Star Rank Hunter

Original and most up to date translations are posted at volaretranslations.

Translator's Notes: In celebration of Volarenovel's partnership with Xiang5, here's two extra chapters (still 1 chapter per day, but there'll be 5 this week) to the beloved fans who have supported us!

Chapter 96: Cary’s Crisis

The further in the direction he went, the thicker the bushes became. Through these knee-length bushes, Cillin ran along a trail of footprints and soon encountered a dead alien beast covered in red-and-black hardened skin. From the signs, this big guy was killed by an internal bullet explosion after it was shot. The black insects had crawled out of the ground and were currently feeding on it.

Strangely enough, the grass trail, not far away from this big guy’s location, looked different. It looked like something was being dragged across it. There were many broken vines in the surroundings, and although these vines weren’t thick, they were pretty tenacious. It looked like they were being forcefully pulled apart.

After tracking for yet another distance, Cillin saw the other big guy who was also shot and killed by an internal explosion. From this point onwards, there were obvious signs of a struggle, and when Cillin parted the bush, he discovered three deep scratch marks on the ground. Cary probably made it with his grappling hook when he was being pulled by the vines. Cillin didn’t take more than a few steps before he saw some cut vines in a bush. The exposed stump was very smooth, and it was probably cut open by Cary’s blade. Further ahead was a precipitous incline that led to a dark green river beneath. The river wasn’t wide, but it was very rapid.

Cillin found one of Cary’s gun on the incline. Cary had probably rolled down the incline and fell into the river. The protective suit was waterproof, but after the prolonged battle, Cary’s protective suit had probably taken some damage. The damage must have been pretty severe as well, since his positioning device wasn’t responding either.

Cillin turned on his communicator and was about to leave a message to Dias and the others, but he discovered that only static sounds came from the device, and the signal display appeared to be completely chaotic.

What’s going on?!

Never mind, I’ll worry about this later. Finding Cary is more important right now.

Cillin installed a message button at the incline. If Dias and the others finished their fight and came after them along the trail, then they would definitely discover this button.

Cillin exhaled and began searching downriver. Hopefully, Cary was still safe and sound.

So, how was Cary right now?

He was in a bad spot. A very, very bad spot.

When he was being pursued by the two big guys, his leg was caught by the vines hidden beneath the bushes. However, it was also thanks to these vines that that he did not need to pay attention to his feet. The speed at which he was being dragged away was swift, allowing him to put all of his concentration on the two big guys behind him. Moreover, the two big guys were obviously hindered by the vines as well, hence giving Cary the opportunity to kill them both. Otherwise, with their speed, there was no way he could’ve taken them out this easily.

However, the vines saved him, but the vines also damned him.

Cary’s protective suit was swiped open by one of the big guys, but he was unharmed. When the vines trapped Cary, the capillaries on the vines pierced through Cary’s unprotected skin and injected neurotoxins deep into his body. Therefore, when Cary was cutting the vines, his consciousness was already starting to blur and turn dizzy. Then, after stumbling a few steps, he rolled off the incline and fell into the river.

Before he fell, Cary pressed the life-saving button with difficulty before a life buoy surrounded him.

He did not know how far he was washed away. Cary’s rank A genotype demonstrated its superiority as the dizziness symptom caused by the neurotoxin inside his body began to fade. Had it been a rank C genotype or below who suffered this neurotoxin, they would probably be dead in no time.

After recovering some of his consciousness and stamina, Cary pressed a device on his arm and fired a rope drill. The drill punched into a stone wall beside the river and penetrated it. Then the rope retracted and pulled Cary towards the shore. After climbing up the shore and withdrawing the drill inside the stone wall, Cary looked up and saw a jungle not too different from the one on the incline he fell off earlier. He was not going to climb back up immediately, however. What would he do if he ran into those big guys again?

He didn’t know if his communicator was broken or had no signal, but it wasn’t working. While he was resting, Cary looked towards the dark green river. The river was so green that it looked a little eerie. This section of the river was much moving at a much slower and calmer speed.

Hmm?

It was then Cary saw many greenish-blue things the size of chicken eggs floating towards him on the river. Although his eyes weren’t as sharp as usual due to the effects of the neurotoxin, but Cary was certain that he didn’t see anything like this earlier!

The greenish-blue lumps on the river grew in number as they converged towards Cary’s direction.

“Fuck!”

Even if his brain was any more addled than it already was, he would still know that these things weren’t anything good!

He fired his drill hook again and swung it over the incline above the stone wall. After fastening it on the incline, climbing claws popped out of his wrist as he began climbing up the hillside very, very slowly. What would he do if he accidentally fell down again otherwise?

After climbing up the incline, Cary laid face up on the ground beside a large rock. Right now, he felt like a bunch of wet noodle with not a bit of strength left inside his body. The symptoms of the neurotoxin might have faded, and his consciousness was much clearer than before, but he was still feeling feeble all over.

He had no idea where his guns were. If he ran into those alien beasts covered in red-and-black hardened skin again, then death would be his only option. At his current state, it was difficult for him to even cut a fruit with his wrist blade.

While thinking, Cary suddenly heard a familiar low growl. It was a slow, rhythmic low growl that sounded like breathing.

Am I hearing things?

After concentrating and listening for a while, he raised his head.

I’m a sad, sad Hunter today.

Cary wailed in his heart. He was just thinking about them, and then they appeared right away!

One, two, three… there were six alien beasts in total!

What happened to Dias and the others?! Why are there six of these creatures at this place?!

If possible, Cary would very much like to grab a cannon and do battle against these creatures. He would have no regrets even if he were to die in the process! This situation however, was something he found really difficult to accept.

The six red-and-black alien beasts did not charge Cary in a hurry. Instead, they slowly walked towards him with eyes that made Cary felt as if he was a monkey on display.

Wait. Their eyes?

Cary looked carefully, and realized that their eyes revealed a kind of expression that differentiated them from the average animals. They looked similar to human eyes and had something that was called… intelligence! That’s right, that’s what Eudy would have said.

As he watched the six big guys that were gradually approaching him, Cary slowly supported his upper body against the rock and popped out his wrist blade. In truth, the arm that was connected to the wrist blade was trembling. The neurotoxin wasn’t fully flushed out of his system yet, and his muscles were a little twitchy. But he still had a hand grenade in the bag around his waist.

Some people might choose to commit suicide in face of certain death like this one, but Cary would not do so. He would fight to the death, and he would not hesitate to drag his enemies to the abyss with him. This was his belief; the belief he had chosen for himself when he walked on the path of a Hunter.

Seeing Cary’s expanded wrist blade, all six big guys showered him with looks of disdain.

“Come at me, you ugly bastards!”

When they entered within ten meters of him, Cary’s unarmed hand secretly reached towards the grenade, all but ready to push the detonate button.

ROAR——

It was at this moment a long, drawn out roar, one that sounded like it came from a gigantic, ancient beast happened and nearly burst Cary’s eardrums. However, Cary nearly shed a tear when he heard this voice.

A gray shadow flashed by.

BANG!

There were six alien beasts. One was rammed away, and the other one was stepped beneath its claw. The remaining four were literally pushed twenty meters away by the deafening sound wave.

With a sleek body glowing with metallic lustre and a posture of extraordinary gracefulness, Wheeze stared downward at the four red-and-black alien beasts twenty meters away from it.