Monster Hunter

As it turns out...

Their unease is justified.

Rosalind's team's next hunting targets were increasingly troublesome.

Jyuratodus.

A pisiform monster that inhabits swampy areas.

While fighting this thing, Rosalind and her three companions spent the entire time rolling around in waist-deep mud.

Movement is restricted; actions are limited.

The four of them, covered in mud, grumbled and cursed for nearly forty minutes, taking two tries to kill the monster.

However, if we say that the Jyuratodus is tormented by the terrain...

Then the next Tobi-Kadachi, will be a real pain due to its mechanics.

This is a fanged dragon-like beast.

Not only can it glide at high speed through the forest, but its attacks also inflict lightning-related status ailments.

If you're not careful, it can knock you unconscious.

Rosalind was forced to learn how to launch water projectiles.

But even so.

The true charge of the greatsword was still completely out of reach.

The katana couldn't catch the opportunity to Spirit Helm Breaker.

Because the Tobi-Kadachi is too agile.

"Meow!"

Meow!

The familiar meows echoed through the forest.

The Felyne Cart shuttled back and forth.

The team has used up all its resurrection attempts.

They barely managed to wear down the Tobi-Kadachi.

We almost got wiped out.

The atmosphere in the team changed immediately.

The unease in Rosalind's squad grew stronger.

Their equipment was indeed upgraded, and they were also keen to learn the complex systems in the dungeons.

But the monsters' strength and absurdity increase much faster than equipment levels.

in particular.

The next target of the hunt: the moment that person makes their appearance.

The group was instantly stunned.

----A huge body with pink scales, resembling a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with feathers covering its back and tail, and thick hind limbs and short forelimbs.

Just standing there, exhaling scorching white steam.

This can significantly increase stress.

Forest Thug, Anjanath.

The truly massive monster has finally arrived.

"Old tactics."

Looking at the enormous thing in front of me.

Although she felt uneasy and was completely taken aback.

But the spearman, still carrying his shield and spear, stepped forward: "I'll go—"

But he hadn't finished speaking.

Suddenly, the Anjanath in front of it shook its head, roared, spread its wings, and slammed its powerful hind legs into the ground, charging forward in a Dragon Charge charge.

Its massive body lunged forward!

Extremely fast!

Before the four could react, the Anjanath had already crashed into them with terrifying kinetic energy.

Long-range spear users were the first to be affected.

Bang!

A heavy thud rang out, and the spearman, shield and all, were sent flying into the air.

The Anjanath didn't stop even after hitting people, and continued to run over Rosalind's entire group.

Liana's greatsword was only half-drawn.

The archer had just drawn his bow.

Rosalind's Foresight Slash didn't even involve a proper initial movement.

Four people.

They were all sent flying!

Bang bang bang!

Four figures fell uncontrollably into the mud, rolling around in a heap.

In the team list, everyone's health bars instantly evaporated by more than half.

The four of them awkwardly lifted their heads from the mud, looking at the Anjanath that had charged far away in one breath and was now slowly turning around.

Before I could even get up.

The Anjanath's massive body twisted violently, and its thick hind legs stomped out once more.

Two Dragon Charge in a row!

"Flash!"

The four men didn't even bother to grab their weapons properly, tumbling and rolling to both sides.

Boom!

The Anjanath grazed them and crashed into the tree trunk behind them, causing leaves to fall from the ground.

But it remained agile, its massive body swaying once more as it turned around.

Its head protrudes, and its wings spread out.

Just this once.

It's no longer Dragon Charge.

It was fire.

An orange-red flame ignited in the Anjanath.

Immediately afterwards.

Call!!!

Scorching flames erupted, engulfing the area in front, and Liana and her two companions, unable to dodge in time, were directly licked by the flames.

It was instantly ignited, and its health began to drop rapidly.

The three of them let out a cry and began rolling around on the ground.

We just met.

Before they could even launch a single attack, they were all crippled.

Rosalind: "----?"

What is it?

But Anjanath gave them no chance to catch their breath.

Having just breathed out flames, it strode forward, opened its blood-red maw full of fangs, and delivered a powerful bite.

Click!

The player with the long spear got bitten.

With a sudden burst of strength from its thick neck, the Anjanath lifted him high into the air, then swung him violently twice before slamming him heavily to the ground.

Bang!

Dirt flew everywhere.

The spear player fell to the ground instantly, suffering a prolonged period of stun, his health bar reduced to almost nothing.

But the Anjanath continued its relentless tearing and biting.

soon.

Long-range spear users got Felyne Cart.

Only then did the other three get up, pull out their weapons, and look at the roaring forest thugs in front of them.

But for the time being, no one made a move.

Its massive size, extremely high attack power, deadly flames, and relentless, utterly unreasonable pursuit.

Several people were stunned by the beating!

This is on a completely different level from the monsters before!!!

But after the fight actually started...

They then realized that the nightmare had only just begun.

