The Mech Touch

The hunting team spent a short time processing the most attractive pieces of meat.

Once a device had managed to extract all of the toxins and other dangerous traces from the flesh of the Giant Stone Eater, the mech pilots began to barbecue and eat their meals in shifts.

Though every mech pilot who took part in the hunt savored their hard-fought meals, they did not dare to waste too much time on this profound pleasure.

Once it was time for the hunting team to turn around and make their way out of the Sorara #390 Hunting Ground, Ves wondered what would happen to the rest of the massive beast carcass.

There was still a huge amount of value contained within the partially butchered corpse. Its mutated biology had adapted to earth energy so well that its tissue samples would definitely make a lot of biomech designers crazy!

The carcass of the Giant Stone Eater could provide so many research samples that any competent biotech researcher could devise a means to increase the toughness of a biomech.

"We are not throwing it away." Captain Gheri explained as she and her subordinates prepared to go back with the harvested body parts that they claimed for themselves. "We have already signed a contract with the Hunting Association to take care of the remainder of the beast body. They will gladly take it off our hands in exchange for money and other rewards. The workers who will swoop in and transport everything back to Tixe City will even deliver the skull to our doorstep."

The skull of the Giant Stone Eater was a bit too big and heavy to carry all the way back. The mechs might be able to carry it if the hunters really wanted to, but that would occupy too many of them, preventing them from responding to any fast-moving threats.

It was much better to give up a substantial share of the profits and rely on the convenience of the Hunting Association to bring back the heavy goods.

Ves couldn't help but applaud the Hunting Association for their profiteering ways. The new organization had inherited the penny-pinching ways of the mechers.

"I will be departing from your hunting team now that you have concluded your hunt." He announced to Captain Gheri and the rest.

"Our prey has fallen, but our journey has not yet ended, sir." The Swordmaiden officer corrected him. "A hunt is only truly complete when we manage to get back to civilization with our lives and mechs intact."

Ves shrugged his shoulders. "That may be the case, but I have made another arrangement with the Hunting Association. "The shuttle that has been observing us from above will come down and pick me up so that it can bring me to another destination. You and your team will have to go back by yourselves. I believe this should be a considerable relief to you all as you are no longer responsible for protecting me against dangerous threats."

That took the mech officer aback. "That is highly unusual, sir. The Hunting Association usually does not break its own rules."

"Nothing is impossible, captain. Even the officials of the Hunting Association can be persuaded to bend their own customs so long as it is worth it. I just made sure to give them a concession that is far too attractive for them to refuse."

He did not elaborate any further.

Though the two actually had a good time together, Ves needed to pursue his own priorities. He had already learned plenty of lessons from the hunting team today.

Ves asked one more question before he left.

"I am truly impressed at your performance today. I think a lot of mech pilots would have been able to advance to the rank of expert candidate if they were thrust into the same situation. I do not mean to pry into your affairs, but... is there anything hindering you from advancing to expert candidate? Under the current circumstances, it should have become easier for you to break through."

Captain Gheri became impassive. She did not look angry, but it was clear that this was a sensitive topic to the Swordmaiden.

"...I am not ready. Let us leave it at that. You may be my patriarch, but I would like to retain my privacy."

"Very well." Ves respectfully replied. "Whatever is holding you back, I hope you can get past it and develop your potential as a mech pilot and a swordswoman. Our dwarf galaxy is becoming more dangerous every year. Our clan needs all of the powerful mech pilots it can get. While there are many talented people that will likely break through in droves over the next decade, we can never have enough high-ranking mech pilots. If you think that this can become your calling, then I hope that you will step up and fight for our cause. You deserve to be more than a branch leader of a single second-class hunting preserve."

Gheri did not have much to say. The two bid goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

Minutes later, Ves entered the shuttle. He calmly took his seat while his children eagerly crowded around him. They all welcomed his return!

"Hello again, cuties! Did you miss your father?"

"That was soooo cool, papa! The Arrow Gods are nothing compared to our Swordmaidens!" Andraste eagerly babbled as she climbed on top of his lap. "The swordsmanship of those Swordmaidens are on another level. Their skills are all honed in battle and their willpower must be really strong. Will all of the Swordmaidens become as strong as the ones in the hunting team?"

"I'm not sure. Ketis knows more about this. You should ask her instead."

"I thought you were in charge of the clan? How can you not know?"

"There is way too much stuff happening in the Larkinson Clan. It is impossible for a single person to keep track of what a million Larkinsons are doing all of the time. Ketis is a Journeyman Mech Designer, so she can already handle her own affairs. She doesn't need a nosy person like me watching over her shoulders all of the time."

"Where are we going now, papa?" Aurelia asked. "Are we returning to the city?"

