MHGA Chapter 140 – Valstrax! A True Monster from Monster Hunter!
"You actually blocked an attack none of us could defend against—that's seriously hot-blooded! Truly admirable!"
Having been spared a cart ride thanks to Naofumi's protection, Kazuma climbed out from beneath the Silver Ridge Beast, clenched his fist, and shouted those impassioned words.
"…You're starting to sound like him," Naofumi glanced at Kazuma. "Did you pick that up from the Guildmaster?"
"Nope, it's just that Grandpa Joseph's stories are too good!" Kazuma replied with hands on hips and radiant confidence. "I didn't really pay attention the first time I watched, but later I borrowed the player from Kairo Retsu and rewatched it a few more times!"
"At first it felt kind of old-fashioned, but the more I watched, the more fired up I got," Kazuma now wore the expression of an enlightened sage. "Kazuma-sama doesn't hate this kind of shōnen-style story."
"Oh, by the way—I borrowed your anime too," Kazuma said, turning to Naofumi. "You bastard! Always looking like you're carrying the weight of the world—but turns out you're just another harem-having isekai normie living the dream!!"
"…Me?"
Naofumi's expression twitched slightly. But when he recalled how dangerous Kazuma's world was—and what kind of teammates he had…
If not for the comedic tone and Kazuma's sheer absurd survivability, things probably would've been much worse.
"In that case, why don't you show the other newbie Hunters how you got isekai'd in the first place?" Naofumi suggested, turning to Kazuma. "Right now, among all the Hunters we've gathered, only one guy's isekai entry was played for laughs… Who could it be…"
"HEY!!!! Don't you dare!!! Yameroooooo!!!!!!"
The elves stared at the banter between Kazuma and Naofumi with nothing but question marks in their eyes.
In a crisis this dire, these two Hunters were joking around?
Aren't they afraid of dying? What if Shah Dalamadur hits them with another breath attack?
Sure, this place was now within the Dungeon's territory, and the immortality constraint from Heathrune Labyrinth applied here too—but even Resurrection Magic needed a physical body to work.
If your body was completely disintegrated, even resurrection magic wouldn't help…
"We should relocate now," Mithrun said, teleporting directly to the top of the Silver Ridge Beast's head and placing a hand on Naofumi's shoulder. "Thanks for protecting the elves. But now, your power shouldn't be wasted here."
"Got it," Naofumi nodded. "Take Kazuma and the elves and move. As long as the Transform Mushroom's spores last, he should be able to recover enough mana for another cast of Explosion Magic… If possible, use whatever support-type magic you've got on him."
"As for me—"
Naofumi turned to face the now-moving Shah Dalamadur.
"I'm going to go be the shield for my allies."
"Our Guildmaster is probably already on his way back."
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Ugh…"
Back at the camp, Kairo Retsu groaned as he rubbed his sore neck and climbed out of the cart. He turned to the dazzling rainbow-furred Felyne who had delivered him and offered a polite thanks.
"Thanks, Rainbow Cart Knight."
"No need to thank me, nya! Protecting Hunters is our mission, nya!" The Rainbow Felyne nodded firmly and ran off.
As for why Kairo had taken so long to revive…
After he'd lost his desire and been knocked off of Shah Dalamadur, he'd plummeted straight to the island below.
But since fall damage didn't apply to him, Kairo hadn't died on impact. Instead, he just lay there in a state of desirelessness for ages—until a wandering monster casually squashed him, finally triggering his cart ride.
"I need to jot this down… Even if I can revive, I should prepare for this kind of situation," Kairo muttered, flipping open his notebook to log the lesson.
After all, Monster Hunters like them were going to face increasingly complex hunts in the future. No matter what, they had to be ready for every type of danger if they wanted their hunts to go smoothly.
"Now then… Let's see how the battle's going."
Kairo pulled out his binoculars and peered toward the battlefield.
And the moment he did—he saw Shah Dalamadur spewing its breath toward Naofumi.
The next second, he saw Naofumi wrapped in black-and-white spikes, like he'd been possessed by Nergigante itself, and tank the breath head-on.
Though he quickly pieced together what had happened, Kairo couldn't help but glare with pure envy.
"So unfair!! I was the one who found Fluffy first! Now Laios has Fluffy's armor set, Naofumi's got the Nergigante Shield—when am I getting my Fluffy gear?!"
Kairo slammed his fist on the ground in frustration.
"Damn it! I should've summoned a Fluffy as my familiar when I became Dungeon Master!! They've got their own human-dragon team-ups—and I'm the only one who doesn't!!"
"…Wait, hold on. Weren't my tracks left out there for a long time now? Why hasn't there been any movement yet?" Kairo scratched his head, frustrated. "Does it really take this long for the monster to show up after being lured by the traces?"
As Kairo pondered this, a harsh rattling sound suddenly filled his ears—a sharp, metallic clatter, like hard plates colliding rapidly. It was like the sound of a rattlesnake, only more intense…
"!"
Kairo's head snapped up.
"It's here!"
He grabbed his binoculars and looked toward the source of the sound—and instantly spotted it.
Above a forest clearing, a fearsome Flying Wyvern was locked in fierce pursuit of a fabricated "Rathalos" created as a Dungeon monster.
That monster—its entire body covered in blade-like reverse scales. Its back, tail, and wings bristled with golden, razor-sharp blade scales—"blade shears." A single, huge horn crowned its head like a sword. Its wings were wide and majestic, and its hind legs bore talons like those of a predatory bird. It was a vision of lethal grace.
And now, that golden dragon had already sunk its claws into the mock Rathalos.
Against a monster nowhere near the strength of the original, the fabricated Rathalos was torn apart almost instantly by its talons. The golden monster paused for a moment—perhaps stunned by how weak its "old rival" had become.
"That's it… the monster summoned by the traces!" Kairo clenched his fist and slapped a hand against his waist, gripping his Wirebug.
"Valstrax, the Crimson Glow—The Thousand-Blade Dragon!!"
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