Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 374 Solo Hunt, Lin Lin's Target is...

The next day.

Lin Lin arrived at the tavern early in the morning—of course, unlike those drunkards who frequented taverns, he came here simply to find a suitable commission, and having a drink was just a side thing.

Having acquired a new weapon and a new talisman, he was eager for a thrilling battle to prove his current strength.

To get a clear picture of his current skill level, he decided to go on a completely solo hunt this time, without Yoru, Brave, Jumpy Guga, or even Date. Of course, to be on the safe side, he had to hire a cat rescue team this time, so that if anything went wrong, he wouldn't have to give up immediately.

Since it's a solo hunt, the choice of hunting opponents needs to be carefully considered and weighed. That's why Lin Lin came to the gathering place early this morning.

Which monsters should I challenge...?

Looking at the thick stack of receipts that the shopkeeper had placed in front of him, Lin Lin hesitated, a rare occurrence for him.

As the headquarters of the Hunter's Guild, Dongdorma gathers almost all the commissions from across the continent. There are just too many targets to choose from, and Lin Lin feels like he's about to suffer from decision paralysis.

"Could you recommend one that suits me?"

Lin Lin looked through it for a moment, sighed helplessly, and pushed the heavy book of documents back.

"Okay, what are the filtering criteria?"

"Hmm... I don't have any specific requirements, just five stars, and the location should be a bit far away, preferably so that I can rest and travel in a nearby village after the hunt."

The woman who greeted Lin Lin was a rather mature-looking signboard girl. Judging from her appearance, Lin Lin estimated that she was seven or eight years older than him, and was already approaching thirty.

Although the older signboard lady wasn't as youthful and energetic as Cihua or Anxia, ​​she had been in this position for so many years and her experience far surpassed that of the younger signboard ladies. For example, after listening to Lin Lin's request, she quickly pulled out several receipts and showed them to him.

"How about this mission?"

"The mission requires you to capture a giant beast and conduct an ecological survey. The location is in the Frasia Snow Mountain, and there is a village called Bokai nearby. You can rest there after completing the mission."

Bokai Village...

To be honest, Lin Lin really wanted to go there and take a look, but the mission required capturing a giant beast, which seemed a bit too troublesome, and he probably wouldn't be able to perform well on his own.

Moreover, the snow-capped mountains are a relatively unfamiliar hunting ground for him. Going to hunt in the snow-capped mountains increases the risks. He might try it if he is in a team, but he would rather not go alone.

"And what about this commission?"

The signboard lady produced a new authorization form:
"The monster that is asking for the hunt is a sea dragon, located in the waters near Tangia Port, because its rampage caused a cargo ship to sink, resulting in significant economic losses for the merchants."

Lin Lin stared at the receipt for a couple of seconds, feeling that it looked somewhat familiar.

Why did the client, described as an "instructor with gold teeth," and the bizarre, "luhahaha" laughter immediately remind him of the ghost instructor who had taught him a few moves in Jieyun Village?
When the Thunder Wolf Dragon Rebellion ended, he heard that the instructor had made a fortune and quit being an instructor to go into business. Considering the plot of the instructors going bankrupt during the XX period, Lin Lin felt more and more that this unlucky guy whose ship was sunk by the Sea Dragon was the Ghost Instructor.

"Unfortunately, I have absolutely no experience in water combat, so I can't avenge the instructor..."

"So... how about this one?"

Seeing Lin Lin shake his head, the signboard lady patiently pulled out another receipt.

-

Hunting Quest: The Sky King of the Forest Hills (★★★★★)
Quest objective: Hunt a Rathalos.
Reward: 13000z
Processing fee: 300z
Mission Location: Schreitsen Hill
Limited time: 30 days

Client: A worried hunter

The breeding season is approaching, and a large herd of fire dragons will surely gather in Forest Hills again. If they are allowed to pair up and reproduce in large numbers, Forest Hills will inevitably face a food shortage next year. At that time, in order to obtain enough food, they will definitely expand their hunting range, thus threatening the safety of the villagers. So please, hunters with sufficient strength, for the peace of the village, please reduce the number of fire dragons gathering in Forest Hills!
-

"The mission location is Schreitsen Hill, and nearby is Kokot Village, the legendary birthplace of hunters. It's a great place to go!"

