When the Research Commission was first established over fifty years ago, there were no separate Fleets.
Back then, the Commission's banner featured a primary color of red with a star insignia representing the Sapphire Star. It symbolized their hope to pierce through the mists, unravel the mysteries of the Elder Dragons, and chart a path in the right direction.
Because of this, the Tale of the Five had always endured among the members of the Research Commission. Even the newcomers of the Fifth Fleet knew it by heart, passed down from veteran hunters to rookies, and from field scholars to children born in Astera... Two generations had already come and gone since then.
It hung like a beacon in an era when humanity's knowledge of Elder Dragons was shrouded in mystery and fantasy, guiding future generations forward—yet this very beacon, which everyone had always dismissed as mere myth and fairy tale, suddenly flashed with brilliant light at this moment.
The battlefield suddenly erupted into a clamor. Watching that blue star vanish into the horizon, many found themselves overcome with uncontrollable excitement, shouting continuously.
"—The Sapphire Star?"
"The Sky-Soaring Dragon is actually the Sapphire Star??!!"
"Could Boss Glavenus be one of the legendary Five Dragons of Creation?!"
"That was definitely the Sapphire Star! It absolutely was!!!"
As various discussions mingled, the atmosphere on the battlefield shifted abruptly. For a moment, even the subjugation of the Savage Deviljho seemed trivial. The hunters, along with the accompanying scholars and staff, fervently discussed how Asterion had just transformed into a blue star and taken flight, their expressions bordering on fanatical.
Some stood completely still with their heads tilted back, staring at the sky, transfixed as they watched the blue-tinted clouds slowly diffuse outward, unable to tear their eyes away for a long time.
Scholars were crying out in amazement, claiming that the scene they witnessed today was more significant than all the research conducted over the past thirty years. Stifling the tremors in their excited hands, they desperately tried to record what they had just seen using their pens, through both words and sketches.
It was a day of monumental historical significance, a fact that even the most academically averse hunter could clearly perceive.
Naturally, a few quick-witted hunters wanted to find out from Bazelgeuse Bro and Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro exactly what had transpired—why Boss Glavenus had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and why he was flying off into the distance, a direction that was taking him further and further away from the Glavenus Tribe.
But before Caly could translate anything for Bazelgeuse Bro, the monster—having already received Asterion's battle declaration—excitedly took to the air again. Though his body was still stiff from exhaustion, causing him to wobble high and low in the sky as if he might fall at any moment, Bazelgeuse Bro nonetheless gave chase in the direction Asterion had gone.
Soon, his silhouette vanished completely from sight.
As for Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro... Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro knew absolutely nothing.
Do not subject the avian warrior to such cruel questions.
Utterly uninterested in combat and brimming with absolute confidence in Asterion's prowess, Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro no longer worried about Asterion leaving the nest like he used to. After all, his own hatchling was the strongest; nothing could possibly defeat him.
Thus, Kulu-Ya-Ku Bro preferred to preen his feathers, which had been ruffled during his frantic escape, while pondering where he might scavenge another egg later for an extra meal.
The hunters, meanwhile, grew even busier. Even though they had no idea where Boss Glavenus and Boss Bazelgeuse were heading, they could sense that something monumental was on the horizon, and they needed to prepare as quickly as possible.
Clearing the battlefield, hauling the carcass of the Savage Deviljho, gathering materials, and organizing records—even more hunters, alongside scholars and technicians who had received the news, flooded into the area. Everyone was either clutching notebooks or carrying packed rucksacks, eager to collect every piece of useful information available.
The influx of people from all directions made the already chaotic battlefield even more bustling. Footsteps echoed continuously, and occasional loud discussions could be heard. The blending of various sounds created a sort of noisy order, reminiscent of the docks at Astera.
The Admiral, the Commander, and the Wyverian Scholar had gathered together, keeping a certain distance from the other hunters and speaking in hushed, low tones.
"Hmm... Could it be that seven years ago, when we last saw Boss Glavenus, he hadn't actually reached full maturity yet, despite already being able to easily slay a Velkhana?" The Commander patted the tough, thick hide of the Savage Deviljho beside him and scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"It's hard to believe, but even back then, Boss Glavenus gave off an aura of absolute invincibility..." The Admiral mused, scratching the back of his head as he fondly recalled past battles. "He's incredibly intelligent. Traps that work on normal monsters and the coordinated tactics of hunters have absolutely no effect on him. On top of that, he possesses power far exceeding that of ordinary Elder Dragons..."
