MHGA Chapter 317: Ding! The Jewel Appears
The severed tail of the Rathalos plummeted from its body, and the forceful rupture sent both the beast and Kairo Retsu crashing violently toward the ground.
As soon as Kairo Retsu landed from his Charged Slash, he sprang into action again—ramming into the Rathalos and following up with a Heavy Charged Slash that tore a massive wound into its leg.
As the Rathalos struggled to stand and attempted to whip around to throw Kairo Retsu off, the new injury to its leg made its body lurch awkwardly, nearly collapsing as it tried to retaliate.
But Kairo Retsu had already hooked his Clutch Claw onto the natural vines coiled around the massive trees and yanked them down—blanketing the Rathalos beneath them.
This improvised vine trap instantly entangled the Rathalos' body, denying the King of the Skies any chance to take flight again.
The Rathalos thrashed, desperately trying to escape the snare. But Kairo Retsu was already on the move, sprinting toward its front with his Great Sword strapped to his back.
Thanks to the binding vines, Kairo Retsu delivered a clean Heavy Charged Slash and a True Charged Slash straight to the monster's crown. The feedback from his blade digging into the creature's armored skull and scales made Kairo marvel at the beast's tenacity—still clinging to life even now.
With pain flaring through its head, the Rathalos struggled upright, instinctively attempting to flee back to its nest to recover.
But in the very next second, Kairo Retsu's Clutch Claw shot forward and pierced the dark crimson scales of the Rathalos' neck—yanking Kairo onto the side of its head.
"Even if you're cunning like a demon… you're still eating this wall smash!"
Kairo slammed his claw into the Rathalos' skull, forcing its head to tilt toward the thickest nearby tree.
At the same time, he wedged the Scatternut he'd picked earlier onto the monster's forehead.
"Baby—full speed ahead!"
BOOM!
The Slinger unleashed a Full Burst of Scatternuts, forcibly driving the Rathalos straight into the massive tree.
A deafening crack split the air as the colossal tree—aged who knows how many centuries—splintered from the impact of the Rathalos' skull.
Leaves fluttered down from above like green rain. The monster's crown spike dug into the ground, its dark red scales scraping stone as its wings flailed—sending sparks flying.
Its throat convulsed, glowing faintly orange between sputters. Its front claws gouged trenches into the rocky ground. The frequency of its tail slaps began to falter.
That brutal headfirst slam had left it too dazed to rise.
"That was a satisfying hunt…"
Kairo Retsu approached the fallen Rathalos slowly, sipping a potion as he walked.
Some of the medicine he drank had been scavenged from other hunters' worlds—like magical concoctions not native to this one.
Though their boosts weren't immense, their true value lay in the fact that they could stack with standard Hunter buffs.
"Time to finish this fight."
After applying every buff he could, Kairo stepped up to the front of the Rathalos.
"This hunt… was truly a delight." He looked down at the dragon. "I'll make full use of your materials—fashion them into new gear—and wear them to hunt other monsters who desecrate nature."
"And now…"
Kairo raised his Great Sword high.
Buffed by Demon Powder, Might Seeds, potions, and performances worthy of a hunting comedy act, the red glow from his charged energy shone brighter than ever.
"O King of the Skies… Lord of the Heavens… accept your well-earned defeat—!"
Respect was written all over Kairo's face.
"Not a single piece of you will be wasted. Bone, blood, or meat… none of it."
"Farewell!"
He brought the Great Sword crashing down—once again striking the gash left by his previous True Charged Slash. This time, the weapon punched through the protective skull plating—driving straight into the Rathalos' brain and ending its life completely.
Its body gave a final twitch, but ultimately stilled.
Hot blood—still warm with the beast's fading heat—poured from its head wound, dyeing the blade of Kairo's Great Sword a deep, bloodred hue.
"With this… I think I can finally say I've officially debuted."
Kairo drew the Carving Knife from his belt and began the dissection.
At the same time, he jingled the Felyne Bell to summon the Palicoes to help haul the Rathalos' materials back to the Gathering Hub.
"Let's see! Does this little young Rathalos have a treasured Rathalos Ruby or a rare Plate stashed somewhere?!"
Kairo began combing the monster's body meticulously.
Wyvern Gems—some of the most valuable monster materials—were crystalline structures formed from the monster's innate elemental energy after years of high-intensity usage and accumulation.
Older or stronger specimens had a higher chance of forming Wyvern Gems, as it required continuous compression of elemental energy over many years.
As for whether a gem would actually drop… even veteran hunters had to leave it to luck.
"It's gotta drop…"
Kairo carved away diligently, but even after disassembling more than half the body—and watching multiple loads already carried back by the Palicoes—he had yet to find even a Rathalos Plate, let alone a Ruby.
"Damn…"
Looking at the last of the dissected parts and ingredients being carted off, Kairo sighed, feeling a tinge of disappointment. He was about to prepare for the next hunt when he suddenly remembered—
"Oh right—there's still the severed tail."
Rubbing his chin, Kairo took out his Carving Knife and began working on the detached tail.
Not long after, a semi-transparent, red spherical gem—pulsing with molten fire energy—was pried loose from the tail stub.
A Rathalos Ruby!
Extracting a Wyvern Gem from the tail filled Kairo with a sense of serendipitous triumph.
"Now that's a beautiful Wyvern Gem." Kairo raised the red crystal toward the sun overhead. "The liquid fire energy inside… it really does look like magma. And crystal-clear, too."
A grin spread across his face.
"That's what makes hunting so intoxicating… all the unexpected surprises."
He said so with contentment.
But…
Kairo Retsu failed to notice the presence looming nearby.
Not far from where he stood in the forest, a simian-like creature with massive twin horns atop its head gripped the tallest tree with one arm—howling a challenge skyward at a quadrupedal, black-spiked dragon looming in the skies…
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