Chapter Summaries

Rosalind struggled to hunt the agile Kulu-Ya-Ku alone, then formed a party with three other Longsword users to fight it. Their attacks constantly disrupted one another, the monster escaped, and the party dissolved in anger, leaving Longsword users unwelcome in the Online Gathering Hub.

• Rosalind cleared the early hunts but found the Kulu-Ya-Ku's agility, rock, and frequent escapes made her Longsword attacks miss and leave her vulnerable.
• Rosalind defeated a Great Jagras and decided she needed teammates to pin down fast monsters, so she returned to Astera and formed a four-person party with other Longsword users.
• Rosalind led the party to the Kulu-Ya-Ku, but the four hunters collided, interrupted one another's attacks, and struck their own teammates.
• The Kulu-Ya-Ku fled while Rosalind's teammates began arguing, and the party broke up in curses half an hour later.
• Players using Longswords began getting kicked from parties as the Online Gathering Hub filled with suspicion.

Rosalind rebuilt her party after being kicked for using a longsword, and the group slowly learned to hunt together through increasingly punishing fights. After barely defeating Barroth, they recognized the instance as a detailed world of hunters and monsters, but wondered whether harder foes still awaited them.

• Rosalind was removed from a party of Longsword Swordsmen, recruited her guard Liana and other weapon users, and led the new group to defeat Kulu-Ya-Ku.
• The party improved its teamwork while hunting early monsters, then barely overcame Pukei-Pukei's poison and attacks.
• Rosalind's party struggled against Barroth's hard hide, mud, and charges; Palicos rescued Liana to camp after she fainted, costing the party a revive and reward money.
• The group chased Barroth between zones and finally hunted it, then discussed the instance's distinctive monsters and combat systems.
• While gathering materials, the party wondered whether Barroth was only an early-game monster and felt uneasy about the stronger creatures ahead.

Rosalind’s party and the Coordination Bureau’s Strategy Group faced Anjanath and were overwhelmed by its speed, power, and relentless attacks. Players complained about the dungeon’s difficulty online, while a new discussion began about Lu Xiu’s offline dungeons.

• Rosalind’s party struggled through Jyuratodus and Tobi-Kadachi before encountering Anjanath, which rapidly carted the other three hunters and then Rosalind.
• Rosalind decided to visit Nine Provinces and meet Lu Xiu after being carted by Anjanath.
• Wei Yidong, Cheng Xiu, Fan Lixin, and their teammate failed their Anjanath hunt and returned to the Astera Gathering Hub, where they argued over who deserved to be called a loser.
• Players flooded the Nine Provinces forum with complaints about Anjanath and discussed the challenge and complexity of Lu Xiu’s dungeon.
• A forum user asked about offline dungeons, and another warned that Lu Xiu’s presence could be found everywhere there.

Players discovered that the offline Monster Hunter instance was far harder than the online version and that its NPCs constantly praised and feared Lu Xiu. As the Coordination Bureau considered using players to support Jade Capital’s defenses, Lu Xiu examined her rewards and tried on the Alatreon armor, but decided it was too revealing to wear unchanged.

• Players reported that offline-instance NPCs repeatedly recounted Lu Xiu’s exploits and that its monsters were unusually difficult and cunning.
• Yan Fushou and Wang Huai confirmed the reports, discussed farming materials and recruiting strong players to help defend Jade Capital, and agreed to wait before acting.
• Yan Fushou told Wang Huai to keep gathering information about manifested Witch-instance NPCs and to contact Lu Xiu before approaching important figures.
• Lu Xiu examined the Monster Hunter materials, found an Elder Dragon Heart, and decided to save it until she had better materials for crafting.
• Lu Xiu tried on the Alatreon armor, judged it too revealing, and wondered whether she could alter it.

Lu Xiu used her Deconstruction skill to craft Odogaron and Nergigante armor, proving it could produce powerful equipment from Monster Hunter materials. After Yan Fushou learned the sets could be mass-produced, he rushed to make the Strategy Group resume clearing the dungeon and farming materials.

