Xie Wen's original plan had been to use their current cave and the surrounding area as a base, build themselves up for a while, and only then explore the island.
That wasn't because he had been influenced by the survival-at-all-costs novels he used to read. Rather, his current adolescent body still posed plenty of inconveniences, even if it was stronger than his body before transmigration.
Besides, in terms of returns on investment, his physical abilities were bound to improve dramatically as he grew. He would also train hard while waiting for his body to mature, with Sanji Meow's Cat Cuisine providing extra nutrition. No matter how he looked at it, that was an excellent deal.
So practicing on a few small monsters nearby would do. As for large monsters, he could deal with those after he had another two or three years of growth under his belt.
Of course, Xie Wen also had to admit that his reluctance to explore had at least a little to do with his fear of dying.
In short, training while waiting to grow up was the plan Xie Wen had settled on after thoroughly reviewing his circumstances following transmigration. He saw nothing wrong with it. Even Sanji Meow, who was eager to find a beautiful older Palico lady, approved of his plan.
To be fair, there really was nothing wrong with the plan itself. It was a little cowardly, but looked at another way, it was also the safest option.
However, as the old saying went, plans couldn't keep up with changes. Xie Wen had also forgotten something: even in the games, large monsters didn't just sit stupidly in one place. They wandered around.
If that was true in a game, how much more so in a world that very likely wasn't a game, and might not even have anything to do with Monster Hunter?
"So this really is the worst-case scenario..."
Looking at the monster that had suddenly appeared before him, Xie Wen gave a helpless, wry smile.
As usual, Xie Wen had been doing all sorts of exercises in the clearing outside his cave, while Sanji Meow had headed out early to explore a new area.
But just as his training had nearly drained his stamina and he was about to take a break, a monster with the appearance of a goat, the bulk of a rhinoceros, and a mouthful of sharp teeth suddenly barged into his territory.
Judging by its bloodshot eyes and the heavy breaths constantly blasting from its mouth and nostrils, it clearly had no intention of coexisting peacefully with him.
Fortunately, after his previous idiotic decision to exhaust all his stamina, Xie Wen had considered situations like this. He had asked Sanji Meow to prepare some food that restored stamina like Well-done Steak, just in case. At Xie Wen's request, it had all been made into meatballs and other things that were easy to pop into his mouth.
So, while gripping Fresh Knife: White Calm and facing off against the obviously carnivorous goat, Xie Wen reached into his waist pouch, pulled out two meatballs, and quickly stuffed them into his mouth.
Xie Wen was lucky. The goat monster didn't attack him during that time, allowing him to make it safely through his stamina crisis.
After fortunately recovering his stamina, Xie Wen didn't consider running away.
Leaving aside whether his two legs could outrun its four, the inherited hunter memories he had received explicitly stated that fleeing was the worst possible response when encountering a monster...
Because in reality, hunters couldn't escape a monster's pursuit by moving into another map area the way they could in the games.
"Hoo-hiss-hoo-hiss-"
Xie Wen gripped Fresh Knife: White Calm tightly and worked to regulate his breathing.
Despite the wealth of hunting experience in his head, implanted memories and actually facing a monster himself were two completely different things. Just standing before this goat monster had already left his thoughts sluggish, and his body was painfully stiff with tension.
After all, judging by his life in this other world so far, if a monster ran him over, there probably wouldn't be any cute cats suddenly appearing with a cart to carry him somewhere safe.
But Xie Wen's luck didn't last. Perhaps the goat monster had decided he wasn't much of a threat, or perhaps his leveled blade had angered it. Either way, before he could get himself into peak condition, it let out a roar, lowered its head, and charged at him...
"Woof!"
"..."
The bark, utterly at odds with its appearance, eased Xie Wen's nerves a little. Just before the horns could skewer him, he narrowly managed to use the ultimate technique every hunter had to master-
Roll!
The uninterrupted training Xie Wen had done over this period now showed its worth. After rolling out of the goat monster's path, he followed up almost instinctively with a Roundslash, hacking hard into its hind leg.
"Woof!!!"
The slash drove the goat monster into an even greater frenzy, and it twisted around to bite at Xie Wen.
"You're a lot slower than a Nargacuga!"
As he taunted it, Xie Wen once again used the miraculous art of rolling to avoid its teeth.
Though he had never actually faced a Nargacuga, his inherited memories contained countless encounters with them. Still, he had said that mostly to bolster his own courage and gain a psychological advantage over this monster.
After all, if "he" could easily hunt a Nargacuga, wouldn't this thing, inferior in strength, speed, and even its creature model, be a pushover?
Xie Wen's method of claiming victory in his own mind was far more successful than that of its founding master, Ah Q. With a Nargacuga as his benchmark, he finally shook off his fear and tension, and both his movements and thoughts began to flow smoothly.
Thrust, horizontal slash, Spirit Blade, roll...
Monster Hunter rule number one-don't get greedy with your attacks.
Now calm, Xie Wen patiently traded advances and retreats with the goat monster. A good hunter had to know how to seize the best opening to attack. If there wasn't an opening, he had to create one himself.
Step Slash, Fade Slash, Spirit Roundslash, power up the blade!
Long Sword wielder rule number three-seize every chance to power up your blade.
Xie Wen was more focused than ever. He avoided as many of the goat monster's attacks as he could, and countered the few he couldn't dodge with Foresight Slash...
After all, reality wasn't a game. He couldn't take an entire combo from a monster, then jump back up full of life and keep fighting.
So Xie Wen had to preserve his ability to move before looking for chances to injure the goat monster. Even if most of those injuries were trivial, over time, wounds large and small would eventually accumulate enough to turn the tide...
That was the judgment of an excellent hunter, based on "his own experience."
Overhead Slash, Thrust, Rising Slash, short hop backward...
Guerrilla warfare truly deserved its place among the masterful tactics passed down by their ancestors. Under Xie Wen's relentless harassment, the goat monster finally exposed a potentially fatal opening.
Long Sword wielder rule number seven-Helmbreaker! Helmbreaker! Helmbreaker!
Charged Thrust, leap, Helmbreaker!
Leaping high into the air, Xie Wen unleashed the Long Sword wielder's signature Helmbreaker, slashing toward the goat monster's neck. The monster didn't simply wait to die, either. It desperately twisted its body, trying to evade the strike.
"Shhk..."
With the sound of steel sinking into flesh, Fresh Knife: White Calm cut down along the goat monster's left shoulder, nearly severing both the shoulder and its left foreleg.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and the goat monster let out an agonized howl.
"Awooo-!!!"
The grievous injury to its foreleg sent the goat monster toppling onto its side. Its three intact legs kicked wildly as it tried to stand again.
This was a situation any monster hunter knew all too well. Having gradually turned the memories in his head into experience of his own during the fight, Xie Wen naturally wasn't about to let this hard-won opportunity slip away.
"Now!"
Xie Wen reached behind him with his left hand and pulled free the scabbard hanging at the small of his back. Determined to finish this in one blow despite his nearly depleted stamina, he activated Demon Mode while performing Special Sheathe and lining up his strike with the goat monster's neck.
Monster Hunter rule number two-when it's time to put your life on the line, don't hesitate!
So this is the final blow...
Sacred Sheathe Iai Slash!
Before you continue