Star Dou Forest, at the edge of the mixed zone.
This was the territory of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and thousand-year Soul Beasts. Even Soul Sage-level experts had to tread carefully when passing through.
Under the cover of several towering ancient trees, a two-story building of a completely different style stood. It had no unnecessary decorations, just a broad expanse of transparent floor-to-ceiling windows.
A flickering sign hung above the entrance: [Origin Internet Cafe].
The air conditioning inside was set very low.
The cafe's owner, Lu Yuan, was sprawled listlessly in an ergonomic gaming chair, legs crossed, idly swirling a cup of Coke with ice.
"System, you picked this location. Are you sure you're not trying to get me killed?"
As a transmigrator, Lu Yuan knew full well how dangerous this place was.
Looking out at the primeval forest that blotted out the sky, he couldn't help grumbling. "According to the plot of Douluo, this area is extremely dangerous. If I run into the Auspicious Beast and Scarlet King, my scrawny body won't even make a decent snack for them."
[Host, rest assured. This shop comes with an absolutely invincible domain. Within the shop and ten meters beyond its entrance, the host is invincible and can make anything he says come true.]
[Please complete the beginner task as soon as possible: serve your first customer (0/1)]
[Beginner reward: Unlock the virtual reality version of Monster Hunter: World]
"Fine. As long as I'm invincible, it's all good."
Lu Yuan took a sip of Coke and yawned, bored.
"But it's been three days. I haven't seen a single person, or even a Wind Baboon. And your prices are way too high."
He glanced at the price list on the wall, feeling like he might be the greediest swindler on Douluo Continent.
Computer access: 2 Gold Soul Coins/hour.
Coke: 3 Gold Soul Coins/bottle.
Spicy strips: 3 Gold Soul Coins/pack.
Instant noodles: 5 Gold Soul Coins/cup.
"In a dump like this, only an idiot would come..."
Before Lu Yuan had finished speaking, a strange, sweet fragrance suddenly drifted in through the crack beneath the door.
It wasn't the scent of pollen that could be found anywhere. It was a pure, vital fragrance, like a forest after the rain.
The cicadas and birds chirping outside the shop fell silent all at once.
A bloodline pressure from a superior being silently enveloped the area within a hundred meters.
"Hm?"
[Customer detected near the internet cafe. Please prepare to welcome them!]
Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. He set down his Coke. "A customer, at last?"
He was just getting up to open the door when the bushes outside the glass entrance parted soundlessly.
A massive lion's head poked inside.
The young master of Star Dou Forest sniffed the air, its golden eyes fixed on the Coke on the table.
And on the freshly opened pack of spicy strips.
To Soul Beasts that had spent their lives eating raw meat and drinking dew, food like Coke and spicy strips had an irresistible allure.
The Auspicious Beast approached with the graceful steps of a cat, then cautiously pushed open the cafe's glass door with a paw.
"Welcome! Would you like to use a computer, big kitty?"
Whatever else, a visitor was a customer.
At least the cafe was finally open for business, right?
The Auspicious Beast didn't understand what "using a computer" meant, but it could tell that the human in front of it was very weak.
As the little overlord of Star Dou Forest, did it really need to pay for things it wanted?
A trace of disdain flashed in the Auspicious Beast's eyes. It growled, glared at Lu Yuan, and unleashed Psyshock!
Based on past experience, this human would be foaming at the mouth in the next moment, then obediently hand over that black, bubbling water.
But Lu Yuan didn't even raise an eyelid. He merely tapped the table.
"Fighting is prohibited in this shop!"
As soon as he spoke, the Auspicious Beast felt the sky come crashing down!
Whoosh—
An overwhelming force descended in an instant, pinning it firmly to the ground.
Thud!
The Auspicious Beast of Star Dou Forest's legs gave way, and it sprawled across the floor in an extremely undignified pose, face down. It even slid across the smooth floor for a short distance.
Auspicious Beast: ???
Its pupils contracted, its eyes going wide.
How could this happen?
It couldn't move!
Its body wouldn't move at all!
There couldn't be anyone this powerful in Star Dou Forest. Even Di Tian wasn't this terrifying.
Could the legendary Dragon God have descended?!
"Don't look at me like that."
Lu Yuan opened a new bottle of Coke and waved it in front of the Auspicious Beast's nose.
"Want some?"
The Auspicious Beast blinked as hard as it could.
Yes!
It wanted some!
"If you want it, you have to pay. Do you have any money?"
Lu Yuan pointed to the price list on the wall.
The Auspicious Beast looked confused.
Money?
It seemed to have heard of that.
It was something only found in the human world.
Lu Yuan sighed.
He wore an expression that said, "I knew you were broke."
"Even if you don't have money, that's fine. We're running a grand opening promotion, so our first customer gets free computer time! You can even win a reward by beating the game!" He snapped his fingers as he spoke.
The invisible pressure on the Auspicious Beast vanished in an instant.
It leaped to its feet warily.
