Investigation Team Squad

In the Ancient Forest, within a mountain crevice barely wide enough for one person to pass through, three people and one Felyne stared fixedly at the entrance.

Suddenly, a wave of scorching heat came from the opening. One of the men, clad in Jagras Armor and carrying a Short Sword, yanked the other two aside and pressed them against the wall, raising his shield in front of them.

Sure enough, a blast of flame swept past them the next second, leaving behind a seared stench in the air.

After the flames passed, a shrill roar came from the entrance, followed by silence.

"Phew... Ruby, go check the entrance. Be careful."

The man called out to the gray Felyne in leather armor, who had nimbly dodged the flames. Then he clutched his waist, his face twisting in pain as he sank to the ground.

"Wade, are you all right?"

Seeing the man's pained expression, his two companions immediately dragged him into the corner. One quickly rummaged through a leather bag and pulled out medicine and bandages.

The other helped remove the armor around his waist, and the two hurriedly treated his wound.

The three humans and one Felyne were an Investigation Team survey squad assigned to the Ancient Forest, consisting of an editor, a scholar, and a hunter.

Their task today had been to investigate a Jagras disturbance deep within the Ancient Forest.

Some time ago, members returning from the field had discovered something unusual. Many dragons that inhabited the depths of the Ancient Forest had appeared around its outskirts, posing a serious threat to members conducting surveys there.

This abnormal phenomenon had drawn the Investigation Team's attention, so they had dispatched three squads, including this one, to investigate.

But when their squad reached the Jagras hunting grounds, they had the terrible misfortune of running into a Great Rathian far larger than normal.

One look at Wade's full Jagras set made it clear that he was no stranger to Great Rathians, but this one had been completely different.

Its body length was estimated at no less than twenty meters!

A normal Great Rathian was generally around eleven meters long. This one was not only twice the size of an ordinary Great Rathian, but its aggression and appetite were astonishing as well.

During their investigation, Wade's group had discovered that the Great Rathian fed extremely often. The Jagras territory already overlapped with those of other carnivorous dragons, and the food within their original territory could no longer satisfy them.

That was why the Jagras had begun expanding their territory under this Great Rathian's lead.

And Wade's group had unfortunately encountered them head-on.

The Short Sword, which could normally slice through a Great Rathian's hide with ease, could only break the skin of this unusual Great Rathian even when swung with all his strength.

That little round shield could not withstand the Great Rathian's Dragon Charge either. With numerous Jagras joining the assault, their squad had been driven back again and again.

They had barely managed to escape the pursuit with the help of Stench Bombs and other items, fleeing to the outskirts of the Ancient Forest.

They had been planning to find somewhere to rest when they wandered into the territory of a Great Jagras that was likewise far larger than others of its kind.

The crucial thing was that this Great Jagras behaved in a way utterly unbefitting its species—it had actually been crouching in the woods, waiting to ambush them!

The moment they met, it had sent them flying with a Dragon Charge, and Wade had crashed heavily into a rock.

The wound at Wade's waist had been ripped open by a sharp edge of that rock. Fortunately, his Felyne partner had done an excellent job of drawing the Great Jagras's attention, buying them enough time to hide in this narrow crevice.

Whoosh~~

An SOS Flare shot into the sky, and all three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

There were simply too few members in the First Expedition Team. Although they had arrived on a ship packed full of people, in this New World, that number barely made a ripple.

And now their only hunter was injured. The best option was to wait for nearby rescue.

"Glutton, you really got us into a disaster this time. Once we get back to Astera, you have to bring out all the mushrooms you collected this year and treat us to a proper meal."

The Dragon Scholar wiped the blood from his hands and smiled at the editor beside him, who was organizing his notes.

"Don't do this to me! I only collected that little, and it hasn't even dried yet—you're already eyeing it! How about we just go have a feast at the canteen? My treat, all right?"

The man called Glutton hurriedly waved his hands, stuffing his recorded notes back into his pack as he pleaded with his companion.

"Hey, if you hadn't stuck your head out, how would that Great Rathian have spotted us? Just tell me whether you're willing or not! The canteen's stew is delicious, sure, but after eating it for so many years, it wouldn't hurt to change things up once in a while."

The Dragon Scholar refused to let it go.

"All right, all right, I get it. They're just mushrooms, aren't they? Eat up, eat up! I'll make sure you're full, okay?"

Glutton looked utterly heartbroken, but both of them knew he was only pretending.

Although the man was a glutton with an enormous appetite, whenever he had no assignment, he loved lingering beside the canteen. He would eat free fruit or buy roasted meat while flipping through notes borrowed from other editors.

But sharing the delicacies he collected with his companions was also one of his pleasures.

"Still, Nori, why did you suddenly stick your head out back then? That doesn't seem like you at all."

The Dragon Scholar was somewhat curious. Though Nori was a little gluttonous, he was absolutely a qualified editor. As Witte's partner, he had never held anyone back during an investigation. His strange behavior today was indeed difficult to understand.

"That..."

Nori scratched his head and hesitated. "I don't know if I saw it wrong, but while observing that unusual Great Rathian, I noticed that when it was regurgitating, there seemed to be some kind of crystal besides food. It looked a little like Dragonite Ore, but I couldn't see clearly from where I was. I got excited and accidentally exposed myself."

Nori looked a little embarrassed after saying that, but his discovery made the other two frown.

"Can Dragonite Ore... be spat out?"

Wade looked uncertainly at the Dragon Scholar.

Seeing both of them looking at him, the Dragon Scholar shook his head. "I don't know. But none of the current books on Dragonite Ore mention such a thing. Dragonite Ore is generally obtained by dissecting large monsters, and the chances are rather low. Not every large monster has Dragonite Ore inside it."

"Perhaps what you saw was merely some special crystal that resembled Dragonite Ore. We can report it once we return."

The three reached an agreement. Just then, the Felyne named Ruby burrowed up from underground, shook her head at Wade with a dejected expression.

"Meow... meowww..."

"Ruby means that Great Jagras is still waiting outside. It doesn't look like it has any intention of leaving."

Wade's expression turned grave. They had been discussing the unusual Great Rathian, but the Great Jagras before them was equally abnormal.