The Qing Xiong Beast did not retreat; instead, Eudora retracted her Bone Greatsword into its scabbard and quickly fled.
Taking advantage of this interception, Li Fan had already put considerable distance between them.
With his rationality largely restored, the Qing Xiong Beast no longer pursued blindly but instead focused on the more threatening Eudora.
It again created distance, then began to circle, stopping abruptly to draw its sword and charge.
Seeing this, the Qing Xiong Beast used all four paws to close the distance rapidly across the grassland.
Its heavy breaths caused its belly to swell quickly.
Years of battling hunters had equipped this Qing Xiong Beast, known as a bully, with abilities other Qing Xiong Beasts lacked.
That was the ability to endure pain!
When injured, as long as it didn't cry out in pain, it could swat away a hunter during their attack's recovery frame!
Ever since its first successful attempt, hunters no longer seemed as terrifying in the Qing Xiong Beast's eyes.
Li Fan was right...
Eudora, who was charging her Greatsword, also confirmed Li Fan's earlier assessment after observing the Qing Xiong Beast's actions.
The reason was simple: this Qing Xiong Beast had already taken a charged sword attack, and the horrifying gash was still oozing blood.
Unless it was an exceptionally ferocious monster, it had no reason to charge forward for another blow after such a severe injury.
Only if it believed it could withstand one strike and launch a counter-attack would it approach in this manner.
Eudora did not cease her charged attack but instead retracted it as the Qing Xiong Beast raised its claw.
One hand gripped the hilt, while the other, along with her entire shoulder, braced against the blade.
The Bone Greatsword was held horizontally in front of her.
Clang! Sizzle!
The beast's claw scraped sparks off the greatsword.
Eudora dug her heels into the ground, absorbing the impact and sliding back a short distance, skillfully parrying the blow.
The sudden shift from a charged attack to a defensive block clearly caught the Qing Xiong Beast off guard. It hesitated for a moment, intending to continue its assault, but by then, Eudora's direct slash was upon it.
Swoosh!
The Bone Greatsword, a combination of slash and smash, struck the Qing Xiong Beast's face, causing blood to spray instantly.
The Qing Xiong Beast, still intending to retaliate despite the pain, swung its claws forward with all its might twice.
However, Eudora again drew her greatsword behind her, showing no inclination for a greedy follow-up.
The Qing Xiong Beast let out a low growl and turned, beginning to crawl back.
It stumbled on all fours, dragging one leg along the ground, its accumulated injuries clearly affecting its mobility.
Eudora jogged to keep pace.
Draw sword, roll, sheathe.
She perfectly controlled the distance, leaving no opportunity for a counter-attack.
Roar! Boom!
After pursuing it in this manner for 200 meters, the severely injured Qing Xiong Beast let out a mournful cry and collapsed onto the ground.
"I have tranquilizer traps. I can set them now if you need them," Eudora asked, seeing Li Fan approach empty-handed.
"No need."
Li Fan stopped about five paces away and observed for a moment, confirming that the Qing Xiong Beast was indeed on its last legs.
He then pressed the button on the Poké Ball and threw it.
"If you throw a tranquilizer dart first like this..."
Eudora was about to remind him that this wasn't the standard capture procedure when, in the next instant, the Qing Xiong Beast became a streak of white lightning and was sucked into the small sphere.
Clack! The Poké Ball sprang upward forcefully, soaring two meters into the air.
It then flew sideways upon landing.
The gazes of the two humans and the cat followed the trajectory of the Poké Ball.
After landing, it began to spin rapidly.
Bang! The Poké Ball burst!
The Qing Xiong Beast flew out, once again collapsing onto the ground.
Eudora rubbed her eyes vigorously, as if to confirm whether her vision had malfunctioned.
"It's no good, Eudora. Give it another sword strike," Li Fan said, beckoning after observing for a moment.
Just as he had predicted, the performance of a regular Poké Ball made it difficult to capture even a critically injured Qing Xiong Beast.
"Is this how you... capture monsters?" Eudora asked, surprised.
"Yes. Don't aim for vital spots. Just hit its backside," Li Fan pointed.
"Hah!"
Eudora drew her sword and delivered a direct slash to its rear, covered in blue fur.
Whimper...
The Qing Xiong Beast let out a pained whimper.
"Little bear, this is your last Poké Ball. If you don't yield now, you'll really be done for," Li Fan consoled it, taking two steps back and throwing the Poké Ball.
The Qing Xiong Beast was once again sucked into the ball.
The sphere flew into the air again, but this time it only reached less than half a meter high. It trembled briefly upon landing and did not bounce back up.
At the crucial third attempt, perhaps because the Qing Xiong Beast had exhausted its strength and resigned itself, the sphere merely wobbled slightly and remained stationary.
Li Fan, letting out a sigh of relief, took out his portable console.
[Qing Xiong Beast] Male (Un-named)
Health: 47/988
Status: Critically Injured
Level: 3
Strength: 49
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 11
Skills: [Honey Hunter] Can easily locate beehives.
[Pain Tolerance - Novice] Temporarily reduces pain sensitivity slightly.
Description: A beast-type monster, commonly found in mountains and forests.
It loves honey and possesses sharp foreclaws and extremely hard arm guards.
Named Qing Xiong Beast for its blue fur.
"Li Fan, did you put the Qing Xiong Beast into that little ball?" Eudora asked tentatively.
"Yep."
"You... aren't you going to explain?"
Li Fan's straightforwardness left Eudora a bit flustered.
"So many strange things happen in this world every day. Not everything has a logical explanation, and besides, I haven't figured it out myself yet."
"Alright."
It was common for hunters to help each other in the wild, but they also respected privacy.
If not for the utterly bizarre effect of the Poké Ball, Eudora would not have dared to ask.
"Dilu, I recall there's a bamboo grove this way, right?"
"Yes, meow. Why are we going so late?"
"To build a bamboo cage to prepare for the guild investigator's hunting certification tomorrow."
Li Fan stated his reason.
Eudora then remembered that if the hunting mission was to be completed by capture, the investigator would need to confirm the monster's condition and its safe transport, not its corpse.
"Wait, I'll come too."
Eudora felt that with her help, the process would be faster.
An hour later, a bamboo cage bound with vines was completed.
"It doesn't feel very sturdy, meow..." Dilu felt the bamboo cage, which swayed in the wind, was not up to par.
"It'll do for now. You can help support it from the side then," Li Fan said, quite satisfied.
"I must take my leave. It was a pleasure cooperating with you for this hunt."
Eudora bid them farewell.
"Eudora, do you live at the public hunting camp?" Li Fan inquired.
"Yes, the guild investigator's outpost is also there. I'll come with the assigned investigator tomorrow."
"The public hunting camp is too far. It's not safe this late, meow. Why not stay the night at the temporary camp on the mountaintop?" Dilu invited.
The camp tent was set up by the hunting party and could accommodate four or five people.
"Alright, thank you." Eudora smiled and did not refuse.