"Not yet, my dear. I made a special with the Hunting Association last night. Did you know that I signed up for another hunt? I am not satisfied with taking down the Giant Stone Eater. I have set my sights on another powerful beast as well. Did you recall the Azure Tornado Dragon that we saw yesterday? I want to try and see if I can harvest it as well."

The shuttle had already begun to depart from the Sorara #390 Hunting Ground.

It had begun to make its way over the river delta that was part of the Mother Riva #405 Hunting Ground.

"Which hunting team will be doing the hunting this time? Is it another group of Swordmaidens, or did you hire another team?"

"There is no hunting team."

"Huh?"

"This hunt will be much more special than before. In fact, it is the main reason why the Hunting Association has agreed to give me an exception."

His meaning became clear when the shuttle finally arrived at the site where the Azure Tornado Dragon resided.

The shuttle still flew high enough in the air to avoid the notice of the powerful mutated beast.

Just like last time, the Azure Tornado Dragon leisurely kept its body half-submerged within one of the tributaries of the massive river of the Chasseur Continent.

No mechs were within sight. Many hunting teams that still had the courage to hunt in the Chasseur Continent generally avoided proto-calamity beasts like the plague!

This was not necessarily because they thought they were too weak to challenge a beast as powerful as the Azure Tornado Dragon.

They were afraid that their intelligence on such powerful beasts had already become outdated.

If the powerful creatures had succeeded in undergoing a major evolution, then it would only take a slight amount of effort for the newly emerged calamity beasts to demolish entire hunting teams!

In fact, no sane hunting team operating on Ocanon VI would dare to challenge the Azure Tornado Dragon. The risk that the creature had already evolved was too great.

Only Ves knew better. His powerful senses could easily discern the true state of the Azure Tornado Dragon, especially when its body was so big and massive.

Once he confirmed that the Azure Tornado Dragon had yet to undergo a qualitative promotion in life level, he became reassured.

He did not have enough confidence in pulling off his plan if the air and water-aspected beast had gained too much strength.

Ves stood up from his seat and walked towards the exit.

President Oscar Tarich of the Hunting Association already waited at the side.

"I see now why you have earned so much infamy as a mech designer." The older man spoke. "Only a madman such as you would insist on proceeding with this insane idea. Are you sure you wish to proceed? As confident as you may be in your ability to escape, we truly cannot afford to let a tier 3 galactic citizen fall on this planet."

"Relax. I am stronger than I look. This is an appropriate challenge for me. Even if my actions do not conform to your rules, my willingness to face the Azure Tornado Dragon by myself should fall in line with at least some of the spirit of your Hunting Association. Besides, you won't be able to evaluate how well a human phase lord can contend against a powerful mutated beast. I am providing you with an opportunity to collect a lot of precious data."

"That may be true, but it is doubtful whether many other human phase lords will emerge. Phasewater is too scarce to support too many of them. This makes them irrelevant to our Hunting Association."

Ves smiled back. He did not believe that at all. Besides, even if the Hunting Association held little interest in human phase lords, the Red Association was much different.

This arrangement couldn't have been made without the approval of the mechers!

The Bluejay Fleet had initially been aghast that Ves wanted to throw himself at the Azure Tornado Dragon!

It was only when Ves persuaded Jovy that this would be an excellent way to gather real combat data that he relented.

Ves did not intend to fight like a pure phase lord, though. The Azure Tornado Dragon was way too slippery and cunning to defeat through simple means.

He wanted to employ his full combat system, which meant that he needed to make use of his other advantages!

Once he felt he was ready, he stripped away his smart uniform, exposing the nanosuit that he wore underneath.

This was the same nanosuit he wore during his last test.

It was not only an excellent means to cover himself up when he unfolded his true body, but it also helped with gathering a huge amount of highly precise data for the mechers!

The nanosuit also possessed limited defensive properties that could keep him alive long enough for the Bluejay Fiet to come to the rescue.

He could feel the stealthed first-class multipurpose mechs hovering in multiple directions.

If anything went wrong, the mechs would swoop in and bail Ves out no matter what the Hunting Association thought!

With that thought in mind, Ves threw aside all of his concerns and jumped out of the shuttle.

As he quickly lost altitude, his body began to expand in size, causing his nanosuit to stretch but never to the point of breaking apart.

At the same time, his growing hand held a special artifact flute that miraculously kept up with the growth in scale!

Soon enough, Ves the human phase lord had made an appearance once again!

With his amazing new artifact in his hands, he surveyed the Azure Tornado Dragon and calculated his chances once again.

His lips gradually curled into a smile. "Do you feel it, Oceancaller? This will be my first tribute to you. Let us hunt down a dragon together!"