It has been a month since I arrived in the world of Monster Hunter. While heading to the New World, our ship unfortunately collided with the massive Elder Dragon, 'Zorah Magdaros,' and was on the verge of sinking. I had no choice but to rescue the Ugly-Mug standing next to me, and since then, she has been sticking to my side, non-stop prattling about this and that regarding monsters.
"So, the Anjanath we encountered when we first got here was..."
"Sigh... Ugly-Mug, that's the seventh time you've told that story. Don't you think it's enough?"
"Why do you keep calling me Ugly-Mug?"
"It's a term of endearment, a nickname. You call me 'Partner' (Aibo), don't you? Doesn't 'Ugly-Mug' sound cute?"
"Well, hearing it over and over, it does feel a bit cute in a way."
Just then, I saw my Palico running toward me.
"Oh~ Alma."
"Nyan, nyan, nyan! (My name isn't Alma, human!)"
The Palico scowled as he spoke. This Palico had black markings around both eyes, making him look like he was wearing glasses, so I just decided to call him Alma.
"Nyaong nyan nyan nyaong. (The Smithy says your weapons are finished, so come pick them up.)"
"Oh~ I see. Finally."
At that, Ugly-Mug asked me.
"How on earth do you understand Palico language so well? We just get a general idea by looking at their actions and expressions..."
"It's because you lack love. Palicoes are all about love. Anyway, I need to go get my weapons."
Actually, it was thanks to my Playful Life. It wasn't that existing hunters studied Palico language separately, but rather they naturally picked it up after living together for a long time. It was similar to understanding Groot in Marvel.
I stood up and moved to the Smithy. When I arrived, the Smithy brought out two Rocket Greatswords.
"Here are the Rocket Greatswords you ordered. Making two of them took some time. You're probably the first person I've seen who carries two of these heavy Greatswords to swing them like Dual Blades. Regardless, since you're the ace of the 5th Fleet, I put extra care into making them."
"Thanks. Dual Greatswords are a man's dream, you know."
I received the Rocket Greatswords, paid the balance, and went to My House. Upon checking them, as expected, they were made of scrap iron. Even though they seemed to have been forged diligently, they were far inferior to modern refining techniques. The hunters in this world were simply slicing monsters apart using pure strength.
"No wonder they have to keep hacking away at the monsters. How is this any different from swinging a club?"
I immediately used [Matter Manipulation] to realign the atomic structure of the Rocket Greatswords and changed the material to orichalcum. I fixed them up carefully since I planned to take these weapons as souvenirs. It would have been easier to create them from scratch, but I thought it would look suspicious if weapons appeared out of thin air, so I chose this tedious method.
And there was a reason I picked up Dual Greatswords. Back when Monster Hunter World: Iceborne was coming out, there was a rumor that new weapon types would be added. I had once let my imagination run wild, hoping for Dual Greatswords, but after Iceborne was released, there were no new weapon types at all.
"Phew... Just thinking about that time... Well, I still enjoyed the game... Anyway, I'm hungry, should I grab a bite?"
I went up to the Canteen and ate a meal prepared by the Palicoes while I thought. For the first month after arriving in the Monster Hunter world, I hunted like a madman. It was because I wanted to move on to the Iceborne content quickly. However, even after dealing with Zorah Magdaros and catching monster after monster, the world didn't seem ready to transition. Then, the Commander came to me and said:
"You! I know you're a good fighter, but restrain yourself. Are you planning to drive every monster in the New World to extinction? Hunting is prohibited for the time being. This is an order!"
Since hunting was forbidden, I had been making weapons in Astera or going up to the Gathering Hub on the top floor to flirt with the Hub Lass.
"Yo~ Hub Lass! Want to grab a drink with me?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm working right now. Maybe this evening."
The Hub Lass and I weren't exactly dating, but the atmosphere was good, and it felt like there would be good news soon. However, she was a beauty popular with other hunters, and my persistent flirting made them quite unhappy. As a result, I was practically being shunned by the other hunters.
"I'll take you up on that drink."
The Admiral suddenly thrust his face in front of mine.
"Whoa, damn! Rajang!"
"Rajang?! Isn't that a bit too harsh?"
"Ah, it's the Admiral. What's up? No matter how much I asked you to change my assigned Handler before, you just ignored me."
"Don't you know we're short-staffed? Besides, you two seem to hunt well enough together, so isn't it fine?"
"Fine? Do you know how much trouble I go through because of her erratic behavior? Give me the Serious Handler immediately. Or give me this pretty Hub Lass here."
