Chapter 52 The Dump Truck

Orang was certain he had never heard a roar quite like that before, which meant it did not belong to any monster he had previously hunted.

Pulling the visibly nervous caravan leader close, Orang spoke quickly, "Aside from the Velociprey, there is some kind of large monster in the vicinity. I cannot identify what it is, nor do I have any confidence in successfully driving it away. Do your best to calm the Aptonoth and hide right here. I will go deal with the Velociprey and then attempt to lure the large monster away. If you see me fire a red signal flare, it means I have failed, but I will do my utmost to stall it and buy you time to escape. Leave the cargo here for now; you can worry about retrieving it after you are safe."

Orang had already provided the best possible course of action, and as his employer, he could ask for nothing more.

"Be careful, brother," Karim said softly.

Orang nodded and sprinted out of the camp with Briar.

The primary objective now was to eliminate the Velociprey, as it was almost certain they had targeted the caravan. As for the unidentified large monster, it was best not to provoke it; perhaps it was merely passing by and had no interest in attacking the caravan.

Orang tried to comfort himself with that thought.

Yet deep down, he knew the probability of peacefully coexisting with that large monster was exceedingly low. After all, the roar he had heard moments ago certainly had not sounded friendly.

Following the direction from which the Velociprey's cries had previously emanated, the hunter and the Felyne reached the edge of the marsh they had passed earlier. Sure enough, the pack of Velociprey was right here.

Orang quickly crouched down, simultaneously pressing Briar's head down with his own.

Because the unidentified large monster was here as well...

By the dim moonlight, the true form of the monster was finally revealed to them.

Roughly thirteen to fourteen meters in length, with a compact body structure, a thick carapace completely encrusted in mud, and a massive, shovel-like head, Orang recognized the monster instantly even without having encountered one in person.

——Barroth, a brute wyvern inhabiting arid regions and marshlands.

Because it frequently lurked in swamps and had the habit of coating itself in semi-solid mud and sand to enhance its defense and protect its body, the people of the desert regions referred to it as the "Child of the Mud."

According to books and field guides, although the Barroth fed on termites and insects, it possessed a volatile temperament and an exceptionally strong sense of territoriality. It would unhesitatingly attack any monster that invaded its territory, showing no fear even against large flying wyverns like Rathalos or Diablos.

Clearly, the Velociprey that had tracked the scent of the livestock here had also been regarded by it as intruders.

Roaring fiercely, it drove its shovel-like head into the ground, its powerful hind legs surging with strength as it charged blindly like an out-of-control giant minecart toward the squawking Velociprey.

One male Velociprey failed to react in time and was scooped up and sent flying into the air. Its body traced a high arc before crashing onto the rocky ground a dozen meters away, its limbs twisted into unnatural shapes as it drew its final breath without even a whimper.

The remaining Velociprey shrieked and leapt aside to dodge, but the Barroth clearly had no intention of letting them go so easily. Sweeping its head sideways, it batted another one into the air, and immediately following that, it swung its heavy, mace-like tail, smashing a Velociprey that had ducked behind its flank directly against the rock wall.

Though those two Velociprey did not die instantly like their companion, their bones were shattered, and they lay on the ground wailing—it was only a matter of time before they breathed their last.

Witnessing the miserable fate of their companions, the final Velociprey turned and fled without a second thought, but its running speed was obviously no match for the Barroth's full-speed charge. In the blink of an eye, it was overtaken and knocked over.

Immediately afterward, the Barroth opened its wide mouth—unbefitting of an insect-eater—and savagely bit down onto the back of the last Velociprey before tossing its head with a violent snap.

With a crisp "Crack!", the poor Velociprey's spine was cleanly severed, and its life slipped away.

In a mere minute or so, all four Velociprey were completely wiped out.

In the distance, the hunter and the Felyne swallowed hard in unison. This creature was entirely too vicious...

