Chapter 22: Aren't You Partners?

Leaving Sage to keep watch, Oran crouched down and drew his knife to begin carving.

Although the Shieldbug is considered a "pest," it is far from useless. The thick fluid within their bodies, known as "monster fluid," is an excellent adhesive frequently used by craftsmen, and their hard yet lightweight shells are equally prized. The blade-hats and masks worn by the Citadel Guerrillas are crafted primarily from the shells of these creatures.

"Ah, no wonder Boss Jorda was so enthusiastic," Oran muttered, tucking away a piece of shell he had just harvested. As he continued to work, his knife suddenly struck something hard.

Prying it out, he discovered a blue, mineral-like substance the size of a pigeon egg.

"An Armor Sphere?" Oran said, pleasantly surprised. "What luck!"

He recognized the item, though he had never had the chance to obtain one, let alone use it. Such minerals rarely form naturally and can only be stably produced by high-level alchemists. The Guild often used them as rewards to incentivize hunters who successfully completed difficult tasks. Through special processing by craftsmen, these minerals can be liquefied and integrated into armor, filling in microscopic pores and significantly enhancing its structural integrity.

He decided to keep it safe for now. The Citadel Guerrilla set he was currently using did not belong to him, so there was no need to waste a precious Armor Sphere on it, and his own Hunter set was of too low a grade to be worth the investment. It was better to store it away until he had the opportunity to craft higher-quality gear.

The discovery of the Armor Sphere lifted Oran’s spirits, and even his usually stoic face broke into a faint smile. He found a similar item in the second Shieldbug, though it was smaller and of lower quality—merely an "Armor Stone." Still, it was more than enough to make him happy. Finding one might have been pure luck, but finding two in a row suggested something more: it seemed hunting Shieldbugs was a viable way to acquire these rare materials. No wonder hunters were always willing to take those troublesome tasks that required culling fifteen or twenty of them.

*Sorry for doubting you, Boss Jorda; you really were looking out for me!*

With the carving finished, Oran and Sage wandered the area, searching for exposed ore veins and more Shieldbugs. Both tasks went smoothly, though they were time-consuming. After two days, Oran had collected a decent amount of ore, including a high-grade piece of Lightcrystal.

Progress on the Shieldbugs, however, was slower. Perhaps Boss Jorda had assigned him to an area with fewer bugs, fearing he would be overwhelmed, or perhaps other hunters had cleared the region previously. It wasn't until the afternoon of the second day that he finally located the fifth Shieldbug.

The position of this particular bug was strange; it was stuck firmly to the neck of a Hornetaur like a plaster, looking almost like a helmet on the creature's head.

"This is..." Oran felt a headache coming on.

Hornetaurs are among the larger species of herbivorous dragons. They are highly territorial and will actively attack hunters who enter their line of sight, though they move slowly and have a limited repertoire of attacks, making them little threat. The only headache they usually pose is their heavy armor. The standard strategy is to bypass the hard shell on their head and back to strike at the vulnerable neck. But now, with a Shieldbug covering its vital spot, the creature felt like an impenetrable wall.

Oran and Sage exchanged glances.

"I’ll go lure the other Hornetaurs away, meow," Sage said, patting Oran’s hand with a tiny paw. "That one is all yours, meow!"

With that, the feline darted off, hopping and skipping to draw the attention of the other Hornetaurs. Having no better plan, Oran rushed out from his hiding spot and blocked the path of the "augmented" Hornetaur.

The irritable beast lowered its head and charged. It had plenty of momentum, but its speed was sluggish. Oran stepped aside, easily dodging the attack while swinging his sword at the creature's head. The iron sword left only a white mark; the kinetic impact was negligible to a creature accustomed to head-butting rivals for dominance.

After a few exchanges, Oran realized how to break the stalemate. The Shieldbug covered the back and side of the Hornetaur's neck, but the throat remained exposed. Once he found the right opening, finishing the beast would be simple, and the bug would be easy prey once the host fell.

However, Oran suddenly changed his mind. He had been looking for a chance to practice his lethal combos and charge attacks. Training against dummies was pointless; no target could replicate the unpredictability of a real battle. He had originally planned to take a hunting mission to practice against some Velociprey, but that carried risks—and ordinary Velociprey probably wouldn't survive more than a few strikes of a lethal combo, let alone an enhanced version infused with charge techniques.

Finding a target that was tough, appropriately sized, aggressive, and wouldn't just run away—all while being reasonably safe—was not easy. Wasn't this the perfect practice dummy right in front of him?

Oran spun his sword, flourishing the blade. "Hang in there. Let me practice a bit more."

...

"Did you go out without a pickaxe and use this sword to mine ore?!" The workshop mistress stared at the hunter's dagger, now severely chipped and bent, and couldn't help but curse. "Damn it, you are forbidden from using a Sword and Shield! You'd better stick to a Great Hammer!"

"Can it be repaired?" Oran asked with a dry laugh.

"Repaired? My foot! It's ruined! The blade is so mangled the structural integrity is gone; it has to be melted down and reforged!" she snapped.

"Fine. Please add these ores when you reforge it to reinforce it," Oran said, dumping a pile of high-quality materials he had collected—Machalite Ore, Dragonite Ore, and that rare Lightcrystal—onto the counter.

"Us too, meow! We want to craft Alloy Felyne armor and a Felyne Hunter Dagger, meow!" Sage poked his head over the counter, pushing forward a small bag of ore.

The mistress sighed and inspected the stones. "The quality is good, and there's enough, but is it necessary to keep everything separate? When I reforge the dagger, there will be plenty of high-quality scraps left over. With just a couple more pieces of ore, it'll be enough to craft a set for the little guy."

"That's fine. I don't have a hunting partner anyway, so the scraps would just go to waste," Oran said dismissively, though Sage looked rather embarrassed.

Realizing her mistake, the mistress looked at Sage with surprise. "No hunting partner? I thought you two were already a team, since you complete missions and come to the workshop together."

Reminded by the mistress, Oran realized something and crouched down in front of Sage. "Although we're just colleagues for now, would you like to sign a contract and become my official partner?"

Looking at Oran’s outstretched hand, Sage felt tempted. But remembering that Oran didn't plan on staying with the Citadel Guerrillas forever, he firmly shook his tiny head.

"Sorry, meow. I still want to stay with the Citadel Guerrillas, meow."