"Is there an emergency assignment?"
Anything that could make both the Commander and the Sword Master stay up late must have been far from simple.
It couldn't be another investigation into Zorah Magdaros, could it?
The Commander slid a mission slip across the long table toward Bai Chen.
Bai Chen took it and read carefully. It was a ★★★★ mission —
Objective:Capture an Ajanath.
He glanced at the name of the assigned team leader — and blinked.
He recognized that name.
The same hunter who'd once invited him to join an Ajanath hunt, back when Bai Chen first arrived aboard the starship.
The same guy who had also lost an arm-wrestling match, trying to test Bai Chen's strength.
"They've gone silent… haven't they?"
The Commander gave a grave nod.
"You've been hunting in the Ancient Forest these past few days. You must have noticed the disturbance there, right?"
"You mean how the stronger monsters have been leaving the forest's depths?"
It was true — the "map" the Guild used didn't even cover the full expanse of the Ancient Forest.
What hunters saw on their maps were only the designated safe zones, the range Palico support could reach.
But beyond that — far northwest — lay the true Ancient Forest:
a sprawling, labyrinthine region filled with monsters far stronger than anything on record.
High Rank.
Master Rank.
"Exactly," the Commander said. "We've suspended all new commissions there, but we can't recall hunters already deployed."
Bai Chen immediately understood.
This wasn't just a report — it was a rescue request.
He checked the timestamp on the mission slip.
"Commander, the quest's time limit is fifteen days. It's only been four. Isn't it possible they're still tracking the Ajanath?"
"If that were the case, we wouldn't be here discussing it."
The Commander's tone turned heavy.
"They found Barroth tracks on the second day. On the third, our rescue Palicos spotted red distress flares. Two injured hunters were recovered."
A pause.
"But since then—no more signals. According to the survivors, they were ambushed by a Bazelgeuse."
Bai Chen's brows drew tight.
"Bazelgeuse, huh… one of the worst possible gatecrashers."
He frowned deeper.
"Four-person squad. Two recovered. Two still missing for over a day… that usually means they didn't make it."
Hunters were strong, sure. But even with physical reinforcement techniques,
no one could fight a monster nonstop for an entire day and night without rest.
"Under normal reasoning, yes," the Commander admitted.
"But those rescued insist the others are still alive."
"Alive?" Bai Chen muttered.
The Commander leaned forward, picking up a steel pointer.
The table before him was covered with a massive, hand-drawn map of the Ancient Forest —
far more detailed than the hunters' field copies.
Every region, every native monster, every migration route marked in neat, coded ink.
"Here," the Commander said, pointing to Zone 9, north of Zone 1.
"They first found signs of Barroth there."
The pointer shifted upward, tapping Zone 8.
"They discovered a path leading deeper inside… and found Ajanath's lair in Zone 13.
They set up traps there, planning to capture it."
He unfolded another sheet — a new map, overlapping the first.
This one marked Zones 13, 14, and 15.
Bai Chen exhaled in disbelief.
"They went that far in… Zone 13?"
The Ancient Forest was structured like a layered world.
The first layer was vast — the usual hunting grounds most knew.
The second was inside the colossal tree itself —
a maze of living roots and vine corridors where light barely reached.
And the third, the treetop, only contained two zones: 16 and 17.
Zone 16 belonged to Rathalos and Rathian — their shared nesting territory.
The second layer, however, was the true nightmare.
There were no camps, no base support,
and the thick canopy made it impossible to launch flares for rescue.
To even reach it, there were only two options:
climb up through Zone 8 or Zone 2,
or fly in on a Wingdrake from above, then descend from the canopy.
"Hunting near a monster's lair… a risky but common hunter tactic," the Commander admitted with a sigh.
"Anyway, according to the survivors, they found a natural hollow in Zone 13 — formed by ancient tree roots and vines."
"A tree-hollow shelter?" Bai Chen asked.
"Exactly. Large monsters can't squeeze in there.
So, the team designated it as a fallback shelter — in case they couldn't capture the Barroth quickly enough.
If they're still alive, that's where they'll be."
Bai Chen nodded slowly.
"So you want me to go to Zone 13, search the shelter, and bring them back if they're there?"
"Correct. We don't abandon our own.
As long as there's even a chance they're alive — we go."
Bai Chen considered it carefully.
The Commander's compassion was admirable… but a rescue mission like this wasn't something one accepted lightly.
He couldn't just march into the forest's depths without weighing the risks.
"If it's purely a rescue, I can manage," he said finally.
"With Flash Step and Super Perception, I'll be fine."
Most monsters simply weren't fast enough to catch him if he focused on evasion.
The only real danger lay in the high-level creatures spilling out from deeper regions.
He'd seen one before — from afar — a Level 58 Bazelgeuse, a self-proclaimed "world police."
That thing's strength was near Elder Dragon class.
In the Pokémon world, it would've been a pseudo-legendary.
After a moment of thought, Bai Chen nodded.
"If it's just a rescue mission, I accept. I'll bring them back safely."
The Commander smiled, relief flickering across his stern face.
"I knew I could count on you, Bai Chen."
But then—
From the corner, a deep voice spoke.
The Sword Master, silent until now, stood up.
"I'll accompany him."
Bai Chen's eyes lit up instantly.
The Sword Master — a Level 65 veteran hunter — is joining him?
Even if Nergigante couldn't appear with him this time,
with a partner like that…
This rescue mission's as good as cleared.
Note: There was an error in the previous chapters — the blacksmith was mistakenly referred to as Tinkaton. It has now been corrected to Tinkatuff.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
60+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 40 Power Stones.
Bonus chapter for every 10 reviews/comments