Fire dragon...

Lin Lin frowned slightly. Perhaps it was because he loved the house that he loved the crow. Ever since he raised the Great Sky, he had never actually had the idea of ​​hunting Rathalos. However, after carefully reading the contents of the request, Lin Lin had to admit that this request was very necessary.

Rathalos are found all over the continent, but when the breeding season arrives, Forest Hills will undoubtedly become the largest gathering place for Rathalos. Most Rathalos from all over the continent will gather here to find mates, and a large number of them will build nests in Forest Hills after finding a mate. If this phenomenon is left unchecked, the villages near Forest Hills will suffer severe damage.

'Hmm... I wonder if losing an eye will affect the female Rathalos's mate selection criteria. I'll just consider this a way to clear out some competitors for Ootora in advance...'

"This is it. Please help me with the paperwork, thank you."

"You're welcome. This is just part of our job as receptionists."

Receptionist?
Lin Lin took a moment to process what she had just realized. Oh, right, their official job title was indeed receptionist; "signboard girl" was just a nickname given to them by the hunters.

……

The time limit for the commission was thirty days, and as the hub city of the entire continent, it would only take less than two days to reach Kokot Village by airship. This time was quite ample for Lin Lin, so he did not rush to set off immediately, but returned to the villa to make preparations.

"Huh? Solo hunting? Isn't that a bit too dangerous?"

Ye Zi looked at Lin Lin with a worried expression. Judging from that look, Lin Lin had no doubt that if he gave in, Ye Zi would immediately offer to join.

"Hey, what's so dangerous about it? Everyone went through this when they first became hunters. Teaming up is definitely safer, but this time I mainly want to test just how much my skills have improved."

Brave didn't react much, and even nodded in agreement upon hearing Lin Lin's words.

“Indeed, before forming a team, everyone was always working solo. Speaking of which, I actually had the same idea. Solo hunting is indeed the most direct way to test one’s own improvement.” Ye Zi was silent for a moment. Although she had been hunting in teams with Lin Lin and the others since her debut, she had also hunted solo quite a few times in order to catch up with Brother Lin Lin’s star level.

"I understand, but... at least bring some dates, it'll be a backup plan, won't it?"

Looking at Yoko's worried face and Yezao's hesitant gaze, Lin Lin pursed his lips, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

I never imagined that my decision to hunt alone would affect her so much.

"Huh? What are you all doing in the living room?"

The door opened, and Ziyuan walked in carrying a bunch of packages. Seeing Lin Lin and the other two gathered in the lobby on the first floor, she tilted her head in surprise.

However, her curiosity was only momentary; she quickly put it aside and instead raised the package in her hand:
"I just bought some snacks on the street, everyone should try them! The pastry shop at the west end has really good snacks!"

Lin Lin let out a soft breath and leaned back on the sofa:
"Alright, then you can come along too, Date. While I'm gone, I'll be asking Yoko to take care of Jump and the others."

"Okay, meow, I'll go get ready right away, meow..." "Don't worry, Brother Lin Lin!"

"There's no need to rush. It's dessert time now. Let's eat first and then talk about other things!"

"Huh? So what were you guys talking about just now, senior brothers?"

……

Various consumable items and supplies could be prepared after arriving at Kokot Village, so Lin Lin and Yezao did not make many preparations. After preparing the most important equipment, they returned to the airport of East Doruma and stepped onto the deck of the airship.

Rathalos's weakness is the Dragon element. If you use the Zinogre armor set with the Deviljho Charge Blade [Destinietta], it should have terrifying destructive power. However, there is a problem: Lin Lin has not yet fully mastered the ability to use this Charge Blade.

