Ted's physique was almost abnormal; the straight-line distance from the Hunter Camp to the river mouth he mentioned was three to four kilometers, and the path through the forest and along the coast was difficult, so the actual distance could easily be more than double that.
Even an ordinary person, walking lightly, would be out of breath and have sore feet after such a distance, but this guy, fully armed and carrying over a hundred kilograms, remained unfazed, looking as if he were taking a post-meal stroll.
Even Gordon, who had always prided himself on his physical fitness, had to admit that if their equipment were swapped, he probably couldn't do it so easily.
— The Basarios Set was much heavier than his Refined Ore Set.
After several tens of minutes of travel, the wide river mouth appeared before them.
It was the period of abundant water flow, and the river water rushing into the sea collided with the backflowing tide, creating turbulent currents and countless white foam.
Perhaps because the river brought a large amount of impurities, the beach here was no longer fine and white, but mixed with various irregular stones, sharp shards, and a large amount of rotten wood and seaweed.
The metallic greaves crunched with every step, and if one were to walk a few steps barefoot, it would probably not feel too good.
Ted, who was leading the way, also stopped. He first pretentiously sniffed, then put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly: "Ha! This is it! This Daddy can already smell the fishy odor of those Shield Crabs!"
Gordon also tried hard to sniff but only smelled the scent of seawater and the earthy smell of the river. He looked at Ted suspiciously; he had reason to suspect that the other party's "smell of Shield Crabs" was nonsense.
However, if the saying that Shield Crabs like to lay eggs at the confluence of river and sea water was true, then this was indeed the best breeding ground.
"If you find a series of small, deep pits on the ground, those should be Shield Crab tracks. Tracks on this kind of ground don't last too long, but there should be quite a few Shield Crabs nearby, so you'll find something with a little searching.
Let's split up, but don't stray too far from each other. If you encounter danger, move towards my side. No problem, little brother Gordon?"
Gordon nodded, having no objections.
Logically speaking, splitting up during a team hunt was not a wise decision. If it were Amos or Miles, they certainly wouldn't agree to do so.
Because they were Upper Hunters, having encountered dangerous monsters that young people wouldn't even dare to imagine, the word "caution" was deeply ingrained in their souls.
In contrast, Ted and Gordon pursued efficiency. Their opponent was just a Shield Crab; there was really no need for two people to deal with one, so it was better to spread out.
"This Daddy is afraid of heat, so I'll choose the side closer to the dense forest. Little brother Gordon, you search along the coast!" Ted said casually, then "thump-thump-thumped" towards the direction closer to the forest belt.
Gordon smiled and began searching alone along the coastline.
He knew that Ted was taking care of him.
The dense forest, with its thick vegetation and dim light, was obviously more suitable for monsters to hide, and searching there was naturally much more dangerous than the open coast.
Winning an arm wrestle against the other party was one thing, but it was an undeniable fact that Ted's raw strength surpassed his own. Only a fool would try to compete at such a time.
"Alright, time to get to work!" Gordon stretched his arms and carefully searched for traces of Shield Crab activity.
To be honest, he missed Zhu Pa a little.
With Zhu Pa's excellent sense of smell, he would surely be able to find the Shield Crab's whereabouts more easily, right?
Uh, running off for a "vacation" without him, then only thinking of him when he was needed—was he being a bit of a scummy owner?
Just as he was condemning himself in his mind, Gordon's foot suddenly twisted. Fortunately, with the protection of his greaves, he wasn't injured.
Looking down, he found a small pit about the size of a cup opening and a dozen centimeters deep. Looking forward, there was a continuous series of them.
These should be the Shield Crab's tracks!
Gordon's spirits immediately lifted. After carefully distinguishing the shape and condition of the track edges, he immediately confirmed the Shield Crab's direction of travel and the approximate time it left.
It's right ahead, let's chase it!
Gordon immediately quickened his pace. The footwork he had secretly learned from Oshura came into play, and even the soft, damp sand couldn't slow him down.
In just a minute or two, he caught up with the slow-moving Shield Crab, which was also filtering algae as it went.
Without hesitation, Gordon charged forward and swung down his Burst Blade.
The Shield Crab's leg structure was similar to other types of crabs, making lateral movement easy but forward and backward movement difficult. Gordon's vertical slash with the Great Sword was very fast, and unable to dodge to the side in time, it was struck directly.
The carapace on the Shield Crab's face was not too hard, but its two large pincers were a bit in the way, blocking the path of the swing, which made the effect of Gordon's attack not as ideal.
The attacked Shield Crab let out a piercing shriek similar to an insect's cry. Its three pairs of segmented limbs rapidly swung, moving around behind Gordon with great agility, seemingly intending to counterattack from the hunter's blind spot.
However, Gordon's Attack was not yet over. After the vertical slash, he slightly bent his legs, stabilized his center of gravity, and using the strength of his waist and thighs, swung the Burst Blade horizontally.
This strike cleverly bypassed the Shield Crab's pincers, landing squarely on its torso. Carapace fragments and greenish body fluid splattered, and the heavily wounded Shield Crab immediately fell to the ground.
Before the opponent could get back up, Gordon stepped forward, delivered another blow, and ended its life.
Looking left and right to confirm that the vicinity was temporarily safe, Gordon half-crouched and began to carve.
"Bah, why is it a male!" Not finding the expected crab roe, Gordon grumbled as he collected the sharp claws and small pieces of carapace he had gathered.
These materials might be useful later, or at the very least, they could be exchanged for a little money.
"Huh?"
Gordon, who was feeling a bit displeased, suddenly noticed that there were quite a few small, pit-like tracks in continuous rows on the ground nearby, even appearing somewhat crisscrossed.
Choosing the freshest set of tracks, Gordon gave chase.
"I don't believe I can't find a female crab!"
As Ted had said, there were indeed many Shield Crabs on the coast near the river mouth. In just a few minutes, Gordon found a second one.
Learning from his previous lesson, Gordon directly used a horizontal slash when dealing with this Shield Crab. The Burst Blade easily bypassed the pincers' defense, and the first strike severely wounded the prey.
He followed up with another blow to the center of the torso, where the crab's heart would be, ending its suffering.
Rubbing his hands, he bent down and pulled out his carving knife from behind his waist. Just as he was about to begin gathering, Gordon's movements suddenly paused. As if remembering something, he reinserted the knife and straightened up again.
Then, he pulled out the lucky gold coin from his neckline, and with a 'better than nothing' mindset, placed it in his palm and bowed.
"May Hayata bless me."
Time to officially start!
Carefully prying open the Shield Crab's carapace, golden-red, thick, and full crab roe, almost solidified, came into view.
"It actually worked?!"
With a hint of disbelief, Gordon collected the premium crab roe. He then looked down at the foreign ancient coin hanging around his neck, shimmering with a golden glow.
"Next time I have a chance, I'll have to treat that person to a meal and ask her to help me put a good blessing on it again!"
--+--
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!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.