Flora lay on the ground, her silvery-white armor scorched black and shattered on one side. The Flower Dagger had been knocked from her hand, embedded in a nearby tree trunk.
Coco's expression shifted drastically as he rushed forward, waving his hunting horn in an attempt to distract the Anjanath while shouting anxiously, "Flora! Get up, meow!!"
Dumpling hopped onto Leon's shoulder and asked, "What do we do now? Did you forget to bring signal flares too?"
Leon didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the battlefield as he processed the situation. He thought he was just here for a beginner quest, not a cascade of trouble...
However, he knew clearly that the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he needed to be.
ROAR—
The Anjanath let out a sky-rending roar, the piercing howl vibrating deep within their eardrums as if venting an unprovoked fury. Its violent footsteps shook the earth, closing in on Flora's position step by step.
"Something's wrong..." Flora gritted her teeth, struggling to rise as she wiped a streak of blood from the corner of her mouth. "This thing isn't a normal Anjanath, it's—"
"A High Rank Anjanath!" Coco shouted the answer, analyzing rapidly. "Its size, musculature, and energy fluctuations are completely different. Our attacks won't even budge it!"
Leon's heart jolted. As he watched the monster advance, the very air seemed to ignite with every step it took.
He knew exactly what "High Rank" represented. In the world of Monster Hunter, even monsters of the same species could vary in strength—perhaps from living long enough, surviving many battles, or some strange stroke of luck...
Hunters had various theories about what caused these mutations, but there was no official consensus.
According to the Hunter's Guild records, monsters generally fell into three basic tiers of strength—
Low Rank, High Rank, and Master Rank.
Beyond Master Rank, there were even more specialized existences: Tempered monsters, Deviants, Arch-Tempered individuals, and more...
Flora collapsed to one knee. She tried to stand again, but a surge of sharp pain in her chest nearly made her black out.
"Run... you'll die..." Flora looked up, stunned to see Leon charging toward her. She screamed in desperation, "Don't come over here!"
However, the man was already before her.
Leon held the recovered Flower Dagger and looked Flora in the eye. "Lend me your shield. I'll hold off the Anjanath. You two head back for help."
"Are you... going to your death?" Flora barely had the strength left to speak.
"I'm not going to my death..." Leon's throat moved as he steadied his mind. A flash of resolve, far beyond that of a novice, flickered in his eyes. "I'm just doing what I can."
The Anjanath's pace was slow, as if possessed by an absolute confidence while watching the humans who were now at their wit's end.
"Dumpling! Coco!" Leon barked. "Get the wounded out of here. Head back to camp and call for reinforcements."
With that, he spun around and used his slinger to fire a stone he had scavenged from the ground at the Anjanath.
Leon wasn't being reckless; this was the optimal solution derived from cold analysis.
He intended to rely on his understanding of the Anjanath to dodge as many attacks as possible. Even if he were hit, he still had four attribute points he could use to recover his body.
"Four chances..."
Provoked, the Anjanath shifted its massive frame and came barreling toward Leon.
"Get her on!" Coco gritted his teeth, somehow producing a wooden transport cart.
"No... wait..." Flora tried to resist, but she was completely drained of strength and could only watch as the two Felynes loaded her onto the cart.
The wooden cart zipped through the forest, arriving back at the Southwest Camp in short order.
Flora fired a red signal flare into the sky rather than the usual yellow positioning flare. Now, she could only pray that the hunters in Astera would arrive in time.
After firing the flare, she collapsed unconscious on the cart.
At the other end of the woods, Leon watched the tank-like Anjanath charging at him, his breathing growing shallow and fast.
His gaze locked onto the monster, his grip tightening around the Flower Dagger and the small shield.
"Here it comes..." Leon whispered, half as a warning, half as a way to force himself to focus.
BOOM!!
The Anjanath unhinged its massive jaws, the scent of blood and musk hitting Leon's face.
Leon threw himself into a roll to the left.
It was an incredibly precise evasion!
It wasn't fast or frantic, but at the exact moment the Anjanath lunged, he shifted half a step out of the way.
Immediately following that, Leon didn't turn to counter-attack. Instead, he transitioned into another lateral roll, skillfully avoiding the follow-up tail sweep.
"So far so good..." Leon's heart was pounding. "I've hunted this thing enough times in the past..."
But he knew this kind of evasion couldn't last forever. In his current state, if he were cornered or took a single direct hit, he would be near death.
Furthermore, the Anjanath's sense of smell was extremely keen. Even if he wanted to hide, it wouldn't be for long.
If he tried to run now, he wouldn't necessarily outpace it...
I have to allocate points now!
With a thought, that unique system interface flickered before his eyes once more.
[Attributes: STR 18, AGI 19, CON 15, PER 14. (Unassigned Points: 4)]
"If I want to escape, I need to be fast enough?" After a brief hesitation, Leon assigned one point to Agility.
