As the reading progressed, many details of the battle with the Nakarkall in the Dragon's Graveyard were revealed.
These included pre-battle deployments, various contingency plans, and detailed original human configurations.
Devon, a senior researcher and leader of the support team, suggested deploying a live Brute Dragon into the Dragon's Graveyard to hold back the Nakarkall, followed by a massive barrage of bomb barrels to destroy the graveyard.
This suggestion was not adopted!
Devon actually proposed such a plan, was it true?
Upon reading this, Li Fan felt the suggestion was somewhat inconsistent with Devon's refined image.
An hour passed, and upon reaching the fifth volume of "Naraku's Bewitching Star," the ecological report on the Nakarkall finally appeared.
However, as the Nakarkall was only repelled and not dissected, most of the content was speculation by investigators based on traces collected at the battle site.
It had a terrifying appetite, a vast hunting range, and an astonishing amount of Dragon elemental energy within its body.
This enabled it to penetrate clouds on land when using its jet breath.
The blue ink secreted by its body could adhere monster skeletons to its tentacles, forming skeletal armor to enhance their defense.
It could also use its tentacles to grasp and adhere key skeletal parts of monsters, enabling elemental transformation attacks.
This ability was tentatively named Dragon Head Transformation.
Currently known transformations included replacing the head and tail bones of a Lavasioth to smash and release fiery explosions.
Replacing the back-electric shell of a Mizutsune to release an electric field.
Replacing the jawbone of a Brachydios to release shockwaves.
Replacing the skull of a Glavenus to release explosive slime.
The method of ability realization was unknown. According to the Elder Dragon Observation Institute's speculation, the Nakarkall might possess the ability to read monster ecological information from their bones.
*Clack!*
Li Fan excitedly turned the page, only to discover it was the last page of the fifth volume of "Naraku's Bewitching Star."
The content that followed was a list of compilers and investigators who participated in the report.
As for the sixth volume, its cover label indicated "Ecological Restoration and Material Acquisition Research," clearly suggesting no further ecological descriptions of the Nakarkall.
Was the mechanism of Dragon Head Transformation too bizarre, preventing both major academic institutions from providing an authoritative explanation?
Li Fan felt a sense of disappointment.
Becoming a senior hunter to investigate mutations was something he had been planning for.
It had not been easy to reach this point, and the current situation was truly unexpected.
Don't rush, there should still be opportunities. Information not found in the Nakarkall report might be found in the records of other special individuals.
Li Fan let out a long breath, not intending to give up.
After all, he had only looked at materials related to the Nakarkall among the vast amount of data in the top-secret archive.
Just as he was about to ask Vegasa for guidance, he noticed the sixth volume of "Naraku's Bewitching Star" on the table that he hadn't read yet.
I've read five volumes, this one won't be any different.
Li Fan picked up the book and began to flip through it.
The first half described the devastating destruction the Nakarkall had wrought on the ecosystem of the Isolated Island.
Many monsters were driven to extinction, and the near-collapse of the food chain led to a large-scale migration of monsters.
This, in turn, posed a secondary threat to the safety of surrounding villages and towns. The impact only began to gradually ease two years after the Nakarkall was repelled.
The latter half was a research report on material acquisition.
It specifically highlighted the massive pile of giant skeletons filling the entire lake in the Dragon's Graveyard.
Some of the ancient bones were so old that even the Dragon Record Institute and the Bone Dragon Observation Institute could not identify which monsters they belonged to.
Inside the shattered skull, coated with blue ink, was embedded a jade-green spherical gem. It was identified as a Brachydios Gem.
No way, this Nakarkall is this lucky? It can just find a gem inside a random Brachydios skull? I had to hunt over a dozen for my gear and still didn't get one.
Li Fan sighed as he looked at the information on material investigation.
However, he quickly realized that with so many skeletons in the Dragon's Graveyard accumulated from the Nakarkall's hunts, it wasn't difficult to understand that some monsters might carry gems.
Inside the back-electric shell of a Mizutsune, coated with blue ink, was embedded a sapphire-blue spherical gem. It was identified as a Mizutsune Azure Gem.
This Nakarkall is truly an Emperor of Luck...
The jawbone of a Brachydios, coated with blue ink, was shattered and held no investigative value.
Inside the tail bone of a Glavenus, coated with blue ink, was embedded a red and blue scale. It was identified as a Glavenus Inverse Scale.
...
Li Fan stared at the information on the page, his eyes deeply engrossed.
He felt as if the truth was within his grasp...
