MHGA Chapter 199 – Pre-Battle Strategy Session (Kirin)
"We'll start by introducing some information about Kirin."
Kairo Retsu slapped the diagram of Kirin that had been pinned up and addressed the gathered Hunters. "Kirin is an Elder Dragon. Unlike conventional Elder Dragons, Kirin has a smaller build and lacks the standard four-legged, two-winged body structure…"
"Though it resembles a unicorn, it doesn't share a unicorn's preferences… it's an honest-to-goodness disaster-bringing monster."
Kairo Retsu picked up a pointer and aimed it at the horn on Kirin's head. "See this horn? Kirin uses it to freely manipulate the ionized particles in the air, forming an invisible protective layer around itself using those ions… which makes long-range attacks particularly ineffective at breaking through and hitting it."
"!" Kazuma suddenly raised his hand. "Hey—! Isn't this supposed to be an ecological research outpost?! Why are we suddenly talking about things like barriers?! I demand to file a complaint!"
"Complaint denied! Elder Dragons are just like that! And even among regular monsters, there are ones that can utilize elemental energy! That's Monster Hunter ecology for you, kid!" Kairo Retsu ruthlessly shot down Kazuma's retort.
"So that means… Kirin can use lightning to attack as well?" Tanjiro raised his hand, asking his question with a worried expression.
"Yes. Kirin has the ability to summon lightning. Even on a clear day, you'll hear thunder." Kairo Retsu rubbed his temple. "It feels like having needles jabbed into your skin… Kirin's electricity is intense."
"See this hide with those faint patterns?" Kairo Retsu continued. "Kirin's flesh is extremely tough. Even if you manage to break through the barrier, it's hard to do any real damage. Kirin is…"
"…tough all over like a damn chunk of crumbling rock! You can't make a dent in it!" Resentment crept over Kairo Retsu's face. "Guess which part of Kirin's body is the most fragile? That damn horn! That horn is the weakest part!"
"Serves it right for being used like a popsicle stick!" Kairo Retsu muttered bitterly.
"Any other intel?" Rakuro Hizutome asked with a serious expression. "Does Kirin have any actual weaknesses?"
This feeling was familiar to Rakuro. It was just like preparing to take down a massive raid boss. So instinctively, he wanted to gather more info.
"Weaknesses, huh…"
Kairo Retsu rubbed his temples, thinking about how best to explain it to the Hunters.
"Kirin's only weak spot is its head. But Kirin moves extremely fast, has a small frame, and doesn't focus its attacks on a single Hunter during combat… So it's easy to miss your attacks." Kairo Retsu pondered. "Kirin's hide is practically non-conductive and highly resistant to most elements… Fire is relatively effective against it."
"During battle, Kirin may enter an electrified state. When that happens, its head will light up with electricity, and its hide and elemental resistance will further increase…"
Kairo Retsu thought for a moment before adding, "Even the sharpest blade might bounce off."
"Electrified?" Rakuro pressed. "Is there a way to cancel that state?"
"There is," Kairo Retsu answered. "If you keep attacking the head, you can force Kirin out of that state faster… Breaking its horn is even better."
"So there is a weak point!" Rakuro clenched his fist. "That's good enough for me!"
"Then… are there any other precautions we need to take?" Shirou Emiya also slowly raised his hand. "Anything we need to be especially careful about?"
"Other than that… mainly just Kirin's attack patterns." Kairo Retsu thought for a moment. "It'll charge with its body, use its hooves and horn for physical attacks, and in terms of elements, it has a wide-area lightning strike."
"Plus, Kirin's attacks can easily inflict Paralysis. That's something to really watch out for," Kairo Retsu said with a pained expression. "Sometimes in the middle of the fight, someone just suddenly collapses."
"This… sounds ridiculously hard to fight," Joseph said, looking exasperated. "It's hard to deal damage from range, melee gets your blade bounced, it moves fast, attacks cover a wide area, and it even has a powered-up state…"
"No worries! As long as there's a solution, we can fight it!" Rakuro was surprisingly optimistic. "All we have to do is find a way to break the head!"
"Hoho! I like your attitude, Rakuro!" Kairo Retsu looked at Rakuro with increasing satisfaction. "If we ever have a strategy team in the Gathering Hub, you're definitely in! No wonder you came out of that sea of garbage-tier games!"
"Damn straight!" Rakuro said with confidence. "The pile of garbage games I've played could fill an entire bookshelf!"
"I've got a question." Laios quietly raised his hand. "This Kirin… how fast is it on foot?"
"…Huh?" Kairo Retsu blinked.
"I mean, for a monster like that, it seems like we'd only be able to take it down in a prolonged fight," Laios explained his concern. "It probably won't stay in one place and keep fighting us, right? Not like the Winged Lion…"
"Even if we injure it, it'll likely try to flee. Will we be able to catch up?" Laios voiced his concern.
"…You're right," Kairo Retsu scratched his head.
In the games, Kirin was confined to the map, so it never really went far. But this time, the hunting grounds were in Night City.
Even if Kirin wasn't particularly fast, just looking at those four hooves and horse-like physique made it clear—it had serious leg power.
Since this was his first time hunting a classic Monster Hunter monster with other Gathering Hub Hunters, Kairo Retsu really hadn't considered that.
If Laios hadn't brought it up, the Hunters would've just had to locate Kirin for each encounter, fight it, then rely on Scoutflies or similar tools to find it again.
"How do we deal with that…" Kairo Retsu scratched at his hair in frustration. "There's no way two legs are beating four… The longer we delay, the worse it'll get…"
"Do the Hunters need mounts?" a nearby Felyne suddenly perked up. "Actually, the Gathering Hub recently received a new support service for Hunters!"
"Hunters can now ride Kelbi Raptors into battle!" the Felyne said happily. "You just need to exchange coins from the Arena Challenges! Or you can also hire Palamutes using coins!"
"…Huh?"
At first, Kairo Retsu was delighted—then a strange sense of unease crept in.
"…Just asking, but… how many coins are we talking here?"
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