Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 336 The Fourth Member of the Team
"Um... so, is there something you need from me?"

Rachel suppressed the jumbled thoughts in her mind and asked:
What do you think of Shion?

Lin Lin: ? ? ?
Wait a minute, there's something off about the way you started this conversation! It's giving off a weird vibe of an elder recommending a blind date!
"Um... I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now..."

Rachel: ? ? ?

"Who was talking to you about that? I meant, what do you think of Shion's current skill level as a hunter?"

Hearing Rachel's questioning, Lin Lin realized he had misunderstood and felt so embarrassed that he just wanted to dig out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.

"Ah... Shion... is she... alright?"

Lin Lin's gaze wandered.

Rachel frowned slightly. "Don't worry about me, just tell me what you really think."

Is that your true thought?
My honest thought is that I've never gone on a mission with her, so how would I know what level she's at...?

Lin Lin scratched his head. Although he had a deep impression of his junior sister, it had nothing to do with her strength as a hunter, but rather with her personality.

When I first met her in Loklar, I thought she was an elegant and dignified young lady who didn't talk much. Later I found out that she was just putting on an act in front of strangers and hiding her outgoing side.

Hmm, they're quite adventurous. I heard from Yoko that when they were preparing to save themselves from the jaws of the Deviljho, Shion also volunteered to join in. However, after discovering the storm stirred up by the Storm Dragon, they realized that this opponent was too difficult. They only managed to have Shion escort the two researchers from the Dragon Academy back... But to be honest, isn't the Deviljho too difficult for a two-star hunter?
The term "adventure spirit" is used because Lin Lin felt indebted to the person involved, which is why it's been described in a more positive light. Otherwise, Lin Lin felt that "death" would be a more apt description.

"Um... to be honest, I'm not quite sure why you're asking that?"

Rachel sighed, casually tidied her hair, and then said:
"That's right. After we parted ways in Lokrak, I took Shion back to Dongdoruma, didn't I?"

Lin Lin quickly hummed in agreement, playing the role of a perfect straight man, and then...?

"Then, within the Hunter Guild, there's a difference between high-ranking and low-ranking hunters. Low-ranking hunters are completely free to accept commissions or simply relax with the money they earn from hunting. But once they're promoted to high rank, they have to accept commissions assigned by the guild. After all, high-ranking hunters are the elite force protecting humanity, and they're needed for many things in many situations."

Lin Lin pondered for a moment, "Like when Master was urgently dispatched by the guild to fight off the Flame Dragon?"

"Yes, that time was a guild-assigned request. After I brought Shion back to Eastdorma, I turned down several guild assignments in order to teach this disciple. It wasn't until this time when Yuuki caused trouble that I couldn't turn down the assignments anymore. In addition, I thought it was just a five-star level Thunder Wolf Dragon, so I brought Shion here."

Lin Lin blinked. So, of the three high-ranking hunters who came, only Rachel was actually assigned by the guild, while the other two came entirely on their own initiative.

However, Lin Lin still couldn't understand how Rachel's current words were related to the question she had just asked.

"After defeating Lanlong this time, and once Kevin recovers from his injuries and returns to Dongdoruma, I will most likely advance to the seventh star. The guild won't let such a high level of combat power go to waste. At that time, I will definitely be even busier and it will be difficult to find time to take care of Ziyuan."

Lin Lin vaguely understood, "So..."

"So I was thinking, when I'm too busy, could I help you out, my junior sister? Although archer hunters can hunt solo, it's much easier with a team."

Rachel looked directly into Lin Lin's eyes. "I know you already have your own teammates, but I hope you can give Ziyuan a chance and let her try to integrate into your team."

She lightly touched her brow with her finger. "The reason I had this idea wasn't entirely for Shion's sake. With Shion joining, your team's composition will be more complete."

Lin Lin nodded repeatedly, completely understanding and agreeing with what Rachel said.

Ranged hunters have much greater logistical needs than melee hunters, making solo hunting much more difficult, so they often choose to join a team.