• Lu Xiu crafted two Odogaron armor sets and one Nergigante chestpiece, then stored them in her inventory.
• Lu Xiu sent Yan Fushou the equipment’s attributes and explained that Deconstruction could make the sets from materials found in the Monster Hunter dungeon.
• Yan Fushou realized the S- and SS-rated equipment could be mass-produced and hurried to the Strategy Group lounge.
• Yan Fushou ordered Wei Yidong and the other resting Strategy Group members to clear the dungeon and farm materials, leaving them confused by his sudden change of attitude.

Ulysses entered the Monster Hunter dungeon convinced that defeating Anjanath meant he had mastered its challenges, but Nergigante and a string of increasingly difficult hunts shattered that confidence. His team ran out of revives against Rathalos, and the chapter ended with their defeat.

• Ulysses mocked other players for failing to defeat Anjanath and led his Red Tide party onward, expecting the dungeon to get easier.
• During the Zorah Magdaros capture operation, Nergigante attacked the Hunters, and the Swordmaster rescued Ulysses before driving it off.
• The Swordmaster told Ulysses that he had learned his sword technique from Lu Xiu, then mechanically led the Hunters back toward Astera.
• Ulysses and his team faced Paolumu, Radobaan, Legiana, and Odogaron, discovering that each monster brought new mechanics and greater difficulty.
• With their revives exhausted, Ulysses's team fought Rathalos in the Ancient Forest; it killed his three teammates and then defeated him.

After elite players across several regions discovered that Rathalos was only a Low Rank monster, they warned others that the Monster Hunter instance grew far more difficult. Lu Xiu’s powerful crafted equipment reignited the Nine Provinces Strategy Group’s determination, while Shen Nian complained to Lu Xiu about the ordeal and was invited to Jade Capital.

• Ulysses read Xia’s forum post warning that Anjanath was only the threshold of Low Rank and that High Rank and Master Rank quests awaited, then fell silent at the instance’s difficulty.
• Top instance-clearers from Red Tide, Franca, Canaan, and Nine Provinces defeated Anjanath but were overwhelmed by Rathalos and warned other players to stay away.
• Wei Yidong, Cheng Xiu, and the Strategy Group told Yan Fushou they could not beat Rathalos, but Yan showed them Lu Xiu’s powerful Nergigante and Odogaron sets, renewing their enthusiasm to hunt materials and return to the instance.
• Jian Li and Shen Nian exited the instance exhausted, and Shen Nian hugged Lu Xiu and complained about the difficulty and repeated dragon fights.
• Lu Xiu suggested that Shen Nian rest and invited her to come to Jade Capital the next day for a change of mood.

Lu Xiu agreed to travel to Jade Capital with Shen Nian and Jian Li, where she planned to inspect a Monster Hunter dungeon and set down a Lordvessel bonfire. Jian Li revealed that Jade Capital was her hometown and struggled with painful memories tied to her sister and uncle, but Lu Xiu promised to protect her, and the three set out the next morning.

• Shen Nian agreed to travel with Lu Xiu to Jade Capital, and Jian Li revealed that she was from there and had become a Chosen Player during the initial monster attacks.
• Shen Nian explained how Chosen Players received powerful skills, entered dungeons early, and once had access to a different System Shop and monster drops.
• That night, Jian Li remembered the disaster involving her sister and uncle, but Lu Xiu promised to protect her if she went to Jade Capital and comforted her with an embrace.
• Jian Li awkwardly copied Shen Nian's daytime hug, and Lu Xiu pulled away and lightly scolded her.
• The next morning, Lu Xiu, Shen Nian, and Jian Li met Li Shengkai and the Coordination Bureau's staff and prepared for a ten-hour drive to Jade Capital.

