Leaving the oven-like lava cave, the two and a cat came to the surface.

The temperature here is obviously close, even more than forty degrees, but Gordon still has a feeling of "really cool".

Or an illusion.

The iron-gray ground has wavy lines, which are traces of lava flowing, there is no vegetation on the bare slopes, and the occasional puddle of water is not fresh water, but strong acid.

"The environment is so bad that I don't know what these volcanic creatures live on, drink sulfuric acid and eat magma?" Gordon sighed.

"Occasionally, animals will pass by, and in other places, we don't know that there may be water sources and heat-tolerant plants." Anhill lifted the top hat-style helmet, "Volcanic organisms do have a high utilization rate of organic matter.

Insect scavengers, located at the bottom of the ecological chain, are also the food of many small animals, and then there are first-class predators, but no matter how powerful the predators are, they will also die, turn into carrion and become food for insects. ”

"Yo, the young master knows a lot!" Gordon grinned and teased.

Anhill glanced at him, "Don't just build muscles on weekdays, read more books, knowledge is power." ”

"Hahaha, there's an old guy who said the same thing as me, 'Knowledge is power'!" Gordon remembered what Miles had said when he gave him books on his birthday last year, "He used to be a high-ranking crossbowman." ”

"Ever? A retired old hunter? ”

"Ha, no, the old man is still active, but he is old and it is more difficult to operate a heavy ballista, so he has changed to a light crossbow."

"I see, if I have the chance, I'd like to visit it in person."

The two of them wandered along the hillside, and finally came to a steep rock face.

Gordon took out the map and compared it, and said with satisfaction: "This is it!" Ready to start! ”

Seeing Gordon pick up the iron pickaxe, Anhill and the pork chop also consciously entered a state of alert.

The previous successive encounters with the Red Swift Dragon and the Red Armor Beast proved that this seemingly desolate and silent place was also full of danger and life.

Gordon was pounding and digging the rock wall, occasionally cheering for the high-quality ore he had collected, while Anhill on the side was on the alert, and he divided some of his energy to observe the surroundings.

Suddenly, his eyes were attracted by a series of marks on the rock wall, and he couldn't help but step away and walk over.

Putting another stone in his bag, Gordon, who was just about to catch his breath, noticed Ansill's abnormality and approached the trace.

It is a series of small craters roughly diamond-shaped, arranged regularly on the rock face almost perpendicular to the ground.

The pit was deep, one or twenty centimeters long, with sharp edges, like the marks left by a sharp sword when it was plunged deep into the rock wall and pulled out.

"It's . What is the footprint of the crustacean species? Gordon muttered to himself in surprise.

He has the impression that crustaceans like to live in humid places, such as the seaside, riverside, or dense forests, and the shield crab is the most typical example.

How is it that in such a hot and arid place as a volcano, there are also crustacean species?

"You know?" Hearing Gordon's self-talk, Anhill was slightly surprised.

"Know what?"

"That's the kind of footprint."

"Oh, I've hunted the Daimyo Shield Crab before, and its footprints are pretty much like this, two rows of small pits that are fine and regular, who makes them have more legs?"

"Daimyo Shield Crab? No wonder, it's a bit of a sideline. Anhill stroked the sharp edge of the pit and said, "This is the footprint of the sickle crab, to be precise, the general sickle crab." ”

He hesitated for a few seconds, but finally continued, "This is my real goal in coming to the volcanic zone. ”

"General Scythe? Your goal? Gordon couldn't help but turn his head to look at Anhill, "You want to gar it and then collect materials to make equipment?" ”

"Well, sort of." Anhill's tone was a little low.

"You kid wants to sneak away." Gordon said hesitantly: "The general scythe crab is a four-star monster, are you sure?" ”

In Gordon's mouth, "sneaking away" refers to hunting monsters higher than his hunter level in advance and making equipment by participating in exploration missions, or taking advantage of the loopholes of other large monsters in some missions.

The benefits of this are clear.

For example, Anhill is a three-star hunter at this time, if he obtains a weapon made of four-star monster materials in advance, and then uses it to deal with three-star monsters, it will naturally be much easier.

However, the price of high returns comes with high risk.

The danger level assigned by the Hunter Guild to monsters is very strict and exquisite, and the four-star General Scythe Crab is a whole level stronger than the three-star Daimyo Shield Crab!

Gordon admits that Anhill is very strong, but he should not have reached the level of a four-star hunter.

What does a four-star hunter represent?

It means that they have the strength to hunt real flying dragons like male and female fire dragons, horned dragons, and booming dragons alone!

In other words, the danger level of the General's Scythe Crab is the same as that of the male fire dragon who almost killed Gordon at that time.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." After another brief silence, Anhill spoke.

Gordon was a little speechless, "I'm not sure you dare to sneak away?" Don't want to die? Anyway, what are you anxious about, can't you improve your strength steadily? ”

Anhill lowered the brim of his hat so that Gordon couldn't see his expression.

"I've been promoted to three stars for more than a year." Anhill explained, with a hint of weakness, "For more than a year, I have not made any progress, from equipment to technology.

A little over a year ago, Julius and I were promoted to three stars at the same time at the age of less than twenty, and we were nicknamed 'Twin Stars' by everyone at Dondoruma.

And now, Julius has successfully hunted the general scythe crab and been promoted to the fourth level hunter, but I am still wandering around the three-star level, and I can't see the direction of promotion at all. ”

When Gordon heard this, he let out a long sigh, "Ha——, Julius is the double sword envoy you 'can see', you guy, you have too strong a desire to win."

Anhill shook his head and said in a serious tone: "No, I'm not trying to compare myself with anyone, and I don't want to prove anything, I just want to break through this shackle on my body."

I wanted to push myself, with the same general scythe that Julius had faced, to push myself. ”

"So, the material of the General's Scythe Crab is not the point, you are not sneaking away for equipment, but trying to squeeze the potential in a desperate situation by fighting it, and force yourself to improve?" Gordon asked with a smile as he folded his arms.

"That's right." Anhill glanced at Gordon with some dissatisfaction, "Isn't that ridiculous?" ”

Knowing that Anhill had misunderstood, Gordon waved his hand and said, "Of course not, hahaha, I'm just surprised that someone has similar thoughts as me." ”

"Similar thoughts?"

"In the assessment task of being promoted to a one-star hunter, I encountered the Great Boar King, and after trying my best to kill it, I found that my strength had improved a lot.

Since then, I have known that ascension in a desperate situation, while dangerous, is not an empty word. ”

Anhill raised his head when he heard this, his eyes full of surprise.

Killing the Great Boar King with a two-star danger level during the apprentice hunter period is not something that anyone can do.

"People, sometimes it's time to force yourself, before learning to go, why don't you run up and see?"

(End of chapter)