TL Note: In previous chapters, Karin was mentioned as being stationed in Loc Lac City. This was a translation error on my part; the author used a non-standard romanization of the location name that made it difficult to identify. Karin is in fact stationed in Liber City, as clarified in this chapter.
—--
Altaïr slept in for the first time in a long while.
During this mission, they had stayed in the hunting grounds for over a week. Sleeping soundly was difficult when taking turns on night watch every day, and in the twenty or thirty hours since the Soaratorium arrived, he had basically not closed his eyes at all.
Lying on the soft bed in the Hunter Cabin, his accumulated fatigue exploded all at once. By the time he opened his eyes again, it was nearly noon.
He climbed out of bed and, seeing that Sajji was still asleep in the Felyne nook, didn't wake him. He changed into light clothes and left the room.
Greeting familiar Hunters and staff members along the way, Altaïr arrived at the Training Area alone, intending to move his sluggish body.
The drunks who had been dragged over last night were long gone, which made Altaïr feel inexplicably disappointed.
The expressions on those drunks' faces when they woke up to find themselves huddled intimately together surely would have been quite entertaining.
"Yo! You're back! Altaïr!"
A coarse, booming voice called out to him. Altaïr turned to look as a burly man, not particularly tall but with incredibly thick muscles, set down the barbell in his hands and tilted his chin toward him.
It was Buck, the Hammer user from the Vanguard Hunting Party.
Altaïr also smiled and greeted the other man, "Buck, training all morning?"
"Nothing else to do, anyway." Buck slapped his large hands together. "How was it? I heard you guys went to hunt a Duramboros? Go smoothly?"
"Relatively smoothly, I suppose. Just a bit of bad luck, we ran into a Duramboros in a Hyper state. Fortunately, we made it through without any real disasters."
"You guys ran into a Hyper Monster too?" Buck's eyes widened slightly. "No wonder Guildmarm Noya posted that kind of notice..."
"What notice?"
"I only gave it a glance, didn't look closely. Go check the bulletin board in the lobby in a bit." Buck said, pointing to the barbell on the floor. "You in?"
Altaïr hesitated for half a second before choosing the latter between satisfying his curiosity and honing his muscles. He moved his limbs to do a simple warm-up and began power training.
—--
Over two hours later, a sweat-drenched Altaïr returned to his room to take a shower, then headed down to the first-floor lobby feeling refreshed.
Sure enough, a few Hunters were gathered around the bulletin board, whispering and discussing something. Altaïr walked over.
Reaching the bulletin board, he immediately spotted the notice Buck had mentioned. The paper was as large as a coffee table, and the bright red "NOTICE!" at the top was extremely eye-catching.
The content was simple, just a few sentences.
[Recently, Hyper Monsters have been appearing in the Jungle. In short, these are Monsters in an abnormally fierce and brutal state, characterized by a black mist drifting from certain parts of their bodies.
Hyper Monsters are far more threatening than standard species; they are stronger, faster, and much more aggressive. Be extremely careful; if discovered, immediate retreat is recommended to report back to the Guild.
There's no extra pay anyway, so don't go throwing your lives away. For those who want a challenge, wait until the info is brought back and we update the quest difficulty before we talk.
Love, your Guildmarm: Noya (Heart)]
"Never seen that word before, how do you say it?"
"Sounds kind of like 'Lemon' in some dialects."
"Basically, it's just a Monster even stronger than the normal species, right?"
"That's pretty much the gist of it!" Listening to the conversation of the veteran Hunters beside him, Altaïr couldn't help but give Guildmarm Noya a mental thumbs-up.
This was exactly how a notice for Hunters should be written: big paper, few words, and plain, direct language.
If they had followed the scholars' habit of droning on for pages, only to end with something like, "This merely represents the current mainstream view of the scientific community and does not exclude other possibilities," most Hunters would likely just say "Too long, didn't read!" and walk away.
But hadn't Guildmarm Noya told him just last night that it was a coincidental outlier and there was no need to worry? Why the sudden notice?
Did that carrier pigeon bring some new information?
Filled with curiosity, Altaïr glanced toward the Quest Counter.
Little Lillian and another guild receptionist were on duty. Noya wasn't there; no matter how much energy she had, she couldn't work the day shift immediately after pulling a night shift.
He would find a chance to ask her later.
"Hey."