It backed away two steps, its fur standing on end as it stared at Lu Yuan.
It wanted to go find the Scarlet King right away.
But the Coke smelled too good, and the human in front of it didn't seem to mean it any harm.
Lu Yuan pointed at a nearby computer. A high-tech-looking headset sat on it.
"This is a world called Monster Hunter. If you can defeat the beasts inside, this bottle of Coke is yours." He smiled like a fox.
The Auspicious Beast tilted its head.
Defeat beasts? That simple?
That was what it was best at! It chased Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts around the forest every day.
It went over and imitated Lu Yuan, lying on the wide leather sofa.
"Friendly warning: this game feels pretty real, so don't go crying later."
Lu Yuan pressed the start button.
[Game launched: Monster Hunter: World]
The Auspicious Beast's vision went black.
Then—
Its consciousness wavered before being swept into a dark tunnel.
When it opened its eyes,
it found itself standing in a lush primeval forest.
Sunlight filtered through the enormous canopy. The air was thick with the damp smell of soil, and the roar of unfamiliar beasts echoed in the distance.
Where was this?
The Auspicious Beast instinctively tried to run, eager to explore this new territory.
Thud!
It took one step, lost its balance, and crashed to the ground.
What was going on?
It looked down, its pupils contracting sharply—its front paws were gone!
In their place were two bare arms, and its lower body had turned into a pair of human legs.
The Auspicious Beast scrambled to get up. Out of habit, it tried to swing its tail to regain its balance, only to find nothing behind it.
It looked down.
All it could see were a pair of human hands clad in leather armor. A massive bone greatsword weighed heavily on its back.
Had it turned into... a human?!
It instinctively tried to circulate its cultivation and check its condition. Then something even more unacceptable happened.
Its treasured fifteen thousand years of cultivation, along with the Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light flowing through its body, had vanished completely!
Panicked, it raised its human hands and desperately tried to summon even the tiniest spark.
Nothing.
There was nothing at all.
Not even a fart.
In this world, it was just an ordinary hunter with no supernatural powers.
"Give back this Auspicious Beast's powers!" it roared furiously.
But what came out was the clear, trembling cry of a human girl.
Just then, the ground began to tremble violently.
Thud, thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps made the puddles on the ground quiver. Up ahead, something smashed through the trees.
A gigantic pink brute with a mouth full of fangs strode out, its swagger utterly shameless.
Anjanath!
The Auspicious Beast froze.
As the Emperor Auspicious Beast, it had seen countless Soul Beasts, but it didn't recognize this monster.
Though it had turned into a human and lost its cultivation, the arrogance etched into its bones remained.
It instinctively puffed out its chest, trying to release the Emperor Auspicious Beast's pressure and scare off its opponent.
"Get out of my way! Don't block me!" it shouted at the Anjanath.
The Anjanath stopped.
It lowered its head.
Its savage eyes fixed on the reckless two-legged creature before it.
In the world of Monster Hunter, bloodline pressure meant nothing.
In its eyes, this was just a piece of protein that made noise.
Roar—!!!
The Anjanath opened its cavernous jaws and let out a deafening roar.
A wave of fetid breath hit the Auspicious Beast head-on. It nearly passed out from the stench!
Its sense of smell was a hundred times sharper than a human's, and it immediately lost it.
It stank!
How many rotting corpses had this filthy reptile eaten without brushing its teeth?!
"Bastard! How dare you... how dare you spit in this Auspicious Beast's face! I'll pull out your teeth!"
The Auspicious Beast's eyes reddened with rage. Though its legs were still trembling, its mouth was as defiant as ever.
It clumsily tried to draw the bone greatsword from its back and fight.
However—
The Anjanath gave it no chance.
Its thick leg swept forward with a rush of wind.
In an instant, it kicked!
This was the first lesson Monster Hunter taught it: without cultivation, it was nothing!
Thump!
An immense force struck the Auspicious Beast in the chest. It cried out and flew through the air, crashing hard into the bushes.
It lay on the ground, coughing up blood, its mind blank.
How could the mighty Emperor Auspicious Beast have been kicked away like a stray dog by a mere beast with no cultivation?
Humiliation!
Unprecedented humiliation!
Before it could get back up, the Anjanath's tooth-filled maw had already filled its vision...
Back in the real world, inside the internet cafe.
Lu Yuan calmly took a sip of cola.
Watching the utterly miserable scene of the Auspicious Beast on the screen, he shook his head slightly.
"Tsk, tsk. Are newbies these brave these days? They actually dare to take on an Anjanath head-on."
Far off in the sky outside, a terrifying mass of dark red clouds rolled toward them.
An aura a hundred times more violent than the Auspicious Beast's had already locked onto the little shop from far away.
The Scarlet King had finally realized that his little darling was missing!
"Human! You dare imprison the Auspicious Beast! Die!"
Lu Yuan didn't panic.
Instead, he pulled a membership top-up flyer from beneath the counter. He'd prepared it long ago.
"Great. Someone's come to give me money."
Before you continue