"Oh my god..."
Hara's voice trembled. Her past understanding of monsters had been completely shattered today. Even as someone who loved nature, she dared not imagine what peaceful communication between monsters would mean for humanity.
Compared to this dark fantasy, Asterion's terrifying table manners while devouring the Rusted Kushala Daora body seemed almost insignificant.
But before Hara could reconstruct her shattered worldview, she was dumbstruck to see the scales and shell of the monster that had consumed the Rusted Kushala Daora falling off rapidly, only to regenerate just as quickly—but the most obvious change was in its forelimbs.
Those short, small front claws were growing rapidly like plants—becoming longer, thicker, until they grew to a size only slightly slenderer than its hind legs.
The miracle of evolution!!
At this moment, only one thought occupied Hara's mind—the miracle of evolution, which usually required thousands or tens of thousands of years of generations, had been completed by this monster in merely an hour or two?!
Why?!
A survey log she had written earlier could no longer be verified, because the structure of the monster before her now was starkly different from a Glavenus—Glavenus didn't have wings! Nor did Glavenus have forelimbs shaped like those of a Kushala Daora!!
It was as if this monster had savagely seized the Kushala Daora's forelimbs for its own body. According to Hara's previous observations, she had thought this Deviant Glavenus was covered entirely in mirror-like scales, but that guess was now overturned.
Looking at the scales and shells piled up beside the monster, she wondered: why would the main body of a monster possess both carapace and scales simultaneously?
This didn't conform to the laws of evolutionary biology at all!
Could those shells and scales also be something this monster plundered? From the monsters it defeated and ate?
Elder Dragon.
Suddenly, a term jumped into Hara's chaotic brain—could this monster be a brand-new Elder Dragon?
According to the Guild's classification methods, unclassifiable biological groups are identified as Elder Dragons, and most Elder Dragons possess natural disaster-like special abilities, often considered by many to be incarnations of nature itself.
If this monster were an Elder Dragon, what "calamity" did it represent?
Plunder?
Evolution?
Growth?
Yet its attack patterns were extremely similar to a Glavenus... Was this an Elder Dragon disguising itself as a Glavenus, or simply a very special Glavenus?
Hara was lost; she had entered uncharted territory.
Asterion only needed to focus on evolving, but a hunter-scholar had much more to consider.
Unlike Hara, whose mind was in chaos, Asterion felt nothing but pure exhilaration at this moment. His mood couldn't be better.
Even though the dying Rusted Kushala Daora's body had largely turned into pure metal, there was still Elder Dragon flesh within—for Asterion, this Elder Dragon flesh marked the difference between having something and having nothing.
Going from zero to one and from one to a hundred were two completely different levels of difficulty; the former was far more arduous.
But starting today, Asterion truly possessed the capital to hunt healthy Elder Dragons.
"Finally, I don't have to stay in a godforsaken place like the Rotten Vale anymore."
Although he hadn't been able to go head-to-head with the Rusted Kushala Daora to test his true strength, Asterion had achieved all the goals of this long journey. The thought of not having to stay in the sunless Rotten Vale made his body feel a few degrees lighter.
His heart was filled with longing for his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, and he also missed the grand feasts prepared by the Grimalkyne chefs—it was time to go back and enjoy himself.
Striding toward the outside of the cave, Asterion glanced at Hara, who was hiding outside, then left without looking back.
As long as he found the broad path he had carved out, he could easily return to the Wildspire Waste from the Rotten Vale.
Home!
Unlike when he originally traveled north to the Rotten Vale, Asterion's return to the southern Wildspire Waste was far more arrogant.
Back then, he had been somewhat cautious, avoiding senseless battles with powerful monsters as much as possible. But now, feeling that he had mastered his newfound powers, Asterion would slash at even a passing rock—it was pure arrogance.
Large monsters, Diablos, Nibelsnarf, Tigrex... anyone who dared to look his way got slashed. If they didn't die or flee after one hit, he would use his true skills to cut them down, their warm corpses eventually becoming even warmer life energy.
Through the battles on this journey, Asterion also figured out exactly where he stood in the ecological niche—undoubtedly, he possessed Elder Dragon-level combat power.
He should be able to sit at the same table as a Furious Rajang that had eaten a Kirin horn.