This monster is impossible to fight!

side?

Anjanath tilted its body and delivered a powerful lunge, sending it flying.

behind?

With a sudden, powerful sweep of its thick tail, the man was sent flying.

Standing in front, trying to attack from the head?

That's even more heavyweight.

Rapid bites, head-swinging grabs, Dragon Charge, and fire breath.

I feel like I can't handle either of them.

Even if Liana tries to hide under the feet of the Anjanath to gather her strength, the Anjanath will raise its powerful hind legs and suddenly kick her backward without warning, knocking her over.

Several people rushed forward, and they had only just begun their combo.

The Anjanath's counterattack had already begun.

Moreover, the attack recovery time is ridiculously short.

The high-damage, fast-paced giant monster was completely too much for the players still stuck in beginner mode!

Because of attack speed, damage, and the desire to attack.

The Anjanath was on a completely different level from the beginner monsters they had encountered before, which could be easily defeated!

Less than five minutes.

Two more people have taken to the Felyne Cart.

Rosalind gripped her katana, slightly out of breath, and noticed that the surroundings had suddenly become quiet.

That's when she realized.

The original full squad of four is now down to just her.

Ahead.

The Anjanath suddenly straightened its massive body.

Its powerful hind legs crushed the dead wood on the ground, its heavy body stretched out, lowered its head, and its dark yellow pupils stared at its last prey.

Then.

It opened its gaping maw, filled with fangs.

"Roar!!!

A roar came.

A foul stench filled the air.

The leaves danced wildly.

A massive size and a fierce appearance.

This is the apex predator of the Ancient Forest.

It was as if it were a declaration to Rosalind.

----Those monsters they fought ahead!

Whether it was the very first Great Jagras or the Kulu-Ya-Ku.

Or perhaps it's the Barroth, Jyuratodus, and Tobi-Kadachi that they consider powerful.

It's really just a beginner monster!!!

Even if they develop new equipment.

Even if they thought they had mastered their weapons, they were still no match for real monsters.

The real hunt has only just begun.

Want to be the Sapphire Star?

Want to clear the dungeon?

Simply practicing on wooden stakes in the Training Ground and getting familiar with your weapons is not enough.

They still need to observe, endure being beaten, and get familiar with the monsters!

Go and get to know that Architect named Lu Xiu —the true monsters he created!!!

"..

Listen to the roar.

Rosalind parted her red lips slightly, her Fox Ears instinctively pressing back as she looked at the Anjanath that had once again spread its wings.

I suddenly realized something.

The unofficial version of Nine Provinces —may be far more difficult than she imagined.

Even the suffocating Anjanath before us might not be considered particularly powerful within the entire dungeon's ecosystem.

Because that spear player was right—the real dragons haven't appeared yet!

Is this a copy of Nine Provinces?!

That's really true----

Boom!

Before she could think any further...

The Anjanath slammed its powerful hind legs into the mud ahead.

With his chin touching the ground, his massive body charged forward once more.

Dragon Charge!

There's no escaping it.

It's unstoppable.

Bang!!!

With a muffled thud, Rosalind couldn't even get into the starting stance for Foresight Slash strike; she was sent flying like a leaf in a storm.

My vision flipped violently.

The health bar at the edge of my vision instantly dropped to zero.

Immediately afterwards, that familiar voice rang in my ears.

"Meow meow meow!"

A dilapidated cart rushed into the battlefield with sparks and lightning. Two Palico skillfully pulled and yanked Rosalind, who was in mid-air, into the cart.

Rosalind lay in the Felyne Cart, looking at the sky, and decided that she absolutely had to travel to Nine Provinces herself.

For no other reason than...

I just want to meet that Architect.

at the same time.

In another copy.

Members of the Strategy Group from the Coordination Bureau also just started the Anjanath hunting quest.

Ancient Forest.

The battle has reached a fever pitch.

--

Or rather, it was a one-sided crushing defeat.

"Why did the difficulty suddenly increase?! This is outrageous!!"

Wei Yidong gripped his katana and rolled awkwardly through the mud before barely dodging the Anjanath's Dragon Charge.

Even the Nine Provinces players, who were used to Lu Xiu's inhumanity, were still beaten and forced to flee in terror when faced with this forest thug.

The biggest problem is distance.

Anjanath was so big that it had a huge attack range. Any bite or tail whip could cover an absurdly large area.

This requires players to have excellent positioning and movement awareness; otherwise, they will often just seize an opportunity to strike.

Before you can even finish your attack, you'll be countered by Anjanath.

"Watch out for its bite!"

Fan Lixin held up a crossbow.

But the words had barely left his mouth.

Anjanath will use a head-swing grab followed by a short combo, instantly Felyne Cart the player who was attacking in front of Anjanath.

"Holy crap!"

Wei Yidong tried to Spirit Gauge Charge from the side, but was stunned when he saw this.

Then I decided to avoid its sharp edge.