It was true. Ugly-Mug would go snooping around everywhere out of curiosity and draw massive aggro, making my life difficult. That's why my Palico, Alma, didn't like her much either.
"Hmph... fine! If you do this one favor for me, I'll change your assigned Handler."
"Oh~ seriously?"
"Yes, I promise."
The Admiral began his story. While I was prohibited from hunting, the terrain had shifted due to the influence of Zorah Magdaros, and subspecies were appearing through cracks in the leyline corridors, changing the ecosystem.
However, if Nergigante were to emerge from the corridors, many Elder Dragons might move outward to avoid it, which could lead to disaster. They had tried to slay Nergigante to prevent this, but failed repeatedly. Eventually, he had come to ask for my help.
"I see. I'll deal with it quickly."
"Be careful, Nergigante is no pushover."
"Just be ready to keep your promise."
I immediately called my Palico.
"Nyan nyan! Nyaong! (Human, this is a pain! Can't we go tomorrow?)"
"If you keep acting like this, no Churu for you."
I once gave him some Churu I brought from the modern world because he was cute. He ate it so enthusiastically that he would beg for it every day. Now, threatening to withhold Churu usually made him listen to anything.
"Nyan! Nyan nyan! Nyaong! (You're so petty! Fine! I'm going, I'm going!)"
So, I went to hunt Nergigante with the Palico. Somehow Ugly-Mug heard the news and was already at the campsite. Likely the Admiral had told her.
"Um... is it true? I heard you said you didn't want to work with me anymore."
"Yeah, I don't think we're a good match. Let's both look for different partners."
Ugly-Mug stood silently with a dark expression before asking me.
"Can I... ask why?"
"You're too impulsive and constantly invite danger. I can't even count how many times I've had to struggle needlessly because of that. Honestly, even Alma dislikes you. If you're going to investigate, do it from a safe place."
"Nyan nyan nyan! (That's right, human!)"
"..."
Even the Palico agreed intensely. Ugly-Mug couldn't say a word after that.
"Anyway, I'm off to slay Nergigante, so stay here and don't do anything stupid."
Leaving those words, I set off with the Palico. While other hunters wandered around looking for tracks, I didn't need that. I used [Observation Haki] to find Nergigante immediately and began the hunt.
"This is the True Charged Leviathan Slash!"
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cht!
"Kuaaaaakh!"
Thud!
"Easy!"
"Nyanyong! (Easy!)"
With the hunt over, it was time for harvesting. Killing it was easy, but unlike the game, in reality, I had to carve everything manually, which took an immense amount of time. While I was struggling, the Palico was sitting next to me sucking on a Churu.
"Nyan nyan nyan! (Delicious!)"
'This little guy! I'll let it slide because he's cute.'
Taking the Nergigante materials, I picked up Ugly-Mug from the campsite and returned to Astera. During the return trip, she didn't say a single word.
"Oh~ you actually got it!"
"Keep your promise!"
"Fine! I'll personally take on the role of your Handler! Hahahaha!"
The Admiral said he would personally be my Handler. At first, I thought he was mocking me, but thinking about it, having the Admiral—who didn't really need a handler role anyway—might be better.
"Fine. Let's work well together."
"Whaat! Are you serious?"
It seemed the Admiral had offered himself only because he thought I would hate the idea and reconsider. He was genuinely taken aback when I agreed.
"Yes! I'm serious."
"Hmm... you must really hate her to want to work with me instead. Can't be helped then. Hey, you two, I'm sorry but let's swap partners."
The Admiral ordered the Excitable A-Lister and the Serious Handler to swap partners.
"What? Really? My partner and I just started getting along..."
"It can't be helped. He hates her that much."
"Sigh... well, if we have to."
I apologized to the Excitable A-Lister and the Serious Handler for now.
"Sorry, we were just such a bad match that I had no choice. I'll buy you a drink later."
"Alright, fine."
Then the Commander came over and spoke to me.
"You, this instance was an exception, but the hunting ban hasn't been lifted yet. Stand by."
"What?! For real... whatever."
It was absurd, but I stayed put. Since I was resting, the Serious Handler also rested with me as she had nothing to do. But about three days later, news arrived that the Excitable A-Lister and Ugly-Mug had gone missing.
"Good grief... I knew this would happen. I'm done with this."
Ugly-Mug probably acted up again and drew aggro from Elder Dragons. I thought she would improve after being dumped by her partner, but she remained the same. It was only because of me that her previous messes were manageable; it was too much for an ordinary hunter.
