Chapter 1 The First Burst Type Five-Star Monster
Looking at the handheld device, Li Fan calmed his mood and began the cleanup work for the hunt.
First, he went to the base of the broken tail blade, to see if there was any possibility of restoration.
This tail, which pierced straight into the sand, was called the "Dragon-Slaying Broken Sword Tail."
After the surface cooled, Li Fan pushed the broken sword tail down and examined the fracture.
He discovered it was still an Oreo-like layered structure, with shell and flesh within the center, and was inevitably disappointed.
Because in such a condition, even with reheating and re-casting, it would be impossible to reattach.
He could only wait for the Dragon-Slaying Dragon's tail meat to grow and recover, and then repeatedly pour liquid ore onto the new shell to polish a new tail blade.
As for this broken sword tail... should he try to make a weapon out of it?
No, what if the Dragon-Slaying Dragon noticed and ran away from home?
Dragon-Slaying Dragon was the name Li Fan gave to the Dragon-Slaying Dragon. Regarding the disposal of the broken sword tail, he decided to first find the nearby Felyne, Elle, and transport it back to the Sandstone Cave.
Similar materials included a Lagiacrus's curved horn.
Little Dummy could barely carry them, but even carrying just one item would likely put it into a high-consumption mode of flying for 10 minutes and resting for two hours.
It would be much more convenient to find the Felyne team.
As for the camp, since the location was well-chosen and the tent was specially made for the desert region, the team marked it thoroughly on the map and had no intention of dismantling it.
Three hours later, a sand ship with a huge sail stopped beside the Lagiacrus's curved horn.
More than twenty Felynes jumped off the sand ship, fitted ropes around the horn, and secured it.
Under Elle's meowing commands, they slowly dragged the giant curved horn onto the sand ship.
Li Fan called for Big Mouth, gave simple instructions, fired a signal flare, and began the classic investigator-luring segment.
Half an hour later, a small sand ship with a blue sail appeared in sight.
The investigator was a kind middle-aged man. After a few exchanges, he confirmed the Gobul's capture, stamped the contract scroll with his seal regarding dining etiquette, and then advised them to avoid monsters like the Dragon-Slaying Dragon and Lagiacrus before leaving in his sand ship.
"Big Mouth, don't attack merchant caravans anymore. If you encounter a strong hunter team, you'll become material."
Li Fan, sitting on a piece of sandstone, advised Big Mouth, whose dorsal fin was the only part exposed.
Focusing on individual characteristics, it was indeed difficult to lock onto a Gobul.
But precisely because of this, there would definitely be contracts that simply involved hunting one.
Puff! Puff!
Two puffs of sand dust erupted.
"It wasn't you who attacked the merchant caravan? Uh... I really didn't know that, but thinking about it, you're an old hand, why would you attack merchant caravans? Anyway, take care of yourself in the desert. If anyone offends you, don't be reckless. Remember their activity area and characteristics, and I'll get revenge for you when I return to the desert."
After bidding farewell to Big Mouth, the team, having packed their belongings, began their return journey and arrived at the Sandstone Cave late at night.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Elle's team also returned to the Sandstone Cave.
The Dragon-Slaying Dragon's broken sword tail and Lagiacrus's curved horn loaded on the sand ship attracted the attention of many residents and hunters.
Everyone was guessing which team had brought back these two near top-tier monster materials.
Strong hunter teams were indeed rare, but they had visited the Sandstone Cave before.
As for identification methods, armor and weapons were the most direct indicators, but no similar hunter teams had appeared recently.
In front of the archway of the Sandstone Cave, there was a flurry of speculation.
Elle searched the hotel windows one by one and finally found Li Fan, who was still sound asleep. She then climbed in through the window.
"Oh ho! Still sleeping? Hunter who hunts in a peculiar way! Your materials have arrived, pay up, meow!"
Elle shouted, holding two contract scrolls.
"Uh... okay..."