Currently, in his three-person team consisting of Brev and Yoko, he, with his shield and heavy weapon, is undoubtedly the assault soldier who directly confronts monsters. Yoko and Brev, one with an Insect Glaive and the other with a Longsword, are both light weapons primarily used for maneuvering around monsters and can provide support. If the last position in the team needs to be filled, the heavy crossbow, which can provide continuous and stable heavy firepower suppression and also has a certain degree of support capabilities, is undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

Moreover, from the perspective of interpersonal relationships, Ziyuan is, after all, his junior sister, and he had previously shown kindness in rescuing her. Lin Lin is not opposed to having her join him.

The only two questions are...

"The team is not my personal fiefdom, and the addition of new members requires the consent of the other members."

Rachel nodded. "Of course."

"Then another problem is... the three of us are already four- or five-star hunters, while Shion is only two-star. I'm a little worried that she might not be able to keep up with our pace."

Rachel thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

Lin Lin was a little confused. Why did he suddenly laugh again?

"What I just said was that I wanted you to give Ziyuan a chance to try, not to force her into your team. It would be best if she could integrate, but if she can't, then it's just that she's not good enough. What do you have to worry about?"

"Hmm...that seems to be true..."

……

Having accepted Rachel's suggestion, Lin Lin naturally wanted to discuss it with his teammates, so he went directly to the meeting place to find Ye Zi.

When Lin Lin found Ye Zi, she was humming a cheerful tune and happily eating two strings of tricolor dumplings.

Having just soaked in the hot springs, Yoko's skin looked quite hydrated, and her complexion was rosy. When she saw Lin Lin enter the meeting place, she waved to him happily.

"Brother Lin Lin! Over here!"

The scattered hunters cast glances at Yoko, who had spoken, and then their gazes shifted to Lin Lin, who was walking quickly towards them. For some reason, these gazes, which should have been commonplace, felt somewhat jarring to Lin Lin at this moment.

Lin Lin quickly sat down in front of Ye Zi. Seeing several strings of tricolor dumplings on the plate in front of him, he casually picked up a string and waved it at Ye Zi:
"Did you make this yourself?"

Seeing Ye Zi nod, Lin Lin swallowed the three big dumplings in one gulp, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster.

Ye Zi was somewhat surprised, "I remember Brother Lin Lin, didn't you dislike eating rabbit dumplings?"

"Chew... gulp..."

Lin Lin poured himself another cup of tea, swallowed the dumpling, and then let out a soft sigh.
"To be honest, I don't really like it." Seeing the subtle gloom in Yoko's expression, Lin Lin smiled and added:

"Strictly speaking, what I don't like is not rabbit dumplings, but eating rabbit dumplings every meal. If it's just a few skewers occasionally, it's not bad as a dessert. At least it's better than a monotonous onsen egg."

"At least I feel that eating the rabbit dumplings you make now is better than eating the rabbit dumplings made with mugwort back in Flamefire Village."

Yoko's eyes immediately brightened, and she couldn't help but smile:

"Sister Ai Cao put a lot of effort into making these rabbit dumplings. I just made them casually, how could I possibly compare to her?"

Lin Lin patted his chest lightly, feeling a little choked up. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and casually replied:

"Who knows? This is just my feeling. Maybe it's just because the people doing it are different?"

Ye Zi paused for a moment, then fell silent, but the rosy glow on her cheeks was much more pronounced than before, making her appear even more radiant.

After a moment, Yoko spoke again, but this time she changed the subject:

"Didn't Brother Lin go out to wrestle with Xiong Er today?"

Lin Lin didn't pay much attention, and feeling relieved that the rabbit dumpling had finally been swallowed by the tea, he replied:

"Ah... I need to take a break now and then. That Xiong Er is really ridiculously strong now. I don't know when I'll be able to beat him in a wrestling match."

"That day will come soon!"

Yoko's eyes gleamed, her tone firm, and she seemed quite certain of it.

"Haha, I hope so!"