I spent my time napping in My House. Then, the Commander sought me out urgently, telling me that several other teams, besides the one with Ugly-Mug, were missing and asked me to search for them.
"I'm under a hunting ban, you know. I don't want to."
"Don't you even worry about your comrades?"
"I don't want to hear that from someone who only uses me when it's convenient. If you're going to ban me, then keep me banned."
"Sigh... this is driving me crazy... Fine, fine! I give up. I won't stop your actions anymore."
Having received that promise, I began the search with the Serious Handler. Occasionally, Elder Dragons would attack, but because of the time limit, I sliced through them rapidly and kept moving forward.
"Wow... amazing. I heard the rumors, but to think you're this strong."
Every time I cut down an Elder Dragon, the Serious Handler let out exclamations of awe from behind. Eventually, we found one team; one person had been half-eaten and killed, while the other was shivering and hiding in a cave. We put the survivor on a Wyvern to be sent back to Astera and continued our search.
Then we found the Excitable A-Lister. He had lost a leg and was on the brink of death. I hurriedly used some healing magic to treat his wounds.
"Cough! Water..."
While I treated the injuries, the Serious Handler gave him some water.
Gulp, gulp.
Judging by his state, it was a miracle he had survived this long. Realizing he couldn't stay here, I carried him on my back and returned to Astera with the Serious Handler.
Immediately, people gathered to treat him. The Commander asked me:
"Did you find out anything?"
"Strangely, Elder Dragons were gathered around the leyline corridors."
The Commander thought for a moment before pleading with me again.
"Since there are still people we haven't found, please continue the search."
"Fine."
The Serious Handler was restless with worry for the Excitable A-Lister, so this time I set out alone to the leyline corridors. My [Observation Haki] only picked up Elder Dragons, so it seemed everyone else was dead. I decided to at least look for their belongings and took out [Jack Sparrow's Compass]. I found Ugly-Mug's personal belongings inside the dung of an Elder Dragon deep underground.
"She ended up as literal shit, in the end."
I picked up a wooden stick nearby, fished her items out of the dung, washed them with magic, and wrapped them in a cloth. I started searching for the others, but since they had also been turned into waste, I gathered their belongings as well. Then, picking up the half-eaten corpse I had seen earlier, I returned to Astera.
Looking at the belongings and the body, the Commander spoke bitterly to everyone.
"Sigh... everyone rest today, and we will hold the funeral the day after tomorrow."
True, I could have prevented this if I had stepped in earlier. But I didn't really want to. I didn't have any particular attachment to them, and I didn't want to get yelled at for moving against the Commander's orders. It was their fault for not utilizing me even though they knew my skills. However, I did feel a bit sorry for the Excitable A-Lister. If he had stayed with the Serious Handler, he might have been safe.
Later, the conscious Excitable A-Lister told the story, and as I expected, Ugly-Mug had drawn aggro from the Elder Dragon 'Kushala Daora,' forcing them into a fight. However, against such a powerful Elder Dragon, they couldn't even land a decent hit. As his stamina ran out and he was on the verge of death, Ugly-Mug reportedly threw herself in the monster's path and was eaten to save him.
'So she cleaned up her own mess and became a mess. She was a heroic piece of shit.'
Anyway, with the funeral over, the investigation of the leyline corridors began. With nothing to hold me back now, I began slaughtering Elder Dragons left and right. It was definitely easier traveling with the Serious Handler. She didn't do anything unnecessary and focused entirely on providing support.
"Wow... I can't even remember what Ugly-Mug's face looks like anymore."
While I was busy with the massacre, the Commander called me. He pleaded with me to stop killing so much and focus on capturing them, so I reluctantly started focusing on live captures. In the game, capturing Elder Dragons was impossible, but with my abilities, it was doable. The only issue was that I hit their heads so hard they were in rough shape, but a live capture was a live capture.
Regardless, even though it must have been exhausting, the Serious Handler followed me diligently without a single complaint. For the Palico, as long as there was Churu, everything was okay. And occasionally, if it was a particularly strong specimen, I didn't forget to kill it to turn it into a Shadow Soldier.
Then suddenly, a Wyverian Hunter appeared and called the Serious Handler and me toward the leyline corridor.
"Bio-energy is converging in one spot at an abnormal rate. I'm going to head to where that energy is gathering, and I'd like your help."
It looked like I would finally get to hunt the boss of the World era, 'Xeno'jiiva.'