[AGI +1, Current AGI: 20]
In that instant, Leon felt his depleted stamina flood back into his body, and the movements of his legs became significantly more fluid.
Leon tapped the ground with his toe, feeling as if he had broken free from a bog—
He was faster.
BOOM!
The Anjanath's tail swept out, the sound of breaking wind tearing through the air.
Leon's legs pumped, his figure blurring forward as the heavy blow barely grazed his back.
"Ha—!" Leon panted, but his eyes grew clearer. *It really works!*
Leon darted through the trees like a ghost, narrowly escaping death multiple times under the Anjanath's relentless combos.
The Flower Dagger and small shield were only for self-defense. His actual tactic was to buy time.
BOOM!!
A boulder was shattered by the Anjanath's tail, sending stone shards flying like shrapnel. Leon dodged desperately. Just as he was about to pull some distance, suddenly—
BANG!
A fireball erupted toward him. Leon had no time to dodge and was hit squarely, sent flying like a kite with a broken string. He smashed through two trees before finally coming to a stop.
"Ugh!"
The taste of iron filled his throat as he nearly coughed up blood. His chest felt like it was on fire, several ribs likely broken, and his vision started to dim.
Points!
[AGI +1, Current AGI: 21]
[Current Unassigned Attribute Points: 2]
A stream of warm light circulated through his body. His heavily injured muscles knit back together rapidly, and the pain subsided by seventy or eighty percent.
Leon rolled to his feet, immediately moving into a rapid lateral dash.
His footsteps became swifter. Using the uneven terrain and the massive trees of the forest as cover, he moved constantly, denying the Anjanath any chance to build momentum for a heavy strike.
However, the High Rank Anjanath didn't follow the usual patterns. It came to a sudden halt—
Flames condensed in its gullet, a searing red glow illuminating the surroundings.
The next moment.
A tongue of fire swept across the area. The lush green forest looked like an oil painting set ablaze, crackling and popping as scorched leaves scattered everywhere!
"Damn!" Leon's face paled as he leaped to avoid the blast, but he was still caught in the aftershock!
His armor was instantly scorched black, and the shockwave sent him tumbling through the air until he slammed hard into a tree trunk.
Leon collapsed to the ground, his head ringing. His chest heaved like a broken bellows, his armor was riddled with cracks, and blood dripped slowly from the corner of his mouth onto his shield.
"ROAR—" The Anjanath roared at the sky, as if mocking the weakness of the human before it.
Leon struggled to crawl back up, staring at the Anjanath with eyes full of resolve. The monster remained oppressive, the scent of burning wood and flame heavy in the air.
"Enough... Running... won't work anymore," Leon muttered, his voice sounding like grinding metal.
He had thought he could hold out until reinforcements arrived, but this High Rank Anjanath was more crazed than he had imagined, giving him no room to breathe. If he kept taking hits passively, he would die here sooner or later.
If I'm going to die... I'm going to make it pay.
Points!
[STR +1, Current STR: 20]
[Current Unassigned Attribute Points: 1]
Leon's fingers tightened. The blade of the Flower Dagger began to give off a faint, eerie purple-green glint—
That was the 'Poison' effect. As long as he could pierce the hide, even a High Rank monster would be hindered.
He slowly stood up, a cold smile touching his lips.
The Anjanath seemed to sense the provocation. Embers drifted from its mouth as its massive legs stomped the earth.
Leon whispered, "Come on..."
An instant later, the Anjanath charged like a flaming war chariot.
This time, Leon didn't choose to run. He stood his ground, searching for the moment to counter.
At this moment, he cast all fear from his mind, leaving only one conviction.
As long as I can land a hit, I have a chance.
The moment the Anjanath lunged, Leon timed his movement perfectly, sliding to the right to avoid the frontal impact. Using the momentum, he raised the dagger and slashed it hard across the Anjanath's belly!
Pshhh—
The moment the dagger met flesh, Leon felt a violent vibration as if his entire arm were about to break.
"Damn it! The sharpness isn't high enough..."
The Anjanath's tail came swinging around. Leon raised the small shield in his left hand to block, but he was still sent flying several meters.
"Hold on... can't fall yet..." Leon had exhausted nearly every ounce of strength as he collapsed to the ground.
He gasped for air, his vision already starting to blur.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness—
A cold flash of light descended from the heavens!
SHUA!!
The Anjanath roared in agony as a dark green long sword buried itself deep into its back, sending blood spraying into the air.
A figure leaped from the trees like a falling star piercing the forest mist, kicking up a gust of wind upon landing.
"Don't die on me, rookie." The newcomer was a hunter clad in silvery-white armor, wearing a full-face steel helm.
Finally... they're here...
Leon closed his eyes, letting the darkness of unconsciousness swallow him whole.