"Let's return the favor!"
Li Fan declared with great spirit, and the material sphere he threw struck the belly of the Great Jaggi, exploding violently.
A small sonic wave spread out, scattering countless yellowish-brown specks everywhere.
The Great Jaggi wiped the yellow specks from its chin and sniffed them.
Confusion, anger, excitement... and bewilderment.
Various expressions flashed across its face.
This was the first time in the Great Jaggi's life that it had been hit by human excrement.
"Is this... a fertilizer sphere, meow?"
Although Dielu had a premonition, she was still shocked.
Yudolara denied it, saying, "It shouldn't be. Fertilizer spheres, when concocted, are made from dried and ground monster dung, which is why they become powdery particles that easily adhere to monster fur. What Li Fan threw seemed to be just plain... poop."
"Then why was there a sonic boom?"
Dielu was even more confused.
"It's a sonic sac. I added a sonic sac to make the poop spread wider and more evenly when the material sphere explodes," Li Fan explained.
"No wonder the sonic boom was so weak, meow."
Dielu suddenly understood.
The internal space of a material sphere was limited. After filling it with gas and a sonic sac, there was no extra space to concoct a sonic bomb.
The only way was to add it inside the sonic sac.
This unconventional concoction method had obvious drawbacks: the excessive impurities inside the sonic sac would severely weaken the sonic boom when it exploded.
"Also, when I inflated the sonic sac, I used cream puff bubbles. Don't overthink it," Li Fan emphasized.
"But... what's the point of doing this?" Yudolara couldn't quite understand.
"No, it's very important... because only by doing this can I find peace within myself," Li Fan mused.
"So profound, meow..."
Dielu still didn't understand.
"Perhaps it means that if I don't do this now, the obsession will remain in my heart, and when I recall it in the quiet of the night, I'll be tormented by regret," Yudolara tried to interpret.
"Although I don't quite understand, it feels very philosophical, meow! It feels like... I've been touched too! I'm not as scared as before!" Dielu felt inspired.
Roar... Roar... Roar! Roar! Roar!
The Great Jaggi, having recovered, raised its arms to intimidate and let out a roar.
Puff! A cloud of yellow mist shot out from behind it and began to spread along the ground.
Li Fan scanned his surroundings, observing the battlefield.
He noticed that, unlike in the game, about a dozen Jaggi had gathered, and they weren't just for show.
Almost every one of them was holding a large mushroom in its forepaws.
Poison Mushroom, Paralysis Mushroom, Blast Mushroom, Blue Mushroom...
This was closely related to the Great Jaggi's characteristics.
In the game, the Great Jaggi would flee mid-battle to eat mushrooms in nearby areas.
Depending on the type of mushroom eaten, its stink breath and stink-butt attacks would have additional effects.
The ecological surveys Li Fan had gathered had already confirmed this behavior.
Was this coordinated combat among a pack of monsters?
Li Fan felt the need to change his deployment.
Otherwise, if they ate Poison Mushrooms and Blast Mushrooms, their stink breath would also carry poison and explosive dust. Who could withstand that?
"Sasha! You're in charge of the Jaggi. Try to drive them away. Puff! You focus on the front, and Yudolara and I will attack from the flanks."
Roar...
Sasha responded with a low growl.
Puff, however, made no sound.
"Puff? Puff..."
Li Fan, drawing his sword, called out again when he received no response, and turned to check.
"Why... why are you hiding so far away?"
Li Fan looked back and saw Puff about fifty meters behind him.
Wooo? Wooo!
Puff let out two cries, tilting its long neck. It coiled on the ground and slowly slid, seemingly with no intention of approaching.
"You don't want to face the Great Jaggi... Alright, then stay back and await orders."
Puff was usually very clean, even avoiding the mud puddles Sasha dug, for fear of getting splashed. Li Fan could understand this.
Furthermore, even if he ignored their affinity and forced Puff to participate, there was no means of compulsion available.
This wasn't the first day Li Fan had noticed this situation.
However, through long-term contact with monsters, he had discovered that as long as he provided food, a suitable environment, and kept the monsters happy, most of their instructions would be followed diligently.
"The front is mine, Yudolara, you go to the flank!"
"Got it!"
Yudolara ran off quickly after speaking.
The Great Jaggi, locked in a standoff, didn't shift its gaze. After a moment, it pushed off with its hind legs and leaped into the air.
Slightly adjusting its direction, it turned its rear towards the ground and plummeted down with force.
