PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

After destroying that disgusting flying beast the first day, Desmond and Aisha spent some time flying over Zero. With Zero’s speed and mobility, the duo managed to cover a considerable distance in a couple of hours. But the underworld proved to be more extensive than expected; according to the map, Desmond’s target area was still far off.

Although traveling on top of Zero would have significantly helped shorten the distance, traveling on ground level could have been a better idea. Desmond and Aisha shared a chill that crept uncomfortably down their spines as they saw the subterranean sky full of beasts.

The number of stingray-type beasts was low, but their numbers were still enough to become an obstacle one would prefer to avoid. But it wasn’t those disgusting-looking beasts that made the duo choose another path. Hundreds if not thousands of bats hidden overhead dissuaded them from flying any further.

Desmond and Aisha had the opportunity to fight a small group of these bats. Needless to say, the experience was not pleasant. Although relatively weak, those bats had a sound-based attack ability that was difficult to defend against.

Having advanced to the two-star class, Desmond and Aisha had no problem dealing with the bats, but they still mostly found them a nuisance. Desmond used his newly refined physique to resist the ill effects of the sonic attack. However, he found that the sound still caused dizziness and nausea. The same thing happened with Aisha and her tyrannical physique. In her irritation, Aisha turned those bats to ashes, but the sickness lingered for a few minutes.

But who would have expected that the duo would find a small treasure near where they decided to land with Zero. Shortly after descending to avoid encountering more of those pesky bats, the duo came across a strange phenomenon.

A strange-looking lake of pure water could be seen in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by strange subterranean flora. The water was crystal clear and radiant, making anyone who saw it want to drink. But what drew attention to the small lake was its exact position, which was mid-air.

Seen in another way, that was not a lake at all, but a massive sphere of crystal clear water that floated strangely in the air. With the way things work in this place, it wasn’t hard to figure out that this phenomenon should be related to a gem of some sort.

.....

Desmond and Aisha got off Zero and walked to the lake for a closer look. Without any surprise, there was a gem at the epicenter of the floating spherical lake. “It’s more of a gem.” Desmond commented after a closer look.

Aisha just nodded. As Desmond had said, this wasn’t a single gem but a pair of gems orbiting each other. Like curved drops of water, the gems intertwine with each other, slowly spinning in the center of the floating lake.

Desmond found the shape of the gems somewhat familiar. He remembered that in Eastern culture, it was called a magatama. Yet, he needed to remember any other relevant details about it.

Maintaining a well-deserved state of alert, Desmond and Aisha cautiously approached the floating lake, always ready to react to any sudden changes. To the bewilderment but satisfaction of both, nothing happened. There were no strange beasts on the prowl, no explorers looking to snatch the treasures.

Barely a meter from the lake, nothing had changed. The duo was somewhat dubious of the lake itself, given their previous experience with the mutated flower. Still, no matter how long Desmond and Aisha waited, nothing changed. The only strange thing about it was that Aisha felt uncomfortable being so close to such a dense source of water-element energy. Desmond, on the other hand, felt curiously drawn to it.

Following his instincts, Desmond reached out a hand, touching the surface of the water sphere. The ripples spread across the entire sphere of water on contact, but nothing else happened. Confused, Desmond attempted to guide a strand of his own Aquatic Mana, drawing from his heart to his fingertips to touch the sphere.

Like a balloon punctured by a needle, the huge sphere of water burst open, drenching Desmond and Aisha in the process. The duo shared a shocked, uncomfortable look, but their attention was soon drawn to the two gems floating in front of Desmond’s palm.

A pair of twin ocean-blue magatamas floated calmly in front of Desmond’s palm, still rotating in an eerie pattern. Desmond felt a strong connection and resonance with both gems. And, all of the leviathan series abilities within his mental realm rippling with excitement as if they had consciousness of their own.

Unfortunately, Desmond needed more information from the gems with the analysis function.

<Elemental Affinity: Water.

Properties: High purity aquatic mana, slight presence of oceanic laws, and a faint spirituality have been detected. Given the object’s conductivity, its use is recommended in creating artifacts.>

Desmond already had an uncomfortable expression when he read the last part of the description. At this rate, even selling his body could only finish paying Aisha for some of the artifacts he wanted her to forge.

It had to be taken into account that regardless of their relationship, the laws of Aisha’s race prevented her from simply giving away her work. Even if she gave Desmond the best discounts and even allowed him to cover part of the price with his own body, all the artifacts he was requesting were at least three-star class; there was no way they would be cheap.

