My Name Is Beefsteak, Meow

"Ow, ow, ow, ow."

It was already late at night when Gordon sat up, clutching his arm.

He had thought he would die in that fierce battle with the Bullfango King, yet here he was, safely lying on a bed in Hunter's Camp, his right arm even secured with a wooden splint. There was no way he could have been anything but surprised.

He frowned and thought back for a while. The strange horn he had heard before losing consciousness gave him a vague idea of what had happened.

"Meow! You're awake, meow? Are you all right? Thank goodness, meow!"

Just then, a furry face with a pair of adorable, wide eyes popped into his field of view.

Somewhat startled, Gordon blurted out, "A-a Felyne?"

"How rude, meow! If we hadn't rescued you in time, that big fat pig would have stomped you flat, meow!" The owner of that face seemed rather displeased by Gordon's surprise.

"Ah, I'm sorry. No, wait-I should be thanking you all very much for saving me!" Once his surprise passed, Gordon immediately sat up straight and formally thanked the little creatures gathered around his bed.

They were telling the truth. Unable to move in front of the Bullfango King, he would have had no chance of survival.

Felynes, also known as Palicoes, were Lynians, just like the Shakalakas.

Unlike the violent, ill-tempered Shakalakas, the gentle, hardworking Felynes had very close ties with humans.

Standing a little over half a meter tall, these little creatures walked on two legs just as humans did. Their paws were dexterous enough to use all sorts of tools, and even weapons.

They worked and lived alongside humans, and could often be seen in human settlements. Even a remote backwater like Kokoto Village was no exception.

Judging by their clothing and the cleanliness of their fur, however, the Felynes who had saved his life probably were not permanent residents of a human village or town.

They belonged to a tribe that lived in the wild.

"That's more like it, meow!"

Apparently quite pleased with Gordon's sincere gratitude, a larger Palico who looked like the leader folded his paws and nodded in satisfaction.

Then he held out a little paw to Gordon.

"Under our agreement with the Hunter's Guild, meow, a Felyne who rescues a hunter in the hunting grounds is entitled to one-third of the quest reward as payment, meow!"

Looking at the little paw before him, Gordon recalled that his instructor had indeed mentioned something of the sort.

Felynes were small and nimble, able to climb trees and squeeze into holes, making it difficult for monsters to truly hurt them. Taking their natural affinity for humans into account as well, the Hunter's Guild had negotiated an arrangement with the Felyne tribes.

If they encountered a hunter in danger out in the wild, they would lend a paw in exchange for a portion of the hunter's reward.

Naturally, every hunter would have gladly raised both hands and feet in favor.

Whether they happened upon a Felyne who could save their life was entirely a matter of luck, but even the possibility was a wonderful thing.

When their lives were at stake, no one would begrudge that money. Gordon was no exception.

But...

He glanced at his carefully bandaged wounds and felt deeply awkward.

Since he had accepted an assessment quest, the reward was only a token 300z. One-third of that was 100z, roughly the price of a more lavish set meal at a restaurant.

In other words, he had bought his life for the price of a meal.

After Gordon showed the Palico leader his quest paperwork, the leader's expression visibly stiffened. His little triangular ears, previously standing upright, drooped as well.

He sighed with an air of world-weary resignation. "Such bad luck, meow. But rules are rules. You only need to pay 100z, Mr. Hunter, meow."

Gordon awkwardly handed over the coins. Even though he was the one getting a bargain, it still felt terribly unfair.

"Payment received, meow. Please get some rest, Mr. Hunter, meow." The Felyne leader put away the coins and prepared to leave with his dejected tribesfolk.

"Ah, sorry, please wait!"

As though he had suddenly remembered something, Gordon called out to the departing Palicoes, then hurried over to the storage box and began rummaging through it.

Inside were the various materials he had gathered along the way during the past two days of hunting.

Ore, herbs, mushrooms, bones, insect materials... there was a bit of everything.

Most hunters had this habit, both to stockpile materials for equipment and supplies and to earn a little extra money.

A moment later, Gordon took out several seemingly ordinary fresh twigs. The Felynes' eyes instantly lit up at the sight of what he was holding.

"Meow! Catnip!"

"It's actually felvine, meow!"

To humans, this plant was merely one common medicinal herb among many. To Palicoes, however, it was an exceedingly precious luxury, rather like fine liquor to a drunkard.

Handing the felvine to the Felynes, Gordon scratched the back of his head. "It doesn't really count as payment. Just think of it as a small token of my gratitude.

"My name is Gordon. I'm only an insignificant apprentice hunter right now, but if any of you ever need help, come find me in Kokoto Village. I'll do everything I can."

The Felyne leader excitedly patted Gordon's thigh with his little paw and declared, "You're a very good person, Mr. Hunter, meow! My name is Beefsteak, meow! If you ever get the chance, you're welcome to visit us, meow!"

Gordon bent down and shook Beefsteak's paw, smiling. "Then it's a promise."

They said their goodbyes again, and the Felynes skipped away with the felvine held high. Quiet returned to the hunter camp.

Gordon returned to the bedside inside the tent, sat down, and slowly let out a breath.

First, he took the only three Potions he had from his pack and drank them all in one go. He coughed hard several times, bringing up the blood clogging his windpipe, then sat quietly for a while. The severe pain in his right arm and internal organs soon eased considerably.

That did not mean his injuries had healed.

Three basic Potions were not enough to heal all his injuries, including the fracture in his right arm. Besides, the medicine still needed time to take full effect.

Once again, he faced a choice.

Because of the Bullfango King's appearance, he had failed to collect the last Great Bullfango's tusks, leaving the slaying quest unfinished.

Unlike ordinary Great Bullfangos, the Bullfango King possessed a certain degree of intelligence as the leader of its herd. With it rallying them, he was unlikely to encounter another lone Bullfango, at least before the quest deadline.

Give up on the quest.

Return to the village and explain what happened. A Bullfango King showing up during a slaying quest was an accident. No one would blame me. The assessment quest could wait until next year anyway. I'm still young.

Gordon let out a forceful breath and flopped heavily onto the bed inside the tent, staring blankly at its roof.

Or I could hunt the Bullfango King itself, turn in its tusks as part of the required quest items, and go beyond what the quest asked.

Gordon rolled over and sat up.

To be honest, even he was startled by the sheer presumption of that idea.

He picked up the sword and shield leaning against the foot of the bed.

A crack ran almost all the way across the round shield. There was no telling how many more blows it could withstand.

The bone Hunter's Knife was still sharp, but the sensation of striking the Bullfango King's body—as though he were hacking at solid rock, the blade almost bouncing back—was just as unsettling.

Could I really hunt a Bullfango King?