mesbooks 0042 The Village Hunter
0042 The Village Hunter
Three days later, in the early morning, the driverless truck returned to the village.
A large number of hunters and residents gathered in front of the workshop. Li Ai went forward to check and found two large flatbed trucks at the entrance, each carrying the carcasses of Azure Rathalos and Pink Rathian, respectively.
Amid the discussions, there were praises for the hero team and concerns about Instructor Lang's injuries.
Li Ai immediately rushed to the clinic.
There were too many injured hunters to handle, and many with minor injuries received treatment right at the entrance.
After asking Ailu, Li Ai arrived at the door of a room.
"If the injury is too serious, Instructor Lang would probably not want anyone to see his current condition."
Just as Li Ai raised her hand to knock on the door, a hesitant expression crossed her mind, and a loud voice narrating came from inside the house.
"At that time, I saw Sene being attacked by Azure Rathalos and Pink Rathalos, so I roared and then started blowing my horn..."
"Okay, I guess I was overthinking it."
Hearing Instructor Lang's familiar voice, Li Ai pushed open the door and went inside.
Inside the house, several hunters who had suffered severe injuries and were confined to their beds were listening attentively to Langde's story.
Although his upper body was wrapped in bandages, his excited expression as he sat on the wooden bed and recounted his experience showed no signs of having just suffered a severe injury.
Seeing Jim, whose cat paw was in a sling, inside the house, Li Ai waved him over.
After inquiring, it was learned that the hero team had taken a short break before accepting another commission and sending it out, while Jim had stayed in the village due to his injury.
Li Ai gave the other person several bags of instant noodles and a few packs of cigarettes, then left.
The guild hall was packed with people, with three reception counters open at the same time.
Li Ai chose the counter with the shortest queue, and this time he was greeted by another receptionist, Larna, who began to help with the verification process.
After the emergency commission [Fierce Battle! Rathian] was certified, in addition to the reward of 12100z, Larna gave an extra 3500z of transportation compensation.
Upon inquiry, it was learned that this was an application made by Investigator Grave to compensate the guild's transport team for their inability to transport monsters on time.
As for the materials, since the commission was not completed through hunting or capturing, but rather by the companions of the Love Hunter, there was naturally no corresponding share of the profits.
Li Ai inquired about Sister Duanwei, who was actually Cui Cui's request.
As expected, the guild only classified it as a high-risk individual and warned hunters to stay away from it as much as possible, but no hunting commissions were issued this year.
Although killing it by chance wouldn't be considered poaching in the chaotic environment of the forest's breeding season, even if it were brought back to the village, it would only count as a share of the materials, and there would be no commission fee to be received.
If they couldn't even bring back the body, then naturally there would be no reward whatsoever.
"From this perspective, we need to find a way to solve the problem of difficulty in upgrading equipment."
Li Ai looked down at the Blue Velociraptor Gauntlets, which had been bitten through and deformed by Cui Cui and were almost ruined.
I quickly thought of the chainmail armor set and the Hunter's Scimitar Axe series of one-handed swords.
These weapons and armor, crafted entirely from ore, require very few monster materials.
The downside is that it's too heavy due to the materials used, requiring a high level of physical fitness from the wearer.
Its advantages are high defensive strength, sturdiness and durability, and it is not afraid of wear and tear even without long-term maintenance.
With the need for ore, plus the fact that both Cui Cui and Xiao Ben Dan need further training, the breeding season is also a good opportunity to complete key tasks for advancement.
Li Ai ignored the receptionist's advice to recover from her injuries first and accepted another commission.
Moving dragon eggs, escorting the guild's truck, providing guidance to Little Dumb Egg and Cui Cui, and harvesting them with Qingcao Qingtian...
After a busy month and a half, at the end of May 390, the fire dragon breeding season, which had lasted for nearly two months, was finally coming to an end.
Many fire dragons that formed families during this period, along with their successfully hatched baby fire dragons, began migrating to other areas as family units.
Despite the perilous situation this year, thanks to the strong assistance of numerous hunters, the fire dragon clan has not overextended and has not endangered the safety of Kokot Village.
Many hunters, already equipped with newly crafted fire dragon gear, began their return journey after bidding farewell to their friends in the area.
The trucks and gatherers set off again at the village entrance, and the fleeing monster groups, such as herbivorous dragons and blue Velociraptors, began to return to the forest hills one after another.
A new cycle has begun, and everything seems to have returned to normal.
Early in the morning, Sene was washing the black horned dragon armor hanging in his yard.
The armor surface was covered with thick dragon blood that had been adhering to it for a long time, layer upon layer.
