102. The Hunter's New Gear
After the Vanadium shipments were completed, Rangga knew nothing about the busy activity taking place on Earth.
He stood briefly in front of the warehouse, then walked toward his production workshop.
As soon as he entered, Rangga immediately opened the production table panel.
His eyes once again settled on the Armor Upgrade category. Four choices were still displayed there.
Guardian Armor, Scout Armor, Hunter Armor, and Survival Armor Rangga shifted his gaze from one to another, reading the requirements for each armor.
“This one still isn’t possible.”
Guardian still required several materials he had never found. Scout was the same. Survival required a Thermal Core, while several other materials were also incomplete.
Rangga then stopped at one choice.
Hunter Armor
He read through the material list once more.
Hunter Armor
Main Materials:
Flex Lining ×5
Preservation Module ×4
Synthetic Leather ×12
Synthetic Fiber ×12
Mechanical Gyroscope ×2
Trinkets ×20
Bonuses:
Camouflage ★★★★★
Enemy Detection Range -40%
Critical Damage from Stealth +25%
Rangga nodded slowly.
“This one I can make.”
He pointed at the Flex Lining.
“This came from the Ankylosaurus.”
His gaze then moved to the other materials.
“I’ve gotten the rest before too.”
Rangga opened the warehouse and began checking his supplies.
Preservation Module was available. Synthetic Leather was available. Synthetic Fiber was available as well. The Mechanical Gyroscopes were also already stored from his various previous journeys.
Only the Trinkets remained.
Rangga immediately opened the component production section and began making what he needed. A short while later, twenty Trinkets had been gathered.
Rangga reopened the Hunter Armor blueprint, and all the requirements were now fulfilled.
He let out a small breath.
“Complete.”
His finger pressed the Create option. Instantly, light appeared inside the workshop.
All the required materials rose from the warehouse and moved toward a single point.
Flex Lining, Preservation Module, Synthetic Leather, Synthetic Fiber, Mechanical Gyroscope, and Trinkets. Everything spun within the increasingly bright light.
Then the materials seemed to be melted down and rearranged by the system. Layer after layer began to form.
A new armor slowly appeared before Rangga.
Its design was lighter than the armor he had been using, with slimmer, more flexible protective layers. Several parts of the body were covered in dark material, making its surface less conspicuous in low-light environments.
The light slowly faded.
[HUNTER ARMOR]
[SUCCESSFULLY CREATED.]
Rangga fell silent when the armor finished forming. For several seconds, he simply stared at it.
“Damn...”
He stepped closer.
The armor was completely different from the Simosuchus Armor he had been using all this time.
Its colors were dominated by black and dark brown, with dull metal protective plates arranged like scales. Several sections featured ornaments resembling bones and fangs, making the entire design look like the equipment of a hunter from some predator tribe.
The shoulder pieces jutted out sharply like bones or spikes.
The arm guards were shaped like claws, while the waist and back of the armor were fitted with layers of cloth and material that hung down like fur or animal hide.
But what caught Rangga’s attention the most was the helmet.
It resembled the head of a predator.
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The front had the structure of an animal’s face, with several large fangs protruding from it, while the back was decorated with ornaments resembling fur and bones.
Rangga walked around the armor.
“What is this, armor or equipment for becoming the final boss?”
He touched one of the shoulder pieces.
“But it’s pretty cool too...”
Rangga then examined the hands. Several sections resembled claws. He raised his own hand and compared it.
“If I wear this, I’ll probably look like a werewolf.”
Rangga then chuckled.
“Or a sabertooth man.”
He reopened the armor’s information panel.
HUNTER ARMOR
Main Materials
Flex Lining ×5
Preservation Module ×4
Synthetic Leather ×12
Synthetic Fiber ×12
Mechanical Gyroscope ×2
Trinkets ×20
Bonuses
Camouflage ★★★★★
Enemy Detection Range -40%
Critical Damage from Stealth +25%
Rangga’s eyes immediately focused on the bonuses.
“Five-star Camouflage...”
He read the next line.
“Enemy detection minus forty percent.”
His eyes widened slightly.
“Critical damage from stealth, twenty-five percent?”
Rangga turned back toward the armor.
“Whoa.”
He began imagining himself wearing the armor while hunting in the forest or infiltrating the territory of mechanical creatures.
“This isn’t armor for charging straight into a fight.”
He pointed at the helmet.
“This is armor for sneaking around, then...”
His hand made a stabbing motion.
“Wham.”
Rangga chuckled to himself.
“Then just pop out of the bushes.”
He then looked at the three other blueprints still stored in the panel.
Guardian Armor, Scout Armor, and Survival Armor.
Rangga read through each set of requirements again. Then his expression slowly changed.
“Wait.”
He looked back at the Hunter Armor.
“So out of these four armors, this is the only one I can make right now.”
Rangga sighed.
“Guardian, no... Scout, no... Survival, no.”
