In the snow, Altaïr swung his Great Sword alone.
Karin knew he was constantly familiarizing himself with, filling the gaps in, and even improving this set of sword techniques known as "Surge Slash" in his own way to make them better suited for himself, so she did not interrupt or disturb him.
Haifa watched for a while before grumbling as she went to begin carving the carcass of the Lagombi on the ground. At her Hunter rank, materials from a Monster of the Lagombi's level were completely useless to her.
However, Lagombi fur was still a material used for making high-quality cold-resistant clothing; it could be sold for a bit of money, and it couldn't be allowed to go to waste.
More than fifteen minutes passed, and by the time Haifa had finished carving the materials, Altaïr finally stopped, panting for breath.
"How does it feel?" Karin asked, walking closer.
Altaïr wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Incredibly exquisite sword techniques. I can swing them quite smoothly now during practice, but I'll need a lot of training if I want to bring out their full power in actual combat."
Giving the Lagombi fur a quick scrub with snow to clean off the bloodstains, Haifa tied the pelt into a bundle and walked over, hoisting it on her shoulder. "Being that humble? I thought you were already ready to take these sword techniques and go challenge a Tigrex."
Karin shot her a glare.
Hearing the slight bitterness in Haifa's tone, Altaïr bared his teeth in a grin at her.
The woman was actually quite petty, but her memory wasn't great. He had spoken a bit too bluntly earlier and annoyed her, but she would likely forget about it in a while.
Sajji also scurried over at that moment. "Whoosh, whoosh, swinging non-stop, it looks really cool, meow! Is Boss going to switch to the Great Sword for good from now on, meow?"
Altaïr thought for a moment and shook his head gently. "To be honest, there's a reason this style was gradually phased out. If I had to choose between Charged Slash and Surge Slash, I would still choose Charged Slash."
This statement won Haifa's approval, and she clapped her hands forcefully. "Exactly! All that fancy swinging is fast, sure, but how can it compare to the power of a Charged Slash?
Monsters aren't training dummies; they aren't just going to stand there and let you keep hacking away at them.
Once that rhythm of building up inertia is broken, the destructive power is only slightly higher than basic sword techniques; it's far inferior to the power of a Charged Slash."
Haifa might come across as brash and careless, but she was a genuine High Rank Great Sword user. Altaïr completely agreed with her assessment of the Surge Slash.
Many of the details regarding power exertion, footwork rhythm, and small tricks for utilizing inertia within the Surge Slash sword techniques had given him considerable inspiration.
However, he probably wouldn't use Surge Slash as his core move set. How should he put it? It felt a bit neither here nor there.
It felt as though one had tried every possible way to compensate for the Great Sword's weaknesses but had discarded its strengths in the process, resulting in a balance of speed, flexibility, and destructive power where no single aspect truly stood out.
But! Who said he had to use Surge Slash himself just because he learned it?
From the very beginning, when he heard Teacher Karin talk about the Surge Slash style, his first reaction was: "This style should suit Isis."
And after experiencing it for himself, his thoughts had shifted slightly. He now felt... Isis should learn Surge Slash immediately!
There was no need to even mention Isis's physical talent, her strength, explosive power, flexibility, and coordination were all top-tier. Her only flaw lay in a lack of decisiveness and a poor grasp of anticipation; she could never master the timing for a Charged Slash, which had forced her to give up the Great Sword.
However, the Surge Slash Great Sword style almost entirely abandoned the Charged Slash. As for the Surge Slash style's slight lack of raw power, that hardly seemed like a flaw when bolstered by Isis's "unpretentious" monstrous strength.
If she could suppress Monsters while swinging a Gunlance, why wouldn't she be able to do the same with a Great Sword?
Besides, who said these techniques, these methods of generating power, the footwork, and the tricks for utilizing inertia could only be used on a Great Sword?
The three forms, nine moves of Surge Slash were, plainly put, foundational sword techniques. They didn't involve complex applications of Spirit or energy.
With Isis's talent for swordsmanship, she would surely master them in no time.
Usually, aside from shelling, her Gunlance play consisted of the same two or three moves back and forth: Overhead Smash, Wide Sweep, and Lunging Upthrust. That was it.
It couldn't be helped; after all, the vast majority of Gunlance users were defense-oriented heavily armored hunters. Very few ever delved deeper into this specific area.
