Quest (Part 5)

The moment the Blind old guy saw the map he shook his head and a sudden distaste took over him.

"So the kid's just hiding a Pseudo- AI in his school ring through his Personal Implant(PI)" the old man murmured silently.

His age-old voice contains a distinct disappointment, it was like having great expectation for the simple riddle.

In reality, this old man's standards were just too high; having a Pseudo-AI in PI is something rarer than Phoenix's feather and Qilin horn in Unigux.

Though Unigux can be considered as one of the worlds in the middle ranks in Universe it's also one of the most Technologically backward worlds in the entire universe despite having a top-notch school such as Natal Dawn School.

The old guys have even seen top-notch AI merged into PI, so a Pseudo-Ai isn't something awesome from his perspective. Actually merging AI is fully based on the compatibility and it's still one of the unsolvable mysteries in mankind.

Though the blind old man wasn't impressed with Elgar's advanced intelligence he still silently monitored Quinn and his roommates, after all, they were this year's first entry and Dark Star Cave in one the rarely visited places in Natal Dawn School.

Most of the students wouldn't have the guts to enter the cave after being rescued. Actually, very few students exit the cave by themselves; nearly all the kids find themselves in death trap within 15 hours.

*****

After the 2 trips Quinn and his friends familiarized with the rocky terrain; though his friend's maneuvers and Quinn movements were worlds apart they were still passable.

The rocks and pit couldn't hinder their steady march towards the Crab nest. Unlike the last 2 trips, Lardo didn't transform into a blue avatar, and even Boris restrained from breaking through the rocks in his path.

Everyone was trying their best reduce the energy consumption and save it for the upcoming fight. In a few minutes, they all arrived near the vicinity of the Crab nest.

Quinn found a large rock to get cover and called his friends, in a few moments every gathered around Quinn.

"The crab should be hidden somewhere within this 25-meter radius only, so lets first carefully search this perimeter. Also no need to exercise caution the crabs will be in deep hibernation, so unless you pull it apart it wouldn't wake up."

"Once you find the crab don't try to take it on, just retreat to this rock and all other. We'll discuss the battle formation once the crab is found."

Quinn and his friends started to actively search the area; they were all too excited and overdid. They were more like bandits ransacking the place rather than finding their prey. Luckily, the crabs were in a dormant state during this period.

Even Quinn couldn't find the crab in the vicinity; after an hour Quinn once again called his friends and expand the area under scrutiny. Even Elgar felt helpless, he didn't have enough data to exactly pinpoint the nest holes.

All his markings were based on the tracks and traces found in the videos taken by Quinn and his roommates along with the info he obtained from the Unigux-net.

They all tirelessly worked, turning the rocks and combing area thoroughly without any complaint. Their diligence really impressed Quinn, such attitude was something truly rare to find. Fortunately, all their efforts were in vain, at last Quinn found the Crab's nest.

The crab brilliantly camouflaged itself into the crevice between 2 rocks; its shell somehow morphed like a porous rock. Even Quinn only stumbled upon it by chance; his friends would most likely pass over it without suspecting a thing.

They were too green to compare with Quinn, but this poor Crab had to build its nest hole right under Quinn's vicious eyes.

Even after finding the crab; Quinn didn't provoke it or hunt it by himself, though he has faith in his strength, he didn't underestimate the crab. After all it was a 5 star Quest, moreover, this fight could prove very useful for his greenhorn friends and temper them to some extent.

So he quietly retreated to the giant rock and called his friends; after a moment they all rushed to Quinn, everyone was too eager to hunt their first prey. Quinn could see the flashes of extreme enthusiasm and zeal in their immature faces.

"Big Bro was is that cowardly crab hiding?"

Boris was literally jumping up and down hearing Quinn's call. Kallis and Lardo were completely focused on Quinn waiting for his answer, in fact, Boris just spelled their thoughts.

'This wouldn't do, too much of excitement will surely ruin the plan. I must find a way to calm them first before taking them to hunt the crab.'

Quinn's a veteran hunter, he survived months together in wilds during his mission days. In a way, woods were his second home and hunting was something natural for him. So with just a look, he found their flaws effortlessly.

"Guys first calm down, steady your breath. We are going to hunt in the wild, it's not an exhibition or zoo, the path will be filled with many dangers and perils. One miss step might cause us dearly. So cool down, take deep breaths."

All his friends slowly calmed down, they were all intelligent kids; everyone understood Quinn intentions and slowly realized their mistakes. After a few moments, Quinn explained their battle plan.

****

While Quinn was advising his friends, his petty advice triggered the blind old guy's interest like a spark of fire on the water-swollen piece of wood. Though Quinn's advice wasn't something profound it was still an insightful tip for hunting and such intuitive insights were a remarkable feat for a 5-year-old kid.

Obviously, the old guy never considered a 40 something years old super soldier and a shrewd businessman inside the little kid. Still, this was enough to evoke his curiosity towards Quinn.

"Now that interesting let what these kids are up to." he slowly mumbled.

The blind old man was also eagerly waiting for the epic battle '5 Toddlers versus the Crab'. He was expecting some miracles and wonders from Quinn's end to spice up the battle.

******

"Boris you'll launch the surprise attack, strike the crab as hard as possible and try to engage it and pull it away from the caves, I'll join you later and try to kill crab using sneak attacks.

Kallis, you're in charge of looting the nest, first look for the eggs and then go for the jade pearls. Dinner comes before credits, so don't jumble the order of priority. Lardo you are to cover Kallis's retreat as well as look out of other dangers.

Though Boris and I will be taking care of the crab, it is always better to be safe than sorry. So you guys quickly loot the nest and immediately run to lake don't wait for us.