Chapter 662: Hunting Without Orders

Juna crouched beside the broken spruce branch and traced the stalker’s path uphill before calling her trackers forward.

Far below the rocky bluffs, the bustling town was a mosaic of terracotta roofs and winding cobblestone streets.

Juna crouched beside a broken spruce trunk, examining three fresh claw gouges carved deep into the soft earth.

Behind her, four local guild trackers adjusted their short bows, keeping their steps silent upon the forest floor.

"These tracks belong to a ridge stalker," the lead hunter whispered, pointing toward a trail of dragged fleece.

"It has taken six sheep from the southern pasture over the last three days."

"Do they usually venture this close to the outer farms?" she asked, rising to her feet with practiced grace.

"Never before the mountain war," the hunter replied quietly, checking the tension on his bowstring.

"The recent artillery barrages must have driven them down from the high peaks."

"It is not feeding here," she observed, touching the crushed ferns with her fingertips.

"It is herding the animals uphill into a ravine nest to feed its litter."

Back at the guild manor that morning, Hajin offered to review the survey maps and lend strategic advice from his bed.

She flatly refused his strategic assistance with a playful flick of her wolf ears and a confident grin.

’He fought five continuous weeks in the mountains,’ she thought, adjusting the strap of her curved saber.

’Today, the hunting party belongs to me.’

"Fall back fifty paces behind that granite outcrop," she instructed the four trackers, gesturing toward a defensive rise.

"Do not advance into the gorge until I complete the boundary circuit."

"Understood, Lady Juna," the lead tracker replied, signaling his men to retreat behind the boulders.

She sprang up the rocky slope, her movements light and fluid as she traversed the steep terrain.

At the entrance to the narrow defile, a menacing snarl echoed from the rocky ledges overhead.

A massive feline predator with barbed quills running along its spine leapt down from a twenty-foot overhang.

Its predatory eyes flashed with feral malice as four half-grown broodlings scrambled out from the cave mouth behind it.

The beast lunged forward with razor-sharp claws, attempting to crush her against the sheer cliff face.

She did not panic or invoke the overwhelming power of First Light beneath the bright afternoon sun.

Instead, she drew her curved saber from its scabbard, sidestepping the descending pounce with effortless martial footwork.

Her blade caught the sunlight, leaving a lingering trail of stored solar heat suspended in the mountain air.

The stalker snapped its jaws inches from her shoulder, whipping its barbed tail in a vicious horizontal sweep.

She leapt over the spiked tail, planting her feet on the rocky wall and rebounding across the creature’s flank.

With two swift slashes, she planted a second anchor of stored solar energy across the narrow ravine mouth.

’Daybreak Path is fully aligned,’ she thought, channeling her mana through the twin anchor points.

[ Skill activated: Daybreak Path ]

[ Anchor synchronization: 100% ]

[ Stored solar energy: Released ]

The twin trails of golden fire ignited with explosive concussive force, trapping the beast in an inescapable corridor of searing heat.

The stalker shrieked in agony as the solar blades tore through its armored shoulder, pinning its forelegs to the stones.

She closed the distance in a single heartbeat, driving the point of her saber cleanly through the monster’s exposed throat.

The alpha stalker collapsed into the gravel, its twitching limbs stilling as the divine system registered the decisive kill.

The four young broodlings hissed in terror, attempting to scramble back into the darkness of the cavern.

With three clean, non-lethal strikes of her sheathed scabbard, she pacified the juvenile beasts and secured the cave entrance.

A brilliant cascade of golden runes lit up her vision, signaling the conclusion of the hunt.

[ Commission objective complete: Ridge stalker eliminated ]

[ Experience awarded (Juna): +20,000,000 EXP ]

[ Juna progress: 20,000,000 / 187,500,000 EXP toward Wing six ]

[ Shared host credit: +20,000,000 EXP ]

[ Host cumulative total: 1,020,000,000 EXP ]

Inside the beast’s bedding of dry spruce branches, a strange cylindrical object caught her keen eyes.

She reached down, pulling out a cylindrical survey marker covered in deliberate, ancient geometric grooves.

"The nest is secure!" she called out to the waiting trackers. "Bring the transport carts up the trail!"

By evening, she was walking through the front gates of the guild manor, carrying the strange artifact under her arm.

In the private garden behind the manor, Hajin was sitting on a bench, watching the sunset with a mug of tea.

"Look who decided to leave his bed," she teased, striding across the lawn with her wolf tail swaying cheerfully.

"I had to make sure my best hunter made it back in one piece," he chuckled, admiring her clean victory.

"Not a single scratch on me," she beamed, sitting down beside him on the bench.

"And since I brought home the prize... I claim first pick of the roasted chicken tonight!"

"You can have the whole platter," he laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I also saved two cans of those Earth braised peaches for dessert," he added softly.

"Really?" she gasped, her eyes sparkling with pure delight. "You are the best summoner in the world!"

"I might have to make these sweet peaches a regular bounty for successful hunts," he said with a grin.

"Then I will clear every monster den on this mountain before the first snowfall," she promised playfully.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting out a soft, contented sigh as her tail curled warmly around his knee.

Ferra hurried out from the forge workshop, snatching the cylinder from the grass with wide, curious eyes.

"Where did you find this?" she gasped, tracing the etched grooves with her thumb.

"Look at this spacing... these grooves were cut with mechanical precision centuries ago!"

"It was buried beneath the stalker’s nest," Juna explained, taking a sip from Hajin’s tea mug.

High above the peaceful garden, the celestial broadcast room was showered with celebratory superchats and adoration.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "Juna brought down the stalker alone and earned twenty million EXP. Let her rest before the next trail!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "’Today, the hunting party belongs to me.’ Our solar archangel showing pure martial independence!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "Both Juna and Hajin gain +20M EXP! Host cumulative hits 1,020,000,000 EXP! Flawless record tracking!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "Seeing Juna lean against his shoulder with her tail swishing... my heart cannot take this level of cuteness!" ]

[ ShadowMage44: "That ancient survey marker is the next clue! Ferra recognized the machining immediately!" ]

[ TacticalNerd: "Notice how Daybreak Path works without needing First Light? Her foundational sword skills are terrifying!" ]

[ NewViewer_02: "She demanded the entire chicken and Hajin just gave it to her with zero hesitation! Peak couple energy!" ]

[ CringeSlayer91: "Hajin getting scolded by Vella, teased by Juna, and winning every battle... man is living his best life!" ]

Hajin smiled, resting his chin against Juna’s soft hair as twilight settled over the tranquil town.

"Do these grooves match anything you saw at the viaduct?" Juna asked, turning the old marker so Ferra could inspect its base.

"The cut is older than our enemy’s machines," Ferra answered, refusing to name a maker from one fragment.

Hajin placed a cloth beneath the stone and asked her to preserve the dirt lodged in its grooves.

"If the survey line continues north, the next marker may tell us what this one marked," he said.

Juna agreed to revisit the ravine with her trackers after they rested, regrouped, and replenished their field rations.

The hunt was successful, the mystery deepened, and the evening was filled with warmth and peaceful affection.