"Dean Vegasa, where can I find the ecological records for the special individuals Black Flame King and Violet Poison Princess?"
After a long while, Li Fan stood up and asked.
"Third row, left bookshelf, second shelf. That information should be stored together."
Vegasa recalled briefly and informed him.
"Thank you."
Black Flame King and Violet Poison Princess were special individuals of Rathalos and Rathian, respectively. The Dragon Record Institute currently had no plans to hunt them, focusing primarily on tracking and research, hence the related data was contained in only two thin booklets.
Li Fan quickly flipped through the introduction to the Black Flame King. As expected, the Dragon Record Institute had not yet determined the cause of the Black Flame King's mutation.
Besides records of its activity areas and individual characteristics, there were only preventative emergency measures and estimations of its harmful capabilities.
Li Fan then opened the booklet concerning the Violet Poison Princess.
Soon, his gaze fell upon a hunter's diary.
"Day nineteen of the research team's arrival in the marsh. The fog is very dense today. The general activity area of the Violet Poison Princess has been locked down. We've had a cumulative total of four sightings from high altitude, so her nest must be nearby."
This progress in investigation was not particularly noteworthy. The truly significant discovery to record was the corpse of an Elder Dragon!
Yes! Just now, our team discovered a dead Najarala in an unexplored area of the marsh.
Although only a skeleton remains, Senior Investigator Karl has confirmed that it is indeed a Najarala.
Furthermore, Karl stated that preliminary investigations found no signs of breakage on the skeleton, leading to the inference that this Najarala likely died of old age.
The exact time is difficult to determine, but it is at least fifteen years old!
An Elder Dragon that died of old age, and its skeleton is so well-preserved!
As the hunter escorting this team, I will surely make a name for myself!
Alas, the fog in the marsh is getting thicker each day. I wonder when we'll be able to transport this skeleton out.
Once I leave this cursed place, I'm going to have the most expensive cat meal!
I won't go hunting, I'll just savor it at home.
Writing so much at once is tiring. I really want to go home soon.
Source of information: A diary soaked in purple venom.
Li Fan took a deep breath and closed the booklet containing information on the Violet Poison Princess without finishing it.
Najarala skeleton, Violet Poison Princess...
Nakarkall, adhering various monster bones to its tentacles...
Monster gems and inverse scales...
Li Fan integrated the information in his mind and reopened the fifth volume of "Naraku's Bewitching Star."
According to the Elder Dragon Observation Institute's speculation, the Nakarkall might possess the ability to read monster ecological information from their bones.
Confirming this speculation, Li Fan felt he had found the key to monster mutations.
The reason why the Nakarkall's Dragon Head Transformation, capable of multi-elemental attacks, was incomprehensible was that its tentacles merely adhered monster bones.
This was akin to the fire sac, the fire-generating organ within a Rathalos.
While the fire sac is crucial for generating fireballs, if this organ is not inside the Rathalos, and not used in the Rathalos's manner, fireballs cannot be produced.
Therefore, it was illogical for the Nakarkall's tentacles to be able to utilize the abilities of monsters from their previous lives simply by adhering and connecting to their bones.
The true key lay in the gems or scales condensed by the monsters.
In Li Fan's inference, monster skeletons were like hardware, and the gems and inverse scales that condensed monster energy and biological information were the driving software.
The Nakarkall achieved the unbelievable Dragon Head Transformation by combining the two.
In other words, the Nakarkall was not imitating monsters, but rather recreating the entire process of ability utilization by reading the biological information from the gems and inverse scales.
As for the connection between this behavior and mutation, it validated the miraculous effects of gems and inverse scales.
Li Fan's understanding of these two rare materials had previously been limited to equipment and decorations. He only knew that these two materials were indispensable for many armors to advance to higher tiers.
This hypothesis was initially unsupported by any evidence. Later, Li Fan considered the causes of special individuals.
Adaptive mutation and induced mutation had been identified in these individuals.
However, the methods were either impossible to replicate or completely ineffective.
For example, with the adaptive mutation of the Arch-Tempered Mail-Moth, even if the Mail-Moth was willing to blind itself for mutation, no one could guarantee that future mutations would have the same effect as the Arch-Tempered Mail-Moth.
Thus, Li Fan began to study the Black Flame King and Violet Poison Princess, whose mutation causes had not yet been determined.
The accidental discovery of a Najarala skeleton in the vicinity of the Violet Poison Princess's activity area finally provided Li Fan's speculation with a basis.