Jian Ning ordered the Play Society to study Lu Xiu through system dungeons after Lu Xiu’s Monster Hunter dungeon blacklisted them. Lu Xiu and her group reached Jade Capital, saw its monster-assimilated district and heavily fortified First Front, and were welcomed by General Zhou Zhenyue.

• Jian Ning learned that most of her high-sequence players could not enter Lu Xiu’s Monster Hunter dungeon and ordered Nineteen to keep tracking Lu Xiu’s group from a safe distance.
• Jian Ning told the Play Society to fight Lu Xiu if they encountered her in multiplayer dungeons and learn her skills and combat habits.
• Lu Xiu and her group arrived in Jade Capital and saw the Environmental Assimilation Mechanism had consumed the city’s coastal half.
• Li Shengkai explained Jade Capital’s immense frontline pressure and why the Coordination Bureau wanted Lu Xiu to place the Lordvessel Bonfire there.
• Lu Xiu, Shen Nian, and Jian Li arrived at Jade Capital’s third entrance, where Zhou Zhenyue welcomed Lu Xiu.

Lu Xiu met Jade Capital’s defense leaders and proposed testing the Monster Hunter offline instance before placing the Lordvessel Bonfire. She entered the crowded instance plaza to clear it herself, leaving Chu Huai and the soldiers ready to respond if the site changed.

• Lu Xiu met Chu Huai, who thanked her for helping the frontline and recalled fighting alongside Jian Li before the Coordination Bureau was established.
• Chu Huai and Zhou Zhenyue discussed where to place the Lordvessel Bonfire, and Lu Xiu proposed clearing the offline instance first to see whether Astera could appear in reality.
• Zhou Zhenyue agreed to delay placing the Bonfire while Lu Xiu tested the instance, and she decided to investigate reports about its monsters and NPCs.
• Lu Xiu went to the central plaza with Chu Huai and saw crowds of players struggling with the Monster Hunter instance and arguing over its challenges.
• Players recognized Lu Xiu as she reached the instance entrance, and she warned Chu Huai to retreat if a dangerous territory manifested before entering in a flash of white light.

Lu Xiu entered the Monster Hunter: World offline instance, proved her strength by quickly hunting Fatalis, and persuaded Astera to join her in Jade Capital. Astera manifested in the real world, but as Lu Xiu met Chu Huai, an alarm announced that a monster tide had arrived.

• Lu Xiu appeared in Astera, where the NPCs recognized her as the Sapphire Star and gathered to welcome her back.
• Lu Xiu accepted the instance’s strength trial and hunted Fatalis, completing the clearance condition within minutes.
• Lu Xiu told the Commander about a monster-ravaged world and invited Astera to establish an outpost there.
• Astera materialized along Jade Capital’s central axis, bringing its base and many NPCs into the real world.
• Lu Xiu left Astera to speak with Chu Huai, but an air-raid siren sounded and Chu Huai reported that a monster tide had arrived.

Lu Xiu joined the defense of the Jade Capital against a monster tide and inspired the players gathered outside the instance to reinforce the front line. After reaching the Crawler swarm, her new blue ribbon frightened the monsters so badly that they fled.

• Lu Xiu rode with Chu Huai to the front line and urged the players outside the cordon to help defend their homes, prompting them to follow the military reinforcements.
• Chu Huai brought Lu Xiu to the watchtower, where she saw soldiers using Titanfall energy rifles and instance rewards to fight off a Crawler swarm.
• Chu Huai rushed to the A18 Defense Zone, and Lu Xiu equipped a Jump Kit and headed down to the nearest defensive line.
• Lu Xiu charged the Crawlers with her Nameless Blade, but the blue ribbon in her hair caused the monsters to panic and flee.

Lu Xiu used the Cataclysm Hunter Medal to drive Crawlers away from Jade Capital’s defensive lines, then fought and killed two powerful Variant Monsters at the A18 Defense Zone using Monster Hunter weapons and techniques. She began using Deconstruction on the corpses, hoping their materials were still recoverable.

