After finishing repairs in the wooden cabin and arriving at the guild in Kala Village, it was already evening.
The moment the two stepped into the hall, more than a dozen pairs of eyes fell upon them.
A three-star hunter accompanied by a hunter who hadn't yet passed their assessment, having captured a Great Jagras, was an uncommon occurrence.
Shirin accepted the hunting contract, stamped it, and then retrieved a rather heavy coin pouch from beneath the counter.
Upon leaving the guild, Eudora proposed splitting the 11,500z reward equally.
Li Fan did not agree with this plan, as he had already captured the Great Jagras Kuku.
With no materials to acquire and no live monster to sell for money, splitting the reward would be too disadvantageous for Eudora.
However, Eudora had her own reasoning, stating that Bear, Dilu, Qiuqiu, and Tai Mei had all participated in the hunt and played crucial roles.
If they were considered members of the hunting party, they should also receive a share.
Finally, the two negotiated: 2,500z would be used for a celebratory meal for their successful hunt, and the remaining 9,000z would be split equally between them.
After a hearty feast at the Cat's BBQ Shop, Li Fan purchased some food that the monsters favored, loaded it onto the small truck pulled by Tai Mei, and returned with Dilu.
According to the hints in the "Monster Compendium," to receive an advanced Poké Ball, one needed to capture five monsters of three-star rank or higher.
Including the Great Jagras Kuku, this meant capturing four more three-star monsters.
Factors such as the expedition area, rewards, hunting difficulty, and monster utility all needed to be considered.
Li Fan felt the need for more detailed planning and also had the hunter exam to deal with, so he decided to rest for a while.
The next morning, Li Fan attempted to claim the Heal Poké Ball and the Fullness Poké Ball.
The Heal Poké Ball was emerald green with a red cross symbol printed on its top.
The Fullness Poké Ball was earthy yellow with a pixelated meat cut pattern on its top.
"Come out, Great Jagras Kuku."
Although it felt a bit chuunibyou, Li Fan felt something was missing if he didn't utter such a line.
On the grass in front of the wooden cabin, Kuku, with its damaged wings, warily scanned its surroundings. Before it could even figure out what was happening, the emerald Heal Poké Ball flew towards it.
"Return, Great Jagras Kuku."
"Wuwuwu..."
Kuku let out a low groan, seemingly exasperated by Li Fan's actions.
Checking the "Monster Compendium," a green upward arrow appeared next to Kuku's HP, along with the text "Healing."
This ball was good. In the future, if a monster was severely injured, it could be placed inside to recuperate for a period.
Li Fan had previously worried that the Monster Hunter world lacked a diagnostic and treatment system for monsters. Severely injured monsters might die or suffer permanent damage that prevented them from fighting.
Now, with the Heal Poké Ball, all these problems were solved.
However, this ball had a durability limit of 100 points. When depleted, the Poké Ball would not break but would need to be soaked in a liquid with healing properties to recharge.
Li Fan felt that a Potion would be suitable and planned to try it when the durability ran out.
Placing the Poké Ball on the strap used for attaching Flash Bombs, Sonic Bombs, and other throwable items, Li Fan set off for Kala Village.
His goal this time was to purchase a weapon.
In addition to the basic fifteen examination items for the hunter assessment, there was a significant portion dedicated to weapon application.
The content involved mastering the basic use of any one hunting weapon.
While wooden weapons would be provided as demonstration props at the examination site, without a weapon, it was impossible to practice at all.
"Jawblade Type 1, still 3750z?"
At the entrance of the weapon shop, Li Fan looked up at the price list and asked.
"Yes, meow! As a bone weapon, the Jawblade offers excellent durability and can be further modified through various branching paths later on," the Felyne shopkeeper explained.
On the price list, there were four types of mass-produced standard longswords.
They were Jawblade Type 1, Bone Sickle, Iron Sword, and Village Guard's Defensive Longsword.
Li Fan favored Jawblade Type 1 because it offered many upgrade and enhancement options once the corresponding materials were gathered.
"One, please!"
Li Fan said, handing over the coin pouch.
He believed that compared to other hunters taking the assessment, he already lacked strength. If he didn't train the basic application of weapons, his chances of passing the assessment would be very low.
*Clang!* The Felyne shopkeeper struck a bronze gong behind them and shouted, "Jawblade Type 1! Sold, meow!"
Shortly after, two slightly larger Felynes carried out a longsword made entirely of hard dragon bone from the shop, one in front of the other.
"Please crouch down first, I will install the sheath buckle strap for you."
The Felyne shopkeeper said, holding a strap that resembled a backpack and jumping out from behind the counter.
