Bear School Astartes

For the Flame King Dragon, fire is as ordinary and harmless as air.

Therefore, the sudden fire at the base does not in the least affect the Flame King Dragon’s leisurely pace.

But it does affect Lann, whose lips twitch unexpectedly, although there’s nothing he can do.

The moisture in this base had already been dried out by the Flame King Dragon, which had been here for half a day. Now it catches fire... I really don’t know whether my luck is good or bad.

But there’s no time for contemplation.

Immediately, observing through the traces of the Demon Hunter’s senses and analyzing with Mentos’ computational power, Lann started quickly searching for people inside the base.

Luckily, as the base’s functions have reduced, the building’s footprint has also significantly shrunk.

Otherwise, searching for a dozen people in here wouldn’t be easy.

Soon enough, the Flame King Dragon disregards Lann, and Lann likewise pretends the Flame King Dragon doesn’t exist. In this peculiar state, Lann quickly finds five people.

Two Dragon-man Race scholars wearing small round glasses, who unmistakably look like researchers. The remaining three wear strips adorned with Fourth Period Team emblems, indicating they’re from the Supply Squad.

When Lann found them, they were mostly in safe areas, some already fainted from the heat, while others barely maintain consciousness.

They are elites from the Old Continent, not hunters, yet they possess remarkable self-control.

They don’t attack the Flame King Dragon recklessly while engulfed in panic.

However, this is their limit.

Putting them in a region patrolled by an Ancient Dragon, expecting them to act as freely as Lann, as if the dragon doesn’t exist, is too much to ask.

So many of them, actually, in the final moments, managed to send out Elu Cats with a few carrier dragons that the Ancient Dragon’s aura hadn’t frightened off, to deliver alerts.

Then, as they carefully and covertly attempted to evacuate, their bodies succumbed to the surrounding high temperatures, fainting or suffering heat exhaustion halfway out.

Lann carried all five people with his two hands, pulling them directly to the base entrance, to areas where the Flame King Dragon’s surrounding heat wasn’t too exaggerated.

Next, two Elu Cats and Belengar, who had been waiting there, took over, dragging people further away to rehydrate or cool off, taking off clothes, and dousing their bodies with water.

The fire within the base was growing increasingly intense.

The sound of wood ’crackling’ and bursting continuously echoed.

Also, fabrics and furs were beginning to catch fire in tandem. The entire base was turning crimson with flame.

Lann’s height became a disadvantage amidst the thick smoke.

He had to lower his body while holding his breath, and for this, he swallowed a mouthful of [High-tier Killer Whale].

As he dragged six more people out, he observed two hunters suspended by hook locks on a projector, under two carrier dragons outside the valley, heading towards the base built halfway up the mountain.

And soon, the hunter riding the carrier dragon had already landed on the outskirts of the base’s landing point, quickly running towards this side.

"That’s six people, I need you to check the numbers and confirm if there’s anyone still inside."

Lann wiped his forehead, stained with the black and gray from smoke, and spoke.

Even using the [Quen Rune], he couldn’t manage to walk through the disaster site and still remain clean and tidy.

The black-and-white Elu Cat nodded nervously while calling Rong Buqiu and Belengar to move the rescued farther away.

Meanwhile, the hunter from afar, who rushed over from the landing point, also sprinted all the way here.

Previously, Lann had mistaken them; it was a hunter accompanied by a Compiler.

"Lann?!" The hunter who ran over waved and called out the Demon Hunter’s name.

Lann was pleasantly surprised to discover that the newcomer was an acquaintance from his previous journeys.

A cheerful short-haired Mohawk hunter, Aiden.

And his Compiler partner, a strong-willed female scholar.

"It’s a long story; I just arrived on this side and happened to encounter this situation."

Lann said, gesturing with his thumb backward at the burning base and the Ancient Dragon leisurely strolling amidst the flames.

At this moment, the red-haired hunter first bewilderedly examined the unusual group around Lann, but being from the New Continent Expedition Team, possessing a steady heart, and having trust in Lann, he didn’t start questioning aimlessly.

Instead, he straightforwardly got straight to the point.

"We were performing a mission nearby, received distress calls from the Elu Cats, so we came here. Is there anything I can do?"

"There’s one missing, meow!" At that moment, the black-and-white Elu Cat, supported by Rong Buqiu and Tishaya, called out after cleaning each rescued person’s face.

