After stepping out of the Hunters Guild, Ethan raised his eyes to the relentless sun. The hot yellow orb, golden in hue, bore down on him with an intensity that seemed intent on roasting him alive.
*Sigh*
"I wonder how long I'm going to last under this scorching sun," he muttered to himself as he made his way toward the gate.
Though not as frequently traversed as the other gates, the Eastern gate was still one of the shelter's official exits and was therefore guarded with equal vigilance.
Upon reaching the guards, Ethan simply presented his hunter's badge, and without hesitation, they granted him passage, the gate swinging open to let him through.
On the other side, Ethan's gaze fell upon the expanse before him—a stretch of dry, red sand that went on beyond the limits of his vision.
This was the Crimson Desert.
Whispers and rumors abounded about the desert's history, claiming that a monumental battle between humans and demonic beasts had once stained the land with blood.
Legend told of an enormous beast, as large as a mountain, that met its end here. Its massive form was said to have remained, its blood seeping into the terrain until it dyed the desert red.
Some believed the worms that now burrowed through the sands were the progeny of creatures that had feasted on the fallen beast, their evolution into venomous beings a direct result of their gruesome diet.
Others dismissed this as mere myth, attributing the desert's color to acidic rains that altered the landscape. They argued that such environmental changes were responsible for the red hue.
Ethan pondered these stories, skeptical of the notion that the carcass of a colossal demonic beast would be left to rot.
A creature of such size and strength likened to a mountain, would surely be too valuable to waste.
If it indeed existed, every part of it—from its skin to its bones, and even its blood—would be seen as a treasure, likely harvested for armor, weapons, or other uses. The idea of such a resource going to waste was implausible to Ethan.
His contemplation was interrupted by the loud creaking of metal. Turning his head, he saw the gate closing behind him.
He realized he had been standing there for a minute or so, lost in thought, while the gate had been slowly swinging shut.
'Getting caught or killed by a beast because of a slow-moving gate would be a really bad way to go,' Ethan mused as he faced forward once again.
After a brief moment, Ethan reached into the bag he had collected from the Hunters Guild and pulled out a piece of paper—a map. Unfolding it, he revealed a detailed layout of the Crimson Desert itself.
Ethan scrutinized the map in his hands, noting its marked difference from the one he had been shown upon accepting his mission the previous day.
That map, while also depicting the Crimson Desert, had offered only a solitary detail: the location of the iron tooth rat's nest. The map he now held, however, was elaborate with detail.
Aware of his limitations and the dangers of the desert, Ethan had invested in a comprehensive map.
This map marked perilous areas with red, indicating zones he should steer clear of entirely. Orange areas suggested danger, though not as severe as the red zones. Green zones were marked as safe, but Ethan knew that "safe" in the Crimson Desert was a relative term; dangers lurked everywhere, but in the green zones, they were at least manageable.
With a focused gaze, Ethan identified the green zones on the map and began to chart his course to the iron tooth rat's territory.
After some time spent strategizing and making careful notes, he had a planned route.
He let out a heavy sigh as he considered the path ahead. Navigating to avoid red and orange zones meant that his journey would take twice as long. The day was shaping up to be an arduous one.
"Sigh. This is going to be a long day... And what happened to the breakfast I had? Why am I feeling hungry again?" Ethan expressed his frustration and confusion aloud, realizing that the scorching heat was exacting a greater toll on him than he had anticipated.
Before embarking on his journey, Ethan equipped himself against the desert's elements.
He retrieved a handkerchief and a pair of desert goggles from his bag—items he had prepared in anticipation of the harsh conditions. Tying the handkerchief over his face as a mask and donning the goggles, he was ready to face the windy onslaught that carried sand and dust.
Thus prepared, Ethan set out toward the mission's target location.
*****
An hour later, Ethan arrived at a rocky expanse dotted with crimson stones and towering crimson rocks. He had reached the vicinity of the iron tooth rat's nesting ground.
The journey had been challenging; despite his meticulous planning and adherence to a route through green zones, he had encountered several sandworms. These skirmishes forced him to fend off the creatures, depleting some of his energy reserves before even reaching the main objective of his mission. His stomach now felt empty, as though he had not eaten at all that day.
Ethan kept his distance from the main nest area, knowing that iron tooth rats possessed keen hearing and could detect him if he ventured too close. He planned to observe and assess the situation before making any moves.
Pulling a pair of binoculars from his bag, he raised them to his eyes and began to survey the nest from his concealed position. After a moment, he lowered the binoculars, his expression one of shock.
"Is that a tire track I see on the ground? Did another group get here first to complete the mission?" Ethan wondered aloud, his voice tinged with confusion and surprise.
The possibility of the hunter's guild double giving the mission to two groups of people weighed on his mind, adding a new layer of complexity to his task as he considered the potential that he wasn't alone and that the mission might already be compromised.