MHGA Chapter 315: The Guildmaster Hunts Rathalos
Before we begin the hunt, let us review what monsters truly represent in this world.
Within the ecosystem, a top-down structure is formed entirely by monsters. Among them are group-dwelling species and those with high adaptability. Their naturally powerful physiques have made them apex organisms of this world. Thus, the concept of a "Monster Hunter" was born.
And now, Kairo Retsu—currently holding the title of Guildmaster of the Hunters' Gathering—is meticulously preparing for the hunt.
Through his binoculars, Kairo Retsu spotted a young Rathalos patrolling the surrounding area.
It appeared young. Slightly smaller than a typical Rathalos. It bore few scars, and its dark crimson scales shimmered with a metallic sheen under the sun's rays. The light-colored streaks along its wing membranes had yet to fade—still tinged with youthful hues.
These characteristics marked it as a newly independent young Rathalos, likely preparing to claim its first territory.
When its tail swept past a nearby boulder, the first swipe brushed off moss, and the second struck sparks.
Upon noticing a lone herbivore in the distance, glowing orange-red embers flickered unsteadily between the scales of its throat. After several attempts, it finally spat out a fireball mixed with black smoke—though it landed far off-target, erupting into a fiery blast that sent the frightened herbivore fleeing into the forest.
"Rrraahhh—" the young Rathalos growled in frustration, trying to soothe the pain in its throat from breathing fire.
It clearly hadn't fully adapted to solitary hunting. Its demeanor and clumsy technique showed that it was still inexperienced—yet it failed to notice a strange man with a Great Sword crouched atop a massive tree, watching it through binoculars.
"Rathalos ribs, pork belly, shoulder cuts, tail meat…" Kairo Retsu was already drooling at the mouth.
In truth, Kairo Retsu had received intel on this Rathalos from the Felynes—who had been monitoring this newly matured specimen for some time.
Despite having reached adulthood, this Rathalos had already begun to disturb the local ecosystem.
Perhaps due to its inexperience, its predation patterns had become reckless, devastating non-prey endemic wildlife through overuse of flame breath. This in turn disrupted regional species migration.
All in all, this was a valid target for a sanctioned hunt.
Kairo Retsu jumped down from the tree, rolled to absorb the fall's impact, then blended into the brush, donning his specialized camouflage mantle.
He crouched even lower, the special fiber of his cloak brushing softly against the grass, the sound drowned by the harsh scraping of dragon scales against rock in the distance.
Thus hidden, Kairo Retsu slowly crept toward the Rathalos.
The closer he got, the more he could smell the faintly burnt, acrid scent of Flame Sac residue emanating from its body.
This Rathalos had become overly reliant on its fire breath. Such a method of hunting had already caused significant damage to the local environment—evident from the black smoke in its previous fireball, a result of excessive use of its Flame Sac.
Still oblivious, the Rathalos remained frustrated over its failed hunt, its tail absentmindedly grinding sparks from a large rock behind it.
Kairo Retsu drew closer—now only thirty meters away.
At this range, he no longer needed binoculars to see the fine details of the Rathalos' scales and limbs.
Clearly young. Its body bore very few scars, likely due to its overreliance on fire attacks rather than physical combat. Its scales and shell were in excellent condition.
However, it looked slightly emaciated. Prolonged use of flame breath had likely drained its strength, prompting an increased need to hunt to replenish it—creating a vicious cycle.
"To get behind it like this…"
Kairo Retsu continued forward, his boots treading lightly over the forest's decomposing soil, making barely a sound. His camouflage effectively masked both scent and silhouette—enough to deceive an inexperienced young wyvern.
Now directly behind it—close enough to touch its tail—Kairo Retsu finally raised his left arm and fired a Paintball at its body.
The moment the marking hit, the Rathalos snapped to alertness. But before it could even turn around, Kairo Retsu launched his ambush.
The heavy Great Sword struck in a horizontal slash, carving deep into its hind leg. The pain made the young wyvern let out a pained roar.
Lacking battle wisdom, it didn't immediately counter with a tail swipe. Instead, it reflexively tried to take off—intending to spin midair and retaliate with flame breath.
But at that moment, Kairo Retsu fired a Flash Bomb from his Slinger.
BOOM! A blinding burst of light exploded in front of the Rathalos.
"RrraaaHHHH—!!"
Dazed, the Rathalos crashed to the ground, its vision blinded, limbs struggling to coordinate.
Kairo Retsu rolled to its head, slammed his shoulder into its jaw, and began charging his Great Sword.
The blade slammed into its skull, creating a deep wound down to the bone—but Kairo Retsu wasn't finished.
He retracted the Great Sword and began charging again—this time for a full True Charged Slash.
With all his might, Kairo Retsu brought the blade down again—crashing directly into the Rathalos' head.
"RRAAAHHHHH!!!"
It screamed even louder than before. But with monstrous tenacity, it rose to its feet, injured yet defiant, and began gathering flames in its throat.
"…Even a young monster is still a monster." Kairo Retsu muttered, planting his Great Sword before him.
"Come!"
In the next instant, a torrent of blazing flame exploded directly toward him.
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