A hand settled on his shoulder. Altaïr turned around, a smile breaking across his face when he saw who it was.
"Serl!"
"Buck told me you were back." Serl pulled back his hand and tilted his head toward a corner. "We happen to be getting some food. Want to join us?"
"I won't say no to that," Altaïr agreed with a smile.
"Where's Isis?"
"She went home to visit her family."
"I see. Are you planning to head back, too?"
"Pretty much, though I haven't decided whether to go back to Loc Lac or visit Teacher Karin in Liber City."
Chatting as they went, the two arrived at the Tavern Area.
Buck and the Heavy Bowgun user Brandley, whom he'd just parted with, were both at a long table. The apprentice member Balina jumped up from her seat, waving energetically at them.
After greeting them one by one, Altaïr remembered something. He reached into his pack, pulled out a letter, and handed it to Balina.
"The Duramboros we captured was requisitioned by the Guild, so I couldn't bring back the Tail Hammer, but I applied for a permit from the Guild scholars.
"Have your father take this to Dundorma. He'll be able to observe a live Duramboros up close. Will that work?"
"Of course! Thank you so much, Senior Altaïr!" Overjoyed, Balina took the letter and tucked it away carefully. "When my family's workshop develops a new type of Duramboros Hammer, you'll be the first to know!"
Buck reached out and gave the girl a playful rap on the head. "Altaïr uses the Hammer, sure, but your teacher here is the professional Hammer user, alright?
"If your workshop develops a new Hammer, shouldn't you tell me first?"
"I know, I know! I'll tell you too, Teacher... eventually!"
"Eventually..."
Since they were all well-acquainted and his stomach was genuinely growling, Altaïr didn't stand on ceremony. Once seated, he lowered his head and began to eat heartily.
"Serl, did you tell Altaïr about that thing yet?"
Altaïr, who was currently spooning mushroom cream soup into his mouth, looked up at Brandley. "What thing?"
"It's nothing too major," Serl said with a wave of his hand. "We took a liking to a Glavenus hunt this morning, but Buck has to lead Balina through special training this week and can't make it." "I heard you were back and was going to ask if you were interested in joining, but since you're planning to head home, never mind."
"A Glavenus?"
Honestly, he was tempted.
Altaïr began to seriously consider whether he should go hunting with Serl and the others first, and then use the remaining time to visit home.
A month's time should be just barely enough, right?
"Don't." Serl, seeing through his thoughts, raised a palm. "The worst thing you can do in hunting is rush. We're just a bit interested in that quest; it's not like we have to take it. You should stick to your original plan for your leave."
"So, are we still taking that quest?" Brandley asked Serl.
Serl shook his head. "A Glavenus is considered quite dangerous even among 5★ Monsters. The two of us aren't a stable enough team, and I wouldn't feel right just picking up some random temporary teammate.
"An ill-timed opportunity isn't an opportunity at all. We'll pass this time... Hm, how about we just follow Buck and help with Balina's special training instead."
"Eep!" Balina recoiled slightly.
She had a feeling her life was about to become very painful for the foreseeable future.
Brandley shrugged, offering no objection to Serl's cautious decision.
This "forced" Altaïr, who had still been wavering, to finally commit to the trip to Liber to visit Teacher Karin.
After all, since Serl and the others had given up on the Glavenus hunt for his sake, staying in Metapetatto would be somewhat awkward.
—--
The next day, Altaïr took Sajji and boarded an Airship heading for Liber City in the north of the continent.
What he didn't know was that the Glavenus hunting quest was later picked up by another hunting group, only to end in tragedy, one dead and two seriously injured due to an encounter with a Hyper state individual.
The Guilds of Metapetatto and Geo Wandreo jointly issued an anomaly warning.
(End of Chapter)
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
MONSTERS
Glavenus — A large Brute Wyvern distinguished by its massive blade-like tail. By grinding its tail against hard surfaces, Glavenus can ignite and superheat it to extreme temperatures, turning it into a devastating slashing weapon. Despite being a relentless top predator, Glavenus is notably intelligent and will typically attempt to intimidate rivals before engaging in direct combat. It is considered one of the most dangerous monsters at the 5★ threat level.
PLACES
Liber City — The capital of East Schrade, one of the major territories in the Monster Hunter world. A large trading hub surrounded by steep mountain ranges, Liber is known for its active commerce and characteristically long winters. It serves as a key political and economic center for the broader region.