PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Slowly, the boar’s momentum slowed, stopping entirely when Desmond found support in an ancient tree behind him. Although Desmond could feel every fiber of his being screaming in stress, it was still impossible to wipe the smile from his face. The intense flames fired from the boar’s fangs failed to breach the water mana barrier Desmond placed over his hands.

Desmond was still on the losing end of the exchange in a duel of strength, but his next move caught the boar off guard. Without letting go of the boar’s flaming fangs, Desmond channeled the mana into his body. He combined it with the atmosphere’s mana to create eight sapphire blue water spheres that completely surrounded the boar.

The huge beast didn’t even have a chance to resist, as the eight spheres took the form of eight serpent heads and lunged at it with hungry force. Under the guidance of Desmond, who muttered “,” the eight snakes tore the beast in front of him to pieces.

The boar has brutally torn apart in the blink of an eye, scattering blood and chunks of meat everywhere. The worst injury of all was the loss of one of its legs, which was completely torn off by the joint efforts of two water serpents. Against a slow beast whose defense wasn’t that high, Desmond’s “Yamata No Orochi” was a death sentence.

Desmond managed to find a moment of respite as the beast ultimately succumbed. It had been only a couple of hours since Desmond had arrived at Veritas, but the number of confrontations he had had was no small thing. Each fight was challenging in its own way, something Desmond enjoyed, but there was no doubt that exhaustion had begun to build up inside him.

Despite appearances, Desmond actually had multiple fractures in both of his arms, something he planned to heal with direct injection of one of Sasha’s potions. This was also not the first time Desmond had been injured. However, the degree of damage varied from opponent to opponent; Desmond still put a significant amount of stress on his body, something he could no longer afford.

Although deep down Desmond was somewhat reluctant, he still decided to end the little training session and rush to his destination by riding Zero. In the first instance, Desmond had already deviated from the original plan when he decided to continue fighting the beasts in the grasslands, something he did in part for the thrill of battle. However, resource gathering was also part of the reason.

Despite the early duds Desmond encountered, the grasslands were filled with powerful beasts whose bodies were filled with precious resources. Desmond was smart and didn’t pick on any dangerous beasts, ignoring those beasts that moved in large herds.

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Not wanting to simply start a greed-driven massacre, Desmond only fought against dangerous beasts that took the initiative to attack. It might seem hypocritical, but Desmond didn’t like the feeling of being a greedy butcher who had no sense of respect for the natural world.

Desmond’s attitude brought him many benefits, some of which came in unexpected ways and sources. To begin with, the most aggressive beasts used to be powerful predators whose fighting strength suited their tastes. In addition, many of these beasts had valuable resources in their bodies. On the other hand, Desmond encountered some more harmless and intelligent beasts. Using mana to communicate with them, as taught by Kryzsha, Desmond was guided to more than one precious medicinal plant.

In the middle of his scouting/hunting period, Desmond enjoyed a welcome moment of peace and quiet while playing with a small group of white deer with multicolored antlers. Under the deer’s parents’ watchful gaze, Desmond could relax and let his heart be washed off the bloodlust that filled it. This was also a valuable experience for Desmond, teaching him that his path did not necessarily have to be defined by violence.

The white deer seemed to be among the wisest beasts in these grasslands, and many other beasts around them showed evident respect for these majestic creatures, pointing to a clear hierarchy. Even when Desmond couldn’t feel any strong energy fluctuations around the white deer, he didn’t dare to be reckless. He had already experienced that false sense of harmlessness from powerful entities like Titania or Katya.

Although Desmond couldn’t figure out just how powerful these elegant and majestic-looking white stags were, one thing was clear to him, they highly valued their little offspring. Thus, Desmond experienced the strange sensation of receiving a payment as a babysitter from the adult deer. They gave him a small bundle of valuable fruits that brimmed with intense mana.

Making a mental note to tell the girls at home about such a strange experience, Desmond left his role as a babysitter. He continued on his way to his destination. It was shortly after that that he came across the flaming boar that he had just killed.

After collecting the boar’s massive pair of red horns, Desmond ignored the rest of the carcass and summoned Zero to resume his journey.

Once mounted on Zero, Desmond no longer found the need to face any beast on the plains. Zero was extremely fast and possessed powerful escape and stealth abilities. There was really no need to engage in combat unless he wanted to.

A small part of Desmond still wanted to use the small sword he wore at his waist, eager to see its true potential, but he kept that idea deep in his heart. Truth be told, just from the information he got about the sword from the person who gave it to him, Desmond knew there wasn’t much point in using its powers unless he was forced to. Otherwise, any notion of training would be meaningless; that was how mighty that sword was.

Leaving the subject of the sword in the back of his mind, Desmond focused on maneuvering his mount, a sensation he never seemed to tire of. In a way, Desmond understood why many men love big or fast cars. Big cars made one feel imposing, while the feeling of speed was quite lovely.

Given Zero’s speed, it wasn’t long before Desmond saw his fate in the distance. The vast blue grass prairies came to an end when they ran into a substantial pitch-black mountain range, and it was precisely at the foot of that mountain range that a small mining town was created.

According to the information that Elaisa researched for him, the immense mountain range was incredibly rich in precious gems brimming with magical powers. From rubies with hellfires roaring within them to emeralds imbued with the profound truths of the law of time, the jewels in those mountains was a treasure few could resist.

Due to the enormous wealth buried in that mountain range, the kingdom that dominated these lands invested a lot of money to create the mining town that Desmond was going to. There was also no shortage of powerful experts who traveled great distances to find and acquire suitable gemstones for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, where there is a treasure, the danger is plentiful. Powerful subterranean beasts inhabit the mines, making extracting precious stones difficult. This was also why powerful experts would gather in the mines as they explored the place fighting these subterranean beasts for the kingdom in exchange for the best gems.

Truth be told, Desmond was also very tempted to explore the mines, but he still held a degree of wariness in his heart. Desmond knew that greed beyond measure could lead one to his doom. So he planned to investigate properly and only venture out to explore the mines if there was any precious gem that met his needs.

On the other hand, Desmond’s mission was not related to the mines but to the town itself. Due to the nature of the mining town and the influx of adventurers and warriors, this had become a perfect place to go unnoticed.

It was little wonder that more than one fugitive would find his way to these lands seeking to hide in plain sight while earning some wealth for themself. Desmond’s mission was to hunt down one criminal in particular, someone who stole something precious from a royal family on another planet.

According to Elaisa, certain laws in place in this star system prohibit the said family from sending their own forces. But, as they had dealt with the association, the royal family was relatively quick in their decision and hired him to find the fugitive.

As Desmond approached the mining town, his mind began to generate different approaches to find his target. Perhaps communicating with the mine supervisors was a good idea, as they would have a better impression of the adventurers exploring the area they were in charge of. After all, their approval would likely be needed to enter the mine.

Finding information in taverns and similar businesses was also an option; this world wasn’t technologically advanced, so this kind of research could only be done by asking in person. A crowded place like a tavern or inn should be a good option.

Although Desmond’s mind was somewhat busy planning, his attention did not stray from the road. Soon, the appearance of the mining town began to expand in his vision. So close to his destination, Desmond said goodbye to Zero and decided to walk the rest of the way. Desmond felt a chill as he approached the mining town for some unknown reason. That ominous feeling within his heart grew heavier.