Finding a place with dense vegetation, Gordon temporarily hid himself, then took out the map given by the instructor.
Flipping the map to the back, it contained some details about this Dragon Nest.
The structure of this rock mountain was somewhat similar to a volcano; there was a considerable space within the mountain, and the summit had an opening, making it convenient for Flying Wyverns to enter and exit, making it the perfect nesting spot for them.
Therefore, even if its "owner" died or left due to some accident, another Flying Wyvern would quickly move in, and due to species distribution, the nest owner was usually a Fire Dragon.
Besides the entrance and exit at the summit, the Dragon Nest had two other passages for entry and exit.
One was a low, narrow cave entrance less than a meter high, and the other was a long, narrow rock crevice.
For large Flying Wyverns, these two passages were like mouse holes in a human home, not something they would pay much attention to; the scent alone was enough to keep ordinary animals away.
However, Hunters would use these two passages to "visit" the owner of the nest.
Just like Gordon at this moment, except today he was playing the role of a sneaky "thief" rather than a murderous "bandit."
The first step in breaking and entering was, naturally, to confirm whether the owner of the house was home.
"Zhu Pa, it's up to you. Be careful," Gordon whispered.
Zhu Pa nodded its small head, tightened the cat pickaxe on its back, and then scampered towards the Dragon Nest on all fours.
Small stature and agile movement were the core advantages of the Airou race.
The larger the monster, the less they would pay attention to them, as in the wild, small size was often synonymous with "harmless."
Even if Zhu Pa was unlucky and ran into the owner of the nest, as long as it didn't foolishly initiate an attack, they would be fine.
A few minutes later, Zhu Pa ran back.
It seemed very excited.
"The Fire Dragon isn't in the nest, meow! I saw Fire Dragon eggs, so big! There are three of them, meow!"
Gordon's eyes lit up at the news; this was simply the best possible situation.
Pushing aside the branches and leaves of the bushes and looking up, there was nothing in the sky.
Gordon no longer hesitated, leaving the bushes and jogging all the way to the long, narrow rock crevice.
The crevice was narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, but it was still wide enough for an adult man to pass through normally.
After walking about eight or nine meters along the crevice passage, a wide space appeared before him.
This was a huge rock cave with an area of over a thousand square meters.
The interior space was roughly conical, and the top of the rock cave had an opening about twenty meters in diameter, which even a Flying Wyvern could easily pass through.
It was exactly as described by the instructor!
It was afternoon, and bright sunlight shone through the opening into the cave, forming a pillar of light that illuminated the dark cave brightly.
The cave was not clean but very dry.
Remains of large animals like Herbivore Dragons were scattered everywhere, and a pungent, fishy smell permeated the air.
Zhu Pa couldn't help but sneeze, but Gordon's attention was completely drawn to the nest illuminated by the pillar of light.
Here, large quantities of trees and grass leaves, burned to charcoal and even white ash by flames, were piled up.
In the center of the half-meter-thick ash, three enormous Dragon Eggs lay quietly.
Each Dragon Egg was about forty to fifty centimeters high, and it might be difficult to hold one with both arms.
The surface of the eggshell was not very smooth, presenting a grayish-white color like granite, giving a very hard impression.
Just pick one up, take it back to the Hunting Camp, and the mission would be complete!
Being in the Dragon Nest, Gordon wouldn't foolishly waste time.
He stretched his arms, then prepared to walk over and pick up a Dragon Egg.
But just then, Zhu Pa suddenly cried out in alarm.
Its pointed ears swiveled around, and its eyes showed an undisguised nervousness.
"Meow?! I hear the sound of wings flapping, meow! The Fire Dragon might be back, meow!"
Gordon immediately stopped his steps towards the Dragon Eggs.
He could feel his heart rate nearly double in a few seconds!
Gordon had a hundred percent trust in Zhu Pa's hearing and smell.
Instead of repeatedly confirming like an idiot, it was better to act quickly.
It was impossible to grab a Dragon Egg and run.
A furious Fire Dragon, upon discovering its eggs missing, would immediately ascend and search the surroundings; he wouldn't have time to get far.
He could only hide first!
Picking up Zhu Pa and looking around, Gordon bent down and grabbed a handful of Fire Dragon excrement from the ground, smearing it all over himself and Zhu Pa.
The strong stench made him almost vomit, but this was the best way to eliminate their scent.
After completing all this, he and Zhu Pa quickly ran into the rock crevice they had used to enter the Dragon Nest.
The crevice passage was not straight, and hiding around a corner inside it could evade the Fire Dragon's sight.
The man and cat, having found their hiding spot, lay down, trying their best not to make any sound.
Shortly after they hid, a huge shadow appeared at the opening at the top of the cave, accompanied by the whistling sound of dragon wings stirring the air.
Its enormous size, over fifteen meters, made monsters like the Blue Velocidrome seem like undeveloped children in front of it, and its wide wings almost completely blocked the cave entrance.
The greenish-blue scales and carapace, powerful legs, and the iconic spine under its chin all declared the identity of the newcomer.
The Queen of the Earth—Rathian (Female Fire Dragon)!
Peeking out a little from the corner of the rock crevice passage, Gordon watched the Female Fire Dragon land steadily inside the nest, almost forgetting to breathe.
Was this truly a creature that could be resisted by human strength?
The instructor's dozens of warnings were not as effective as this one glance.
Gordon felt regret for the first time.
If the Great Wild Boar King during the assessment mission could still be hunted with Courage and strategy, albeit with difficulty, then the gap in raw strength between himself and the Female Fire Dragon was an unbridgeable chasm.
This was simply not a monster he could face right now!
Gordon could feel Zhu Pa trembling uncontrollably beside him.
This was natural; let alone Zhu Pa, even he himself could not completely suppress the fear in his heart.
The Female Fire Dragon, back in her nest, first looked at the eggs inside.
A rare hint of maternal tenderness appeared in her cold vertical pupils, but she immediately raised her head in alarm.
There seemed to be a strange smell in the nest.
She folded her wings, stretched her neck, and sniffed around.
Noticing all this, Gordon and Zhu Pa couldn't help but hold their breath.
An incredibly long ten-odd seconds passed.
Fortunately, that handful of foul-smelling Fire Dragon excrement played a decisive role.
The Female Fire Dragon, finding nothing further, thought it might just be a strange smell clinging to prey she had brought back earlier.
She slowly walked back to the Dragon Eggs, lay down, and encircled them with her body, gently exhaling hot breath with sparks onto the eggs, as if assisting with incubation.
Gradually, she fell asleep.
Gordon and Zhu Pa exchanged glances.
This might be the best time to leave.
The man and cat cautiously tried to get up, but the heavy steel weapon and full set of armor made completely silent movement impossible.
As soon as he moved, the Burst Blade's pommel scraped against the ground, emitting a soft but distinct clang.
Startled awake, the Female Fire Dragon instantly opened her eyes.
She raised her neck and looked around.
In the passage, Gordon and Zhu Pa froze in place like they were playing the game of 'Red Light, Green Light,' terrified of making even the slightest sound.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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