If Isis mastered Surge Slash, wouldn't the Overhead Smash, Lunging Upthrust, and Wide Sweep correspond perfectly with Falling Slash, Rising Slash, and Vortex Slash?
Even if she didn't wield the Gunlance exactly like a Surge Slash Great Sword, it would at least optimize her attack motions, increase her striking power, and add some variety to her moves, wouldn't it?
Particularly the third move of the Rising Slash, that one-handed upward thrust, looked far more natural for a Gunlance than a Great Sword. To follow up a thrust with a Wyrmstake Cannon... just thinking about it was exhilarating!
"Teacher Haifa," Altaïr called out, his expression turning serious.
Haifa, who was carrying a bundle of Lagombi furs, immediately looked over with a face full of suspicion.
Over the last ten years, no matter how many times she had grabbed this brat by the neck and tried to force him to call her teacher, he had refused. This sudden change of heart didn't feel right.
"I don't dare be your teacher. If you've got something to say, say it straight!" Haifa looked extremely wary.
Altaïr didn't know why she was so guarded; it wasn't as if he had ever sabotaged her, right?
Scoffing inwardly, Altaïr maintained his serious expression. "Teacher Haifa, may I teach the Surge Slash style to someone else?"
According to what teacher Haifa said before, she had learned Surge Slash from a Hunter senior in Kamura Village.
He remembered Nymera mentioning that some Weapon Arts in Kamura Village were "secret traditions" and could not be taught at will without permission.
While the boisterous Haifa might not remember such things, he had to check and make sure.
"Teach it to someone else?" Haifa blinked, then waved her hand dismissively. "Ha! So that's what you're worried about. Go ahead!
The big sister who taught me said back then that fewer and fewer young Hunters are willing to learn Surge Slash these days, and as long as the tradition doesn't die out, it's fine. If someone wants to learn, teach them as much as you like!
By the way, who are you planning to teach? Ah..."
As she realized something, Haifa's expression turned playful. She leaned in and nudged Altaïr with her shoulder. "What? Want to teach it to your little girlfriend?
I remember you saying she used to practice with a Great Sword too, right?"
"Yes, she has a family legacy in it. Also, we are comrades."
Haifa ignored the second half of Altaïr's sentence, showing more interest in the "family legacy" part. "One of her elders is also a Great Sword user? Senior Amos? But isn't Senior Amos a Long Sword user?"
Altaïr looked at her speechlessly. Even if no one had specifically explained it to her, was this woman completely incapable of making a connection?
To think she spent every day declaring herself the number one fan of that legendary Great Sword user...
Teacher Karin also sighed silently, worried for her friend's intellect. "Senior Amos's granddaughter calls Lady Francesca 'sister.' Her hunting partner is a Felyne named Clawdia, who is the biological sister of Lady Francesca's partner, Pawdrick.
With the clues this clear, can you still not guess whose daughter that girl is?"
"Huh? HUH?!!!"
Haifa wasn't stupid; she simply hadn't thought in that direction. With Teacher Karin's reminder, she quickly pieced together the relationships.
She tossed the Lagombi furs aside and grabbed Altaïr's shoulders with both hands. "So that house we visited last year, where we even went in for tea, was THAT person's home?!
The floor we walked on, the sofa we sat on, the teacups we drank from...
No, none of that matters. So your little girlfriend is–wait."
Haifa suddenly let go and raised her palm in a "stop" gesture.
She reached out and cupped Altaïr's face, as if inspecting a moldy watermelon. After turning his head left and right for a moment, she pushed him away with a look of pure disgust.
"What girlfriend? Delusional nonsense! You're nowhere near good enough, kid!"
"?"
(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.
SKILLS & TECHNIQUES
Overhead Smash / Wide Sweep / Lunging Upthrust — The three core offensive strikes of the Gunlance. The Overhead Smash is a powerful downward blow used to open engagements or target exposed parts. The Wide Sweep is a broad horizontal arc covering a wide zone. The Lunging Upthrust drives the lance tip upward in a rising motion, well-suited to repositioning after a shell or following up a thrust combo. In this chapter, Altaïr observes that these three moves structurally mirror the three forms of Surge Slash (Falling Slash, Vortex Slash, Rising Slash), making Isis an ideal candidate to apply Surge Slash principles to her Gunlance style.