"I've already used up all my dung pods."
The Field Master checked the ammo pouch at her waist and shouted toward the Wyverian hunter nearby—Koen.
│ "Dung pods don't work on a Deviljho in a starving state."
Koen gripped his Insect Glaive tightly.
He had already tried using dung pods earlier.
Not only were they ineffective, but this Deviljho's strength was clearly abnormal.
He had tested a brief exchange—
His weapon couldn't even break through its defense.
This was a high-rank Deviljho.
"This is bad…"
A bead of cold sweat slid down the Field Master's temple.
She had rushed over after seeing Koen's distress flare.
Just as she was desperately scanning the area for a place to evade pursuit—
A sharp crack of lightning rang out from the sky.
The next instant, a sword wrapped in lightning plunged straight toward the Deviljho.
"What—!?"
The two of them stared blankly upward at the enormous blade flying on its own.
Even the Deviljho was momentarily distracted.
It snapped its jaws open, trying to bite down on the weapon.
But the Zinogre Blade dodged with uncanny agility, slipping past its fangs.
│ "Don't zone out. That thing's still extremely dangerous."
They followed the voice upward.
Two hundred meters above them, Bai Chen hovered calmly in midair.
If not for the lightning flash just now, they wouldn't have noticed him at all.
Before either of them could react—
A tremendous force yanked them backward by their collars.
A massive tail swept past where they had been standing just moments ago.
Bai Chen had pulled them clear of the Deviljho's attack.
He waved at them lightly.
The two were lifted into the air as if weightless, flying straight toward him.
Their minds went completely blank.
Bai Chen recalled the Rajang Fangblade.
Below, the Deviljho roared furiously at him.
Bai Chen released Little Nebula.
│ "Cosmog—Teleport."
│ "Mogu!"
When the Field Master and Koen opened their eyes again—
They were standing inside a warm cave.
The two scanned their surroundings in disbelief.
"Who… are you?"
The Field Master was the first to voice the question.
Everything had happened far too fast.
A flying sword is fighting on its own.
A man hovering in the sky.
Being dragged into the air by some invisible force.
And then—instantaneously appearing inside a cave.
Bai Chen removed his helmet.
He greeted the two veterans of the First Fleet.
│ "Nice to meet you. I'm Bai Chen—Fifth Fleet, Handler's Pick, Knight."
"Bai Chen?"
The Field Master searched her memory.
Then her eyes widened.
│ "You're the monster-taming knight?"
Though she spent most of her time exploring the wilds, she had heard of Bai Chen.
"I didn't expect the Field Master to know about me."
│ "Hard not to remember the Fifth Fleet's guiding star."
After confirming Bai Chen's identity, the two finally relaxed.
Compared to an unknown powerhouse,
A trusted elite from the Survey Corps was far more reassuring.
│ "You flatter me. Have you eaten yet? If not, would you like to eat together? This cave is very safe—you can rest here without worry."
They looked down at the makeshift wooden table.
It was piled high with dishes that made their mouths water.
"These are…?"
│ "The Canteen Chief's cooking. I packed it from Astera."
They froze again.
Astera?
This place was nearly a thousand kilometers away from the base.
How could food possibly be brought from that far?
Then realization struck.
Their gazes shifted to Cosmog, floating beside Bai Chen.
If that little creature could teleport them here—
Then teleporting to Astera would hardly be strange.
│ "Your partner is…?"
"He's Cosmog. He's from another world."
The two exchanged a look.
They still felt like they were dreaming.
Bai Chen gently released some psychic force, calming them.
"Exploration is exhausting. Let's eat first and talk."
Only after they began eating hot food did things finally feel real.
│ "This really is the Canteen Chief's flavor…"
The Field Master sighed in amazement.
│ "I never imagined I'd eat his cooking out in the wild."
Koen set down his wooden bowl.
The conditions here were unreal.
The cave Bai Chen had prepared could easily function as a full camp.
"Why were you two here, and how did you run into that Deviljho?"
Back to business.
The Field Master and Koen sincerely thanked Bai Chen.
│ "You saved our lives. If you hadn't been nearby, we'd probably be inside that monster's stomach by now."
Koen nodded solemnly.
│ "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. As a member of the Survey Corps, responding to distress flares is only natural."
│ "Having juniors like you really puts us at ease."
The Field Master patted Bai Chen on the shoulder, her eyes full of approval.
After a brief pause, she continued.
│ "We were investigating Kirin. We didn't find it—but instead ran into that starving Deviljho."
"You were tracking Kirin?"
Now it was Bai Chen's turn to be surprised.
He had thought he was the only one searching for it.
│ "That's right."
The Field Master popped a fry into her mouth and nodded.
│ "You know the Survey Corps once followed a Kirin to study the Elder Crossing, right?"
Bai Chen nodded.
The Fifth Fleet had followed Zorah Magdaros across the sea.
And in earlier fleets, Kirin had indeed been observed crossing as well.
"Then is the Kirin here the same one the Survey Corps tracked before?"
Bai Chen knew the truth of the Elder Crossing—
Elder Dragons journeyed to the New World when they sensed their end approaching.
But that Kirin had arrived more than ten years ago.
It should have died long ago.
│ "Not the same one."
The Field Master shook her head.
│ "This one is likely its offspring. That's what we're investigating."
│ "For years, I've been studying the Rotten Vale beneath the Coral Highlands. I've seen countless Elder Dragon remains there. If my hypothesis is correct, the Elder Crossing exists because Elder Dragons come here to face their deaths."
"But that still doesn't explain why they must come to the New World,"
Koen, who had remained silent, finally spoke.
│ "Exactly."
The Field Master nodded.
│ "That part still doesn't add up. But if they're doing it for their offspring—so the next generation can grow rapidly here—then at least we have a theory that makes sense."
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