Shouldn't Be That Bad, Right?

When choosing weapons at the beginning of the dungeon, many players shared similar thoughts with Rosalind.

Especially for players with High Sequence.

Because of the gamification, they didn't like using ranged weapons, and because other weapons were too complicated for them to delve into, they ultimately chose one of three: Sword and Shield, two-handed sword, and katana.

Faced with this choice, almost all High Sequence players opted for the katana.

The main reason is because the Master has a large attack range.

In this respect, players with lower-order skills actually have an advantage.

They knew their own limitations and preferred weapons like Dual Blades and one-handed knives.

Many High Sequence Longsword Swordsman can handle fighting Great Jagras or Kestodon, but they have to start with the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

Various problems then arose.

Especially under the pressure from the Sharpness system and the meat quality system, it is common for the blade to fail to sharpen and for the knife to bounce frequently.

Their first reaction to problems is to team up.

This team is incredible.

They're all Longsword Swordsman.

The katana, a weapon that looks simple but actually requires an incredibly high level of skill, is not something everyone can handle.

I don't deny that some people can play it well.

But most players just think they are very skilled.

But that was only good for hitting wooden stakes; he wasn't really skilled at fighting monsters, and could only be considered barely capable.

This results in a lot of scammers and a terrible team-up experience.

Rosalind's small team was a microcosm of this.

So it's no wonder others kicked the Longsword Swordsman.

When a group is large but the individual abilities of its members are completely incomprehensible, kicking them out is the quickest solution.

certainly.

This is far too cruel for the Longsword Swordsman.

"I told you! My katana is no slouch!!!"

Rosalind blushed and argued with her captain, who was determined to kick her.

What about trust between people?

But the captain, being impartial and incorruptible, insisted on kicking her out.

Rosalind took a deep breath as she looked at the pop-up message, "[You have been removed from the party]".

A top player in Franca, a member of the royal family, was kicked out of the game like a rat just because he chose a weapon.

"This is outrageous!"

Rosalind's Fox Ears stood up in humiliation as she declared, "I will vindicate the katana! The katana is not weak at all; the fault lies with those players who can't control their distance!"

In fact, Rosalind had considered changing her weapon.

Especially after the four Longsword Swordsman made a fool of themselves.

Her first thought was to switch weapons.

But every time she entered the training area and saw the ghostly figure demonstrating the operation, she felt resentful.

Later, she discovered that the phantom even had a monster demonstration mode—meaning she could watch how the phantom fought monsters with a katana.

And when the phantom figure faced the monster with a katana.

It's so smooth.

Foresight Slash, Iai Slash, Spirit Gauge Charge, Spirit Helm Breaker.

It looked quite decent before Spirit Gauge Charge, but after Spirit Gauge Charge, it became even more beautiful.

What was clearly a heavy weapon was handled by the opponent as if it were a light weapon.

Completely unharmed!

The phantom image was clearly not generated by the Architect, as many demonstrations show it sharpening a knife.

That's clearly a scene of Architect personally hunting—any Architect could do that!

Then other people should be able to do that too.

Thinking of this...

Rosalind simply gave up on the idea of changing weapons.

Ultimately...

Despite suffering many setbacks along the way, the Her Royal Highness the Princess of Franca remained proud.

certainly.

Because she was unwilling to give up her existing weapons, she was subsequently shunned by everyone, something Her Royal Highness the Princess hadn't anticipated.

Rosalind took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, and then began to seriously study the Online Gathering Hub's team-up system.

soon.

She discovered a previously overlooked feature.

In addition to random matchmaking, this dungeon also allows you to invite your friends to team up.

However, it seems that in order to limit certain boosting or balance, the number of friend invitations is limited to one person.

But one person is enough!

Find someone who isn't Longsword Swordsman.

Rosalind immediately opened her friends list and scrolled through it, only to find that almost everyone else was playing, so she could only send an invitation to her personal bodyguard Liana.

A flash of Bai Guang.

A girl with dog ears appeared in the meeting place.

