Bear Da, having unloaded the round logs from his shoulders, sat curiously on the ground.
"Let's practice wrestling."
"Roar?"
Bear Da tilted his head, seemingly not understanding.
Li Fan simply used his body movements to demonstrate.
He lifted a bear paw, turned his back, and slung it over his shoulder, mimicking a shoulder throw.
Bear Da immediately understood, stepped back a few paces, and raised his arms high.
"Come on."
Li Fan finished speaking, popped a Power Seed into his mouth, chewed it vigorously, bent his knees, and clapped his hands.
The man and the bear, under the moonlight, charged at each other.
Twenty minutes later, Li Fan, lying on the grass, stared at the full moon in the sky with a look of utter despair.
"I feel like my body is falling apart, I can't move. Bear Da, help me out..."
Because his strength was not on the same level as the Great Jagras, Li Fan was completely dominated in wrestling for 20 minutes.
And Bear Da hadn't even dared to use his full strength, otherwise Li Fan's arms and legs would have been broken long ago.
Bear Da carried him to bed, and he slept soundly.
The next day, he woke up and checked his body, feeling completely refreshed and free from fatigue.
Li Fan guessed that this incredible muscle recovery ability might be related to excessive food intake, so he found a feather pen and recorded it in his small booklet summarizing strength training methods.
As for the classification and definition of strength levels, there wasn't a clear standard here.
Li Fan came up with his own simple system, ranging from low to high: Great Jagras level, Rathalos level, Diablos level.
Of course, it wasn't necessary to possess the same strength as the reference monster to be considered up to standard.
But at the very least, in terms of pure strength application, one should be able to have some impact on these monsters.
For example, in wrestling, if Li Fan could pose a certain threat to Bear Da with his own strength and technique, then Great Jagras level strength would be considered up to par.
After a simple tidy-up, Li Fan mounted Taimai and headed for Cala Village.
Besides his Great Sword training in the afternoon, he also wanted to find a suitable hunt quest on the notice board.
To avoid being beaten to it by other hunter teams, he naturally had to get to the notice board early.
Passing by the medical hall, he noticed dozens of hunters gathered at the entrance, so Li Fan joined them.
At the entrance, several cat-drawn flatbed carts were lined up, extending from inside the medical hall to the street.
The carts were loaded with hunters who had received simple bandaging. Some were moaning in pain, while others had simply passed out.
Some of the less severely injured hunters were carefully tending to the wounded.
Village Chief Bazel stood silently in the center of the crowd, the atmosphere somber.
"Village Chief, let the United Guild issue an urgent quest!"
A one-armed hunter carrying a Great Sword loudly made the suggestion.
"No. The reason why the Zinogre is so violent is still unclear. We need to investigate first, then act. Only then can the safety of the hunter teams be guaranteed."
Bazel, his usual friendly tone replaced with firmness, resolutely denied the request.
"What happened?"
Li Fan approached Eudora and asked in a low voice.
"Last night, a hunter team in the wilderness encountered a Zinogre. Even though they tried their best to avoid it, the Zinogre still went berserk and relentlessly pursued the hunter team."
Eudora informed him.
Indeed, many monsters have strong aggression, but the hostility triggered by a hunt and a quick escape upon encounter is clearly on different levels.
Of course, there are also monsters that are completely deranged and will kill any hunter they see regardless of the circumstances.
However, according to the information Li Fan had, this Zinogre had behaved quite normally before.
"It wasn't just one team that encountered it? Why are so many people lying here?"
Li Fan asked, confused.
"The first team that encountered it sent out an urgent distress flare. Two hunter teams nearby saw it and rushed to help."
"You know so much."
"The whole village was discussing this matter this morning. Zinogre is a five-star monster. If it were to go berserk and attack the village, the entire village would have to deploy defenses with the United Guild."
Eudora explained.
About half an hour later, the Hunter's Guild gate opened. Shirin posted the announcements a little later than usual.
The liveliness that usually graced her brows was replaced by solemnity.
The number of contracts posted was only two-thirds of the usual.
The surrounding hunters were not surprised by this, as most of the contracts in a large area around where the Zinogre was sighted had been temporarily canceled.
This was a common practice by the Guild for safety reasons.
"There are no investigation quests related to Zinogre on the notice board... This means even the investigation quests have been upgraded to four stars."
A female hunter with dual swords on her back speculated.
Those who were waiting for Zinogre-related quests suddenly understood.
Investigation quests did not limit the number of participants, and because the risk was not high, the default quest star rating was usually low. This time, it was clearly adjusted for safety reasons.