Cheng Xiu, holding a bow and arrow in the distance, shuffled along while watching the hesitant Wei Yidong, and roared in exasperation, "Melee DPS! Hold aggro! It's charging at us!"

"Output my ass!"

Wei Yidong retorted, "You teach me how to deal damage?! One touch and half your life is gone! Let alone Spirit Gauge Charge it!"

"Get behind it!"

Cheng Xiu reminded him, "That way it will only use claw kicks and tail whips----"

He hadn't finished speaking.

The wing membranes on the back of the Anjanath instantly unfolded.

"Go to hell!!!"

Wei Yidong was about to thrust forward when he saw this scene, and his blood ran cold.

Dragon Charge!!!

Wei Yidong took to the air.

Ten minutes later.

Wei Yidong and the other three appeared neatly in the Astera Gathering Hub.

A deathly silence fell over the air.

The four people stared at each other, wide-eyed.

The dungeon suddenly changed, with Anjanath, appearing with an attack pattern completely different from the monsters in the early stages.

Not everyone can adapt to it instantly.

After a while.

Cheng Xiu slowly turned his head, stared at the disheveled Wei Yidong beside him, and sneered, "--Little punk! You're a little punk even if you team up with someone!"

Let's move directly to the post-battle debriefing.

Fan Lixin echoed Wei Yidong's words, "I will avenge myself! If I can solo Lu Xiu's dungeon, you can call me a nobody! But if a group of people gangs up on me, you should call me a top player!" So this is what a top player is? Maybe you should call me a cowardly lizard.

Wei Yidong's face flushed red, and after a long pause, he said, "This instance has absolutely nothing to do with the number of players! Even with multiple players, we'll still get wiped out!!!"

"And aren't you top-tier players?"

"Didn't he get hit by a car?"

"Can you adapt to this suddenly appearing Anjanath?"

Why am I the only one who's a nobody?

"Nobody should laugh at anyone else. We've all been sent flying by the Dragon Charge, we've all gotten on the Felyne Cart, then we're all just nobody!"

59

At this moment, Rosalind and Wei Yidong were not the only ones facing problems.

Almost all players are encountering problems----

If the beginner monsters can be defeated by attrition and there are many players involved, then...

--

Then we encountered Anjanath.

This is a notorious killer of newbies in the Monster Hunter: World.

The players are truly at their wits' end.

This is not something you can win just by having more people.

Dungeons are not games.

Nine Provinces.

forum.

The number of posts suddenly surged.

[Lu Xiu ----I beg you, I really beg you, can't you just be a human being for once? (crying)]

[Lu Xiu!!!! Players aren't made of iron!!! Wake up!!!! I realized something was wrong when I got to the Tobi-Kadachi!!! I didn't expect it to get even more difficult!!! Is Anjanath any human being able to fight it? That size! That attack speed! And the difference in attack patterns between it and the previous monsters!! Who can adapt to this!!!]

[Ah, they were directly killed by the Dragon Charge car—the entire team was killed by it. Why is this beautiful girl so malicious?]

[When we were fighting the Great Jagras, I thought Lu Xiu had finally become human. Damn, I was careless.]

[Are you only realizing this now? I laughed when I saw you guys saying that having more people made the Lu Xiu dungeon easier. Did you really think Lu Xiu would let you off the hook?]

[----Before Anjanath, Lu Xiu was a god! Her imagination was off the charts. When she was human, she was indeed the strongest Architect. After Anjanath, no, wait, you call this hunting?!]

[I have bad news for you: Anjanath didn't even appear once in the promotional video.]

[----------]

[Stop talking, stop talking! Now that you mention it, I don't even dare to think about beating the game anymore. What I'm most afraid of right now is that in Monster Hunter, the dungeon will become a place where monsters hunt us instead of us hunting them.]

[I knew Lu Xiu's instance, even with multiple players, wouldn't be simple, but I never expected her to go this far. It was truly grueling, but also incredibly impressive. Putting aside everything else, those monsters felt so real, each with its own distinct habits. It's absolutely amazing.]

[Indeed—it feels like Lu Xiu has evolved again. Fourteen types of weapons, all sorts of systems. I was stunned when I saw the weapon demonstrations. Is this really a dungeon that a human could create?]

[Can the katana be removed from the game?]

[----]

The players' emotions are currently relatively stable.

Because it's just the first hurdle.

However, we can already get a glimpse of the whole picture from a small part.

As the conversation went on, one player suddenly started paying attention to something else—

[By the way, how's the offline dungeon? Any players who've been there? Did those players who live near Jade Capital go to the front lines?]

This post is being published.

After a moment of silence.

A reply has appeared.

[Don't go! Don't go to offline dungeons! You'll regret it! Offline dungeons are full of Lu Xiu's traces!!! Everywhere!!! I hear Lu Xiu's name ten times while eating cat food!!!]

[??? What's the meaning?]