Seeing this, Li Fan quickly rolled backward. As he got up, his legs hadn't fully straightened when he felt the ground beneath him tremble violently.
Bang! Boom!
The ground-shaking impact of the Great Jaggi's landing almost made Li Fan lose his balance.
He could only thrust his Jabberwock into the soil to maintain his balance and prevent himself from falling.
After bouncing twice on the ground, the Great Jaggi leaned back sharply, its grey belly protruding and swelling into a round shape.
Here it comes...
Li Fan inwardly cursed his bad luck.
The Great Jaggi quickly braced itself with its forepaws, and its mouth, wide like a hippopotamus's, opened suddenly.
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!.....
As the Great Jaggi swung its head from side to side, a yellowish stink breath instantly engulfed Li Fan.
Besides the pungent odor, Li Fan also experienced a stinging sensation in his eyes for the first time.
The Great Jaggi stood up and advanced with its sharp claws extended.
"Li Fan! Front!"
Yudolara, seeing Li Fan's vision obscured, quickly reminded him.
However, the next moment, the tip of the Jabberwock's blade pierced through the yellowish stink and plunged directly into the Great Jaggi's belly.
Sss! The blade slowly embedded itself.
The Great Jaggi endured the pain and took another small step forward.
Due to the insufficient sharpness of the blade, it got stuck in its belly, and Li Fan was pushed backward along with it.
Just as its thick, pink-furred forearm was about to smash down, the longsword was quickly retracted.
Li Fan used the momentum to roll backward and then quickly ran out of the stink cloud.
It was then that Yudolara noticed a pair of goggles worn on Li Fan's eyes.
"Go, meow!"
Dielu, seeing that her goggles had been useful in the battle, happily threw an odor-removing ball.
The odor-removing ball rolled to Li Fan's feet, and a puff of light blue smoke rose.
"Cough... cough... cough..."
Even with a scarf covering his nose and mouth, Li Fan was still choked and unable to speak.
Just as he had predicted, the stink breath's effects were not as straightforward as in the game.
Smell, sight, breathing, and morale were all affected.
Yudolara's bone greatsword slammed down from the side. The Great Jaggi, which had only noticed a moment too late, could only raise its arm to block.
Crack! Under the heavy blow, a bloodstain appeared on its right forearm.
As the greatsword and arm struggled against each other, the Great Jaggi endured the pain for a moment, then, accumulating enough strength, it forcefully swung its right forearm upward, continuously pressing down.
Yudolara, along with her sword, was flung backward.
Is this similar to the Bear King's pain tolerance?
Before hitting the ground, Yudolara thought that the Bear King also possessed a similar ability.
Roar! Roar!
The injured Great Jaggi roared, and hot air gushed from its two large nostrils.
Li Fan ran up and performed a step-cut, slashing vertically.
The Great Jaggi arched its back and once again thrust out its swollen belly.
As the blade drew a half-arc through the air, he activated Foresight!
Seeing its belly inflate and bulge, Li Fan felt that before the blade could land, the Great Jaggi's belly would harden, thus deflecting the slash.
If he didn't attack, he would have to retract his blade early and evade backward.
At first glance, this seemed acceptable, but Li Fan, who had initiated the attack, was already very close to land this blow.
Moreover, evasion did not allow Foresight to be triggered, so the decision at this moment was crucial.
This was a Great Jaggi with extremely rich combat experience. When facing a deflected blow from a hunter, it would certainly attack with all its might.
So...
Li Fan thought of this, and his Foresight state ended.
The blade, which he swung down with force, landed on the Great Jaggi's bulging, hardened belly.
Clang! Sparks flew!
A sharp pain shot through Li Fan's hand holding the hilt, and he was shaken backward.
The Great Jaggi braced itself with its paws and leaped forward slightly, its sharp claws raised high, clearly not wanting to miss this opportunity.
Its large body engulfed Li Fan. As it stepped back, the accumulated Qi from the deflection of the belly slash was instantly dispersed in front of him.
The Great Jaggi's crimson eyes reflected countless blue stars.
The Great Jaggi had never seen this strange phenomenon, but it did not stop its clawing attack.
However, the seemingly ethereal blue mist acted like a spatial barrier, blocking the long, sharp claws.
The Great Jaggi felt as if its powerful strike had hit cotton.
Before it could even touch the hunter in front of it, its strength was completely lost.
Li Fan, stepping sideways and turning, swung his sword upward in return.