When Rosalind finally saw the huge, heavy weapon on Liana's back, she breathed a sigh of relief.

It's a greatsword.

Your Highness.

As soon as Liana landed, she called out to Rosalind, but then she saw the katana on Rosalind's back.

She suddenly stopped walking.

And he took a step back.

"----Your Highness is also Longsword Swordsman?!"

Are you serious about taking a step back?!

Rosalind gave her a slight, slightly embarrassed glare. "I'm not like those people outside!"

"Yes, Your Highness is undoubtedly the strongest."

Liana realized what was happening and immediately nodded readily, "I just can't control my legs."

Rosalind's Fox Ears twitched, and she glared at her again.

With Liana as a teammate they knew well, they were fortunate to have her.

Rosalind has reopened recruitment.

This time, as the team leader, she decided to learn from her mistakes and strictly control the process.

A katana appeared in the application list?

Refuse outright!

Soon, she had carefully selected and assembled a team.

One player wielded a spear, and the other a bow and arrow.

And then there's Liana wielding a greatsword.

The lineup is finally reasonable.

This is at least much more reasonable than the previous team.

certainly.

We won't go into how they explained that the captain's katana was actually very strong, or how they persuaded the other two teammates to stay.

"Set off!"

Half an hour later.

In the Ancient Forest, I once again faced that restless, Kulu-Ya-Ku.

This time, without the Longsword Swordsman hindering each other, the fight was much easier.

Clang!

Liana raised her greatsword high, and as she poured her power into it, a layer of dark red energy shimmered around the blade.

at the same time.

The other two teammates are fulfilling their duties perfectly.

Begin guiding the Kulu-Ya-Ku to the designated location.

"Now!"

The spearman pulled back sharply, then roared.

Liana gave a sharp shout.

Three stages of charging, full power!

Boom!!!

She suddenly twisted her waist and exerted force, and the greatsword, which had been charged to its maximum, crashed down with a thunderous roar! It struck the unsuspecting Kulu-Ya-Ku squarely in the side.

Bang!!!

The greatsword's terrifying power, which pursues the ultimate single burst of power, was displayed to its fullest extent at this moment.

The immense physical impact not only instantly generated an exaggerated damage number, but also slammed the Kulu-Ya-Ku to the ground!

Then a group of people rushed forward.

A group fight broke out.

Not long after.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku that had tormented Rosalind for quite some time finally twitched weakly twice and then fell completely still.

[Hunting successful!]

The moment the mission succeeded.

Rosalind finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

This is the value of a well-balanced team composition!

As long as someone can hold you back, as long as a heavy weapon can cause you to stagger, and as long as there aren't three other Longsword Swordsman slashing each other's knees, this dungeon experience is still quite good.

A well-balanced team composition is the key to a true hunt!

As for your question about how much damage Her Highness Her Royal Highness the Princess Franca dealt in this exhilarating and perfect hunt...

Then you'd better not ask.

She was just Spirit Gauge Charge.

Anyway, Rosalind finally managed to sharpen her blade with great effort on the edge of the chaotic battlefield.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku had already been beaten to death by its teammates.

But that's not the point.

The key point is...

We can finally move on to the next part of the mission.

No matter how much she slacked off during the process, at least the result was good.

Next, the group began to work together more smoothly.

With each hunt of early-game monsters, the team's coordination visibly improved.

Long spear players have learned to utilize the weapon's high defensive capabilities and rapid attack speed.

Although the counter-attacks still fail, and the people and vehicles often end up right in front of the monsters, they're starting to look promising.

Archery players also understood the cycle of shooting, sliding, and shooting, and began to intentionally maintain their charge level.

Liana's greatsword build confirms her intention to play the True Charge style. Although her predictions are often wrong, she can still hit most of the time.

Rosalind, too, has gradually evolved from initially Spirit Gauge Charge the entire time until the monster breathed its last, to now being able to sharpen it before the monster falls to the ground.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

However, as the story progresses, the strength of the monsters also begins to increase.

The first to teach them how to be human was the Pukei-Pukei.

