Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 334 The Power of Bonds
As Sasayuki spoke, Konohana's eyes seemed to start darting around, as if a carousel was spinning, though they had actually been looking at each other for a while.

Leaving Kotobuki with a rather imposing look, Sasayuki turned back to look at Brave:
"I'm very sorry, this was a mistake on our part. This request was accepted about ten days ago."

Bref looked at the feigning-death Cihua with a strange expression. Another receipt that had been left untouched?
Girl, you're a bit careless at work...

Speaking of which...did Sasayuki just say that this quest was accepted from Manjushri at this flower?

Wow, she's that strong! She single-handedly took on a five-star monster...

Although he had only interacted with her when he first arrived in Yukumo Village, Bref still had a strong impression of the hunter with healthy, wheat-colored skin.

"There's one more thing I might need to remind you of, Brave!"

Sasayuki suddenly added, and Breft, snapping out of his reverie, instinctively replied, "Huh?"

"Although you participated in the battle to defeat the Storm Dragon, you are still a four-and-a-half-star hunter. You cannot accept a five-star quest alone without a five-star or higher hunter leading the team."

Brave: ...

Buhou, have you forgotten about this?

"Never mind, then help me see if there are any suitable four-star commissions. I don't want to go too far, somewhere near the stream."

"I understand, please wait a moment..."

Sasayuki rummaged around for a moment, then took out a receipt and showed it to Brave:

"Is this alright? The mission objective is the female Rathalos, but please note that the Scrivener's team requires it to be captured. They want a thorough ecological survey of the monsters around Yukumo after the Storm Dragon's departure. If you accidentally defeat a monster, the mission will be considered a failure!"

Is it a quest to capture a female Rathalos?
Bref pondered for a moment, remembering that Ye Zi had specifically mentioned before that Lin Lin seemed to need the saliva of a female Rathalos.

The female Rathian is a target I've challenged before, so I'm relatively familiar with it. As long as I hire a Palico rescue team to accompany me in advance, going alone won't be a problem. Moreover, the requirement that I can only capture it and not hunt it is quite new to me.

"Okay, this one will do!"

……

"crash"

Lin Lin stretched, his raised arm splashing water, and a cloud of white steam rose in front of him.

After letting out a long yawn, Lin Lin felt that he had indeed recovered well. He was relaxed and full of energy. He could even rush out now and fight Xiong Er for another three hundred rounds without any problem.

Not thinking about anything, just soaking in the hot spring and having a good sleep, this feeling is really great!

Or maybe we can just rest like this after wrestling with Xiong Er? That way, the snoring won't disturb Yezao...

With another "splash," Lin Lin suddenly stood up. His heavy, water-soaked shorts almost fell off due to inertia, but luckily he reacted quickly and grabbed them, preventing his bare buttocks from being exposed. Of course, even if they had been exposed, it wouldn't have mattered much, as this wasn't a mixed-gender bathhouse and there was no Nantong bathhouse.

I glanced at the distant mountains. The night sky was clear, and the bright moon hung in the sky. The edge of the moon gently touched the peak, and the clear light it cast reflected a silvery color, like a glass cup touching a black jade screen.

It's dark already? Wow, but these clouds without any storm are really beautiful...

(Image from the opening CG of P3, unfortunately not a night scene)
After drying himself off, Lin Lin stretched and was about to leave the bathhouse when he was suddenly stopped by an Ailu.

"Please wait a moment, Hunter!"

When Lin Lin turned around, the Ailu continued speaking:

"The hunter who came with you specifically instructed me to give you a message after seeing that you're awake!"

?

"Did Brave send you to deliver this message?"

"That's right, meow!"

That's weird. Why can't this guy just say what he wants? Why does he have to leave me a message?
"Ahem!"

Ailu, the waiter, cleared her throat and imitated:
"I've been a bit bored these past few days, so I took on a mission and went to the hunting grounds. Also, please take care of my puppy for me for the next couple of days. I'll have a surprise for you when I get back."