A wound split open on its hippopotamus-like jaw, and blood splattered.
The mist-like Qi, activated by the heavy blow, returned to the Qi slot on the blade.
Although the Great Jaggi's strength was not enough to fill it completely, it was enough to unleash three Spirit Slashes.
I bet right!
Li Fan felt that if these three Spirit Slashes could all hit vital points, they would surely deal a heavy blow to the Great Jaggi.
Yet, even with its jaw wounded by the slash, the Great Jaggi showed no signs of stopping its attack and raised its other sharp claw.
This attack came unexpectedly. Li Fan felt that at this distance, he would most likely be unable to avoid this blow.
So, he held his longsword horizontally with both hands, preparing to parry and block in a non-standard grip.
Bang! A large clump of purple fur whipped out from the side of the Great Jaggi, directly sending its body flying off the ground.
The Great Jaggi spun in mid-air, its belly sliding along the ground for a long distance before slowly coming to a halt.
Roar! Roar!
Puff let out a fierce roar.
Li Fan, dropping his sword and covering his ears, felt the sound vibrate his teeth.
After the sharp roar ended, Puff did not pursue. Instead, it rubbed its large, purple-furred tail back and forth in the frothy liquid below.
"Puff, that assist was too timely!"
Li Fan praised.
Seeing the yellow, unknown liquid being rubbed from its tail, Puff's gaze deepened, and it didn't seem particularly happy about the praise.
The Great Jaggi, getting back up, stared at Puff. The tip of its pink, segmented tail flexibly curled into a ring and swung rhythmically behind it.
This was a signal to the Jaggi to quickly bring more mushrooms.
However, after waving its tail for a long time, the Great Jaggi finally realized something was wrong and looked around.
A Diablos, with its head buried in the ground, was charging through and driving away the surrounding Jaggi.
Roar... Roar...
A low moan came, and the Great Jaggi looked towards the familiar sound.
It discovered a Jaggi with a pierced belly, crawling towards it with difficulty. A Poison Mushroom clutched in its forepaw was particularly conspicuous.
A dark expression quickly swept across the Great Jaggi's face, followed by uncontrollable rage.
The Great Jaggi hung the Jaggi on a tree trunk, took the Poison Mushroom, and chewed it vigorously. Purple juice flowed freely in its mouth.
Li Fan and Yudolara were currently shrouded in the smoke of the odor-removing ball, making plans for the upcoming battle.
"If anyone gets poisoned later, it's best to retreat for now," Yudolara suggested.
"Something's wrong. It's too early to eat a Poison Mushroom now," Li Fan sensed something was amiss.
To capture the Great Jaggi, the team had thoroughly researched its ecology.
They had even studied the order in which it ate mushrooms in their literature.
Apart from the healing Blue Mushroom, the Great Jaggi usually ate the Paralysis Mushroom first, followed by the Blast Mushroom, and finally the Poison Mushroom.
The reason for this was simple.
The stink breath released by the Great Jaggi was produced by its internal digestive organs.
After years of adaptation, the Great Jaggi had developed extremely high resistance to these substances.
It then incorporated them into its stink breath in an incompletely digested form.
This meant that no matter what effect was added to the stink breath, it had to endure it itself first.
This effect would certainly be much lighter than for other monsters, but it was not nonexistent.
According to the information, the Great Jaggi only chose to eat Poison Mushrooms and fight to the death when it was close to death.
"Yes, the Great Jaggi is still in decent condition and has plenty of room to maneuver. Why would it eat a Poison Mushroom?" Yudolara quickly realized something was wrong.
"Could it be scared by Puff, meow?" Dielu speculated.
"That doesn't make sense either. If it knew it couldn't beat Puff, it would just run away... It really ran away!" Seeing the Great Jaggi chew on the Poison Mushroom and then leap into the bushes, Li Fan was even more surprised.
If eating a Poison Mushroom to fight to the death could be explained, then eating a Poison Mushroom and then running away was completely outside the realm of reason.
"Ate a Poison Mushroom... ran away... Who is it going to find? Could it be..."
Li Fan thought of a possibility and took out the hunting contract from his chest plate.
At the marked location where the Great Jaggi was last seen, he saw another marker.
A Daimyo Hermitaur!
"Oh no, the Great Jaggi is going to find the Daimyo Hermitaur! We have to hurry and chase after it!"
Li Fan said, and the team quickly moved in the direction the Great Jaggi had fled.