"I truly thought that level of combat prowess was the absolute pinnacle for a monster. I never expected..."
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" the Wyverian Scholar replied with a touch of helplessness. "As much as I would like to dismiss the possibility, the facts suggest that this hypothesis is highly likely to be true."
"The most undeniable proof is his flight speed. Do you both remember the sight of the Sky-Soaring Dragon descending from the heavens to slay the Velkhana?"
The Admiral and the Commander exchanged a look.
"Of course I remember. If Boss Glavenus hadn't unleashed a massive amount of heat, many hunters and Grimalkynes would have probably been frozen alive in the ice," the Commander said grimly. "He was also the one who shattered the blizzard created by the Velkhana. At that time, we could barely take a step forward, let alone mount a proper counterattack."
"Exactly," the Wyverian Scholar nodded. "Then you should also remember that back then, the energy erupting from the tips of the Sky-Soaring Dragon's specialized wings wasn't Dragon element, but white flames. Furthermore, while he didn't fly slowly back then, he certainly couldn't rocket from the ground to an altitude of thousands of meters in mere seconds."
As he spoke, the Wyverian Scholar looked up at the cloud layer. At the exact pivot point where Asterion had turned vertically to fly into the distance, a diffuse trail of blue vapor was expanding outward. It grew fainter and fainter, gradually blending into the surrounding sky until only the slightest hint of blue at the very edge remained barely discernible.
But that altitude...
"True. Although the blizzard caused by that fellow during the Velkhana subjugation campaign obscured the entire battlefield, I remember vividly that we could still make out his body as he descended from the sky."
The Admiral knitted his brows slightly.
"Those white flames couldn't envelope Boss Glavenus entirely back then; they merely flowed across the surface of his body in a hazy shimmer. It was nothing like today, where his whole form completely transformed into a blue star, completely obscuring his limbs."
"It means he has evolved once again," the Commander spoke up, his thoughts clicking into place. "Evidently, those white flames were merely a trait of a transitional phase. Having undergone another evolution, Boss Glavenus has reached a brand-new pinnacle. From intermittent gliding at the very beginning to slow flight, and now to this extreme high-speed flight—he has once again ascended to heights far beyond our comprehension."
This topic was somewhat poignant, leaving the Admiral momentarily dazed. Come to think of it, hadn't the hunters of Astera been unable to keep pace with that brilliant figure for a very long time now?
Every time he vanished and reappeared, it was as if he had transformed into a completely different creature. At the very beginning, he had to set traps and engage in risky hit-and-run tactics just to secure food, but he quickly outgrew that lifestyle. He had even secured the loyalty of a clan of Grimalkynes who swore allegiance to him and cooked his meals.
No matter what the Research Commission's original purpose had been when they set out, their actions had, in reality, established the very first settlement for humanity from the Old World to dwell in the New World—a stepping stone for mankind's future expansion across the continent.
But therein lay the problem. Before humans could even carve out their own territory, a monster had beaten them to the punch by subjugating the local Lynians. In turn, he had effectively gained leverage over Astera by controlling resources and supplies—and those Grimalkynes were actually quite formidable in combat!
The operational range of the hunters within the Ancient Forest was completely enclosed within the territory of the Glavenus Tribe. As for expanding toward the Wildspire Waste... well, it was a barren waste, after all.
"It truly is difficult to comprehend," the Wyverian Scholar said with a wry smile. Researchers always harbored complex emotions when confronted with things that transcended their current understanding. "Comparing this to the observation reports you left over fifty years ago, it's hard to imagine that a monster could, in a mere fifty years, rise from a state where it had to use traps and hit-and-run tactics just to defeat a Jyuratodus, to a level where it can single-handedly reshape the ecological environment of a significant portion of the New World."