"It’s a researcher from the Ecological Research Institute who recently swapped shifts, meow! Search in the dormitory or study!"

"You heard it." Lann tilted his head towards the distant direction, "there’s work."

"The main idea is no combat, rescue only? I understand." Aiden, a top hunter from the Fifth Period Team, immediately grasped Lann’s operational rules.

The usually cheerful demeanor on his face turned serious as he watched the silhouette of the Flame King Dragon.

"We need to be quick in and out, it’s impossible to stay near the Flame King Dragon for long without an Ice-Cold Drink. The heat is terrifying."

"I’ll take the lead." Lann said straightforwardly, not dwelling any longer. "You know this place better than I do, but since the base is already on fire, I’ll extinguish the flames blocking our way."

Although the essence of Alder’s Rune is thought transmission, the local oxygen deprivation caused by propelling air can indeed extinguish flames.

Without further ado, Lann patted Aiden’s shoulder as a signal to start the operation.

The two immediately charged back into the base, now creaking from the fire and showing structural weaknesses in its wooden construction.

With a "boom," Lann, leading the way, first unleashes an Alder’s Rune, dousing a path through the spreading flames.

"What a mess!" Aiden behind him, seemingly as familiar with Lann as if they’d never parted, joked. "I came today to hunt a Mudfish Dragon, wearing waterproof gear that gives no fire resistance at all!"

"I feel like if a spark touches me, I’d have to roll on the ground several times to put it out."

"That’s why we’re avoiding a fight."

Lann agreed with a nod.

The comfortable atmosphere of two old acquaintances meeting without a hint of strangeness or awkwardness felt as if they’d been fighting side by side on the Molten Mountain Dragon against the Extinct Dragon just yesterday.

...It would be better if they weren’t in a burning building rescuing someone right now.

Following the guidance of a black-and-white Elu cat, they quickly found the scholar who had fainted from the heat in the study room.

Not wasting any time, Aiden lifted the scholar, nodding to Lann to signal him to clear the way for their evacuation.

"Cough, cough."

Lann bent down and coughed lightly.

If it were the future, where his enhancement surgery had progressed to the "Third Lung" stage, he could breathe in the fire’s smoke like air.

Unfortunately, his respiratory system had not yet been enhanced.

In the specialized environment of a fire scene, he still couldn’t move freely.

They passed many wooden structures deprived of moisture by the fire, hanging precariously.

Luckily, the Chaos Magic Power of a Demon Hunter is generated within the body, unlike Warlocks who rely on the external environment.

Lann’s current recovery rate was likely akin to that of a Griffin School Demon Hunter having chugged a magic potion to expedite magic power recovery.

Though several consecutive Alder’s Runes could extinguish large areas of flames, as long as the Flame King Dragon was nearby, the spreading fire conditions would never improve.

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

Aiden muttered frequently under his breath.

Even though an adept hunter like him had faced Ancient Dragons before, it was always in a legitimate, fully defensive, and well-equipped state.

Wearing armor meant for water resistance while hovering near the Flame King Dragon, he felt uneasy.

Now, with large sections of the building burnt and swaying, Lann, leading their way, could only kick open doors to guide them outside to an open area.

With a "boom," the solid and heavy door, consistent with the Investigation Team’s typical architectural style, was kicked wide open.

The door, distorted by the wind-blown flames, flew five or six meters away.

The Flame King Dragon sniffed the air from a distance, casting a sidelong glance at the commotion, but did nothing more.

Lann led Aiden carrying the scholar out of the building, ready to turn and evacuate the base.

All around was a sea of fire, dizzying to the eyes.

Just as they were about to leave without looking back, Lann glanced at the Flame King Dragon’s location before turning.

"Boom!"

Beside the massive, fire-red figure resembling a gigantic feline, a small dark cloud suddenly erupted and then quickly combusted with a blast!

Aiden didn’t turn back, as he was familiar with the sound – it was a small explosive barrel.

This was a supply transport base, naturally stocked with weapons and gunpowder needed by hunters.

Given the heat, and with the Flame King Dragon roaming, just one explosion now was proof that the Supply Squad had kept the gunpowder extremely secure.

But Lann saw it clearly.

As the gunpowder leaked from the small explosive barrel, the Flame King Dragon deeply inhaled it with pleasure.

The black smoke was sucked into its nostrils, just like a seasoned smoker.

Later, when the powder caught fire from the high temperature, the Flame King Dragon continued to inhale without care, as the heat hardly affected it.