A Rathian would naturally not hunt a Najarala.
However, according to the descriptions in the escort hunter's diary, this Najarala was determined by a senior investigator to have likely died of old age.
Thus, a scenario unfolded in Li Fan's mind.
In the misty marsh, a Rathian stumbled upon a Najarala carcass.
The Rathian initially recoiled in fear, designating the surrounding area as forbidden territory, daring not to approach.
Gradually, a decaying odor emanated, and the Rathian's stance shifted from complete avoidance to observation.
After some time, the decay intensified, and the Rathian attempted to investigate, eventually reaching the Najarala's corpse...
Li Fan could not infer the state of the Najarala carcass at the time, but the moment a purple gem was discovered within it.
He felt that perhaps the Rathian itself did not understand what this gem meant to it.
*Whoosh~*
Li Fan exhaled deeply.
He couldn't believe that in less than half a day, he had discovered a method of induced mutation.
Is this how mutations occur in the Monster Hunter world...
While happy, Li Fan felt a slight sense of confusion.
Because if this induced mutation method was valid, then the number of special individuals that could be cultivated by combining various monster gems and inverse scales would be immense.
But the old problem, along with a more serious new problem, reappeared.
This field was blank, with no experience to draw upon.
This cultivation method was an absolute taboo in the Monster Hunter world!
Special individuals were already extremely easy to identify. If their numbers increased drastically in a short period, the Guild and the Dragon Record Institute would surely notice something was amiss.
Wait, isn't it too early to think about this now? I haven't even cultivated a single mutated monster yet...
Just as Li Fan was agonizing over this, an investigator arrived at the door, signaling that there was something to report to Vegasa.
To avoid disturbing Li Fan, Vegasa went to the door to receive the report.
"Excuse me, Li Fan. Is your team the one that hunted the Zinogre and discovered the location of the Valstrax?"
Vegasa inquired.
"Yes, Dean."
Li Fan said, quickly closing his notebook.
"You are truly young and outstanding. My apologies, the Pioneer's transmission speed is a bit slow, and headquarters didn't prepare a welcoming ceremony."
Vegasa apologized.
"There's no need to be so polite, Dean."
"Alas~ Young hunters these days no longer pursue ceremony... Regarding the reward for discovering the Sky Tower, does your team have any preferences? I can try to help coordinate."
Vegasa said with a smile.
"I want... a Najarala Gem."
Li Fan stated.
He wasn't necessarily aiming to mutate Little Dumbbell, but among the mutation routes he had mastered, the Violet Poison Princess was the only one with clear mutation materials and a successful precedent.
Even if he didn't proceed with mutation, it could be used for experimental research and accumulate experience for future studies.
After standing dumbfounded for a few seconds, Vegasa sighed helplessly and said, "Najarala Gems are indeed top-tier materials for inlaying or crafting equipment. Unfortunately, neither the Guild nor the Dragon Record Institute has had a report of a Najarala death for at least five years. How about choosing something else?"
Li Fan suddenly realized.
His intense focus on research had made him overlook the realities of the Monster Hunter world.
No one here would hunt Elder Dragons for materials.
Even if the Dragon Record Institute and the Guild discovered traces of Elder Dragons, they would only investigate the traces and monitor their movements.
Only when Elder Dragons attacked villages and posed a threat to human survival would they attempt to repel them at an opportune moment.
Therefore, the only way to obtain a Najarala Gem was to search for carcasses.
...
No! Those gems embedded in the skeletons were still intact after the Nakarkall was repelled!
This means the one inside the Violet Poison Princess...
"Li Fan?"
Vegasa's call pulled Li Fan back from his thoughts.
"I was a bit distracted just now. Dean Vegasa, would a Rathian Ruby be acceptable?"
Li Fan replied.
"This... alright! To commend your team's outstanding contribution, I will coordinate with the Guild."
Seeing Dean Vegasa's somewhat troubled expression, Li Fan vaguely felt that the probability of obtaining gems and inverse scales here might be even lower than in the game.
After that, Li Fan remained in the top-secret archive until late at night.
After initially deducing the mutation mechanism, many seemingly insignificant details in the documents took on special significance in Li Fan's eyes.
For example, the report on the Arch-Tempered Zinogre mentioned that before becoming a special individual, this Zinogre had already been tracked and locked down by the Guild due to various misdeeds.
This was the only special individual that received attention before mutation.
Logically, there should have been more discoveries, but apart from constant duels with an extremely powerful Zinogre, the Guild had not detected anything unusual about this Zinogre.