a bit off, the archer nervously tugged at her cloak and lowered her voice. “Um, I’m a wilderness hunter from a nearby settlement. My name is Red Cloud. I don’t have a surname. I heard you were fighting here, so I came to have a look and see if I could find some work.”

Migloo quickly noticed the Originium particles exposed on Red Cloud’s right shoulder and discreetly reached out her hand with a warm smile.

“Welcome. We’ve been short of a hunter familiar with the local environment. You perfectly fill the gap. I can draft a temporary contract for you. Salary and conditions are negotiable. Combat operatives earn quite well. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied, Miss Red Cloud.”

Behind Red Cloud, Yanrong shivered slightly at the radiant smile on Migloo’s face. She thought to herself: once caught by such enthusiasm, a hunter likely wouldn’t be able to escape.

(End of Chapter)