"Oh right, Rachel came to see you before. When she found out you were taking a bath, she said she'd visit you when you had time... Let me think... well, that should be all, Ghana!"

It's clear that this Palico was exhausted from trying to imitate Bref's words as much as possible, managing to suppress its usual "meow" ending in such a long string of sentences.

Seeing the other party's dedication, Lin Lin casually took out two gold coins and handed them to the shop assistant, Ailu.

"Thanks!"

"Eh? Hunter-sama, the bathhouse is free for hunters, meow! No need to pay, meow!"

"That's a tip for you, just keep it."

After saying that, Lin Lin waved his hand and left gracefully, leaving Ai Lu with only a handsome back view.

Ailu stared blankly at Lin Lin's departing figure, then looked down at the gold coins in her hand. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence:
"A tip, what's that, meow?"

……

After leaving the meeting place, Lin Lin didn't wander around, but went straight back to his residence on the farm.

A few lightning insects floated among the wheat fields, their pale blue lights like scattered stars. The houses nearby lay silently in the shadows, with only a few flickering candlelight shining through the windows. The farm under the moonlight was tranquil and peaceful—or at least it should have been.

However, the guests in the farm at this moment were completely out of place with the quiet atmosphere. Lin Lin could see a blazing flame running wildly around the farm, chasing the lightning insects up and down, and occasionally he could hear a short, excited roar.

Lin Lin slapped his forehead hard.

Okay, I almost forgot. Although Da Kong is already a fire dragon that has fought against the Elder Dragon, it is still a baby. Babies are always full of curiosity about everything around them and like to explore their surroundings in their own way.

"Dude, you're finally back!"

Lin Lin was clad in Thunder Wolf Dragon Heavy Armor, the bluish-green lightning patterns shimmering faintly in the night, making him highly conspicuous without him making any special attempt to conceal his presence. Therefore, almost immediately after he returned to the farm, a hunter dressed in a Cloud Set approached him. The hunter was none other than Iwata Hiroichi.

He patted Lin Lin's arm, then turned back to look at the young male Rathalos playing happily under the night sky, his expression somewhat distorted.

Why that expression? What's wrong?

Lin Lin asked a question, and then gently called out to the leaping flame.

The next moment, Da Kong spat out the Thunderbug he had just put in his mouth, and without even looking at the other party's panicked flight, he trotted over to Lin Lin.

"Oh my god!"

Iwata was startled by the sudden approach of the giant, and instinctively did a tactical roll to get away. After regaining his footing, he realized that the guy was standing obediently in front of Lin Lin, rubbing his big head against Lin Lin's palm.

Iwata breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, at least it wasn't that guy suddenly went berserk and started attacking people.

Lin Lin couldn't help but feel a little helpless. "Why are you reacting so strongly? Are you afraid Da Kong will eat you up?"

Iwata's expression was somewhat resentful. "Any normal person would be afraid, right? This is the king of the skies, a flying dragon standing at the top of the food chain! Elite hunters like you are extremely rare!"

Lin Lin blinked and smiled sheepishly.

I almost forgot that the reason I can trust Sky and the others so completely is because I have the ability to understand their feelings. But Iwata and the other natives of the Monster Hunter world don't have that ability, so it's normal for them to be wary of Sky and the others.

"That's true. If you encounter a male or female Rathalos in the wild, it's okay to run away. But our Da Kong is different; it's very special."

"Don't believe me? Come here and touch it."

Iwata hesitated for a moment, then finally moved closer little by little.

It wasn't until he stood next to Lin Lin that he realized that from the very beginning, this young one-eyed fire dragon had been staring at him with its right eye, which was as clear as the sky.

Iwata recalled the various monsters he had encountered in the wild since becoming a hunter. There were eyes as fierce as those of a wild boar, eyes as foolish as those of a robin, eyes as alert as those of a spirit deer, and eyes as wild and domineering as those of a thunder wolf dragon. But he had never seen eyes as calm and gentle as those of the fire dragon before him.

He tentatively extended his palm, and Daiko's pupils contracted slightly as his gaze focused on the outstretched hand.