But Asterion also knew his shortcomings were similar to the Furious Rajang; they both lacked a special ability to alter the world on a large scale. They weren't quite "calamity" enough.
Finally, when the sun set once again and the orange glow of the evening clouds bathed the Wildspire Waste in red light, Asterion finally saw the familiar hill. The hole leading to the underground nest was right at the foot of the mountain.
As he approached, Asterion saw two Grimalkynes sparring on a high stone platform. Spears clashed as they gritted their teeth, using all their strength to try and overpower the other. They didn't even notice Asterion's approach.
"Meow-ya!!"
Eventually, as if by agreement, both Grimalkynes exerted force at the same time, lost their balance together, and fell backward, looking completely drained of energy.
Two Grimalkyne warriors practicing with the intent to kill, fighting until the end of time, until even the Wildspire Waste crumbled away... It was supposed to be a very serious matter, but seeing these two little guys with their fluffy appearance and white fur scarves, Asterion just found them adorable.
His large eyes were perfectly level with the Grimalkynes on the stone platform. Asterion looked curiously at the two exhausted cats. Appearing in this place, they likely belonged to the Glavenus tribe that had pledged loyalty to him. Were they practicing martial arts just now?
Has the Meow-Meow Hunting Party appeared again?
"Ah!! Monster meow!! A monster appeared meow!!!"
The Grimalkyne warriors, their attention finally shifting from each other, noticed Asterion's existence. But unlike the image of cat worship Asterion had envisioned, the two Grimalkyne warriors were instantly scared into jumping up from the ground.
Grimalkyne claws weren't enough to dig holes in rock to escape, but their bodies were agile enough. With a few bounds, they reached the opposite cliff face and vanished into the stone crevices in the blink of an eye.
Asterion: "...."
What does this mean? Do they not recognize their Boss Glavenus anymore?
Having absolutely no need for a mirror, and having spent months on the road home, Asterion had long grown accustomed to his current body. It wasn't until he looked down and saw his own forelimbs that he belatedly realized he had completely changed his appearance. The cats simply hadn't recognized him.
Shaking his head, Asterion walked all the way toward the underground nest.
It was excusable that the cats didn't recognize him, so he wouldn't punish them this time.
He didn't know exactly how long he had been away, but evidently, this Grimalkyne tribe still maintained their loyalty to their Boss Glavenus. The path from the surface to the nest had clearly been renovated by the Grimalkynes; glowing moss had been planted in regular intervals within the stone crevices overhead along the way.
The Grimalkynes had probably transplanted it from elsewhere, acting as excellent streetlights that allowed Asterion to see the murals on the cavern walls clearly.
Each mural depicted a story. The one closest to the surface showed a group of Grimalkynes hunting an Apceros. The next one showed a group of small Grimalkynes surrounding a large Grimalkyne, seeming to imply they had chosen their patriarch.
Asterion realized these murals were the history of this Grimalkyne tribe. The closer he got to the nest, the more modern the content became—Asterion had already seen himself. A giant beast with a sharply drawn tail was surrounded by many Grimalkynes. Putting aside the scattered onlookers, they were generally divided into four groups.
Undoubtedly, this mural recorded the day the tribe pledged loyalty to Asterion. Everything from roasting meat to stew pots was depicted.
Honestly, these Grimalkynes had quite a hand for painting. Despite the simple lines, a dragon could recognize what they were drawing and who was who at a glance. It was very expressive.
Not just Glavenus; the murals also featured monsters like Rathian and Diablos, and even other Glavenus. However, these monsters appeared as enemies of the Grimalkyne tribe, with the cats holding weapons in battle formation. Only the mural with Asterion featured him as the center, with the theme being the cats bustling happily around him.
And this mural was the last and newest one. The entire tunnel wasn't filled with murals; they only occupied about a third of it.
Before even getting close to his old nest, Asterion could already hear waves of noise. The Grimalkynes were gathering with gongs and drums, a chaotic mix of meows and cat-speak.
The Grimalkynes had discovered Asterion's approach. Asterion looked up and spotted shadowy cat figures hiding in the crevices above.
Thwack!!