"Haha! Back then, Boss Glavenus would even team up with Boss Kulu-Ya-Ku to steal Apceros eggs. Boss Kulu-Ya-Ku was in charge of snatching the eggs, while Boss Glavenus took care of intimidating the Apceros to stop them from giving chase!" Recalling what the scholars had observed while crouching outside Asterion's nest all those years ago, the Admiral couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
"There's no need to fret over such things," the Commander said, taking a much more pragmatic view than the Wyverian Scholar. "The facts are what they are. Rather than pondering why Boss Glavenus became like this, I am far more interested in knowing what our next move should be."
"Well, I am a scholar after all; exploring the essence of things is my duty," the Wyverian Scholar said, adjusting his glasses. "In any case, the journey of the Sky-Soaring Dragon is absolutely not something an ordinary Elder Dragon could achieve! I even suspect whether the Sky-Soaring Dragon has already reached a level beyond Elder Dragons—no, it's nothing."
Like suddenly pinching a stool short mid-defecation, the Wyverian Scholar's words ground to an abrupt halt, leaving them completely bewildered.
"Are you saying...?" But the Commander understood. His expression grew increasingly solemn, and even the Admiral ceased his usual jovial joking.
Much of this intelligence was strictly classified by both the Kingdom and the Guild, serving both to prevent reckless individuals from bringing calamity upon humanity and to avoid widespread panic that might crush the confidence of ordinary hunters.
After all, only humanity knew just how vast and erratic human diversity could be; no one could guarantee that some lunatic wouldn't pop up one day and ruin everything.
However, for the two leaders of the Research Commission, who bore the mission of exploring Elder Dragon secrets in an uncharted, primordial wilderness, such forbidden information was naturally not kept from the Admiral and the Commander.
Furthermore, as the Guild continued its relentless exploration and investigation of various regions over the past fifty years, this intelligence was constantly updated and delivered to the Research Commission via the transits of the Fourth Fleet.
Forbidden Species.
When the Wyverian Scholar hesitated and spoke of a tier above Elder Dragons, the Admiral and the Commander instantly thought of those two words.
Elder Dragons were already akin to living natural disasters that ordinary people could comprehend, virtually impossible to oppose through sheer human strength. When faced with a rampaging Elder Dragon, even the Guild's elite hunters could only fight with the goal of repelling it. If all else failed, their only recourse was to evacuate the human populace within the Elder Dragon's territory and relocate them to safety.
Yet, even if ordinary Elder Dragons were already considered natural disasters in the eyes of humanity, there still existed monsters far more powerful than them—the Forbidden Species.
To prevent widespread panic, the Forbidden Species were never recorded in conventional books, nor was their existence disclosed to the public. Their power resided far above that of ordinary Elder Dragons; they were, in essence, the kings of Elder Dragons.
In the presence of a Forbidden Species, ordinary monsters were no different from common wild beasts before humans.
A torrent of information flashed rapidly through the minds of the trio. The Admiral and the Commander quickly reviewed everything about Boss Glavenus's past and present transformations, carefully re-evaluating the power he currently possessed and the profound impact he had wrought...
A heavy silence fell as the three pondered the possibility of Boss Glavenus actually being a Forbidden Species. The Commander had never considered things from this angle before, but now that the Wyverian Scholar had brought it up, the pieces fit together the more he thought about it.
"Indeed, it's highly probable." The Admiral suddenly let out a long breath, the solemnity fading from his face. With a soft chuckle, he said, "Come to think of it, hasn't Boss Glavenus already given us the answer a long time ago?"
"It is not that he must force himself to adapt to the environment, but rather that the environment must change to adapt to him—the message Mirrorblade brought back was correct, and that statement holds literal truth."
"Only a Forbidden Species commands such overwhelming majesty. Their very existence is the manifestation of nature's will, and the environments they inhabit inevitably warp to become perfectly suited to them. It is precisely because of this that they were recorded by ancient humans as... Gods!"
"From the day they are born, ordinary monsters generally require about a year to learn to hunt independently, some a bit less, some a bit more," the Commander chimed in. "Nature does not grant them much time to grow. If they cannot become strong and capable of independent predation in the shortest time possible, they end up dead in the jaws of other monsters."
"Mm. But looking at it now, it seems Boss Glavenus's infancy lasted far longer and spanned a much grander scale than we ever imagined," the Admiral couldn't help but laugh heartily.
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