The Pukei-Pukei's attack animation is quite noticeable.

The problem is that this thing sprays poison.

Furthermore, while fighting, it will eat on the spot. After eating, the effect of the venom it spews will be enhanced, and it will also roar, which will freeze all players.

This is different from the monsters we saw before.

Rosalind's team was thoroughly wrecked.

After a fierce battle of attrition, and having exhausted Antidote in everyone's backpacks, they finally managed to whittle down the monster.

However, this was just the beginning.

When facing the Barroth.

This team, which had just begun to build up some confidence, was in complete disarray.

Because the monsters you fight in the early stages of the game all have weaknesses.

So when they encountered the Barroth, they immediately attacked it.

However, the head of the Barroth is very hard, and hitting it will almost certainly cause it to bounce off!

The other parts weren't much better; the monster's flesh was almost entirely hard and it would fling out mud, causing you to sink right in if you stepped on it.

This, coupled with its massive size and rampaging characteristics, makes it a formidable force.

It was truly agonizing.

This time.

Rosalind and her companions finally experienced what it meant to be Monster Hunter.

"Don't go in front of it."

Rosalind retreated with a Foresight Slash, then watched Liana fly off in the cart and called out.

Liana got up, but the next second, the Barroth roared, instantly stunning everyone, followed by a forward lunge.

Bang!!!

As soon as Liana got up, she and her greatsword were sent flying into the air by a slam, before crashing down heavily, exhausted.

Just as the Barroth's towering, hard crest suddenly lowered, preparing to deliver the final blow to Liana who lay on the ground.

"Meow!"

Meow!

Two sharp, hoarse cries followed.

Two Palico suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

They were incredibly fast, pushing a small cart that looked like it was about to fall apart, ignoring the enraged Barroth, and slid straight to Liana's side.

"Meow!"

Next.

One of the Elucangs skillfully flipped up, while the other Elucang pulled it down.

The whole sequence of movements was fluid and lightning fast. Just before the Barroth's crest slammed down, he lifted Liana, who was several times larger than them, up and threw her into the dilapidated car with a thud!

Boom!

The Barroth's heavy blow landed.

But the two Elucang had already pushed the cart and run away. Their four short legs moved incredibly fast, and amidst the furious roar of the Barroth, they dashed off towards the camp.

The cart creaked and rattled, making Liana bounce around like a fish pulled from the water.

The scene was exceptionally comical.

The team's archer player was a little confused. "----What is this?!"

But soon...

No need to turn it on.

Because a notification appeared.

[Announcement: Team member Liana collapsed from exhaustion and has been taken back to camp by the rescue team.]

[The reward for this hunt has been reduced by 1/3. Remaining resurrection attempts: 3/4.]

[After using up all resurrection attempts, the Burning Dungeon will fail.]

[Solo resurrection counts are shared between players and multiplayer teams.]

Hearing the system prompts, Rosalind finally realized what was happening.

resurrection?

The story is presented as a cat saving people?!

They're even deducting money from my pay?!

This is allowed???

But now is not the time to lament this.

Rosalind withdrew her gaze, resisting the urge to chase after the chariot to see what would happen, and looked back at the Barroth: "Watch its hindquarters and front paws, attack from the sides and tail."

The other two teammates also turned their attention away and immediately adjusted their positions.

However, even if you hit a slightly softer part of the meat.

The damage sustained by the individuals involved was still not considerable.

It's practically like gua sha (scraping therapy).

Moreover, the Barroth won't stand still and let them scrape.

Mud flying, iron coins crashing, Dragon Charge charging—

Go ahead and fight.

Just like a steel plate.

Let's not fight.

Like war-produced goods.

The three of them ended up in a series of dangerous situations.

Just as Rosalind finally succeeded in Spirit Helm Breaker.

The Barroth suddenly stopped moving.

It shook its huge crown, strode off with its thick limbs, and headed straight for another area.

Switch regions!

The most annoying setting is here!!!

Several people: "--".

And simultaneously with the three.

On the other side, outside the camp.