As the rinsing continued, a dark red stream of water flowed out from the courtyard gate.
When Li Ai, who had come to deliver cigarettes, saw this, she felt like she had stepped into a horror movie scene.
"You're not planning to try energy drinks or chewing gum?"
Cigarettes are in such high demand that Li Ai doesn't have enough, but she has accumulated quite a few other limited-time buff items.
"Everything else tastes weird, but this is the one that feels right."
After saying this, Senegal placed the heavy money bag into Li Ai's hands.
Turning around, he continued his vigorous washing, leaving a river of blood. At the same time, Senegal asked a question: "I've read the observation report. When you were taming the female Rathian, did you encounter a Black Wolf Bird?"
"Yes."
"Only you can answer this question... Why is One-Eared Bone in Mori Hill?"
Li Ai now understood why Sene, whom she used to meet at the guild, was being asked to deliver goods to her door this time.
"She did it to save a good friend."
"Do monsters do things like this...?"
Seneca sighed, and the rubbing motion in his hands slowed down.
"The transformation of a monster into a monster girl can no longer be understood in the conventional sense."
Do you think I should give up the pursuit?
Sene didn't turn his head, but looked at the black horned dragon armor hanging in front of him, as if asking Li Ai, or perhaps asking himself.
"I can't give you an answer to that either, but it seems she's found a more powerful partner. If you do see her, be sure to keep a close eye on her."
How strong is it?
"It will probably be Gu Long."
Li Ai offered her speculation.
The basis for this is that even if most monsters become monster girls, their pursuits will not change much under the pressure of natural survival.
Ancient dragons are different. They are incredibly powerful and possess a high level of intelligence, so it's not surprising that they would want to guide other monsters.
"I understand... Your growth rate far exceeds our expectations. Do you plan to become the resident hunter of Kokot Village?"
Seneca, who was continuing to wash, extended an invitation to Li Ai.
"Not yet, but given how bad the situation is this year, the village hunters have managed to get through it all, so it seems like there's not that much of a shortage of people."
"That's true, but we can't let up on the training and recruitment of the new generation. If you change your mind, you can come to me anytime."
"it is good."
The village will provide the resident hunter with a house and various other benefits, which does indeed provide greater security.
However, the requirement to stay in the village would hinder hunters from going out to hunt.
Li Ai is currently researching long-distance hunting expeditions.
It wasn't that he himself wanted to go out and get away from the forest, but one of the conditions for advancing from three stars to four stars was that he had to complete a long hunting trip.
As for the reason for this setup, Li Ai could guess it.
A four-star hunter is already capable of standing on their own and is a very strong force in hunting. If they can only adapt to hunting in a single environment and become immersed in it, their growth potential ceiling may be lowered.
However, Li Ai had not made any plans regarding where she would go on her long journey or what kind of monsters she would hunt.
Arriving at the round table in the guild hall, Li Ai poured the contents into the wine barrel glass, prepared today's nutritional drink, and then started studying it on her phone.
"If we go to the dense forest to hunt the Daimyo Shield Crab, many monster girls can go there, and the battle difficulty won't be too high. The problem is that Lone Wolf and that person seem to be there as well. If we encounter them, it won't be a joke. If we go to the desert, only two female Rathian can roam there, but it shouldn't be too difficult for a Sand King..."
Just as Li Ai was making her plans, Becky, the receptionist who had come to work, came to her side.
"Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted me to recommend some services for your first long hunting trip?"
"Yes, but it seems you don't quite understand the Love Hunter..."
"snort!"
Becky snorted and placed a thick book on the table.
"I did a thorough review of your hunting career and life story last night, and now I can give you a proper answer."
Seeing Becky's confidence, Li Ai asked solemnly, "Then, Miss Becky, what kind of commission do you think I should accept for my first hunting trip?"
"This is it, the Snow White Rabbit Beast!"
As Becky spoke, she pulled out a commission form with great flair and displayed it in front of Li Ai.
"Becky, are you mistaken? I'm the Love Hunter. None of the monster girls I have are willing to venture into cold regions, except for Sunny Day."
"Hehe, what if we also include this consultation request?"
As Becky spoke, she took out a consultation and investigation commission form specifically issued to scholars or investigators.
These types of commissions are not for hunting, but rather for inviting ecological surveys, trace identification, and using professional skills to answer questions about difficult situations.
"Love and relationship counseling fee 8200z, monster incarnation adult counseling fee 5900z, location Pokai Village, client Sikoree, requires someone with the relevant expertise to visit... I must say, these two projects really are my expertise."
