Feeling somewhat exhausted, the Jinouga leader lay down where it was. Although it could feel its stamina slowly recovering, it understood that its life force was still draining away.
Four years ago, if that Thunder Jaw Dragon had taken that blow head-on, it could not possibly have gotten back up so quickly, much less fled with such vigor. The loss of its life force had begun to affect its strength. If it could not find a way to heal itself, it would have no choice but to find some secluded place and quietly wait for death.
The Jinouga leader remained sprawled there. As a monster high on the ecological ladder, naturally nothing foolish enough would disturb it, and the environmental creatures instinctively gave it a wide berth.
As time passed, several large Jinouga arrived beside the leader with food clenched in their jaws, as always allowing it to taste the prey first.
Over the past four years, although the Ancient Tree Area possessed abundant Life Energy and the food was nutritious, it still had not healed the Jinouga leader's injuries. At most, it had merely eased them.
With death drawing near, the Jinouga leader made a new decision.
In this world, ordinary creatures had two ways to become stronger. The first was by relying on the wondrous Life Energy. Thus, ley line nodes such as the Ancient Tree Area were the preferred places of residence for most powerful creatures.
The second was the most basic method of all creatures: eating!
Eat all kinds of nutritious food, eat all kinds of energy-rich food, and grow stronger through digestion.
Since the Life Energy of the Ancient Tree Area was still insufficient to heal its injuries, the Jinouga leader, driven into a corner, wanted to try another method.
It would seek out monsters in the Ancient Tree Area that had undergone unusual changes, or that had always displayed traits unlike those of ordinary creatures, and then eat them!
Though apart from certain special existences, even eating such unusual creatures would most likely have no effect at all.
Still, given the Jinouga leader's knowledge, this counted as its final struggle.
This Thunder Jaw Dragon lived closest to Jinouga territory, and it was also a creature that had mutated during these four years. Naturally, it became the Jinouga leader's first target.
But after exchanging blows, it discovered that this Thunder Jaw Dragon was actually only a Veteran Great Jagras that was less violent in behavior, highly skilled in battle, and currently mutating into a Thunder Jaw Dragon.
At most, its strength was a little excessive. But compared with Veteran Individuals, such power was still within an acceptable range.
It had yet to reach the "special" circumstances the Jinouga leader had anticipated.
Therefore, the Jinouga leader merely drove it away and did not summon its pack to surround and kill it.
There was no need for that. If the enemy's desperate counterattack caused the already dwindling number of Jinouga in the Ancient Tree Area to lose another one or two members, it would not be worth it.
"Awoo~"
Once all the Jinouga had finished eating, the Jinouga leader let out a long howl and led them racing toward the edge of the Ancient Tree Area.
Its next target was that Great Rathian that was close to surpassing the limits of a Veteran Individual!
Unaware that the Ancient Tree Area, peaceful for four years, was about to stir up another storm, Luo Yun was currently sitting with his eyes closed, absorbing Earth Vein Energy. Meanwhile, Ya Ji tirelessly went around marking nearby territory and patrolling the surroundings.
Only Luo Yun and two Detter, who were snorting as they cleaned the nest, remained inside.
After quite a while, Luo Yun felt that it was about time and opened his eyes. He brought up the crude panel for the first time in a long while. The progress bar for his new trait had reached four-fifths. By his estimate, he would unlock the next trait in another half year or so.
Luo Yun had also gradually figured out some patterns in the traits he drew.
His first trait, Acceleration, was used to increase his speed in battle.
His second trait, Strongman, improved and strengthened his physique while granting him physical strength and power far beyond that of Rathalos his age. It was an all-around improvement to his physical combat capabilities.
His third trait, Body of Flames, altered his fire gland and every poison gland on his body, allowing his venom and bodily fluids to become highly adhesive combustible liquid. It also gave him the ability to control those fluids, and thus the flames around his body.
His fourth trait, Fire Attraction, caused his fire element to begin transforming into energy just like that of an Elder Dragon. Not only did it greatly improve his fire resistance, it also allowed him to absorb flames while increasing their temperature, creating a self-sustaining energy cycle that drastically reduced energy consumption.
His fifth trait, and currently his favorite one—Mind's Eye—greatly enhanced his senses and was an enormous help in battle.
His sixth trait, Scorched Body, which he had acquired just two years ago, made up for his weakness in defense.
These traits all strengthened the foundation of his body, and they could grow more powerful alongside him. They directly freed him from the limitations of age and physique, giving him the ability to fight Veteran Individuals within the same ecological niche.
Whenever he thought of Veteran Individuals, Luo Yun remembered the beauty of their stats in the game from his previous life.
Once his equipment was ready, all normal individuals became "little animals." But whenever he encountered a Veteran Individual, he had once wondered whether he had forgotten to put on his gear.
Their absurdly inflated stats, faster attack speed, and shorter windups and recoveries had directly turned him back into a hunter who relied on skill.
And this world, now made real, was the same. Before Ya Ji and him, ordinary monsters occupying roughly the same ecological niche could only be forcefully suppressed. Unless they had overwhelming numbers, they posed no serious threat at all.
"Roar!!"
A furious roar, accompanied by a gust of wind, swept into the nest. Luo Yun's eyes lit up, and he immediately trotted outside.
After swiftly looking around, he spotted one of his neighbors—the Female Fire Dragon from the Fire Dragon Couple living by the reservoir uphill. She was currently crazily pursuing a Kulu-Ya-Ku that was fleeing with its head tucked down.
Fear was written all over the Kulu-Ya-Ku's face, yet it still stubbornly clutched the dragon egg in its arms without letting go. Relying on its agility and the dense branches of the Ancient Tree, it continuously leaped left and right through the canopy to evade her.
Well damn. He had only seen a Kulu-Ya-Ku at the hunting grounds not long ago, and now he had found another one. These guys truly did not care about their lives when it came to eggs.
Had Jagras eggs become harder to steal? Or had Herbivore Dragon eggs become less tasty?
It just had to provoke a Rathalos. Well, there it was—caught red-handed, wasn't it?
Watching the Female Fire Dragon attack so frantically, Luo Yun could tell that she had no concern for the egg whatsoever. It was as if she had resolved that the egg could be lost, but the egg thief had to die.
No matter how that Kulu-Ya-Ku ended up, the egg certainly would not be saved. With a Female Fire Dragon mother like that, it would be impressive if two hatchlings in a clutch managed to grow up safely.
P.S.: Since quite a few readers have not played Monster Hunter, or only enjoy its combat and therefore overlook some of its terminology and settings, I will briefly explain the Monster Hunter term "Veteran" here.
Veteran does not mean "having experienced many battles," as the literal meaning suggests. It refers to stronger, more dangerous individuals based on a monster's original species that appear in regions rich in Life Energy and nutritional resources.
In game terms, Veteran Individuals are monsters whose various stats have all been greatly increased.
There is not much to explain regarding their strength. It is simply the beauty of inflated stats.
In appearance, this is reflected in body size, scale color, or both.
With the support of those stats, Veteran Individuals possess combat power that can overwhelmingly suppress standard ordinary individuals.
Veteran Individuals currently appearing in the story.
Ya Ji: Body length 20. Standard ordinary Female Fire Dragon: 17.54
Veteran Great Jagras: Body length 21. Standard ordinary Great Jagras: 16.46
Veteran Great Rathian: Body length 20. Standard ordinary Great Rathian: 11.09
Lastly, the growth setting I gave Rathalos is that they enter adulthood at fifteen years old. There are still several years of slow growth afterward, but I will not go into detail.
P.S.: There is another chapter being written~~
Before you continue