Accompanied by the creaking sound of wheels rolling.

The two Elucangs pushing their carts rushed into the camp, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning.

Upon reaching their destination, the two hamsters simultaneously grabbed the handles of the cart and forcefully lifted it upwards.

Splat!

Without any intention of handling her gently, Liana was thrown out of the cart and landed face down on the muddy ground of the camp.

"Hmm----"

Liana rubbed her dizzy head, got up from the ground, patted the dirt off her face, and looked at the two disappearing gray shadows, her dog ears perking up in dissatisfaction.

"What kind of service is this?!"

They deducted three-tenths of the top-tier reward, couldn't they at least provide a stretcher, or at least put the person down gently?

Just pour it in?!

However, dissatisfaction aside...

Liana didn't waste too much time; she had already learned about the mechanism of the Cangche while she was unable to move.

She quickly regained her strength and then rushed towards her teammates' location.

Her return finally brought order to the situation.

However.

The ensuing battle was another fierce and protracted struggle.

Their team continued to chase the monsters that had changed areas, and they crashed into the enemy again.

That's how they successfully hunted down their target.

[Hunting successful!]

The person who popped up the notification said everyone was almost exhausted.

Clang.

The player with the well gun collapsed to the ground in a spread-eagle position, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.

The archer in the distance also collapsed to the ground, his legs buckling.

Rosalind shook the mud off her katana, her Fox Ears drooping wearily, and sat down listlessly next to the massive corpse of the Barroth.

"Whoosh----whoosh----"

Several minutes passed.

It took them a while to recover from that tense state.

"This is outrageous!! I swear—"

The player with the donkey looked at the small, coin-sized corpse of the Barroth beside him. "I've run so many unofficial dungeons, and I've never seen one like this before! So many settings, it's more like a game than a game-like reality, all sorts of messy systems, and you have to chase after monsters to fight them—"

"Most importantly, the monsters in this dungeon all have distinct characteristics, which feels very reasonable. The Kulu-Ya-Ku and poisonous dragons we fought earlier all had different habits and attack methods, and they also behaved differently when enraged. This one is the same."

An archer player chuckled wryly and chimed in, "Covered in mud, as tough as steel, capable of Dragon Charge and mud-throwing—this setting is practically as if the monsters actually exist. I don't know how they came up with this."

Liana, unusually serious, said, "Indeed—although it's certainly different from real hunting, you can see that the Architect is really trying to create a world view of Hunter and monsters."

The game features a variety of new and exciting gameplay elements, original and hardcore combat, Don't Look rank or hierarchy. It focuses solely on the player's understanding of weapons, their mastery of dungeon-specific skills, and teamwork.

This is truly amazing. Sometimes I feel like this isn't just a dungeon, but a complete alternate world.

Rosalind listened to her teammates' discussion without saying a word, only gazing ahead with her beautiful eyes sparkling.

There was exhaustion, awe, and excitement within it.

They truly witnessed the value of the Nine Provinces dungeon.

Although the process was indeed very agonizing----

But they can fight!

"Let's continue."

Rosalind stood up.

The others also stood up.

It was precisely because of the shock and the torment that they wanted to know what level of reward they would receive for clearing this dungeon.

It's so exciting just thinking about it!

but.

While gathering materials, the gun player seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said, "By the way, was the Barroth we defeated considered a formidable enemy? I remember in the trailer, there were all sorts of monsters that looked even fiercer than this—like the ones that look like small coins, the ones that look like lions, and even real dragons."

"This thing we're struggling to fight—is it just an early-game monster?"

The words fell silent.

The other three froze.

The air was still for two seconds.

"No way, it's definitely not an early-game monster!"

The archer player chuckled dryly, "Besides, even if that's the case, we're still leveling up. This dungeon has its own independent equipment system. Once we have enough materials to craft good equipment and our stats improve, facing monsters won't be so difficult anymore. We can even put up a fight against a real dragon."

The two people looked at each other in bewilderment, then slowly nodded.

only.

A vague unease settled in my heart.