Night Ranger

Chapter 521: Start of the Hunt

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

On the harsh Hunting Ground, Marvin quickly sped up.

But compared to before, his speed had substantially decreased!

The Ghost didn't deceive him: in the Autumn Hunting Ground, his Legendary Class, Ruler of the Night, lost all its properties.

The Legend laws lost their effects!

He was only a level 20 expert now.

The only thing worth rejoicing about was that it should be the same for others.

Marvin's advantage lay in his additional subclasses. Whether it was Battle Gunner or Shapeshift Sorcerer, they would all be a big help in this Hunting Ground.

The bonfire appearing before his eyes became brighter.

Darksight wasn't lost because it didn't fall under the purview of the Legend laws and was in fact a gift of the Night Monarch. Thus, the Wilderness God's Hunting Ground was unable to take it away.

This helped Marvin keep calm.

Losing Darksight would greatly hinder his strength.

Moreover, he was already used to the feeling of having superior eyesight. It would have been very hard to adapt to the loss of that ability.

After all, his long-term dependence on Darksight had led to his [Listen] and basic [Eyesight] not being very high.

Because he didn't really understand the nature of this Hunting Ground, Marvin first wanted to set up a shelter.

But in the desolate wilderness, only a few hills and mountain ranges could be seen. There was not a single building.

Not far away, a faint light could be seen coming from the foot of a hill.

Marvin could clearly see that it was a bonfire.

Moreover, the bonfire looked like the one he had seen in his macabre vision.

He instinctively felt that he might gain something by going over.

In any case, Marvin didn't see anyone around, so he started moving.

...

As he approached the hill, Marvin noticed that this place's mountains were changing.

From the distance, it looked like a small hill, but as he got closer, he found out that it was actually quite large.

The bonfire was in a cavity in the mountain and looked like it was taking shelter inside.

There were some logs beside the bonfire, along with a chest!

The chest was sitting on a cushion of straw and the top was made of beast hide.

A kettle was hanging over the bonfire and it was already boiling at the moment, with a large amount of steam coming out.

He could feel a different kind of warmth.

'Why does it feel like I've returned to an ancient era?'

Marvin scratched his nose, having a strange sort of feeling in his heart.

The depths of the cavity were shadowy. He examined carefully and found out that there was a small cave.

The cave was only about half a man tall and Marvin would have to stoop down to go in, so he wasn't too clear about what was inside.

If it were in Feinan, Marvin could have used his experience to make a judgement that this was most likely a Gnome cave. But he was in the Crimson Wasteland. What were the chances of ordinary Gnomes being here?

Moreover, this was the most dangerous part of the Crimson Wasteland, the Autumn Hunting Ground!

'The water seems to have just started boiling, could it be another hunter?'

Marvin cautiously inspected for tracks, but didn't find any footprints.

If this was really a hunter's temporary camp, then that hunter was definitely very shrewd and crafty.

Thinking of this, Marvin's heart couldn't help sinking.

The Legend laws not being effective meant that Legend abilities and Legend Domains couldn't be used. It was the same for his daggers.

He didn't have any decent blades on him besides those, so he could only use the Hunting Knife he got from the Ghost.

But the dagger didn't look like a good item. The blade was covered in rust, and Marvin wondered if it would break if he applied some strength.

He usually used twin daggers, so he felt a bit weird using only one dagger.

After a moment of thought, he fished out a pair of firearms from his storage and kept the dagger at his waist.

They were the firearms gifted to him by Constantine and were peak Battle Gunman equipment.

These two pistols, [Astaroth] and [Satan], had the name of a Demon Lord and an Archdevil.

Marvin had once used them in a previous fight, and they had been quite effective. Although they weren't as frightening as Brilliant Purple, they were still at the peak of firearms in Feinan.

He reckoned that since he didn't have a good weapon, he might not necessarily have an advantage in melee.

Thus he made last-minute changes and put a great amount of experience into his Battle Gunner class.

He obviously didn't care about the experience penalty of the 2nd subclass so he directly raised the class to level 10.

Thus, he suddenly changed and became a level 10 Ranger and peak Battle Gunner.

For his Skill Points, besides the basic distribution (putting SP in Shooting Accuracy and other passives), he put everything else in Market Scuffle.

That melee technique could greatly enhance his battle ability for now.

Although it might be useless once he regained his Legend level, it was what he needed for the current situation.

He had to survive first anyways.

Thinking of this, Marvin prepared to open the chest to check what was inside.

At that time, he noticed a jumping shadow!

'Something is there...'

Marvin didn't move.

He immediately used Earth Perception and managed to see everything in the surroundings.

In a bush not far off, the earth faintly swelled up and a shadow gradually approached him!

With his Shapeshift Sorcerer bloodline boiling, he didn't need to look at it to guess who it was.

'Who sent that Blade Demon in the end?'

'I have offended many people, but I haven't had many encounters with the Abyss…?'

'Could it be Balkh's father? Isn't that too fast?'

He didn't think much more about it and kept moving.

On the surface, he was still leaning in to open the chest, but in fact, his hands were already holding onto two firearms.

He knew that Blade Demons had powerful Constitution and that it would be hard to kill it by relying on the two firearms.

In this territory, with the Legend being ineffective, the Blade Demon with its inherent melee abilities had the advantage.

But Marvin also wasn't worried about it.

He was skilled at handling Demons.

The Blade Demon was still approaching stealthily.

It was moving very patiently. Hiding under the soil was its most powerful ability here, and if not for Kanger teaching him a heaven-defying sensory ability, Marvin might not have noticed him.

It was waiting, waiting for Marvin to stoop down to open the chest.

That would be the time when its prey's guard would be the most relaxed.

'Kill this human to accomplish the mission.'

At this moment, only Marvin was in the Blade Demon's eyes.

