Live On Together

A golden-haired behemoth?

Ailin paused for a moment.

Where did that golden-haired behemoth come from?

What do you have to do with him...?

"Etc!"

Ailin had a sudden inspiration.

The night before last, during the cutscene that merged eight golden treasure chests, the image of "King Kano," with its long golden fur resembling a Yeti from a past life legend, leaped into his mind.

He looked at Aristo, who rarely showed such caution and longing, and carefully chose his words before asking a few questions about what the golden-haired behemoth looked like when it appeared.

Aristo found it strange that Ailin was casting the spell, would ask this question.

But after a few seconds of recollection, he still described the illusions he saw in the beast's roar one by one.

really.

Aristo had only described a few words, Ailin was certain that the golden-haired behemoth he had seen was the King Kano.

As Aristo's description grew increasingly intense and excited, the Witcher's mind was in turmoil.

Again, there's the attribute boosting, the illusion of King Kano appearing when the battle cry is unleashed, and the almost tangible five senses in that "cutscene"...

Where did that red light take me the night before last?

Ailin looked down at his hands, which were covered in calluses from the sword.

It was his hands that uncontrollably reached into King Kano's head, absorbing the scorching heat, like molten lava.

Was it really my own hand that I put in there that day?

Did the One-Eyed Serpent Giant giants not become extinct due to the disaster?

That day just happened to be the day I somehow replaced "Italino" and received the inheritance ceremony of the Path of the Beast Roar?

Is it really that much of a coincidence?

besides...

[Homage to Shagdarzhab, god of roars, hunting, and taming...]

The unfamiliar, youthful yet weathered voice from not long ago is now echoing in my mind.

If that voice wasn't Italino's, then whose could it be?

"That golden-haired behemoth was truly the most beautiful monster I've ever seen in my life—its wildness, power, and imposing presence..." Aristo excitedly described the surprise of his first encounter with King Kano, when he suddenly noticed that Ailin's expression seemed a little off. "... Uh... Ailin, are you alright?"

Why do you look so pale?

"It's nothing..." Ailin was interrupted by Aristo's voice and came back to her senses. "I just used up a lot of energy just now..."

Aristo nodded in agreement.

It's normal for a move that can leave him bewildered and defeat him in one blow to be so energy-consuming.

However, he didn't intend to ask what kind of move it was unless Ailin brought it up himself, since their current relationship was actually a bit awkward.

certainly.

Although he was curious, he didn't really care about the move that defeated him; he was only concerned about the golden-haired behemoth.

"That golden-haired behemoth is called King Kano, it should be... it should be a king beast of the Kano Beast Horde..."

Thinking of Aristo's question, Ailin recalled the slaughtered giant beast he had seen outside the tent and speculated.

King Kano...

A horde of giant beasts...

Aristo's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he quickly asked:

Where can we find this King Kano?

"What preparations are needed to hunt these giant beasts?"

"I'm sorry, Master Aristo," Ailin shook his head, "Those behemoths are not monsters of this world..."

"Huh?" Aristo was taken aback.

It's not hard to understand why it's "not from this world," since the Witcher world has the phenomenon of Conjunction of the Spheres.

Most monsters, and even humans, are not native to this world.

Aristo doesn't understand is why Ailin would say such a thing. If the monster called King Kano isn't from this world, how would Ailin know this?

but.

Before he could ask, Ailin took the initiative to explain:

"It was with the help of the Goddess Meritellie that I met the monster King Kano, and thus gained a powerful skill."

He wasn't lying.

If it weren't for the Goddess Meritellie's power of harvest, Ailin wouldn't have had the ability to draw eight gold and one purple items out of nine.

Naturally, the inexplicable "transition animation" will not appear.

"I see..." Aristo nodded. "So it was in the Meritellie woman... um... um?"

Aristo paused mid-sentence, realizing something seemed amiss. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then his dark golden Cat Eyes widened instantly.

"The Goddess Meritellie?" He looked up abruptly, staring at Ailin in disbelief.

"Yes," Ailin nodded, "After we left Ban Ade, we went to Arland in order to remove the curse of the Evil God at the Temple of Melitele ..."