Li Fan knew this was a fastening device similar to a buckle sheath.
However, the longsword was much lighter than a greatsword and came with its own sheath, so a strap-style buckle sheath could easily handle it.
As for Eudora's, which needed to be embedded in the back of her armor and had super strong load-bearing capacity, that was exclusive to heavy weapons.
Beside them, Dilu took out a small notebook, observed carefully, and began recording how to wear the strap-style buckle sheath.
Because in the near future, the Felyne who helped Li Fan put on and take off the strap might be Dilu himself.
With the Jawblade Type 1 strapped on his back, walking through the streets of Kala Village, apart from his bear pajama outfit being a bit out of place, Li Fan finally felt a sense of being a hunter.
He arrived at the guild's notice board, where Eudora was with several hunter teams, looking at the contract notices Shirin had posted for the day.
"Eudora, are you free?"
Li Fan approached and asked in a low voice.
"Yes... You bought a weapon! And it's a longsword!"
Eudora said with surprise upon seeing the longsword on Li Fan's back.
Li Fan lowered his voice and replied, "Yes, I bought it to prepare for the hunter exam. Regarding the longsword..."
"When I first became a hunter, I actually wanted to use the longsword as my weapon, but it was too difficult to master, so I gave up. Alas... I really envy hunters who can skillfully wield the longsword; they are so cool and elegant. Your longsword hunting skills must be amazing, right?"
Li Fan had intended to ask for guidance, but seeing Eudora's incredibly expectant eyes, he found himself unable to speak.
"It's so-so... Besides the greatsword, what other weapons are you proficient with?"
"Great Hammer and Charge Blade, but I'm a bit hesitant to use them for particularly dangerous hunts."
"I see..."
This was difficult. Eudora was proficient with heavy hunting weapons. Even if I switched to training with them now, my strength wouldn't be enough to wield them.
"You asked if I was free earlier, was there something you needed?"
"Uh... it's nothing major. I didn't use the two Sonic Bombs you gave me last time, so I put them in the item box. Remember not to place heavy objects on them."
"Okay. If there's a suitable hunting quest, I'll contact you."
After bidding farewell to Eudora, Li Fan walked through the streets, worrying about learning the longsword.
He had also considered replicating the basic application of the longsword based on his memories of its movements.
However, without professional guidance and a standardized system, forcing a haphazard approach would be like Zhao Si doing street dancing.
"Young man! May I know your name?... It's Li Fan, my apologies, I mistook you."
Li Fan snapped back to attention and found Bazelli standing before him.
"Village Chief, who is this silver Chosen One badge for?"
"This... Hehe, since you have a hunting weapon now, I'll give you one."
The free venison meal served once every three days was too good to pass up, so Li Fan didn't stand on ceremony.
Taking the silver Chosen One badge, a thought struck him as he recalled the Flying Dragon Sword hanging in the Village Chief's house.
"Village Chief, your mastery of the longsword must be profound, right?"
"I'm just quite skilled."
Bazelli stroked his beard and said humbly.
"Do you take apprentices?"
"The hunter exam?"
"That's right!"
"5,500z."
"But I am a Chosen One."
"Then 5,400z."
Li Fan's gaze deepened.
"Don't mind it. It's mainly because I'm old now and can no longer wield a sword. My longsword techniques are also severely outdated, which is why I've set the price a bit higher. If you truly wish to learn the basic application of the longsword, you can find a hunting instructor at the guild."
Bazelli said, patting his old waist.
"Will it be expensive?"
Li Fan asked the question that concerned him the most.
"It depends on your needs; there are options for every price range. If a student coached by an instructor passes the hunter exam, the instructor receives a reward from the guild. Therefore, whenever the hunter exam approaches, a batch of low-priced instructors emerges."
Bazelli explained.
"Thank you, Village Chief."
Having received guidance, Li Fan waved goodbye.
He should have thought of it long ago. With such a well-established hunter guild system, there must surely be a professional process for training hunters.
Finding the right direction, Li Fan quickly arrived at the guild's branch hall.
After stating his purpose, Shirin directed Li Fan to a pink-clothed attendant nearby.
"Hello, here is the list of all hunting instructors. Please take a look."
The pink-clothed attendant placed a thick, heavy booklet on the counter.
Compared to Shirin, the pink-clothed attendant gave off a somewhat cold impression.
Li Fan sat on a chair and flipped through it, discovering that there were indeed hidden talents among these instructors.
For example, Instructor Gran on the first page.
Gran, a ten-year veteran hunter, specialized in dual blades, mastered the "Demon Dance," and participated in the Brachydios hunt.
