Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 348 Super-Flipping Horned Dragon
The horned dinosaur strained its legs and raised its body high, with only its neck slightly bent, pointing its thick, curved horns toward the direction of the jump. Its body seemed to freeze in that instant.

The big one is coming!
Lin Lin could tell at a glance that this guy was gathering his strength, and the power of his next attack would be extraordinary; he absolutely couldn't afford to be hit.

"Get out of the way!"

Although she felt that she was in a safe distance, Tiaotiao still followed Lin Lin's instructions and nimbly jumped backward with both legs.

The next moment, the horned dragon suddenly leaped forward, instantly closing the distance by more than ten meters. Its two horns rammed straight down at the spot where Jump had just been standing, with such force that the two giant horns were buried in the ground.

However, that wasn't the end of it. Using the momentum of its forward charge, the horned dragon took another step forward, its two horns like giant shovels, directly blasting away a large area of ​​soil and rocks in front of it. If Jump hadn't jumped back in time, those giant horns would have pierced through its flesh and blown its entire dragon away.

"Good, we've successfully hooked it. Let's lure it over there! Dates, prepare sonic bombs. Throw them out as soon as it burrows underground!"

Lin Lin's gaze swept across the area and quickly locked onto a large rocky platform a few hundred meters away. It was covered only by some mud and sand, and this terrain, which was difficult to dig through, could effectively limit the horned dragon's ability to burrow underground, making it very suitable as a battlefield.

Jump started running again, but this time, it didn't use its full speed. It just kept running at a speed that was similar to that of the Diablos, only slightly faster.

This always gives the Diablos the illusion that it can catch up if it pushes harder, thus successfully keeping the guy behind. By conserving some energy and not using full speed, the Jumper can react and dodge when the Diablos attacks.

In the back-and-forth chase, the rocky platform chosen as the battlefield drew ever closer. Finally, just as the Diablos was about to lose patience and give up the pursuit, Lin Lin suddenly pulled on the Wirebug, leaping off Jumpy's back and drawing his shield axe mid-air to cleave the Diablos's wing.

The reason he cut the wings instead of the softer parts like the belly or tail wasn't for any particular reason; it was simply because the Diablos was too big, and Lin Lin couldn't reach other parts, so he could only cut the wings in front of him.

"hiss"

As Lin Lin landed, a long, narrow wound appeared on the wing membrane of one of the horned dragon's wings. Tiny ice crystals condensed at the wound, emanating a chilling aura. However, these ice crystals were quickly melted by the heat of the Daytime Sand Plains.

This guy's wing membrane strength doesn't seem to be very high?
Glancing at the wound on his head inflicted by the shark guard, Lin Lin didn't have time to think. He immediately shoved his sword into his shield, released the Flying Insect, and instantly completed the setup for a fully charged counterattack and defensive posture.

The next moment, stimulated by the pain, the horned dinosaur turned around and opened its mouth to bite at Lin Lin's position. Although the sharp fangs on both sides of its upper jaw were usually only used to make it easier to dig through the mud and sand when looking for plant roots, there was no doubt that once a hunter was pierced by one of these fangs, a bloody hole would instantly appear on his body.

However, by the time it gnawed down, Lin Lin had already completed its defensive stance. Its sharp fangs and massive jaws with terrifying bite force could only crash into the shield, producing a crisp "clang" sound, but they did not shake Lin Lin's body in the slightest.

Having blocked the horned dragon's attack, Lin Lin spun around and channeled the energy he had just accumulated into his shield, activating its enhanced state.

He was originally standing beside the horned dragon, which would have to turn its head to attack him. This enhanced spinning slash took him another step forward, bringing him to the side of the horned dragon's thick legs.

This position is practically a dead end for the Diablos. It's difficult to find a suitable angle to attack, whether it's the thick tail that's like a heavy hammer or the huge horns that are like deadly weapons.

Lin Lin originally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to strike again and leave another wound on this guy, but this horned dragon seemed to have considerable combat experience and a very fast reaction speed. After turning its head to confirm Lin Lin's position, it immediately tensed its entire body, like a spring. The tighter it was compressed now, the greater the force it would unleash when it rebounded in the next moment.