Seeing Li Fan's sallow complexion as he got out of bed, Elle recoiled in fright, "Oh ho! How many potions did you take, meow?"
"I've taken almost everything available on the market... I feel completely drained."
Li Fan knew that enhancement potions like the Demon Drug would deplete his stamina and strength, but he hadn't expected it to be so thorough.
"Oh ho! Another young hunter who doesn't take care of himself... Anyway, the materials have arrived safely, and including the fee for deployment and guarding, it's a total of 7541z."
"Dilu!.... Pay the money."
Bang! Li Fan said weakly and collapsed back onto the bed.
Dilu, rubbing her eyes with her cat paws, woke up and listlessly crawled out from under the wooden bed.
After the payment was made, with a "Beep!", Dilu's cat paw pressed down on the contract.
"We've rented that sand ship for three days, remember to pick up the materials as soon as possible, meow."
Elle said and then jumped out the window.
At two in the afternoon, Li Fan finally managed to get out of bed with difficulty.
After a simple meal, as it involved the transport of five-star materials, Li Fan felt it necessary to negotiate with the local branch.
Upon entering the Sandstone Cave branch and submitting the contract, he received a reward of 46,800z. Li Fan then mentioned the two materials to the receptionist.
"So it was your team's!"
The brown-skinned female attendant exclaimed, covering her mouth.
"Yes, what are the procedures?"
"The first step is to verify the origin. Please disclose the source of the materials."
The brown-skinned female attendant said, taking notes.
"We happened to see a Dragon-Slaying Dragon and a Lagiacrus fighting, and after the fight, these two materials appeared."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Dragon-Slaying Dragon's broken tail, Lagiacrus's broken horn, very valuable observational information. Also, your luck is admirable."
After recording, the brown-skinned female attendant looked up and recalled for a moment, then informed him, "These two materials must first be assessed. Since they are not complete monster carcasses, there are no materials that can be deducted. This means you only need to pay a fee to offset the guild's share. After that, the branch will stamp them with the certification mark of origin from the Sandstone Desert, and they can be transported between different administrative regions."
"If processed locally, wouldn't that exempt the share?"
Li Fan asked tentatively.
"Alas... I wish I could, but the workshop in the Sandstone Cave doesn't have the capability to process five-star materials. Moreover, the Dragon-Slaying Dragon's broken sword tail and Lagiacrus's curved horn would definitely require other corresponding materials to be processed into weapons. The merchant guild here probably wouldn't have them in stock either."
The brown-skinned female attendant said regretfully.
"Alright, how long will the assessment take?"
"About an hour."
"This is the Felyne Rescue Team's transport contract, which proves ownership of the materials. You can start the assessment process directly."
"No problem."
After discussing the materials, Li Fan went to the workshop and inquired about places that could process and craft five-star materials.
The answers he received were the Guild Headquarters Workshop in Dondurma, the craftsman in Ignis Village, and the Dragon History Institute Headquarters in Bherna Village. Theoretically, all materials could be processed there, and many standard designs for weapons and armor also originated from these places.
The workshops in Kokoto Village, Pokke Village, and Yukumo Village also had very strong crafting capabilities, but their material reserves were slightly lacking.
If a whole monster carcass wasn't delivered, even a single rare material missing might delay the crafting progress for half a month or even longer.
After Li Fan inquired, he wandered around the streets for a while, and the guild's assessment report came out.
A share fee of 53,000z had to be paid to take the materials away.
As for the contracted Gobul, the guild generally wouldn't pursue it if they didn't see the actual creature.
At the inn, Eudora placed her hands on the table and said incredulously, "So expensive!"
"This is the quote after the Lagiacrus's curved horn was deemed relatively small."
Li Fan said helplessly.
"Why don't we carry them back?"
Eudora suggested.
"Don't joke. Even if you walk to the next branch's jurisdiction, you'll still have to pay a share fee without certification. It's just changing branches. The environment around the Sandstone Cave is so harsh, it's better to pay here."
Li Fan explained.