Holder of a five-star hunter badge from the guild, one of the ten outstanding hunters in Falge Village.
Provides basic application training for dual blades and one-handed swords, charging 9,800z for 10 days.
Guaranteed to teach until mastery, not allowed to leave if not learned.
Li Fan flipped through for a while and realized the booklet was sorted by star rank.
The lower the star rank of the hunter instructor, the further back the page, and the cheaper the fee. Additionally, there were classification tags for their specialty weapons, making it very convenient to browse.
Seeing the pink-clothed attendant diligently organizing the booklet, Li Fan thought that although the attendant seemed a bit cold, their organizational work was quite excellent.
Opening the pages according to the longsword tag, the overall prices clearly increased.
This indicated that many people wanted to learn the longsword, and the teaching difficulty might also be a factor.
The coaching fee for a four-star longsword hunter for 10 days was as high as 15,000z.
Furthermore, one had to travel to distant villages and towns for lessons and also queue for appointments.
Seeing this, Li Fan quickly flipped backward: three-star, two-star, one-star...
"No way, even the tuition for a one-star hunter instructor is 599z."
Li Fan muttered.
"With the hunter exam approaching, this is already a discounted price."
The pink-clothed attendant explained.
"Alright."
Continuing to flip a few more pages, a profile of a zero-star hunter instructor appeared.
What surprised Li Fan the most was that the marked price was -200z.
"The price is marked incorrectly, isn't it?"
"Hmm?"
The pink-clothed attendant frowned slightly, got up from her seat, and leaned closer to observe.
"The price marking is not incorrect. This Instructor Yin Tie attracts more people to become his students by promising money. If his students happen to pass the exam, Yin Tie can receive subsidies from the guild for hunter instructors. I personally do not recommend him as a hunting instructor."
"This is allowed?"
The pink-clothed attendant sighed slightly and replied, "Strictly speaking, apart from exaggerating his hunting experience, Yin Tie has done nothing against the rules. And... he has a good personal relationship with Village Chief Bazelli, and he can indeed use the longsword."
"So that's how it is."
"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. Because of his bad reputation, no one has sought him out as a hunting instructor since last year."
"Thank you."
Li Fan continued to look down, wanting to see how this Instructor Yin Tie exaggerated his hunting experience.
A moment later, he was stunned in his seat.
Hunting Instructor Yin Tie, twenty years of hunting career. (Doubtful)
Specialty weapon: Longsword, proficient in all moves, inheritor of ancient hunting techniques. (Doubtful)
Holder of a seven-star hunter badge from the guild. (Lost)
Participated in repelling the Teostra. (Uncertified by the guild)
Solo hunted the Four Heavenly Kings: Lagiacrus, Great Jaggi, Mizutsune, and Glavenus. (Uncertified by the guild)
Known as the lone demon ghost who comprehended the ultimate essence of the longsword. (Uncertified by the guild)
This... this is what they call legendary resume fraud!
Li Fan was speechless. In the entire list of instructors, he couldn't find a single hunter holding a six-star badge.
How could a seven-star hunter casually pay people to recruit students?
However, speaking of which, this price of -200z was really tempting.
"Hello, can Instructor Yin Tie really use the longsword?"
Facing this question, the pink-clothed attendant's mouth twitched slightly.
"Yes, someone has indeed witnessed Yin Tie killing a Great Izuchi with a longsword. However, he has not reported it to the guild, and the guild's records for instructor-level longsword assessments are also in order."
Although her expression was helpless, the pink-clothed attendant still provided corroboration based on collected facts.
"I'm done looking."
Li Fan noted down Yin Tie's address and closed the instructor list.
"Shirin, do you still have complaint forms for hunting instructors in stock?"
The pink-clothed attendant asked.
"Yes, does someone want to complain about an instructor?"
Shirin inquired.
"Not yet, but it should be usable soon."
The pink-clothed attendant said with a sigh, looking at Li Fan's retreating back.
East of Kala Village, Li Fan searched along the way and finally found the contact address left by Instructor Yin Tie in a wooden flat house on the outermost edge of the village.
"Ancient Hunting Research Base..."
Looking at the tattered flag fluttering on the roof, Li Fan vaguely sensed an ominous aura.
"So it's here, meow..."
Dilu said with a sudden realization.
"You've been here before?"
"Yes, meow. I came to collect a debt for the Cat's BBQ Shop."
"Did you get it back?"
"No, meow. A very large Felyne wouldn't let me in."
Dilu drooped its ears.
Li Fan looked towards the entrance and saw a very large Felyne with orange-yellow fur lying asleep inside the doorway.