Damn it!
Time was too short to dodge... Making a decision in an instant, Lin Lin reacted quickly, releasing the Flying Insects again and unleashing a fully charged counterattack.

"Oh!"

With the support of its massive and heavy body, the Diablos's attack style is wide and powerful, with each move carrying considerable force. Especially after gathering its strength, the power of this side ram is far greater than that of the previous head-turning side bite. Even though a considerable portion of the force was dispersed by the insect silk, the remaining power is no less than a full-force charge from the Barroth.

If Lin Lin were still at the level he was when he first left Lockerck, even with a fully charged counterattack, this collision would have seriously injured him. But now, with veins bulging on his arms and a low growl escaping his lips, he actually withstood the heavy impact without taking a single step back.

It seemed like a long time, yet it also seemed like only a moment. The heavy pressure transmitted back from the shield dissipated completely. Almost instinctively, Lin Lin maintained the sword and shield in the shield-axe combination, grabbed the sword hilt with his left hand, and swung it behind him with force. During the swing, the shield rapidly changed its structure, revealing the sharp axe blade at the edge.

The Diablos has just used a powerful, charged attack and is unlikely to immediately follow up with another attack. Meanwhile, his Charge Blade has a red shield and a phial. If he doesn't use it now, when will he?

"Explosion!"

Like a taut bowstring snapping back the moment it was released, the ice-blue giant axe crashed down with a force no less powerful than the horned dragon's previous attack. The sharp axe blade cleaved into the horned dragon's brownish-yellow carapace, only pausing slightly before continuing downwards, carving a wound several meters long before finally slamming heavily onto the ground, leaving a deep dent in the rock.

The intense pain in its leg stimulated the horned dinosaur's nerves, making it even more furious and agitated. It was about to twist its body and swing its incredibly heavy tail club at Lin Lin.

However, Lin Lin seemed oblivious to the horned dragon's movements, his gaze fixed on the axe blade embedded in the rock, silently calculating the time in his mind.

"Explode for me...!"

As the words were spoken, five thick, fan-shaped ice pillars suddenly appeared from the ground, almost engulfing most of the horned dragon's body. The pervasive chilling aura almost completely robbed the dragon of its ability to control its body, even interrupting its turning and tail-whipping movements.

The next moment, the ice pillar shattered, and large pieces of the horned dragon's sandy-yellow carapace broke apart.

The horned dinosaur let out a painful howl from its throat, staggered, its turning motion interrupted, and immediately lost its balance, falling sideways. Its heavy body collided with the rocks, producing a dull thud.

When Lin Lin saw the Diablos about to unleash its tail whip, his heart sank. He hadn't expected the Diablos to connect its attacks so quickly. But its Super Amped Spectre had already been unleashed. All he could do was gamble—gamble that this move would interrupt the Diablos's attack, or gamble that he could successfully dismantle the interlocked sword and shield and prepare a defense before the Diablos's next attack. Fortunately, he won his gamble.

Lin Lin's lips curled into a slightly arrogant smile.

Ha, a horned dragon, a desert tyrant, so what? I still took it down with one axe.
With trembling hands, Lin Lin pressed the mechanism, disassembled the great axe, and returned it to its sword and shield form. He couldn't help but breathe heavily.

It has to be said that, apart from its poor cold resistance, the Diablos's carapace is quite strong. When a Super Amped Spectre hits the Diablos, the feeling is almost no better than hitting a rock directly. The recoil force makes his hands feel sore.

However, now is not the time to relax. This horned dragon has only fallen to the ground; it hasn't lost its ability to fight. The threat is not yet gone!

Lin Lin stared at the horned dragon struggling to get up from the ground, gripped his weapon tightly again, and charged directly at it.

It had been quite some time since he had used his Sand-Piercing Armored Shield Axe. This Diablos that had attacked him was practically offering itself up as enhancement material. As long as he could hunt it down on the spot, he wouldn't be violating any of the guild's rules.

……

Just as Lin Lin was taking advantage of the horned dragon's fall to the ground to beat it up, a few hundred meters away in the caravan...

