One star? Two stars?

The hunter and the monster faced off.

Both knew they were in no condition to keep fighting, yet neither was willing to turn away first. Whoever showed fear first risked losing the initiative.

Gordon suddenly bared his teeth in a grin.

Hunters survived against monsters far stronger than humans-and even defeated them-by relying on quick minds and an endless array of tricks.

Their skin was soft and their bodies fragile, so they armored themselves with metal and monster scales.

They lacked sharp claws and fangs, so they used ingenuity and craftsmanship to create all manner of powerful weapons.

Their stamina and ability to heal fell short of monsters', so they made up the difference with alchemical medicines.

Gordon planted his Great Sword in front of him with one hand, then reached into the pack behind his waist and pulled out every hunter's favorite: a Mega Potion.

This advanced healing medicine was made by mixing honey into a regular Potion and refining it further, nearly doubling its effectiveness.

Of course, it also cost considerably more. Gordon usually hated to use one, but now was the perfect time.

He gulped down the emerald-green liquid in two swallows, tossed aside the glass bottle, and smacked his lips. It tasted good.

Its effects were even better.

Warmth instantly spread throughout his body, and the wounds on his chest, ribs, and palm soon stopped bleeding.

Instant recovery was naturally impossible; the medicine still needed time to take full effect. Yet in those few short seconds, he already felt he had regained at least seventy or eighty percent of his fighting strength.

The Blue Velociprey King slowly backed away.

Its beastly instincts told it that its opponent was not bluffing.

Only two or three breaths had passed. How had that fellow's visibly weakened presence recovered so much?!

Keeping its bright yellow slit pupils fixed on the hunter, the Blue Velociprey King continued backing away-it knew it had to retreat.

At the edge of the dense forest, the Blue Velociprey King let out a threatening roar. It gave Gordon a long, hard look, then, seeing that he had no intention of pursuing, turned and fled into the undergrowth, finally vanishing into the dark shade of the trees.

Gordon shook out his somewhat exhausted arms, crouched down, and took out a Whetstone. He carefully sharpened every bloodstained hooked edge of his Buster Sword.

The repeated slashing had dulled the Buster Sword's hooked edges somewhat. Unless he promptly sharpened them, the weapon's power would suffer.

After sharpening his weapon, Gordon drank another Potion and ate a Ration to replenish his stamina. Following a brief rest, he strapped the Buster Sword onto his back again.

Carefully picking out the footprints and bloodstains hidden among the weeds and fallen leaves, Gordon looked confidently in one direction.

You won't get away, Blue Velociprey King.

Blue Velociprey were predators skilled at tracking prey, but poor at hiding their own trails.

In the late-winter mountain forests of the Schrade Hills, a pursuit lasting half a day finally came to an end that afternoon, as the sun sank toward the west.

The Blue Velociprey King fled and counterattacked several times, even calling on its kin near the nest to stage an ambush, but Gordon steadily dealt with every attempt.

With its hind leg badly wounded and its fighting strength severely diminished, the Blue Velociprey King never caused him any real trouble, even at the end.

The enormous crest that symbolized its status as ruler of the pack was finally cut off by the hunter, becoming a trophy that proved the hunt was complete.

After finally escorting the caravan to a safe stretch of road, Porkchop hurried back, but did not reach camp and reunite with Gordon until after sunset.

Looking at the still-bloodstained Blue Velociprey King materials, Porkchop seemed a little dejected.

Master Gordon could successfully hunt these powerful monsters without my help, meow.

Gordon merely pointed at his shattered breastplate and the horrific wound running from his chest down to his waist and ribs. Though it had stopped bleeding, the flesh still gaped open. He smiled and said:

"If you'd been there, I wouldn't have been hurt this badly."

"S-sorry, meow!"

"I'm not blaming you. I'm just stating a fact. Stop moping and come help me stitch up and bandage this wound!"

"Yes, meow!"

"Ah, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"You'll make the stitches crooked! Don't move, meow!"

"Then be gentler!"

"I'm only a Felyne! I'm no good with a needle and thread, meow! Please bear with it, meow!"

Having successfully hunted the Blue Velociprey King and completed the urgent quest, Gordon naturally advanced to a two-star hunter.

Looking at the second star branded onto the hide cover of his Hunter's Notes, the young hunter grinned like an idiot.

An increase in hunter rank meant more than just honor.

More quests to choose from and higher rates of pay-these were all tangible benefits.

By comparison, those "minor injuries" were hardly worth mentioning.

A scar on his chest because Porkchop was bad at stitching? Gordon cared even less about something so trivial. What hunter didn't have a few scars?

To celebrate his promotion, Gordon made a point of bringing Instructor and Porkchop to the village's only tavern and restaurant for a feast.

Charcoal-grilled mammoth steaks, a salad of wartfruit and tender potatoes, a rich Aptonoth tail soup stewed with onions and tomatoes, and mushrooms baked in cream.

The meal cost nearly 500z, but Gordon did not regret the expense.

A little luxury now and then was necessary!

After the feast, Gordon and Porkchop's lives returned to their usual routine.

Winter passed, and the end of the months-long hunting ban left the Hunter's Guild with a large backlog of requests. Even a remote backwater like Kokoto Village received a fair share of them.

Though the vast majority were still one-star requests.

Finally qualified to accept two-star quests, Gordon pushed the large pile of one-star requests aside without even bothering to look at them, then gleefully picked up the sole two-star quest sheet.

The Guild's system for grading quest difficulty was well established and standardized. Even the lowest ranks, one and two stars, differed noticeably.

One-star quests mainly involved gathering account items such as specialty mushrooms, or slaying multiple small monsters such as Blue Velociprey and Great Bullfango.

Starting at two stars, however, quests began to involve large monsters.

Although these were only creatures such as Bullfango Kings and Blue Velociprey Kings-"small fry" in the eyes of powerful hunters-they were also a hurdle every novice hunter had to face.

Clear that hurdle, and further advancement became possible. Fail, and a hunter could spend a lifetime plodding along among mushrooms and raw meat.

According to the Hunter's Guild's statistics, at least a third of registered hunters spent their entire lives doing one-star quests.

Perhaps they lacked the courage to face large monsters, perhaps they lacked talent, or perhaps they were thinking of their safety and families. They had no desire to grow stronger, much less deliberately seek out dangerous large monsters. All they wanted was a peaceful, stable life.

Some despised these "gathering hunters," some pitied them, and others mocked them, but no one could deny their contribution to human society.

Who else did they think completed that enormous volume of one-star quests, which accounted for sixty or seventy percent of all Guild requests?

Of course, Gordon, whose head was currently filled with nothing but "make money, get stronger, hunt stronger monsters," would not spare these matters a thought. His gaze was already firmly locked on that two-star quest sheet.

More precisely, on the string of numbers in the reward field.

Gathering quest: A fiery delicacy (★★)

Objective: Gather one Rathalos egg

Reward: 8800z

Location: Schrade Hills

Time limit: 15 days

Gluttonous tycoon: Pour that golden egg mixture into oil heated until bubbling over a roaring fire. As soon as it puffs up and sets, take it out of the pan, drizzle it with Volcano Chili Sauce from Elder, and eat it while it's hot. That fluffy, tender, fiery flavor is something you'll never forget once you've tasted it!

Hurry and bring me a Rathalos egg! Money? I have plenty!