"And then... with the goddess's help, you met that monster and gained a powerful skill?" Aristo interrupted, somewhat bewildered.

"Of course not." Ailin shook his head. "Didn't Vesemir just tell you about the goddess appearing in a dream and saving Arland?"

"The night before last, after meeting the Goddess Meritellie, the King Kano was part of the reward for the mission."

"No... no, you also saw the Goddess Meritellie?" Aristo found it unbelievable when he saw Ailin nod.

Meeting the most revered and widely worshipped deity of the Northern Continent is described as as simple as going downstairs, turning a corner, and knocking on the door of the tower on the south side of Ailin to meet Vesemir and Mary.

It should be noted that other Evil God may frequently send dreams or revelations to believers.

But as is well known, even the priests of Meritellie may never see the Goddess Meritellie in their entire lives.

You, a witcher, can just see such a deity whenever you want?

Aristo felt that Ailin was just giving him a perfunctory answer by telling him a story.

But the whereabouts of a monster don't seem to warrant such a colossal lie from a highly talented and powerful Witcher Master.

Besides, there was the skill that had just caused him to lose so decisively, and the magnificent, golden beast...

Such a thing, a gift from the gods, seems... seems to make sense.

Otherwise, how would Ailin, a witcher who has only left Kaer Morhen once since birth, have encountered such a strange monster that even he doesn't recognize?

Even from the initial struggle to the near-annihilation of him at the start of the duel, it only took two strange roars...

At this moment.

Hearing the commotion, Vesemir quickly walked over and looked at Ailin with the same astonishment.

He knew that the Great Old One's Curse on Ailin had been removed, but Ailin hadn't told him the specific details.

Therefore, he always believed that Ailin was in his sleep when the Goddess Meritellie bestowed Divine Power upon him, removing the stubborn Great Old One's Curse.

but.

After Vesemir approached, he didn't rush to ask any questions, but instead gave Aristo a wink.

Still reeling from the shock, Aristo instinctively looked in the direction Vesemir was looking.

Around the training ground.

The witcher apprentices were excitedly discussing the battle they had just witnessed, even though they hadn't seen anything at all.

Seeing this, Aristo understood what Vesemir meant.

Since it concerns the Goddess Meritellie and is a private matter for Ailin, it is naturally not suitable for too many people to know.

then.

He frowned, about to open his mouth.

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to look at Ailin and asked:

"Commander Ailin, do you have any other arrangements for the apprentices?"

Ailin paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I just got back and I'm not familiar with things yet. Master Aristo, just do as usual."

Aristo nodded upon hearing this, then shouted loudly to the apprentices:

"Ernie and Klar, lead the apprentices to train in swordsmanship and magic signs here as originally planned."

"Commander Ailin and I have some things to discuss. I'll be back in a bit to check on your training progress. If I find anyone slacking off..."

"Snort!"

After letting out a cold snort, Aristo ignored the noisy complaints and groans around the training ground and turned his head to ask:

"Shall we talk from another position?"

Ailin and Vesemir exchanged a glance and nodded.

Strength is always the most important thing, especially for Witchers.

On his way from the apprentice training grounds to the castle hall, Ailin once again came to realize this universal truth of the Northern Continent.

It's not that Aristo became arrogant and obsequious after his defeat.

To be honest...

Even when he first became Witcher Master last year, several Witcher Master in the school, including the Chief, treated him very well and answered all his questions.

He even remembered that at the beginning of the year, when he was about to leave Kaer Morhen and go down the mountain to participate in the Apprentice Combat Tournament between the School of the Wolf and the School of the Cat, several Witcher Master had given him some tips on how to deal with the School of the Cat.

Of these, Aristo spoke the most.

For some reason, he seemed to particularly like Ailin.

but.

There are many ways and types of being friendly.

Before this match, Aristo treated him more like a talented nephew, considering some of Ailin's opinions but perhaps sticking to his own ideas more often.

But now...

This short-tempered and easily angered Witcher Master, however, subtly placed Ailin on a more equal footing.