Having eliminated the intruders, the Barroth tossed the corpse of the Velociprey aside and slowly turned around. Its small eyes, protected by its solid head armor, shifted in their direction.

It was over. They had been discovered.

Orang's mouth tasted bitter. Nearly all the vegetation by the marsh was withered, leaving almost no cover. He and Briar had been retreating on tiptoe, but he had not expected the battle to end so quickly, leaving them caught dead in the sights of the Barroth as it turned its head.

If he had known, he would have just stayed hidden in the base camp. Once the Barroth finished off the Velociprey pack and saw no other intruders, it probably would have burrowed straight back into the swamp to sleep. How had things devolved into this predicament?

"L-L-Leader, what do we do, meow?" Briar stammered slightly.

Orang thought rapidly. Facing it head-on was only a last resort.

The Guild's danger rating for the Barroth was three stars. It wasn't as if a monster ranked one level higher than his hunter rank was completely untriable. The main issue was that its carapace was simply too thick, compounded by its secondary armor-like layer of dried mud. With the hunter's dagger in his hand, piercing that defense would be exceedingly difficult. If he were using a weapon of equivalent tier like a Great Sword or a Hammer—heavy weapons meant for breaking parts—he might have stood a chance.

Since he couldn't fight it, running was the only option.

The Barroth likely had not yet detected the presence of the caravan, or perhaps the scent of the Aptonoth and camels had caused it to mistake the caravan for a harmless herd of herbivores. Therefore, he absolutely could not lead the Barroth toward the caravan.

During the second or two it took him to deliberate, the Barroth dug its hind claws into the ground, emitting a deep, low growl—the precursor to an impending charge.

With no time to hesitate, Orang made his decision. "Run in separate directions," he said quietly and swiftly. "It will most likely come after me. If you manage to break away from combat, circle back to the camp and protect the caravan. I'll figure out a way to shake it off myself."

"Understood, meow!"

Man and cat split up and bolted in opposite directions.

Just as Orang had anticipated, the Barroth prioritized him as a target because he was larger and looked more threatening.

Lowering its head and explosive acceleration from its hind legs, it launched a full-speed charge, initiating a dash.

The fate of the male Velociprey earlier reminded him that this was a move that could never be met head-on; otherwise, neither the small round shield on his right arm nor the Velociprey armor on his body would save him.

Yet he did not rush to dodge. Evasion too early would leave the monster room to adjust its attack trajectory, and against certain monsters with high combat intelligence, he might even be caught as he tried to stand up.

Thus, he forcefully suppressed his instinct to dodge immediately, continuing to sprint at full speed along his original path while repeatedly glancing back to gauge the distance between himself and the Barroth.

It was not until the distance between them narrowed to less than ten meters that he suddenly hurled himself sideways into a dive.

"Rumble——!"

The Barroth thundered past him at full speed, continuing to charge another thirty or forty meters before finally coming to a halt.

Taking advantage of this window, Orang scrambled up from the ground, changed direction, and resumed his frantic sprint.

Feeling as though it had been toyed with, the Barroth initiated another charge. In terms of straight-line sprinting speed, a hunter with a stride many times smaller simply could not compare to it.

Orang was quickly overtaken, and at the very last second, he once again evaded a fatal blow through a desperate dive.

Glare-eyed with small, crimson eyes, the Barroth turned around once more. White steam billowed from the air vents atop its head; the repeated failures of its attacks had completely ignited the fury within its chest.

Orang's breathing had also grown somewhat ragged.

Aside from the direction of the caravan camp—which he could not approach—the surrounding terrain was entirely flat and devoid of obstacles. This was deeply unfavorable for someone like him, who relied on agility but lacked the sprinting speed of the Barroth.

If he continued to blindly run like this, a single mistake caused by exhaustion could result in severe injury or even instant death.

Was battle his only choice?

Orang forced himself to steady his breathing, raised his sword and shield, and watched his furious opponent with extreme vigilance.

Close-quarters maneuvering, creating an opening, and seizing a chance to escape.