The next second, Marvin bent down.

"Woosh!"

The shadow behind him suddenly rose up.

...

Across the cold Hunting Ground, figures kept appearing one after the other.

Most of them were pale, but still managed to remain cool-headed.

In a corner of the Hunting Ground, a girl with crimson eyes looked at the four men with evil intentions next to her, and seemed to be talking to herself. "So, the hunt started?"

"Start…" The Wisp lazily whispered, "Even if I don't know who opened the Autumn Hunting Ground, it definitely wasn't the Wilderness God… He is definitely not that bored. If he had the strength to open the Hunting Ground, he would definitely choose to awaken. If it's someone else, then there is nothing to worry about."

"Kill them. They aren't good people, after all. With enough Hunter Imprints, you'll be able to enter the true Wilderness Hall."

"At that time, you'll have a chance to hold the true Cold Light's Grasps."

"Teacher, you don't need to worry about my state of mind," Isabelle calmly said. "I would still act even if these four were good people."

The Winter Assassin became speechless after hearing the girl's words.

The other four were also at a loss.

These four were adventurers in Holy Light City, and had come from a Secondary Plane.

They reached the Crimson Wasteland by some coincidence and became Legend powerhouses by surviving through many hardships.

This time, they had heard that Cold Light's Grasps were in the plains east of Holy Light City so they came to try their luck.

They didn't find the daggers, but they did meet a beautiful girl.

She seemed to have a mental issue and often talked to herself.

The four suggested that they journey together and Isabelle didn't refuse.

But after they were drawn into the Autumn Hunting Ground, their hidden nature was naturally revealed.

"Sorry, little girl." One of the men licked his lips. "We need Hunter Imprints. Looks like we can only borrow yours first…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before a cold light flashed.

A head fell to the ground!

"How many times did I tell you not to use your innate ability!" the Winter Assassin scolded.

"Teacher, I didn't," Isabelle softly said, excitement visible on her face. "Their reactions and speed seem to have slowed in this place."

"And the laws don't seem to influence me here."

The other three looked at the blood spurting out of their companion's headless body, their eyes suddenly widening.

But it was already too late to escape.

...

In the murky Hunting Ground, a team supported by Holy Power appeared.

"It truly is the Wilderness God's territory."

"If we can enter the Wilderness Hall this time and get Cold Light's Grasps, we will definitely be commended by God!"

A fearless Cleric looked at the empty sky in the distance and loudly proclaimed, "We will definitely succeed!"

Behind him was a group of 6 Paladins silently dragging their swords.

The swords kept flickering, with the Dream Shrine's emblem seeming especially bright.

The Cleric looked at the Paladin to the side who was carrying a girl and gently nudged, "Changing your belief is the best way."

"The God of Truth already died, and my God's glory will shine throughout the Universe. The Dream Shrine is where you belong."

"This mission will test your belief. Help me clear this mission and I'll complete your ritual to convert. At the same time, I'll do what we agreed, removing that young girl's curse."

The Paladin's expression was one of extreme pain.

But thinking of the frightening curse on the girl's body, he still lowered his head.

After his plea for help in Holy Light City had failed, he ultimately agreed to the Dream Shrine's request.

Changing his beliefs.

Renouncing the Truth God to believe in the Dream God.

Naturally, they didn't make him change immediately. This mission might need a Paladin that could use the Truth Scale. The Cleric postponed the ritual and promised that as long as Griffin helped them accomplish this mission, they would definitely help him too.

Griffin had no choice.

"Even if the God of Truth died, Truth will never die," the Paladin softly muttered. To the rest, he suggested, "Let's go, I can feel a group of monsters with Hunter Imprints gathering in front of us."

"The faster we collect Hunter Imprints to reach the Wilderness Hall, the more advantageous it will be to your mission."

...

Legend powerhouses had already appeared in all corners of the Hunting Ground.

Some met others at the start and started fighting, while many others were fumbling around alone. There were also some who sank deep into monsters' lairs and were submerged by waves of monsters.

At that time, in an unremarkable corner, space suddenly distorted.

A girl that seemed to be about thirteen years old loftily came out of the space.

The others had all been sucked in by a vortex.

She was the only one who entered this Hunting Ground herself.

In the sky, the moon flashed, apparently saying something.

The little girl coldly looked at the moon and mumbled, "Faniya, it's time to honor your promise."

"Furthermore, that Locust… should be considered an Anzed power and returned to us."

There was a flower in her hand. That flower had five petals of different colors and two spots seemed to be missing.

She silently looked at the multicolored flower, and an older woman's voice echoed in her mind. 'Only by reforming the Anzed Power can you become the true Witch Queen.'

'Of seven Witchcraft Rights, we already recovered five. You'll have to take care of the remaining two.'

Thinking of this, she strode toward the depths of the wilderness.

There, a tall temple was faintly visible.

...

Mountain cavity, bonfire, beside a chest.

Marvin reacted just when the Blade Demon revealed its killing intent.

He rushed forward to escape the Blade Demon's vicious attack.

His left foot stepped on the chest and his body quickly twisted!

"Bang! Bang!"

As he turned, the two firearms accurately fired at the Blade Demon's abdomen!

In such close quarters, it would be very difficult to avoid the firearms!

The Blade Demon's offensive was suddenly stopped. Although its body was very fierce, it would still suffer from those two shots.

Taking advantage of this, Marvin retreated a bit.

Then, the firearms in his hands suddenly disappeared.

[Sleight of Hand – Weapon Switch]!

The two pistols turned into a shotgun!

'Constantine said that this thing's bullets are designed to fight Demons, I wonder how useful they are.'

As this thought flashed through Marvin's mind, he unhesitantly pulled the trigger!

"Bang!"

The strong recoil pushed him toward the hill.