"Too bad, I wanted to see a Zinogre."
Eudora said with some disappointment.
Many hunter teams with aspirations also hesitated.
Just having a four-star hunter badge alone would disqualify 90% of them.
"So, is no one going to deal with this Zinogre?"
Li Fan inquired.
While Cala Village was indeed small, the Guild wouldn't just stand by and watch it be destroyed.
"The branch has distributed investigation contracts externally. However, even if hunter teams are willing to participate, it will likely take some time. If no hunters pick up the investigation quests, then we'll have to rely on the Guild branch's own forces and the voluntarily participating resident hunters."
Eudora analyzed.
Li Fan realized that the Guild also had its limitations.
"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. The Guild investigators stationed at the public camps should have already started their investigation. It's just that they are short-handed, which is why they need to recruit hunters to supplement them."
Eudora reminded him, seeing Li Fan's apparent concern.
"The Guild investigators are the ones like Chu Yan, right?"
"That's right. By the way, why are you in the village so early?"
Eudora found it strange, as according to Li Fan's usual routine, he should still be sleeping at this hour.
"I want to pick up a quest. The target monster should preferably be carnivorous and good at long-distance pursuits."
Li Fan stated his requirements.
"Hmm... There's a quest to hunt a Kulu-Ya-Ku. The contract has been posted for a few days, I wonder if it's still there?"
Muttering, she walked to the notice board and pointed with surprise: "Oh! It's still here!"
"It's a three-star quest, the journey will take about half a day, and the reward is 10050z. The client is a young, hot-headed hunter who refuses to reveal his name. According to the client's description, this Kulu-Ya-Ku has been nesting in the area for about three months. Two weeks ago, it inexplicably kicked the client, who, after retaliating with his sword, was badly beaten. He thought about it repeatedly at home and is now requesting a hunter with superb hunting skills to help him get revenge and teach it a lesson..."
As Li Fan read the description of the quest client, he became increasingly speechless.
He had thought that such bizarre reasons for posting hunting quests only existed in games, but he didn't expect to encounter them in reality.
However, considering that the main conflict in the Monster Hunter world is between humans and monsters, he quickly accepted it.
*Swish!*
Li Fan reached out and took the contract, rolled it up into a scroll, and placed it in his backpack.
"Aren't you going to consider it more?"
Eudora was a little surprised.
"No need, I really need this Kulu-Ya-Ku."
As a replacement for Taimai as a mount.
Li Fan's first consideration was naturally the Great Maccao, Kulu.
But the problem was that although Kulu could fly, its aerial combat capability was too weak.
In the open sky without environmental cover, riding on its back would make him like a mobile canned good.
When flying at low altitudes, he also had to be wary of surprise attacks from hunters.
Furthermore, Li Fan's practical tests showed that Kulu's flight endurance and flight posture were not ideal.
In terms of ground mobility, its short-distance sprint burst was strong, but it easily became fatigued during long-distance pursuits.
From the perspective of a mount, its only advantage was its acceptable carrying capacity; it could carry a fully equipped hunter and two people's worth of hunting supplies without much issue.
But with its neurotic personality, it might take the supplies and chase after a Shield Bug at any moment.
Therefore, its positioning was clearly more towards combat use rather than as a mount for carrying.
Kulu-Ya-Ku wasn't the optimal choice either, but among the monsters that could be hunted around Cala Village, it was already quite close to Li Fan's needs.
Since the quest had a two-month time limit, Li Fan didn't rush to depart. In the afternoon, he arrived at the Ancient Hunting Research Base on time to meet Yin Tie and learn the use of the Great Sword.
After ten minutes of swinging a wooden Great Sword to warm up, Yin Tie instructed him to use the Jawblade Type 1 to practice absorbing Spirit Gauge.
"Swing your sword with all your might at the wooden post. It's okay if your movements are slightly deformed during this process. Only by finding that feeling and practicing it repeatedly can you possibly apply it in actual combat."
Yin Tie guided him and signaled Li Fan to begin.
Looking at the mottled wooden post full of sword marks, Li Fan, who had often practiced his strength by chopping trees, asked, "What if I break it?"
The reason for his concern was that this place, called the training ground, had nothing else besides the three pathetic wooden posts in front of him.
Da Ju, who was observing with his arms crossed, explained, "Don't worry, this wooden post is made of Cloudwood, which can be used as material for forging weapons in Cloud Village. If you can break it with the Jawblade Type 1, your Great Sword mastery will at least be comparable to Yin Tie's."