A moment later, it looked at Lin Lin again. Seeing Lin Lin nod slightly, Da Kong exhaled a heavy breath from its nostrils and somewhat perfunctorily rubbed its head against the other's palm.

Iwata withdrew his hand. Although the warm, hard texture of the fire dragon scales felt so real, he felt as if the experience had just happened was like a dream.

"Honestly, I still can't believe it. How did you do that?"

Lin Lin reached out and gently stroked the scar on Da Kong's left eye, sighing softly:
"Dakong was hatched and born on this farm. Didn't you watch it grow up? Feeding, companionship, teaching... that's about it."

"No, what I mean is, how did you get it to let me touch it? Even with baby birds, sometimes they stubbornly refuse to go back to their enclosure and I have to whip them..."

In fact, as a fire dragon, Da Kong is quite arrogant and doesn't really think much of you. The way he was polite to you just now was just to give me face...

Lin Lin and Da Kong exchanged a glance. This feeling of being in sync was truly wonderful. They didn't need any words; they could understand what the other was thinking.

"You said this..."

Lin Lin scratched his head, thought for a long time, and then said:
"Perhaps it's... a bond?"

"Bond?"

Iwata's brain was working at high speed, but he just couldn't understand what it meant.

"It sounds quite magical at first glance, and in fact it is quite magical."

Lin Lin took out his Bond Stone and showed it to Iwata.

"It's a pretty rock, but what does it have to do with what we're discussing?"

"Guess where this stone came from?"

Without waiting for Iwata to reply, Lin Lin ran his fingers along the smooth surface of the Bond Stone and continued his story:

"Lanlong is a monster more powerful than you can imagine. I was in dire straits at the time. If it weren't for Da Kong risking his life to save me, you probably wouldn't be standing here now."

"Really, I was really moved when Oozora saved my life, but then I found out that Oozora lost his left eye as a result."

"Actually, my emotions at that time were very complicated. Even now, when I try to recall them, I can't explain them clearly. But at that moment, my emotions reached an extreme, and then this stone appeared out of nowhere."

"After this stone appeared, Oozora and I developed an extremely... well, a strange connection. Through this connection, we can feel each other's feelings, know each other's thoughts, and even share each other's senses. I call this connection 'bond'."

Iwata grew increasingly confused as he listened, until finally his mouth dropped open, and he exclaimed, "This is not scientific!"

"I already said, this is magical, and it's even more magical than that."

"Even if the Sky Dragon is a fire dragon, let alone the fact that it is still a minor, even a mature male fire dragon's proud flying ability is nothing compared to the Storm Dragon."

"However, through the bond, the power of the Sky Dragon was greatly amplified, unleashing a flight ability far exceeding that of an adult Rathalos. Otherwise, we would probably have been torn to shreds by the Storm Dragon's storm long ago."

"This is truly surreal... It sounds as absurd as a story made up by some fantasy playwright or bard."

Lin Lin sighed and put the Bond Stone away again:
"But that's exactly what happened. I actually have a lot of questions about this stone and the magical bond it holds. I'm just waiting to report the Lanlong incident to the guild headquarters to see if there are any other cases I can refer to."

He turned his attention back to the sky. Although he had many questions, after more than a week of pondering, he actually had some ideas.

The bond he formed with Oozora, while seemingly similar to the typical Japanese anime trope of "they rush in while shouting about friendship and bonds," is actually quite different.

For him, holding the Bond Stone meant he could truly feel the power of bonds. That power was not ethereal or intangible; if he had to find a word to describe it, it might be somewhat similar to the concept of mental power.

The deep affection for his companions, combined with the spiritual power in his mind, merged to form an invisible bond. This power could empower the companions who had formed the bond, helping them unleash even greater strength. However, in return, consuming this bond would weaken Lin Lin's condition.

Although this was just a speculation made by Lin Lin when reviewing his experience of the battle at Lingfeng, it was indeed an explanation for why he felt physically full of energy but mentally exhausted and weak after using the power of bonds.

(End of this chapter)