Eudora sat down powerlessly and sighed, "Ah... including the preparation money and the transport costs, this hunt will be a huge loss."
"You can think of it positively. If we accumulate enough materials and money, perhaps we can craft the Sword of Kings with the curved horn."
Li Fan reminded her.
"Sword of Kings... that sounds amazing."
"Except for its sharpness, this greatsword is top-notch in terms of power and blade strength."
Li Fan introduced.
"In that case... it seems quite worth it."
Eudora said, taking out her money pouch and starting to count.
After paying the guild's share, the Dragon-Slaying Dragon's broken sword tail and Lagiacrus's curved horn were quickly stamped with the Sandstone Cave branch's certification mark.
After contacting a transport caravan to load and transport them, the team left the Sandstone Cave and rode Little Dummy back.
Since Little Dummy was very familiar with the direction of Cala Village, it only took three days to arrive.
Of course, there was still no improvement in comfort during long journeys.
At noon, the arduous team landed in a forest. They intended to go to the Felyne BBQ stall for a feast, but they saw that all the shops on the street were closed, and they quickly sensed something was wrong.
They arrived at the notice board, where a large portion of the board was occupied by a notice about a Dragon-Slaying Dragon active nearby, indicating an imminent crisis.
The content generally advised residents and hunters not to venture outdoors unless necessary.
"Village Chief!"
Seeing Bazel walking down the desolate street, Eudora waved her hand.
Bazel, who had been looking down, happily waved back, but his gaze soon returned to its previous dimness.
"Village Chief, has the Dragon-Slaying Dragon attacked the village so soon?"
Li Fan asked in confusion.
The Dragon-Slaying Dragon was indeed ferocious, but Cala Village was not a mining area.
Unless it was an individual that extremely hated humans, there was no reason for it to specifically activity in the vicinity.
"Alas, because the mining area was occupied, the price of ore in the village soared. A group of villagers, in order to profit, specifically ran into the pit to mine when that Dragon-Slaying Dragon was foraging. As a result, the two sides encountered each other. The guild investigator tracking the Dragon-Slaying Dragon noticed and had to summon nearby hunter teams for rescue. However, the rescue was unsuccessful. Only two villagers escaped, and the team itself was held back by the Dragon-Slaying Dragon."
Bazel's eyelids drooped, and he explained the situation with great dejection.
"That hunter team in the end..."
Eudora hesitated to ask further.
"All members were rescued in the end, but the Iron Iron that blocked the Dragon-Slaying Dragon...."
Bazel closed his eyes and shook his head.
Instructor Iron Iron!
Before they left, hadn't he said he was going to say goodbye and live out his remaining years?
Li Fan ran towards the Ancient Hunting Base. Turning the familiar street corner, he saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance.
Pushing his way to the front, he saw a mummy with its right leg missing, placed on a long wooden board. Li Fan's heart tightened.
"To protect the village, thank you, Uncle Iron Iron, for your righteous intervention!"
A little girl placed a square gift box in front of Big Orange.
"I also thank you for your recognition of Iron Iron."
Big Orange said with a somber tone.
Then, more villagers offered gifts.
"How could this happen... For you, a normal Dragon-Slaying Dragon shouldn't be that difficult..."
Li Fan approached the mummy and said in disbelief.
"Who is it? Is that Li Fan?"
"Uh... you... Instructor Iron Iron, you're not dead?"
Hearing a sound from beneath the wrapped white cloth, Li Fan was immediately bewildered.
"Who said I'm dead?"
"I thought..."
"I didn't dodge a burst of explosive minerals and accidentally got hit. I just applied some burn ointment... Big Orange, my left elbow is very itchy."
Big Orange sighed helplessly, revealed his cat claws, and scratched with a creaking sound.
"Ah... much more comfortable. But speaking of which, this Dragon-Slaying Dragon must have been trained. It was indeed difficult to deal with."
"What do you mean by trained?"
