This time, the cooperative quest was carried out with great momentum. Whether it was the ease of coordinating with the Fire Wyvern, or the sense of mutual recognition that came from having fought side by side, both further deepened the Fifth Fleet hunters' approval of the Ancient Tree and changed their perception of the Fire Wyvern.
Originally, Logan had thought that everything would continue step by step, right up until the Research Commission discovered traces of Shara Ishvalda and ultimately headed to Origin Isle to conduct the final investigation. It was at that moment that a piece of information was delivered to him.
The relaxed expression on his face instantly froze, and his entire draconic countenance darkened.
The consciousness of nature—this black-hearted boss—was really treating him like a beast of burden!
It had only been a few months since the hunt of Xeno'jiiva, and yet it was summoning him again!
This was a Disaster-level battle, not some ordinary Elder Dragon energy exchange—not the kind of drawn-out, high-consumption fight where neither side could settle things even after battling for three days and three nights.
Even though his Terastal energy had already recovered to peak condition with the help of the Orichalcum Pulse trait, and even his own energy output efficiency had seen substantial improvement, at this moment, with his internal energy circulation still not fully linked throughout his entire body, his overall strength was only on the same tier as Kulve Taroth. Facing Shara Ishvalda, it could not be said that he had no chance of victory, but there was indeed still a certain gap between the two sides.
Of course, that wasn't the point. The point was—why?
He had only just gone through a high-intensity, high-consumption battle. Even if he didn't get to rest for ten or twenty years, he should at least get a three-to-five-year vacation, right?
The New World wasn't down to only him as the sole Disaster-level Elder Dragon. What about the Serpent King Dragon, Amatsu, and the like—couldn't they step up instead?
For the first time, Logan developed a rebellious thought toward the summons of the consciousness of nature. He had been a diligent working dragon for decades—so why did he have to be the one to charge into every tough fight?
This time, with Shara Ishvalda causing such a commotion, Logan had stayed firmly seated on the Ancient Tree, not planning to get involved at all. He had even made preparations to back up Velkhana.
And yet now, he was still being summoned!
With a cold expression, he walked back to his nest. He flopped down on the soft Terastal branches, closed his eyes, and began the active operation of today's Orichalcum Pulse.
As for the summons from the Boss of Nature—he hadn't heard it!
Logan's slacking-off attitude almost made the Boss of Nature's program crash.
Unlike those idle Elder Dragons who, after being summoned, still required additional arrangements as contingency measures, ever since Logan had entered the Boss of Nature's list because of that otherworldly energy, he had never missed a single summons over the decades.
Whether as main force or as support, Logan had never been lax. And so it gave the Boss of Nature a procedural illusion—that Logan would not refuse its summons.
At present, the Disaster-level Elder Dragons of the New World had indeed suffered heavy losses. The few that remained were all carrying indispensable assignments in order to fill the gaps left by those losses. Only Logan, while possessing sufficient strength, also had ample time available.
And yet, precisely at such a critical moment—when the Boss of Nature of the New World had not yet managed to dig up any new Disaster-level Elder Dragons from the Old World—Logan dropped the job!
From a theoretical standpoint, even if Logan refused the summons of the Boss of Nature, as long as he was still fulfilling his own duties, his actions could not be considered wrong.
Elder Dragons—even Disaster-level Elder Dragons—have, at their core, the responsibility of regulating natural ecology, rather than serving as thugs for the Boss of Nature and fighting everywhere. Only Elder Dragons such as Nergigante and Ruiner Nergigante of the Old World are the Boss of Nature's professional enforcers.
Each summons issued by the Boss of Nature is merely a part-time request. Even if an Elder Dragon does not respond, it will not cause any real impact—at most, it simply means not receiving additional rewards.
What's more, given Logan's current ecological niche, as long as he did not commit any principled violations, the Boss of Nature would not be able to do anything to him.
A truly apex Elder Dragon occupying the pinnacle of an ecological niche—if it were to deliberately choose to destroy the environment—could already inflict irreversible damage on the local ecology long before the Boss of Nature could muster enough combat power to deal with it.
It was just that… the present moment was precisely the most critical period for the New World, and likewise the moment when its top-tier combat power was at its most depleted. Under such circumstances, the Boss of Nature—who should not have continued issuing summons after Logan had shown clear signs of refusal—began to behave like an AI machine.
More than a dozen summons per day were sent to Logan in uninterrupted succession. It even quietly loosened some of Logan's restrictions on bioenergy absorption efficiency in order to placate his mood, accelerating the progress of his internal energy circulation.
Yet even so, Logan remained unmoved.
Measured against the nearly endless lifespan of Disaster-level Elder Dragons, Logan's age could practically be considered that of a newborn infant.
Internal energy circulation was indeed important, but simply by grinding it out over time, Logan could achieve it on his own.
This small amount of compensation offered by the Boss of Nature was truly nothing to speak of.
This state of mind persisted right up until the Boss of Nature delivered a crucial piece of information—at which point Logan instantly stopped feeling sleepy.
"Otherworlds, agreements, cooperation, breakthroughs, bridges…"
The message from the Boss of Nature arrived very abruptly, yet it carried an enormous amount of information.
It was not a threat. The Monster Hunter world frequently intersects with other worlds, and energy from otherworlds occasionally blooms in this world in unexpected ways. However, under the intervention of the Boss of Nature, such forces either become fully localized, or—if they are too anomalous—are ultimately eliminated at the Forbidden level.
Logan had many speculations about the panel. He knew very clearly that for something to allow a malnourished premature infant like him to rise from mediocre aptitude to the very apex of an ecological niche—and even still possess clear room for further growth—there had to be a price.
It was just that this price had not yet reached the point where he needed to pay it.
And so, Logan was genuinely conflicted.
On the one hand, he feared that the price he would have to pay in the future might be something he could not bear. On the other, he was unwilling to stop here.
A magnificent, surging life—or a quiet lifetime of obscure enjoyment.
It was a difficult choice.
Yet the information provided by the Boss of Nature this time made it clear to him what the lower bound of his future strength would be, as well as what the final price he would have to pay truly was.
Overall, this was a three-way win plan.
Standing at the pinnacle of energy from two worlds, and at the same time possessing a physical form capable of representing the energy systems of both worlds, he had already proven far too many things through the Ancient Tree.
His existence itself was correctness.
Beyond that, there was another key piece of information that also drew his attention.
For the Boss of Nature to speak of a "breakthrough," it could not possibly be something as shallow as a mere increase in strength.
To the Boss of Nature, the power of an Elder Dragon does not represent much; only ecological niche is what truly warrants its attention.
Whether or not this was merely empty promise, with this information in hand, Logan had already made his decision.
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