These are all areas where Li Ai excels, and consulting on monsters transforming into humans is especially his forte, with a very generous fee.
Li Ai was able to complete both of the most crucial tasks during her single visit.
"Sicori...wait! Could this Sicori be that...?"
"That's right! It's the powerful hunter who hunted the Urouge in the Arctic Circle a while ago!"
"I didn't expect that you would find such a perfect request for a special role hunter who is the only one of his kind."
"whee."
Becky held her head high, her smile barely concealed.
"This level of dedication is something even hunters would be ashamed of."
"Hahaha!"
Becky couldn't hold back any longer and picked up the commission, bursting into unrestrained laughter.
"But isn't it a bit dangerous to go to a snowy mountain hunting area for your first long hunting trip?"
"The Urodora has already been hunted down. Apart from the harsh climate, the ecological stability is comparable to that of the current Forest Hills... Of course, that is, as long as you don't go deep into the snowy mountains where there is a Tigrex."
Seeing that Li Ai was starting to hesitate, Becky added, "And even if the capture of the White Rabbit Beast doesn't go smoothly, you can still take the consulting and investigation fee back with you, which can be considered an attempt at a long-distance hunting trip."
"Um..."
"Furthermore, Senior Hunter Sikori from Bokai Village isn't someone you can just meet casually. As the hunter with the best chance of reaching Seven Stars, if I can answer her questions, all I need to do is help spread the word, and there will definitely be a lot of people..."
Seeing Li Ai raise her hand to interrupt her, Becky also stopped trying to persuade her.
"If she specifically consulted someone who had transformed into a monster, then it means she most likely encountered something during the hunt?"
"Uh...yeah!"
Becky also looked like she suddenly realized something.
In Kokot Village, everyone's understanding of the monster girl gradually deepens because of the presence of a love hunter.
If Xikeri had any recollection of it and wanted to investigate, it must have been because he had seen it with his own eyes.
"In that case, I really should investigate."
After Li Ai finished speaking, she immediately accepted all the commissions recommended by Becky.
"Besides the warm cotton clothes, we'll also provide supplies and maps, which we'll pick up at the local branch this time... I've witnessed your rapid growth all along, and now that you're suddenly going on a long journey, I'm really going to miss you."
Becky sighed.
Six months ago, Li Ai was a homeless man who came to the guild to work washing buckets.
Now, however, he has become a well-known hunter of love and is preparing to go on a hunting expedition in order to obtain the four-star hunter qualification.
"Don't be so sad. If all goes well, you'll be back soon."
"Have you decided to become a resident hunter?"
Becky asked in surprise.
"The village hunter... I haven't really thought about that yet."
Li Ai knew that Becky had misunderstood, and at the same time, she realized that for hunters who wander from place to place, there is no concept of returning home except for their hometown.
Wherever a suitable hunting commission is available, they will stay temporarily in the local villages or towns with guilds, and then set off again when they receive another commission that requires a long journey.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I thought you were already settling down in Kokot Village."
Li Ai went to the guild warehouse and collected one set of hunter cotton clothes in each size. Then she rented ten sets of clothes for Ailu and then went to the sheep village.
The expansion of the building by Cissell and Trifoli has been completed.
The three-story building is quite spacious, and when combined with the farmland outside, with its green grass and blue sky, it has a fairytale-like romantic atmosphere.
It's rather strange that such buildings, independent of villages and towns, appear in the wild.
Anyone with experience would find it difficult to guarantee safety upon seeing this.
"Didn't you set off with the collection vehicle today?"
In the living room on the first floor, Li Ai saw Qing Tian lying on the floor with her hooves raised and asked her a question out of curiosity.
"Green Grass, one of the 'Twin Devils of the Merchants,' is already daring to confront the Blue Velociraptor Dragon King head-on, so there's no need for me at all. Besides, the Pain Elimination game is having a Children's Day pre-event event... Speaking of which, why does the game give away so many things and introduce new events on certain dates?"
"This is a holiday perk. It would be a serious matter if we didn't give it to you, or even if we gave you too little. Since you're here, you can try on this cotton coat."
"It looks so weird... I won't wear it."
Sunny refused to say.
"We're going to a snow-capped mountain next, are you sure you don't want to wear it?"
"With the warmth provided by my fur, I don't need such a thing at all."
Qingtian spun around on the floor, turned over, changed her posture, and continued tapping on her phone.
"Alright, let's distribute the ambulances first."
Unlike Qingtian, the rescue team members' eyes lit up when they saw they had new clothes to wear.
After a flurry of activity, even though the weather wasn't cold, the Ailu who had finished trying on the costumes were unwilling to take them off.