Especially at the level of the Witcher Company.

Along the way, Aristo even brought up the topic himself, asking Ailin what he thought about the development of the Legion.

Ailin had actually had this idea long before he left Arland, and even before Ban Ad's Apprentice Combat Tournament ended.

The first point, of course, is to lead the members to engage in as much actual combat as possible, hunting monsters.

On one hand, the Monster Hunting Legion is at Tier 3, with a maximum of 15 members, and there are only five empty slots now, which is far too few.

To be honest, with this number of members, it's more like a squad than a legion.

Ailin had just roughly counted the number of apprentices around him.

Besides the seven who were already members of the legion, there were thirty to forty other demon hunters who had passed the Trial of Grasses.

These people will not all be included like the first batch, but at least thirty vacancies should be reserved.

otherwise.

For Witchers not included in the Legion, Ailin has no ability to quickly improve their skills.

On the other hand, the large number of Combat Points and monster materials needed to improve the strength of the members must be obtained from actual combat.

With Ailin's current extremely high level of 48, the reward for killing most common monsters by himself would be almost zero.

Moreover, the image of the seven gold-quality treasure chests merging the night before last, and the final scene of King Kano inserting his hands into the roar, kept replaying in his mind...

He wants to collect enough treasure chests to fuse again, which requires a large number of @#￥%&'s Chest.

These treasure chests must also be obtained using the "Legion Ability: Loot Lock".

Secondly, teach the members some potions, Sword Oil, bombs, and skills to improve their strength as quickly as possible.

However, Ailin intended to entrust this matter entirely to Mary, the Chief Sorcerer of his respected Witcher Company.

His job was simply to select the appropriate potions, Sword Oil, and skills.

For example, the lowest grade Sword Oil, as well as restorative potions like swallows and White Honey, should all be promoted.

Higher-grade Sword Oil and more powerful bombs could be promoted based on loyalty levels, or a points-based redemption system could be established, but Ailin hasn't thought of that yet.

However, in the early stages, loyalty should still be the primary factor.

But potions like Giant Ghoul Decoction and Blizzard are practically cheating.

For the time being, Ailin has no plans to disclose this information to outsiders, and the same goes for Mary and Vesemir.

after all.

These potions are too potent and pose too great a threat to him.

Besides, the materials needed to make these potions are very rare. If there really is a need, he can make them all by himself.

Finally, there's the system.

For example, there's the points exchange system mentioned in point two, the rank system and promotion/demotion within the legion, and even the almost inevitable punishment for wrongdoing and betrayal in the future...

When there are few members in the legion, you can manage it more roughly and see if there are any major problems with loyalty.

However, with the death rate in the Trial of Grasses reduced to almost zero due to the Drowner Heart Essence Fluid, and the school now in such a precarious state, it is unlikely to restrict its apprentices from becoming Witchers.

Therefore, the surge in legion size under the effects of Legion and Witcher's Handbook is almost inevitable.

With a large number of people, using loyalty becomes less appropriate, as Ailin alone cannot manage them all.

At that time.

Without a system that clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments and has a clear order of promotion and demotion, serious problems are bound to arise.

This system definitely needs to be thought out in advance; it's unacceptable to wait until problems arise before considering it.

in addition.

With the increasing number of members in a school of thought, the current loose management model of the school will inevitably need to be changed.

certainly.

This has little to do with the current Ailin, but that's only the current situation.

Want to be the top performer?

The voice of the grandmaster of the School of the Wolf still occasionally tickles a certain burning heart.

Although Ailin felt that after Soyer, he would almost certainly not be the next leader of the school.

But the future...

Who can say for sure?

Monster hunting, knowledge transfer, system improvement...

Thinking about it this way, Ailin realized that he still had a lot to do regarding the Legion.

certainly.

Of course, Ailin couldn't tell Aristo all three of these points.

But when Arethos and Vesemir looked at him with a slightly different expression, even after he only picked out the parts that were worth mentioning and elaborated on them briefly.

That's understandable.

You can hardly expect a monster hunter, who was created for the purpose of hunting monsters and whose life is short, to consider the long-term future.