A rock thrown from above suddenly smashed in front of Asterion. At the same time, a Grimalkyne wearing wooden armor and holding a spear dropped from the sky—it was Sparky!
Asterion still remembered this cat; he was the current patriarch of the Grimalkyne tribe.
He looked incredibly cool right now, especially with that irregular black cape draped behind him, standing alone to block Asterion's path.
"No, no proceeding meow!!"
Well, cool as he was, he revealed his fear the moment he opened his mouth. Sparky tried his best to straighten his back and shouted at the giant monster dragon before him:
"Ahead is our Boss Glavenus's nest meow! We won't let you pass meow!!"
Loyalty!!
This bunch of Grimalkynes was too loyal!!
Asterion couldn't help but lean back tactically. He hadn't expected that, despite not spending much time with them—not even half a year—these Grimalkynes were loyal to this extent, willing to risk death to stop an enemy from entering his nest even in his absence.
Good!!
"That's right meow! Leave quickly meow!!"
"Everyone look alive meow! Protecting Boss Glavenus's nest depends on us meow!!"
Following Sparky's shout, many more hiding Grimalkynes popped their heads out. Their voices mixed together, and some Grimalkynes even forcefully blew blowdarts that flew past Asterion's face and stuck into the stone wall.
"Good grief, blowdarts? I wonder if they have the skills of a Gajalaka?"
Tilting his head to look at the fletching sticking out of the wall, Asterion was somewhat touched.
They were risking their lives to guard his home.
"ROAR!!" (It's me, I'm back.)
To prevent the cute cats from accidentally hurting themselves while protecting his nest, Asterion didn't continue the charade. He let out a loud roar.
"Eh? This roar meow?" Sparky stood straight up. "Why is it so familiar meow?"
"Gu-ga!!!"
Before Sparky could find a familiar source for the roar, a bird call came from Asterion's nest deeper in the tunnel.
"Gu-ga gu-ga! Gu gu gu!!!"
"No meow! Calm down, Egg-Stealer meow!! It's dangerous outside meow!!"
"Quickly stop him meow!! Can't let Boss Glavenus's partner get hurt meow!!"
"Ah! Meow, I can't hold him back meow!!"
The familiar call of his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, and the screaming of the Grimalkynes.
Accompanied by a commotion, a familiar bird head soon rushed out of the nest entrance. The moment it saw Asterion, the entire bird shook with excitement, feathers trembling. Squawking and cackling loudly, it rushed toward Asterion without a single shred of hesitation!!
Blocking it were several sturdy Grimalkynes, but the sturdiness of a Grimalkyne was a bit lacking compared to a Bird Wyvern. They tried to use ropes to block the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's path from the front, but the ropes tangled around the Kulu-Ya-Ku's legs instead became tools that dragged the cats holding them along for the ride.
"Meow-a!!! Help meow!!"
"Let go of the rope quickly meow!!"
"Can't! It's tangled meow!! Help meow!!!"
Total chaos.
This scene, so cheerful it was comical, made Asterion want to laugh. Even his cold heart, occupied by killing and eating over these past few years, couldn't help but warm up.
No one can refuse a good cat.
Thump!!
Dragging a string of Grimalkynes behind his butt, the charging Kulu-Ya-Ku brother crashed directly into Asterion's body, making a crisp sound.
"Gu-ga!!" (You're back!!)
"Roar, roar!" (I'm back. How did you recognize me?)
Asterion... he was about to explode with emotion.
The Kulu-Ya-Ku brother had rushed out hearing only his voice. Even seeing his appearance now, completely different from before, he showed no hesitation. He had immediately determined that he was him, and was now affectionately nuzzling his body with his bird head.
Tears in his eyes. As expected of my Kulu-Ya-Ku brother!!
Even after being separated for so long, he hadn't forgotten him. Kulu-Ya-Ku weren't exactly high-IQ dragons, but he actually—wait?!!
"Roar?!" (You can actually speak?!)
Asterion's words weren't quite accurate. What he cared about wasn't whether the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother could speak, but that the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother could now clearly express his thoughts, rather than just chirping a bunch of inexplicable bird calls that required Asterion to guess what he wanted to say based on movements and expressions.
Jerking his head around, Asterion carefully scrutinized the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother beside him—what was going on? Did the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother evolve too?!
————
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