After detecting traces of a sound, Andrew immediately grew alert. Faint noises came continuously from all around, like a hunter waiting for the perfect moment.
Thinking the monster was targeting him, Andrew had no choice but to stop and stand guard, using his hearing to carefully pinpoint its position.
But after just a few seconds, Andrew dismissed his own theory. The newcomer's target wasn't him; it was circling the other battlefield.
Realizing this, Andrew quickly moved toward the scene where the Dullahan and Caesar were fighting. The creature's target was clearly one of the two.
Andrew crossed the short distance in a flash. Just as he reached the edge of the battlefield, a shockwave erupted, released by an attack that had just reached its peak charge.
The ringing sound of the shockwave masked the faint noises, and because of it, Caesar didn't notice a thing.
As a Hunter, the moment the intermittent sound of padded feet on the ground completely vanished, he knew this was the perfect opportunity—for whichever creature was hunting.
Regardless of its target, Andrew wouldn't take that chance. He couldn't.
His grappling hook shot out, latching onto Caesar and pulling her out of the battlefield.
The next moment, a massive shadow descending from the sky confirmed Andrew's suspicions.
A body of dark red, with distinct, well-defined muscles, as if it had no skin. Behind it, a tail like a mace, formed from layers of keratin.
Its six huge, protruding incisors were both unique and iconic.
Seeing the monster clearly, Andrew felt a surge of surprise mixed with a familiar, teeth-grinding annoyance.
Surprise, because this was the first creature from the Monster Hunter world he had found in this one. The possibility of finding a way back to his world truly existed.
If other creatures were appearing, it meant this world was still connected to the Monster Hunter world somehow. He had a chance to find Gada again.
And the teeth-grinding annoyance? That was because this monster he was now facing was an all-too-familiar one, from a memory that was anything but pleasant.
The Odogaron. The Sapphire Star first saw one in the Rotten Vale, but Andrew's first encounter was in the Coral Highlands.
At the time, that thing had ambushed a Legiana that Andrew had just fought to the point of exhaustion. It was limping back to its nest, ready for capture, when the Odogaron snatched it right out of the sky.
After following his Scoutflies all the way to the Legiana's nest, Andrew arrived only to see the poor creature pinned under the Honey Badger's claws, struggling desperately.
The severed tail from his Helm Breaker and the various wounds he'd inflicted on the pinned Legiana were painfully familiar.
And then? Then Andrew lost his hunting target, and the Odogaron's lair gained a Legiana corpse.
Although Andrew sincerely hoped the Legiana could escape, a creature on its last legs had no chance against an Odogaron at its peak.
Besides, Legiana were part of the Honey Badger's regular diet.
As they say, a gentleman's revenge can wait ten years, but the grudge over lost monster materials is irreconcilable. Andrew still remembered that grudge to this day.
If it had just let him get his three carves, the grudge wouldn't have been nearly this intense.
"Honey Badger?"
After being pulled back to a safe distance by Andrew and set down, Caesar's face was still a little flushed. Seeing this bizarre, unknown monster left her no time to dwell on it.
"Andrew, you know this thing? What kind of monster is it? A new type of Ethereal?"
Looking at the familiar form, Andrew couldn't help but grit his teeth a little, but he still explained the situation to the completely clueless Caesar:
"Don't be fooled by its bizarre appearance. This thing is no Ethereal."
He never thought that he, a Hunter who was more of a brawler, would one day be giving someone a lesson in ecology. What a strange feeling.
"The Odogaron. It's a carrion-eating Fanged Wyvern that lives deep in the Rotten Vale, one of the apex predators of that ecosystem."
Watching the big red dog-like creature viciously tear at the 'Infamy' Dullahan in its jaws, Andrew's eyes narrowed as he continued:
"But what's unique is that, despite being one of the most aggressive monsters, its aggro towards hunters is actually the lowest. It's the type to leave you alone if you don't attack it first."
As Andrew spoke, the Odogaron slammed the Dullahan to the ground. Its hunting claws, already extended, slashed out violently, carving another deep gash into the Dullahan's body.
Seeing the familiar wound, Andrew instantly recalled the scarred and battered state of this Dullahan when he first saw it.
Those deep claw marks were identical to the new ones appearing now!
This Dullahan wasn't born in this new Hollow at all—it was chased here by the Odogaron!
Its earlier partnership with the evolving Corrupted Overlord - Pompey wasn't to fight humans, but to fight the Odogaron!
The Odogaron's appearance here wasn't a coincidence either—it was chasing its prey!
But as a carrion-eating Fanged Wyvern, it was an absolute carnivore. Why was it attacking an Ethereal now?
That thing was pure Ether energy, without a single ounce of meat on it.
But as if driven by a territorial dispute etched into its very soul, the Odogaron's assault on the Dullahan was relentless.
And the Dullahan showed no weakness in return.
After being slashed, the Dullahan unhesitatingly gathered its Ether energy. The light already flickering across its body grew even brighter on its blade.
In less than two seconds, the energy was fully charged.
It then thrust its blade forward, stabbing directly into the foreleg that had just swiped at it. Instantly, the blade surging with energy became like a chainsword, the roiling power transforming into countless cutting strikes that bit deep into the Odogaron's foreleg.
Whatever else could be said about the Odogaron, its body had no scales or armor for protection.
Combined with a body fat percentage reduced to the absolute minimum for agility, it was arguably one of the monsters with the tenderest flesh in the New World.
Thus, the Dullahan's attack achieved its intended effect, piercing deep into the Odogaron's skin.
But given the Odogaron's massive size, the wound served only to enrage it and awaken its ferocity further. It had no other effect.
After being hit, the Odogaron instinctively took two steps back, its body already coiling like a tightly drawn bow.
Its head tilted slightly, as if it intended to tear the Ethereal in half sideways.
At the same time, its already massive mouth—grotesque and demonic—opened to a terrifying degree.
The next moment, the bowstring-taut body lunged forward. Pushing off with all four limbs simultaneously, its pounce was incredibly swift.
_____
🔥 Fresh content has just dropped! 🔥
🪦 Grab a 25% discount when you join my P...!
✅ Read 40 chapters ahead on every series!
✅ Unlock supporter-only perks and news!
Let's reach these milestones together:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 free chapter for all readers
🚀 80 MEMBERS = +5 bonus chapters for all series!
👻 Walnutchan on P...