Gravely injured

Gordon regained consciousness four or five days later.

He was lying in his own bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages and splints, looking like a miserable wreck barely clinging to life.

It was, indeed, the worst injury he had suffered since becoming a hunter.

After a thorough examination, the village physician found more than ten fractures throughout his body. The cuts on his back were healing extremely slowly because of lingering toxins, several patches of skin on his back were burned, his lungs were infected from inhaling river water, and the violent impacts had even displaced some of his internal organs.

It was no small miracle that he had survived at all.

After falling into the river that day, he and Porkchop had been swept nearly two kilometers downstream. Most of his bruises and fractures had come from that journey.

If there had not happened to be a bend with relatively gentle currents a short distance downstream, where he and Porkchop were washed ashore, they might have drowned right then.

By the time they washed ashore, Gordon was already deeply unconscious. Fortunately, Porkchop had remained awake. He promptly sent out a distress signal, drawing a group of Felynes who lived nearby, and they carried the pair out of the mountains.

When the gravely injured Gordon was brought back to Kokoto Village, the Instructor and the others were horrified.

Even the elderly Wyverian village chief, who usually looked as though he had lost his wits to old age, came in person to examine his injuries.

The one saving grace was that Gordon had a remarkably sturdy constitution. Severe as his injuries were, none had caused irreversible damage.

Still, to ensure that his bones healed properly, he had to remain in bed for a full month.

Potions could greatly speed up the process, but taking too many could easily cause excessive bone growth or misalignment during healing.

So he still had to rest when rest was needed.

During his time bedridden, Gordon grew rather quiet.

The failed quest, his crushing defeat at the hands of the Rathalos, and the fact that he would have lost his life if his partner Porkchop had not risked his own to save him-all of it had hit him hard.

Drastic changes in personality after a failed quest were actually quite common among hunters. Not everyone could escape the shadow of their fear of death.

Far too many hunters laid down their weapons afterward, or lost the courage to keep challenging powerful monsters, becoming "gathering hunters" who spent the rest of their lives accomplishing little.

As Gordon's instructor, Ernest naturally had similar concerns. After some hesitation, however, he chose not to interfere too much.

Even if Gordon gave up being a hunter altogether, he would not be angry. Entering the hunting grounds without resolve was asking for death, and that kind of resolve could not be instilled with a few words of hollow encouragement.

Whether he could find his courage again depended on Gordon alone.

As it turned out, however, Ernest's worries were entirely unnecessary.

On the first day he could get out of bed, Gordon went to Porkchop on crutches and solemnly apologized to him for his earlier recklessness.

Then he visited the Instructor's home, where he seriously reflected on his mistakes and admitted his faults.

He knew perfectly well that, had the Instructor not repeatedly insisted before the quest that he bring Antidotes and Flash Bombs, there was no telling how many times he would have died.

As for giving up being a hunter, the thought never even crossed Gordon's mind.

If anything, his desire to grow stronger had never burned so fiercely.

"Rathalos, just you wait. That day won't be far off."

More than a month passed in a flash.

After finishing his rehabilitation exercises for the day, Gordon returned home with Porkchop. He poured cool well water over himself, letting it run down muscles swollen from exertion and carry away the sweat and steaming heat.

Gordon stretched luxuriously, while Porkchop shook himself, spraying droplets everywhere.

The injuries he had suffered in his battle with the Rathalos had healed completely. Gordon could even feel that his physical condition had improved considerably compared with a month earlier.

Was this what they meant by being broken down and built back stronger?

After his cold shower, Gordon returned to his room. A brand-new suit of armor hung on a mannequin beside his storage chest. He walked over, ran his hand over the gleaming alloy plates, then put the armor on piece by piece.

His old Blue Velociprey Armor Set had been so badly damaged by the Rathalos's breath attack that repairing it was no longer worthwhile.

So, on the Instructor's advice, he had placed an order with the Workshop for this new equipment, called the "Alloy Armor Set."

The new set was made primarily from minerals such as earth crystal, iron ore, and machalite ore, along with a small amount of blue velociprey hide. Its overall defense was on par with the Blue Velociprey Armor Set.

However, because it used so much metal, the Alloy Armor Set was somewhat heavier than the Blue Velociprey Armor Set. Fortunately, with Gordon's current strength, that extra weight was hardly a burden.

He was already more than satisfied to have such excellent equipment made from the materials he had in stock.

As for why he was putting on his armor now, the Instructor had very seriously told him that morning to visit the village chief's house after finishing his training. Apparently, there was something important to discuss.

Just as important people in the city always wore new robes to gatherings, Gordon felt that he ought to wear his new armor to show that he took the meeting seriously.

Well, in truth, he simply wanted an excuse to try out his new equipment.

He arrived at the village chief's house fully armed and armored. Sure enough, Instructor Ernest was there too.

The Instructor and the village chief were somewhat speechless at the sight of Gordon standing outside in full gear, but neither said much. Plenty of hunters habitually wore their armor as everyday clothing.

"Come on in. Oh, and leave the Buster Sword by the door. Don't go collapsing the chief's floor," Ernest chided with a laugh.

Gordon scratched his head, set down his weapon, and walked into the village chief's house over creaking floorboards.

Two burly men and a small, wizened old man sat around a low table less than half a meter tall. It was a rather comical sight.

The Instructor glanced at the village chief, who was swaying as though about to doze off, and sighed. Taking the initiative, he began, "Gordon, you're almost an adult now, aren't you?"

Gordon paused at the question, but nodded. "Yes. I'll turn eighteen the month after next."

The Instructor fell silent for several seconds, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "That's right. The little brat who used to shout and holler about becoming a hunter has grown into a young man taller than me."

Gordon blinked, not quite understanding what they were getting at.

"It's my fault. I kept thinking you weren't mature enough yet, that you were a fledgling who couldn't fly on his own, so I kept you tied to the nest," the Instructor continued, almost talking to himself.

"Instructor?" Sensing something strange in the atmosphere, Gordon spoke cautiously.

As though he had finally made up his mind, the Instructor suddenly raised his head. Looking Gordon straight in the eyes, he said, "Gordon, you're a gifted young man, and you're willing to work hard. I firmly believe that your achievements will surpass mine someday."

Having never heard the Instructor praise him so openly, Gordon was at a loss.

Before he could say anything, the Instructor continued, "But Kokoto Village is too small, and too remote. We don't get many quests to begin with, and more than half of them are either gathering mushrooms or hunting for raw meat. Even a few decent two-star quests are hard to find, and we might not get a single three-star quest in an entire month.

"Looking back now, I imagine your claim that you 'wanted to see what a Rathalos looked like' was just an excuse. If you'd had more suitable choices back then, you wouldn't have had to choose that egg-stealing quest."

Gordon's mouth twitched. He really had gone simply for the thrill of it. If he told the truth now...

Would the Instructor beat me up?

Better keep my mouth shut for now.