Lin Lin smiled and shook his head, then picked up another string of rabbit dumplings. This time, however, he didn't put all three dumplings into his mouth again, but instead ate them one by one.

As he ate, he casually remarked:

"By the way, I went to see my master's wife today. Guess what she said she wanted to talk to me about?"

"Senior Rachel? Could it be that Senior Kevin's injury has gotten worse? But I didn't hear Shan Qihuang mention it..."

"No, no, Master's injuries are healing quite well. When I went to see him yesterday, Yan said that he should be able to move around normally in about half a month, and after another two or three months of recuperation, he should be able to return to the life of a hunter."

"Ha, I remember the Drunken President said that the celebration is about half a month away. Although the time was pushed back so far to let the news spread further and attract more people, on second thought, Master won't miss it, right? So it's good news."

"Huh? I see... So what did Rachel want to talk to you about?"

Lin Lin put down the bamboo skewer in his hand, secretly observed Ye Zi's expression for a few moments, and then spoke:

“My master’s wife said that when she goes back to Dongdoruma this time, she will hardly have enough free time to teach Ziyuan, and she wants me to help her take care of her.”

Ye Zi asked, puzzled:
"You didn't agree? There shouldn't be any problem with this, right?"

Lin Lin waved his hand, "No, it's just that I need to discuss this matter with you."

Yoko: ?
"What Master's wife means is that she wants Ziyuan to try and see if she can join our team. I thought that this kind of thing definitely needs to be discussed with you and Brave, so I didn't agree on the spot."

So this is ah……

Ye Zi pondered for a moment before saying:

"I think it's possible. Ziyuan is quite sensible, and she has the guidance of senior Rachel. Although she is only a two-star hunter now, her foundation should be quite solid. As long as her combat experience and equipment level improve, she should be able to play a significant role."

"Actually, I had considered inviting Sister Manjushri to join us, but I thought that if we did that, the four of us would be an all-melee team. It would be better to add a heavy crossbowman to balance things out."

"You agree?"

Yoko asked curiously:

Why shouldn't I agree?

Lin Lin pursed his lips, recalling the scene when he met Shion after returning to the gathering place after his first hunt for the Thunder Wolf Dragon. At that time, he clearly felt that there was an inexplicable tension between Yoko and Shion, but now it seemed that there was no animosity between them.
Of course, he had no idea that more than half of the various dishes Yezi had tried to make during this period were made under the guidance of Shion after learning from her.

"Alright, then we'll see what Bref thinks. But speaking of which, can't this guy ever stay still for a moment? It's only been a short time since the Battle of Spirit Peak, and he's already eagerly running off to hunt again?"

Ye Zi shrugged. "Maybe he was provoked by Lan Long?"

In fact, it wasn't just Bref who was provoked by the Storm Dragon. Yoko herself was also quite provoked, but instead of honing her skills through actual combat like Bref did, she calmed down and focused on studying the various monster records available within the guild.

Often, intelligence is also a part of strength. When encountering a monster for the first time, the difficulty of the battle is completely different between someone who is completely unfamiliar with the monster and someone who already knows its characteristics.

Just as the two were chatting over tea and snacks, a slight commotion suddenly arose in the meeting place, with people rushing in and out.

"What's going on here?"

Ye Zi was confused, and Lin Lin was also clueless. But since the mouth is under the nose, if you don't know, just ask.

Lin Lin grabbed a middle-aged hunter who was hurrying past nearby:
"Uncle, what happened?"

Uncle?!
The middle-aged hunter felt a sharp sting from that word, but looking at the two young hunters before him—the man handsome and the woman beautiful—calling him "uncle" didn't seem so bad after all...

The middle-aged hunter waved his hand, looking quite hurt. "I heard someone was just pushed back in a cat cart, and it wasn't even a gathering hunter like me. Apparently, it was a powerful hunter who could fight wyverns... I wonder what kind of terrifying monster could possibly send such a powerful hunter onto the cat cart..."

Lin Lin and Ye Zi exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of unease in each other's eyes.

(End of this chapter)