According to Kevin's advice, the simplest way to tame this Charge Blade is to hunt a Deviljho, instead of relying on tricks like the Storm Dragon, but to fight it head-on. Once you win, mastering the Charge Blade will no longer be a problem.

However, Lin Lin felt that he was far from ready to challenge the Deviljho. So, following Kevin's advice, he could only spend more time each day to gradually adapt and get used to it. It would take a year or two to achieve a similar result.

However, Lin Lin's training with the equipment has only just begun, and there is still a long way to go before he can truly use it in battle. Therefore, for this hunt, he only brought the Diablos Armor and took off the Zinogre Armor, replacing it with the Transforming Ice Shark Armor. Although the fire resistance and lightning resistance of this armor are both negative, the negative ones are not as severe. He replaced the original Swamp Crossing Jewel with several Fire Resistance Jewels, so he will still have good fire resistance. At least he doesn't have to worry about being roasted alive by a single burst of fire.

Compared to Lin Lin, Yezao wasn't so particular. She chose armor with strong protective capabilities and weapons with high damage. In the end, she still wore the Thunder Wolf Dragon Cat Armor and Thunder Wolf Dragon Cat Sword.

Two days later, when the airship landed, Lin Lin finally saw the small village known as the "hometown of hunters".

Just like in the game, although the real Kokot Village is not as small as in the game, it is not that spacious either. At first glance, it looks a bit gray and quiet and simple, just like the most ordinary village you can see anywhere.

Lin Lin had anticipated this, but Ye Zao seemed somewhat disappointed.

After all, this village is said to have been founded by the legendary Kokot hero, the world's first hunter, a powerful hunter who once slew the Mountain Dragon. How could the village he founded look so unremarkable?
Coconut even suspected that the airship might have encountered fog on its journey, causing it to veer off course and end up in some unknown village.

"It's not much different from what I imagined."

Yezao looked at Lin Lin with a surprised expression:

"Boss Meow, it seems like you don't have any expectations for this 'hunter's hometown' at all, meow?"

Lin Lin smiled and shook his head:

"Actually, there is. This place looks more impressive than I imagined."

"This is even more impressive than I imagined? Boss, just how shabby was the Kokot Village you envisioned, meow..."

Yezao didn't hold back in her criticism, while Lin Lin's eyes showed a hint of reminiscence.

Koko Village, as the first base to appear in the Monster Hunter series, is quite simple in design, and its various settings are all experimental. Even though it was later re-released in HD in XX, it is still quite simple compared to other villages.

The design flaws are clearly inconsistent with the real Monster Hunter world. Although the current Kokot Village appears relatively simple, it is actually just a flatter place. In addition to the buildings that make up the village, there are large rice paddies. Looking down from the airship, you can occasionally see people working in the fields.

Although it may not look particularly remarkable, it is a vibrant village.

"Let's go see the village chief."

Stepping off the airship's deck, Lin Lin and Yezao walked straight into the center of the village along the main road.

Although Kokot Village is not large, it is often visited by hunters because of the name of the Kokot Hero. As a result, the villagers are used to the presence of hunters and are not very surprised. At most, they will look at the equipment they are wearing with a little curiosity.

As you walk to the center of the village, you'll see rows of wooden tables and chairs not far away, which looks like a small restaurant.

The small restaurant didn't seem to be doing very well. Although it was lunchtime, there weren't many customers. Only two hunters, one in red and one in black, wearing hoods, were sitting at a table on the side, laughing and joking as they ate.

Yezao rubbed her belly and glanced at Lin Lin:
"Hey Meow, there's a restaurant over there, shall we eat first, Meow?"

"Are you hungry?"

Lin Lin raised an eyebrow. "Coincidentally, I'm also a bit hungry. I need to fill my stomach before I can hunt."

Lin Lin casually chose a seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the two hunters at the opposite table, lost in thought.

"Where's the waiter taking our order, meow? Oh, here he comes... meow? The waiter here is actually an elderly dragon-man, meow?"

(End of this chapter)