"It means a Dragon-Slaying Dragon that has undergone long-term training and possesses exceptional combat skills."
Iron Iron explained.
"Then, if I encounter an untrained Dragon-Slaying Dragon and fight it, will it be very weak?"
"That's for sure."
Iron Iron replied.
"Instructor Iron Iron, please rest and recover. I'll come to see you again."
Li Fan informed him.
"Remember not to be as impulsive as me, and don't misuse the 'True Sight Slash'."
"Got it."
Returning to the research laboratory on the third floor of the Investigation Agency Headquarters, Li Fan stared blankly at a pile of ecological data on the Dragon-Slaying Dragon on the table.
The first burst type five-star monster, possessing extremely strong attack power.
And the middle section of the two rows of flame-shaped shells on its back and neck was clearly a place to stand. With this height, it might be possible to unleash a true combination technique.
However, the Dragon-Slaying Dragon near the village was a hidden danger and had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Li Fan began to formulate a plan based on the current situation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The door of the blacksmith shop was knocked open.
Blade Scar intended to say he was closed for business, but upon hearing that it was the big customer Li Fan, he quickly opened the door.
"The Zinogre Braces have been crafted, but I heard the team went on an expedition hunt, so I haven't delivered them yet."
Blade Scar said, handing over an exquisite gift box.
"Thank you. I'd like to ask which boots have the best heat resistance."
"The Yian Kut-Ku and Barroth ones are both good... You're going to deal with the Dragon-Slaying Dragon, aren't you?"
Blade Scar asked in amazement.
"Something like that..."
"As expected of the most outstanding team in the village. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of ore, the cost of crafting armor is outrageously high now, and it's difficult for me to even make standard equipment."
Blade Scar said helplessly.
"Alright, I'll go ask at the guild again."
"Wait, Li Fan, are you only asking for heat resistance?"
Blade Scar seemed to remember something.
"Yes."
"Then how about these boots?"
Blade Scar said, extending one foot.
They were short boots made entirely of metal, looking dirty and covered in metal shavings.
"These boots can resist heat?"
Li Fan asked tentatively.
"Of course. Don't be fooled by their appearance. When making weapons, after the raw material is heated to softening, there's a hammering and shaping process. During this time, if you need to repeatedly strike one spot precisely, you have to fix the weapon on the anvil."
Blade Scar said, lifting his leg and making a stamping and pressing motion.
Li Fan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Aren't these boots very heavy?"
"No, no. They're lighter than many boots made from monster materials."
Blade Scar said, enthusiastically taking off the metal boots.
Li Fan tried them on, and the size was about right.
As for heat insulation, he couldn't release Dragon-Slaying Dragon to test them on the spot, but if they could withstand the temperature of softened weapon raw materials, standing on the surface of heated flame-shaped shells should be no problem.
"Boss, how much are these boots?"
"What do you mean money? As long as you can drive away the Dragon-Slaying Dragon and bring peace back to Cala Village, a pair of blacksmith boots are nothing."
"That's not right."
"It's not wrong. If you can drive away the Dragon-Slaying Dragon wearing them, I'll be overjoyed."
"Then thank you."
Li Fan, holding the gift box and the replaced Great Jaggi boots, returned to the research laboratory.
He opened the gift box, revealing a pair of blue and white bracers with silver manes.
Li Fan admired them for a moment and put them on his wrists.
Not long after, Dilu, carrying a fruit platter, ran into the research laboratory. Seeing Li Fan clinging to the wall, she asked in confusion, "What are you doing, meow?"
"Yes, what am I doing?"
Li Fan said, twisting his hips as if shaking a non-existent tail.
"Do you need me to call Eudora to help, meow?"
Dilu asked tentatively.
"No, maybe I'll get used to it with more practice."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Li Fan darted around the research laboratory, leaping onto walls from various angles.
Picture frames of monsters on the wall kept falling.
These 3 points of physical strength are quite good. I feel my body has become agile and light.
It's just that the assimilation effect of the Zinogre is too strong, only wearing one bracer...