However, Desmond still reached out and left both gems in Aisha’s care, resisting the urge to cry bitterly. “Shit, when will I stop being poor?” Desmond couldn’t help but think.

Aisha ignored all the problems Desmond was thinking about. Aisha smiled, satisfied as she patted her perky breasts as if trying to comfort him by telling Desmond that she would take care of everything. Inside, Aisha’s thoughts were much simpler: “It seems like he doesn’t really know any other blacksmiths or craftsmen. That’s great; it means that he entrusted all of his equipment to me. If so, then there’s no way we won’t see each other in the future.”

And with that, the first day ended with no more interesting incidents to speak of. The second day was relatively quiet. Desmond and Aisha traveled behind Zero’s back, enjoying all the eccentricities that came their way. Showing how challenging the duo’s luck was, Desmond and Aisha still stumbled upon a second gem.

The small golden pearl filled with iridescent brilliance owned a beautiful six-winged crane. The almost holy presence of the beautiful bird was a solid deterrent for Desmond and Aisha. They did not enjoy killing for the sake of greed alone. It would be different if a vicious, bloodthirsty beast attacked them on sight. Still, the crane was clearly a peaceful creature.

As a hunter, Desmond’s philosophy was not to take more than was necessary, not to abuse natural resources, and not to hunt only based on greed. Although hypocritical for a person who blinded human lives like grass, that was Desmond’s way of thinking. On more than one occasion, Desmond benefited from this philosophy, which is how he obtained the bow he still carries with him, among other things.

To Desmond and Aisha’s surprise, the crane made a move before they finished making their minds. Seeing the pair of magical fruits left in front of them by the crane, Desmond and Aisha shared a helpless look before leaving the place with both fruits in hand.

It seemed that the crane did not want to fight with them, but neither did it want to give up the pearl that it kept in its nest, so in the act of good faith, the crane gave them two precious magical fruits. This was a great deal for Desmond and Aisha since they weren’t planning on stealing the pearl in the first place.

As for the fruits? They were both shaped like peaches. The fruits had white skin, a delicious aroma, and a peculiar iridescent sheen. An analysis of the hunter’s book revealed that both fruits had mutated after being irradiated by a tremendous amount of energy from an unknown source. Probably the same energy that created the pearl the crane had.

Like all the strange mutated natural treasures Desmond had found since he’d entered the mines, the hunter’s book couldn’t give a detailed description. However, what little Desmond learned left him and Aisha gaping in shock and disbelief.

Rubbing her eyes to look a third time, Aisha gave Desmond a strange look and commented. “Are you sure you’re not sleeping with the goddess of fortune? This kind of luck is a bit challenging.”

Desmond could understand where Aisha’s comment was coming from. After all, the crane had left the fruits in front of him. In addition, the previous day, they also found a couple of precious gems. They didn’t even try to acquire them since these jumped into Desmond’s hands on their own.

“The only goddess I’ve slept with recently is the one of fire and magma. Although I suppose that is a great fortune in itself.” Desmond commented wryly and with a small smile.

Although it couldn’t be noticed since her skin was already red, Aisha blushed a little; she wasn’t used to that kind of compliment. On the other hand, she wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about the sex thing. One couldn’t help but marvel at the way the girl’s mind worked, though it was mostly a cultural thing more than anything else.

After sharing a few more jokes, Desmond and Aisha decided to take a fruit each and use them in the future in a safe place. With that incident ending his second day, his third day was pretty dull. Aside from running away from a titanic battle between some kind of massive golem and a pair of three-star class scouts, nothing else happened.

At the end of the third day, as they prepared to camp, a sound of alarm brought a reluctant smile to Aisha’s face. “Looks like it’s time to go home.” That was all she said.

Desmond saw a token in Aisha’s hand that glowed with increasing intensity. “I understand; I must admit that the rest of my stay here will be boring without you.”

Aisha looked at him with some mischief and passion before commenting with a giggle. “I’m sure you’ll miss our nightly games.”

Desmond declined to comment on the matter. For three days, Aisha had spent her nights draining Desmond dry, who had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, sex with Aisha was too good to resist. On the other hand, Aisha was intense and insatiable, almost breaking his hip last night.

Aisha laughed at Desmond’s expression. Aisha moved closer to plant a soft kiss on Desmond’s lips. She said goodbye to Desmond with the same joy that characterized her, although her words sounded quite threatening. “We’ll be seeing each other, Desmond. You better visit me... or I will come and burn down your house.”