The Barroth possessed a stout physique and thick carapace, a body structure that granted it powerful explosive strength, remarkable resistance to blows, and considerable stamina.
Conversely, its flexibility was inevitably compromised.
After its previous charge attack missed, the Barroth had dashed another thirty to forty meters before coming to a complete stop, and its turning speed wasn't fast either; this was where his chance at victory lay.
Realizing this, Altaïr quickened his pace and actively charged toward his opponent.
The furious Barroth seemed caught off guard that this little creature, barely taller than its own lower legs, dared to charge at it, causing its reaction to lag slightly.
By the time it regained its senses, Altaïr was already less than half a body length away.
The Barroth roared in annoyance, lifted its head, and rammed forward.
Such a ram was far quicker than attacks like the charge that required buildup, but for an agile hunter, there was still ample time to react.
Just before the shovel-like head plate could strike him, Altaïr promptly dropped into a sliding tackle, slipping under the Barroth's advancing head and positioning himself beneath its body, near the chest and abdomen.
In such a spot, weapons like the Great Sword were difficult to wield fully, but the Sword and Shield was different; he had plenty of space to swing the blade, which was shorter than an arm.
Sliding Slash!
Rising to his feet without any pause or wasting the slightest inertia, Altaïr swung the blade in his left hand, slashing diagonally at the Barroth's chest.
This move was one he had learned from Senior Serl, integrating an attack into an evasive maneuver, making it highly practical.
Yet the moment the blade connected, he sensed trouble.
It wasn't the hardness of striking rock that threatened to bounce the blade back; in fact, he couldn't even be sure if he had truly made solid contact with the Barroth's body.
The thick layer of Mud Armor clung to his blade, preventing the attack from penetrating deeply; the sensation was like slashing into soft, muddy ground.
He had to bypass the areas covered in mud!
He rolled to adjust his position, dodging the Barroth's forelimb swipe, and after rising, delivered another slash.
This time, he aimed for the Barroth's knee joint.
Mud would fall off; after its previous movements, only about half of the Barroth's body was actually covered in Mud Armor, with frequently active areas like joints having little to no mud attachment.
This slash finally gave a sense of solid contact, yet the attack effect remained poor.
Aside from the external Mud Armor, the Barroth's own carapace and skin were sufficiently hard and thick, far surpassing Monsters like the Gendrome.
His strike was by no means light, yet he didn't see even a trace of blood.
This meant his attack hadn't managed to penetrate the Barroth's defense at all!
So tough! If I'd known I'd be fighting this battle, I should've prepared a more powerful heavy weapon in advance.
Altaïr muttered to himself silently, but he also knew this was just meaningless complaining; it wasn't as if he could whistle and have a weapon fly over to him.
What he really needed to consider now was how to drain this big fellow's stamina and create an opportunity to escape. Feeling the heat from behind, Altaïr rolled once more, dodging the Barroth's downward bite.
The chest and abdomen area was still too dangerous. As he ended his roll, Altaïr took advantage of the momentum to lunge forward, slipping between the Barroth's legs and positioning himself beneath its tail.
Rising to his feet, he delivered two more slashes in quick succession; first to the Barroth's inner thigh, then to its tail. The defenses here were indeed slightly weaker, giving Altaïr a glimmer of hope.
The Barroth roared angrily and hastily turned around.
The hunter's position was both an attack and visual blind spot. Having a creature slip between its legs to attack, even if the strikes were insignificant, made it uneasy.
Altaïr felt pleased by the Barroth's agitated reaction.
If the monster had remained as immovable as a mountain, he would have been in trouble. Since it was reacting, it meant his choice was correct.
He could continuously circle around the Barroth, engaging it in a battle of attrition, steadily draining its stamina until it grew weary and exposed an opening!
Though the risks were high, any mistake could mean instant death, he had finally found a viable escape route!
"Whoosh–!"
A sharp whistle sounded in his ears, distracting Altaïr for a moment as he nearly got stepped on by the Barroth.
Quickly adjusting his stance and raising his shield, Altaïr finally had a moment to spare a glance toward the direction of the whistle.
He had initially thought it was Sajji, who might have abandoned the merchant caravan out of concern and secretly come to assist. But it wasn't.
The newcomer was another hunter.
The night was dark, and he had no time to observe carefully. He couldn't even tell if the person was male or female; only identifying them as a hunter by the long sword slung diagonally across their back.
After using the whistle to signal a warning, the person stealthily approached from the Barroth's blind spot.
Altaïr, who had originally only hoped to escape safely, now felt his spirits lift.
Unable to clearly see the equipment, he couldn't gauge the other hunter's strength. But since they had joined the fight without hesitation, they were likely at least not a 1★ novice; their hunter rank was probably higher than his own.
If they were a 3★ hunter, the two of them working together should be able to repel this Barroth quite reliably. If they were a powerful hunter of 4★ or even higher rank, he could probably lie down right now and still be fine.
But honestly, the chances of the other being a high-ranking hunter weren't great.
If they were truly strong enough to easily suppress the Barroth, they would have charged in and launched a fierce assault directly; there would be no need for such stealthy maneuvers or signaling him to coordinate.
Regardless, he was already grateful for the assistance; who was he to be picky?
Altaïr began actively attacking, drawing the Barroth's attention from the front to create an opening for the unfamiliar hunter approaching from the side and rear.
The other hunter reacted swiftly. Realizing Altaïr was drawing the monster's focus, they quickened their pace and in an instant reached the Barroth's rear.
Without any intention of slowing down, at the optimal attack distance of three to four meters from the Barroth, they took a large, firm step forward and drew their blade.
"Hah!"
In a clearly female voice, the hunter's Long Sword descended like lightning.
A textbook-perfect Step Slash. The momentum of the charge was fully converted into the force of the sword swing, the blade's path unwavering and straight without the slightest deviation.
The blade honed from Monster Bone smoothly sliced through the sturdy armor and tough hide, carving a narrow, nearly meter-long gash from the Barroth's tail down to its thigh.
"Groaargh!"
The sudden, intense pain caused the Barroth to let out a pained roar, interrupting its half-executed ramming attack.
"Beautiful!" Altaïr couldn't help but loudly praise. Seizing this opening, he pulled his sword-wielding left arm back, tightening his body.
After a brief one-second Charge, he lunged forward, swinging his blade squarely onto the Barroth's cheek.
But unlike when hunting the Gendrome, the Charged Slash that had sent the Gendrome stumbling backward could barely even shift the Barroth's head upon impact. The rebounding force nearly shook the sword from his grasp.
With his rhythm disrupted, Altaïr had to abandon his plan to execute a Perfect Rush. The Barroth was no Gendrome; the two were on entirely different levels in terms of size, strength, and physical resilience!
Altaïr clicked his tongue in frustration and prepared to change tactics.
The unfamiliar Long Sword user attacking from behind the Barroth also noticed the situation. She immediately raised her voice: "I'll hold the front! You target the weak spots!"
"Alright!"
Her voice was unexpectedly young, but Altaïr had no time to dwell on it.
He once again used a Sliding Slash to evade the Barroth's counterattack, circling around to its rear. Meanwhile, the Long Sword user dragged her weapon diagonally, moving to the front and swinging her sword to block the Barroth's attempt to turn.
The two launched a new round of attacks in unison.