Li Fan, clinging to the wall, happened to stop in front of the Dragon-Slaying Dragon's picture frame. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck his mind.
What if he used weapons and armor made from the Dragon-Slaying Dragon?
The assimilation shown by Zinogre was indeed causing a lot of trouble.
But one thing that couldn't be ignored was that when he leaped onto the wall, it was done in one go, swift and smooth.
If the super strong assimilation effect could be used in the right way...
Li Fan thought of a completely new possibility.
"Uh... what are you doing on the wall?"
Eudora, entering the research laboratory, asked in surprise.
"I'm thinking... actually, it's this Zinogre bracer."
Li Fan said, showing one hand as he slid to the ground.
"Wait a moment."
Eudora ran to the bookshelf, found a book, and began to flip through it.
"There are currently three approaches to resisting the assimilation effect from weapons and armor: punishment, laissez-faire, and inhibition."
"The laissez-faire approach sounds good."
Li Fan replied.
"Hmm... long-term adherence to the laissez-faire approach carries the risk of mental instability, according to the book."
Eudora informed him.
"What about punishment and inhibition?"
"The punishment approach is to find a monster barb with a trace amount of poison. Once the assimilation reaction appears, give yourself a jab in the butt."
"Why the butt?"
"I don't know. The book doesn't say why. Maybe it's less likely to get pricked through."
"Alright."
"The inhibition approach is to stimulate willpower to resist the effects of assimilation... I think I used this approach back then."
Eudora recalled.
"My assimilation effect is particularly strong. Willpower probably won't work."
"Then should I go find Little Dummy and saw off a barb?"
"Save it... Right! I can use other equipment to counteract it!"
Li Fan thought of a way.
"Good idea. However, Zinogre is a four-star monster. Equipment made from at least a three-star monster would be able to exert an interfering effect... How about the Shielded Crab armor?"
Eudora asked with pleasant surprise.
"Let's try it. I'll choose... the helmet!"
"The chest armor has the largest contact area with the body, so logically, we should choose the chest armor."
Eudora estimated.
"I don't want to wear the chest armor. I'll take the helmet and waist armor."
"Alright."
Not long after, Eudora brought the equipment.
Plop! After the Shielded Crab helmet was put on, Li Fan could soon stand normally.
"It feels... like..."
Whoosh!
"Oh! Sideways climb onto the wall, meow!"
Dilu exclaimed.
"At least I'm not facing away from the enemy anymore."
Li Fan was quite content.
Crash! The wall, full of holes, cracked and peeled off.
Li Fan's finger strength was not enough to break the wood on the inner wall to maintain his grip, so he slid to the ground.
"I've thought of another new approach, called isolation."
Li Fan said, narrowing his eyes.
The next day, Little Dummy took to the sky in the depths of the forest, heading for the Ancient Forest, arriving in just two and a half hours.
After traveling for a while in the dim forest, he arrived at the monsters' outdoor stronghold.
Li Fan felt that apart from the significantly fewer creatures, there wasn't much change here.
Yeyae, Puff, Kuku, and Dragon-Slaying Dragon were released one after another, and the surrounding space suddenly became crowded.
Goo! Goo! Goo!...
Yeyae let out a joyful singing sound and quickly flew away.
Puff slid into the waterfall and enjoyed a good swim.
Kuku tilted its head and observed the bowed Dragon-Slaying Dragon.
Wow?
Roar?
The interspecies communication was abruptly halted by a rolling Shielded Beetle.
"Dragon-Slaying Dragon, another Dragon-Slaying Dragon once lived here, which means there must be a mineral vein nearby. Aren't you going to take a look?"
Li Fan asked tentatively.
Dragon-Slaying Dragon weakly swung its tail blade and fell to the side in the mud.
Clang!
Li Fan drew the Zangetsu from his back, held it horizontally in front of him, and said very seriously, "Dragon-Slaying Dragon, you are a Dragon-Slaying Dragon."