• Lu Xiu raced along Jade Capital’s defensive line, and the Crawlers fled wherever her ribbon’s fear effect reached.
• At the overwhelmed A18 Defense Zone, Chu Huai and arriving High Sequence players watched Lu Xiu confront two enormous Variant Monsters.
• Lu Xiu summoned a Defender Long Sword and used Monster Hunter techniques to wound the rhino-like beast and drive back the giant leopard.
• Lu Xiu switched to a Charge Blade and killed both Variant Monsters with a Super Amped Element Discharge.
• Lu Xiu worried that her finishing blow had ruined the monsters’ materials, then activated Deconstruction on their corpses.

Lu Xiu tested whether monsters on Jade Capital’s front line could be harvested for materials and discovered that her Disaster Hunter Medal drove weaker monsters away. She traveled between defense zones to hunt Variant Monsters with different weapons while players began collecting monster parts, leaving Zhou Zhenyue and Li Shengkai stunned by reports of her exploits.

• Lu Xiu used Deconstruction on the Variant Monsters she had defeated, then asked Chu Huai to have soldiers test whether severed monster parts became permanent materials after the bodies disappeared.
• Chu Huai confirmed that a harvested bone retained its properties as a usable material, and Lu Xiu asked his soldiers to collect Crawler parts while she tested the medal and hunted Variant Monsters elsewhere.
• High Sequence players rushed to harvest materials at A18 Defense Zone, while others followed Lu Xiu as she traveled across the front line and defeated Variant Monsters with several Monster Hunter weapons.
• Zhou Zhenyue and Li Shengkai learned that Lu Xiu had gone to the front line, panicked, and tried to reach Chu Huai, but he did not answer their calls.
• A soldier reported that Lu Xiu was safe and had driven monsters away while hunting Variant Monsters alone, prompting Zhou Zhenyue to demand an explanation.

After the monster tide ended, Lu Xiu brought frontline monster materials to Astera’s Smithy, where the leader estimated it would take three years to develop usable equipment. Lu Xiu used Deconstruction to create an S-rank lightning bow from the materials, and the Smithy leader said he could learn to mass-produce it within a week.

• Lu Xiu returned from the defense line after killing the mutant monsters, then asked Chu Huai what materials the Crawlers had yielded.
• Chu Huai showed Lu Xiu the Crawlers’ [Sturdy Scale] and [Tough Long Tongue], and she led the others into Astera to consult the Smithy leader.
• The Smithy leader explained that designing new equipment from real-world monster materials would take three years, but proposed a heavy bow using Lei Yue’s Sturdy Bone, Tough Long Tongue, and Ripper Demon’s Steel Claw.
• Lu Xiu used Deconstruction to combine the materials and create an S-rank bow with lightning attacks, resistance-piercing effects, and an overload shot.
• After examining the bow, the Smithy leader said it represented the best possible result and promised to work out production techniques within one week.

Lu Xiu helped the frontline turn monster remains into equipment by having Astera’s Smithy develop a mass-produced S-rank bow, then placed a Lordvessel Bonfire at the base so people could teleport between locations. Li Shengkai returned to the Coordination Bureau to report the changes, where Yan Fushou confronted him for letting Lu Xiu fight monsters on camera and making the Strategy Group look bad.

• Li Shengkai, Zhou Zhenyue, and Chu Huai planned ways to collect monster materials and use Astera’s Smithy to equip and mobilize frontline players.
• Lu Xiu learned the Smithy chief could not make equipment above the S-rank bow’s level in the local environment, then named the prototype [Yama Type I].
• Lu Xiu placed a Lordvessel Bonfire at Astera, and Li Shengkai used it to teleport to the Witch Forest before returning to the Coordination Bureau.
• Yan Fushou grabbed Li Shengkai by the collar and cursed him for sending Lu Xiu to fight monsters and recording footage that undermined the Strategy Group.