He scratched his head.
“And all I’m missing are the materials.”
Rangga paused for a moment.
“Yeah... especially the ones I’ve never even seen.”
He looked at the Hunter Armor again.
Even so, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
“At least now I have a choice.”
Rangga lifted the armor and examined it once more.
“If Simosuchus Armor is for beginners...”
He glanced at the predator design covered in fangs and sharp ornaments.
“...then this one is probably for becoming a hunter.”
Rangga chuckled.
“Damn. My equipment is getting weirder and weirder.”
He then carried the Hunter Armor out of the production area. But after taking only a few steps, he stopped and looked back at it.
“Ah, but I’m curious.”
Rangga grinned.
“Just how good is five-star Camouflage?”
Rangga finally put on the Hunter Armor for the first time. As every part of the armor locked onto his body, he immediately felt the difference.
It was not as heavy as the Simosuchus Armor.
His movements felt freer, while the layers of armor on his body followed his every movement without restricting him much.
Rangga rolled his shoulders, then bent his knees. He took a breath.
“Light.”
He tried running. At first slowly, then faster and faster as he circled his private island.
His strides felt longer and lighter. When making sharp turns, he did not feel held back by the weight of the armor.
Rangga stopped suddenly.
“Damn, it’s completely different.”
He ran again. This time, he jumped over a large rock, landed, and immediately rolled across the ground.
His body spun and stopped in a kneeling position. Rangga was silent for a moment before standing up.
“Feels good.”
He picked up his bow. Several simple targets had already been set up around the training area.
Rangga drew the bowstring.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew and struck the target dead-on. He immediately grabbed another arrow. Draw and release.
Whoosh!
This time, he fired while moving, and the arrow once again embedded itself in the target.
Rangga grinned.
“Still feels good.”
He then switched weapons to a javelin. He took one spear and stepped back several paces before running forward. His body lowered slightly as he threw the javelin.
Fut!
The spear struck the exact center of the target.
“Ha!”
Rangga clenched his fist. Then he tried something different.
Rangga walked toward an area covered in grass and lowered his body. He slowed his steps. He moved between the grass and rocks, trying to make his movements as quiet as possible.
Every so often, he stopped and checked his surroundings before moving again. Not long afterward, Rangga emerged from behind a rock without making any significant sound.
He looked at his armor panel.
“Five-star Camouflage...”
Rangga smiled in satisfaction.
“Now this is armor.”
He then ran again, making a short jump, rolling, getting back up, drawing his bow, and firing an arrow in one fluid sequence of movements.
After trying it several times, Rangga finally stopped. His breathing was slightly labored, but his face was clearly satisfied.
“With this...”
He looked at the Hunter Armor now covering his body.
“...hunting is going to be a lot more fun.”
Meanwhile, footage from Rangga’s Private Island once again filled various livestream broadcasts.
This time, the public’s attention was focused on something much simpler.
Rangga had changed his armor.
The appearance of the Hunter Armor, covered in ornaments resembling fangs and bones, immediately sent the comment sections flying.
[LIVE]
“YO, HE CHANGED ARMOR!”
“WHAT ARMOR IS THAT?!”
“Why does it look like a hunter’s gear?”
“Hasn’t he been using the same armor this whole time?”
The footage then showed Rangga running, jumping, rolling, firing his bow while moving, and then throwing a javelin.
The comments became even more frantic.
“HE’S SO MUCH FASTER NOW.”
“He just rolled and immediately fired!”
“That’s not the same Rangga as before.”
One commentator even stopped the footage when Rangga appeared to disappear into the grass.
“Pay attention to this part.”
The footage was replayed, showing Rangga wearing the Hunter Armor as he moved slowly through the grass before stopping almost completely silently.
The commentator continued,
“Until now, Rangga has been known as a Pioneer who relies on equipment, weaponry, and mastery of the terrain. But this new armor appears to give him an entirely different fighting style.”
The footage resumed.
Rangga emerged from behind a rock, his bow already in his hand.
“If Simosuchus makes him look like a frontline fighter...”
The screen displayed Rangga in his Hunter Armor.
“...this one makes him look like a hunter.”
The comment section exploded again.
“RANGGA EVOLVED AGAIN.”
“FROM CONSTRUCTION WORKER TO HUNTER.”
“Used to be gathering resources, now he’s stalking prey.”
“Don’t give him another new armor.”
“Next thing you know, he’ll be hunting four-star islands.”
Amid the commotion, another comment appeared and immediately received thousands of likes.
“It’s not just the armor that has changed. Rangga is starting to look like a Pioneer who truly belongs in this world.”
While the world continued talking about him, Rangga himself simply stood on his island, staring at the bow in his hand.
He then looked at the Hunter Armor he was wearing. His smile grew wider.
“I think...”
He drew the bowstring once more.
“...I’m going to be wearing this a lot.”