The Alchemy Airship stopped about thirty kilometers from the Fire Element Highland.

Any further, and the enriched Fire Elemental Magic Power would interfere with the airship’s levitation Runes.

Allen leaped from the cabin door, landing lightly on the dry, cracked earth. Behind him, twelve Spider Slayers jumped down in succession.

A heatwave carrying the stench of sulfur and burning washed over him. His gaze pierced the distorted air, and on the distant horizon, the silhouette of a massive active volcano was clearly visible. Thick smoke billowed from its peak, dyeing the sky an ominous dark red.

This was a zone of high fire elemental activity within the Second Ring Belt, a natural pasture the Seven Towers Alliance used for raising fire-attribute Magical Beasts and harvesting fire-elemental materials.

Without a moment’s hesitation, a thought from Allen sent five metal spheres flying out of his Space Ring. They soundlessly dispersed in five different directions.

As they ascended, their outer shells rapidly turned transparent, blending in with the surrounding air and vanishing completely from sight.

The Demon Eyes have been deployed.

Commencing construction of real-time battlefield environmental model... Scanning a fifty-kilometer radius...

A three-dimensional topographical map rapidly took shape on Allen’s Insight Glasses, populating with details.

Real-time map construction complete.

Environmental Analysis: Fire Elemental Magic Power concentration in air at 37.4%, 12 times higher than standard values. Unstable geological structure; thirty-seven high-risk lava vents detected.

Biological Scan: One hundred twenty-one low-threat monster signals and seven medium-threat signals marked. No sign of the Volcanic Fierce Ape detected.

Allen didn’t move. He stood perfectly still, waiting for the Demon Eyes to transmit more detailed environmental data.

A few minutes later, a warning box popped up on the map.

Hostile target detected. Three o’clock, eight hundred meters.

On the map, three red dots were wandering along irregular paths.

Target Identification: Flame Spirit. Has no physical body. Weakness: Energy Core.

Allen pulled up a real-time image of one of the Flame Spirits. It was a ball of fire floating in midair, constantly twisting and contorting.

"Record their movement patterns and Magic Power fluctuation frequency."

Allen set off. The twelve Spider Slayers fanned out around him, forming a circular defensive formation with a hundred-meter radius.

His Stealth Cloak concealed his form, and his Magic Power fluctuations were suppressed to a minimum.

He moved like a ghost across this dead land.

After advancing for about half a kilometer, he saw three twisting masses of flame drifting aimlessly across an open, rocky plain up ahead.

They had no fixed form, merely stretching and contorting constantly, scorching the surrounding air with a SIZZLE.

The Flame Spirit was a type of Fire Elemental Creature. It had no physical body, rendering conventional physical attacks useless.

Allen stopped, not rushing to attack. Like a patient Hunter, he observed them silently through a Demon Eye hovering high in the sky.

According to a data comparison with the ’Panorama of All Things Living,’ its core weakness is the internal Fire Elemental Crystal Stone that provides its Magic Power. Energy-based attacks can deal effective damage. Ice-attribute damage has a 300% amplification effect.

Allen took a solid ice-blue grenade from the tactical pouch on his belt.

A Frost Bomb. It was packed with high-purity Ice Elemental Crystal Powder, the bane of Fire Elemental Creatures. He had brought more of these than any other weapon.

Allen activated Craftsman’s Hand and hurled the Frost Bomb with all his strength. It flew a great distance before detonating above the three Flame Spirits with a BOOM, instantly spreading a cloud of ice-blue mist.

The outer flames of the three drifting Flame Spirits dimmed instantly, completely exposing the three fist-sized, red-glowing Fire Elemental Crystal Stones at their cores.

Target cores exposed.

Allen didn’t make a move, simply issuing the command in his mind.

’After all, he had underlings now.’

A nearby Spider Slayer had already locked onto a target, its cannon minutely adjusting its aim.

A beam of light flashed for an instant, striking the core Crystal Stone of one of the Flame Spirits.

The ball of fire let out a sorrowful wail and dissipated completely. The other two, sensing the danger, began to flee with haste.

But it was too late. Two more beams of light ended the battle cleanly and efficiently.

Allen strode forward, picked the three still-warm Fire Elemental Crystal Stones from the scorched earth, and placed them in a collection case.

The entire process took less than a minute. It was the very definition of a clean, decisive engagement.

Allen continued forward.

Along the way, he encountered several more waves of fire-attribute Magical Beasts, all of which he dispatched with the same efficient, no-contact method.

The Spider Slayers provided alternating cover, their formation flawless. Allen himself never even had to lift a finger.

Just as he was crossing a field of jagged, bizarre rock formations, the unexpected happened.

A pile of rocks to the side suddenly exploded, and a giant hound covered in a magma-like carapace shot out. It opened its cavernous maw and spewed a torrent of scorching lava directly at the nearest Spider Slayer.

High-energy reaction detected. Target: Magma Dog.

The beast had concealed itself well, but it still couldn’t escape the omnidirectional surveillance of the Demon Eyes in the sky.

Allen didn’t even break his stride.

The Spider Slayers on the flank had already pivoted to attack. A dense web of energy beams instantly converged, striking faster than the lava breath could land. They riddled the Magma Dog with holes while it was still in midair.

The closer they got to the volcano, the harsher the environment became.

The black, scorched earth underfoot was hot enough to ignite paper, and intermittent jets of lava spewed without warning from fissures in the ground—the deadliest traps in this land.

During their advance, one Spider Slayer failed to dodge in time and was completely engulfed by a sudden pillar of lava, instantly turning it to scrap.

Another Spider Slayer was ambushed while crossing a narrow rocky ravine. A monster shot out from a crevice, severely deforming its main structure and damaging its core. It was completely destroyed.

By the time he reached the foot of the volcano, Allen was down to ten Spider Slayers.

Strangely, the environment here wasn’t as severe as it had been up on the highland.

The ground was no longer scorching hot, but warm rock covered in a layer of red powder. The raging fire elements in the air had also subsided considerably.

The Demon Eyes had now found signs of the Volcanic Fierce Ape. Instead of rushing toward its habitat, Allen stopped in a sheltered, leeward hollow.

He expertly directed the Spider Slayers to set up a defensive perimeter while he took out a tent and some simple equipment to establish a temporary camp. He then adjusted one of the Demon Eyes to an optimal observation angle, locking onto a massive cave in the distant cliff face.

That was the Volcanic Fierce Ape’s lair. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

A hunt required more than just firepower. It required patience.

He leaned back inside the tent, pulled up the DSeek interface, and created a new document.

[Volcanic Fierce Ape Behavioral Observation Log]

Now, he would become the most patient ghost on this scorched earth.