A video of Lu Xiu demonstrating longsword techniques in real combat spread across regions, inspiring top players to imitate her and team up to challenge the Monster Hunter dungeon. After Jian Li and Shen Nian visited Lu Xiu at Astera, senior officials arrived, including the head of the Coordination Bureau’s leadership.

• A recorded video of Lu Xiu fighting Variant Monsters with a longsword went viral, and players across regions downloaded and discussed it.
• Ulysses tried to imitate Lu Xiu’s techniques, then invited Xia to team up with him to clear the Monster Hunter dungeon; she agreed and said she would go to Nine Provinces afterward.
• Rosalind watched Lu Xiu’s video and considered whether she might be willing to sacrifice herself to meet her.
• Jian Li and Shen Nian left the dungeon after struggling against Nergigante, learned about Lu Xiu’s real-world fight, and traveled to Astera to see her.
• Shen Nian and Jian Li found Lu Xiu writing a proposal for an instance suited to frontline soldiers.
• The Bonfire at Astera flared and brought a group of suited visitors, whom Shen Nian identified as the Coordination Bureau leader’s leader.

The Nine Provinces’ top authority visited Astera to inspect equipment made from frontline monster materials, and Lu Xiu explained why most players still supported the system. After witnessing the Yama-Type Greatbow’s power, the old man sought Lu Xiu out and praised her as a national treasure.

• The old man arrived in Astera with Zhou Zhenyue, Chu Huai, and other officials, then asked about the front lines.
• Lu Xiu explained to Shen Nian and Jian Li how the Coordination Bureau and the national system maintained order by supporting players and holding back monsters.
• A middle-aged official tested the Yama-Type Greatbow, whose thunderbolt arrow pierced and wrecked an off-road vehicle.
• Lu Xiu left the officials to continue testing equipment and went with Shen Nian and Jian Li to eat cat food.
• The old man climbed to the dining area, thanked Lu Xiu on behalf of the Nine Provinces and the frontline soldiers, and called her a national treasure.

After a senior Coordination Bureau leader visited Astera and publicly treated Lu Xiu as a national treasure, Jade Capital reopened the base to attract High Sequence players to the front lines. When He Yan saw Astera and its S-rated equipment crafting firsthand, he began considering leaving the Construction Club.

• Jian Li explained that the old man's casual visit signaled that others should not pressure Lu Xiu to join the system or serve its plans, while Lu Xiu teased Jian Li and Shen Nian afterward.
• The old man departed Astera for the defense zone, and Zhou Zhenyue, Chu Huai, and the other officials reconsidered their attitude toward Lu Xiu.
• The next day, Astera reopened, and High Sequence players entering the base were stunned to find the game setting and its NPCs recreated in reality.
• The Smithy announced that players could gather Monster Tide materials to have S-rated equipment, including the Yama-Type Great Bow, forged.
• He Yan, a Construction Club member, compared Astera with the club and considered defecting.

Players learned that Astera had appeared in Jade Capital, where its NPCs could forge equipment from monster materials, and High Sequence players rushed to the frontlines for a chance to obtain it. Lu Xiu prepared to return to the frontline to hunt Variant Monsters and test new equipment, while the influx of players turned Jade Capital’s defense zones into crowded, competitive gathering spots.

• Players posted videos confirming that Astera and its NPCs had appeared in Jade Capital, and the news drew them toward the city for equipment made from monster materials.
• Princess Rosalind pushed Franca to hurry its delegation to Nine Provinces, while other regions accelerated their own plans to make contact.
• Leaders of Nine Provinces’ Construction Clubs realized Lu Xiu’s Placement Function could manifest far more than an ordinary dungeon entrance, and one leader proposed asking her to teach them.
• Lu Xiu confirmed that Astera’s NPCs would not attack players unless attacked first, then said she would return to the frontline to hunt Variant Monsters and test equipment combining real-world and dungeon materials.
• Three days after Astera appeared, High Sequence players flooded Jade Capital’s defense zones, where they competed for frontline positions and argued with local players.