The scene was a mess. One of the Pobo was hit directly by the Diablos's tail hammer and fell to the ground without a sound. The other Pobo were not seriously injured because they were farther away from where the Diablos appeared and had more time to react.

In addition, several trucks were affected by the horned dragon's attack and suffered varying degrees of damage. The goods they were transporting were also badly damaged. Fortunately, the goods transported by the convoy were mostly daily necessities and local specialties that were in high demand. Otherwise, this attack alone could have bankrupted the merchants who were transporting the goods.

Rachel beckoned to Ziyuan and gave her a task: to direct the scattered crowd to regroup, handle the inventory of losses and casualties, and so on. As for herself, after replenishing her ammunition, she prepared to take her heavy crossbow to support Lin Lin, who had just lured the Diablos away.

Although Lin Lin was already a five-star hunter, she was still not entirely comfortable with him going to deal with the Diablos alone.

"Wait a moment!"

Rickres suddenly called out to Rachel.

Rachel looked at him, puzzled, so Rickres continued:
“Although the Diablos has appeared here, there shouldn’t be any other large predators nearby. However, we still need to be wary of monsters like the Pteranodon, the Armored Dragon, and the Velociraptor. With your heavy crossbow, you’re best suited to stay here and ensure the safety of the caravan.”

"But……"

"I'll go help Lin Lin!"

Rickres, carrying his booming drum "Tiger Bell," gave Rachel a thumbs-up.

However, he didn't run over directly. Instead, he stood still and swung his hunting horn, playing a self-enhancing melody. This melody could strengthen his physical condition. During the duration of the melody's effect, even while carrying a weapon that was not much lighter than a sledgehammer, he could still run as fast as he could to the distant battlefield.

However, in the few seconds that he was playing the melody in place, Rachel noticed out of the corner of her eye that two figures darted out and rushed towards the direction where the horned dragon was.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and the archer's well-trained and excellent dynamic vision instantly identified the two figures.

Yoko, the Insect Glaive user, impressed me deeply during her battle with Lanlong on Lingfeng Peak. As long as she doesn't get injured or have to retire, it's a sure thing that she'll become a high-ranking hunter in time.

The figure lagging behind Ye Zi was Brave, the katana-wielder. Although she hadn't seen much of his combat performance, the fact that Lin Lin and Ye Zi had accepted him as a teammate meant he must be quite skilled. With these two coming to her aid, Rachel's anxious heart was somewhat at ease.

Both of them were riding their mounts and were running at great speed. In the blink of an eye, they shrank into tiny dots in sight. At that moment, Rickres had just finished playing the melody and was about to start chasing after them.

Suddenly, they felt the progress of the times. While these old guys were still proud of their battle-tested bodies, the new generation of hunters were already using combat mounts for transportation.

How about... keeping up with the times and getting a mount that can be ridden and shot? That would make traveling, carrying ammunition, and fighting much easier, wouldn't it?
Hmm, did Yoko mention before that those big dogs called Fang Hounds are a type of fanged beast monster domesticated in their hometown, and can be used as hunting partners like Palicoes? If we have the chance sometime, should we go there and take a look?

……

Let's return to the battlefield.

Lin Lin continued to fight the horned dragon. Having learned from his previous experience, Lin Lin became much more cautious in battle. He avoided the horned dragon's attacks whenever possible, and only raised his shield to defend when it was absolutely necessary to dodge.

For those wide-ranging attacks, Lin Lin would use Bug Guard, followed by a Sword Boost to launch a counterattack. By using his Red Sword form to chip away at Diablos's health, he could also inflict considerable damage. Unless Diablos revealed a large enough opening, he would definitely restrain himself from using his Super Amped Elemental Discharge.

After all, he's fighting alone now, and if he makes a mistake, there's no one to save him.

—No, that's not quite accurate, since there's also Date Palm. Although I was just riding on Jumpy's back and using the Cat Ballista to occasionally fire bolts at the Diablos to distract it, it can't really be considered a solo battle in the strict sense.

(End of this chapter)