"Also, when you swing with all your might and hit a hard object, your hands will experience a strong recoil. In the early stages, your hands will experience intense pain, as well as bruising, blisters, and even cracks. You need to be mentally prepared."
Yin Tie reminded him again.
"Understood."
Li Fan relaxed his arms and took a deep breath.
Grasping the Jawblade Type 1 firmly, he raised it high and swung it forward with all his might.
*Hum!* A buzzing sound of airflow echoed!
*Clang!* The Jawblade Type 1 embedded slightly into the wooden post and then stopped.
Then, as Yin Tie had described, the recoil power caused the blade to vibrate rapidly several times.
Even though Li Fan was gripping the hilt with all his might, trying to absorb the vibration, a piercing pain still shot from his palms.
"Should we stop training for now and get it treated, meow?"
Dilu, seeing Li Fan sweating profusely from the pain, asked with concern.
"It's nothing, I'm fine."
Li Fan forced a smile.
I think I'm starting to understand the principle of the Great Sword absorbing Spirit Gauge.
The sharpness of the Jawblade Type 1, mass-produced by the blacksmith, and his current strength.
Even with a full-power swing, it was impossible to generate a buzzing sound of airflow.
So, that was the sound of the Great Sword's edge activating the Spirit Gauge!
But to materialize the Spirit Gauge and store it in the Spirit Gauge slot within the blade, activating the Spirit Gauge with the blade's edge was only the first step. It also required the recoil from a powerful strike to act as an assist.
To put it simply, it was a bit like the regenerative braking system of an electric car.
However, for the Great Sword to absorb Spirit Gauge in combat, it could only be done in the fleeting moment between drawing and sheathing the blade.
Seeing Li Fan raise his sword again, Da Ju couldn't help but remind him, "Don't be too hasty in learning to accumulate Spirit Gauge. Maybe you should get it bandaged first."
"Thank you, I think I'm getting the hang of it and want to try again."
Li Fan informed him.
"You've only tried one swing, how can you get the hang of it..."
The exasperated Da Ju covered his forehead with a cat's paw.
"Little Dilu, get a basin of water and add plenty of herbs to it."
Da Ju commanded.
"Are you making a healing potion? I have finished ones here, meow."
Dilu replied.
"It's for Li Fan to soak his hands in later. The finished healing potion is too potent and irritating. Do you want to kill him?"
Da Ju explained.
"Got it, meow!"
Dilu said, and quickly went to prepare it.
*Hum! Clang! Whoosh!*
Da Ju had already lost interest in watching, but when he heard the sound of Spirit Gauge being infused into the Great Sword's Spirit Gauge slot at the end, his cat ears immediately perked up.
Having followed Yin Tie for so many years, he was very familiar with this sound.
"Mastering Spirit Gauge charging with the Great Sword in two swings... I really didn't misjudge you."
Yin Tie sighed with emotion and shouted, "Spirit Gauge will leak out if it's not fully charged! Hurry and try the Spirit Blade Combo I!"
"I say, Yin Tie, isn't this progress a bit too fast?"
Da Ju felt this was a bit too aggressive.
The rough bone blade of the Jawblade Type 1 was faintly emitting an aura.
Li Fan could feel it and didn't waste time responding.
He lowered the Jawblade Type 1 to his side, stepped forward with his feet crossed, twisted his waist to generate power, and swung it forcefully in a circular arc!
*Hum!* As the blade cut through the air, it left a visible thin white line. The line was semi-real and semi-illusory, as if it could split space.
The spirit blade formed by the blade lingered for a moment before dissipating into the air.
Li Fan looked at the rough-textured Jawblade Type 1 and had only one thought in his mind.
This is the Great Sword! This is the Great Sword in Monster Hunter!!!
"Learning the Spirit Blade Combo in three swings..."
Da Ju was incredulous.
If he hadn't seen Li Fan doing basic training yesterday, he would have thought the other party was deliberately pretending to be a novice student to tease him and Yin Tie.
"Since you're already injured, why not train more and remember this feeling."
Yin Tie, seeing blood dripping from the hilt, did not advise Li Fan to stop.
"Okay!"
Li Fan had the same intention.
However, the subsequent training was not smooth.
Li Fan swung fiercely five times, but basically only one swing successfully infused Spirit Gauge.
The Spirit Gauge slot was barely filled, and the linking and application of the three Spirit Blade Combos also frequently encountered various problems.
His strength was still too weak.
Li Fan knew the reason very well; he just needed to familiarize himself with the drawing and sheathing rhythm as much as possible, train basic muscle memory, and build a solid foundation.