Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 419 Slime Mold
"It's a Shadow Spider!"

The blonde girl took a deep breath. "The Shadow Spiders blocked the lava passage with stones to build their nest!"

The village chief of the Earth Dragon tribe couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"How did you know?"

Gemma was about to explain, but before she could even utter a single word, the village chief of the Tulong tribe interrupted her.

"Never mind, it's not important..."

As he spoke, he turned his hopeful gaze to the two hunters beside him. Although he did not speak, the meaning in his eyes was already very clear.

So, can you guys handle this Shadow Spider? If so, I'd really appreciate it!

"The Shadow Spider is rated as a four-star monster!"

Sophia, who was holding the receipt and recording the commission on the spot, suddenly interrupted. As if she was afraid that Lin Lin and Ye Zi did not know about this kind of monster, she opened the Hunter Encyclopedia G and quickly found the information about the Shadow Spider.

"Although it's only a four-star creature, the Shadow Spider is not an easy opponent. The horns hidden in its mouthparts are highly venomous, the stingers on its abdomen can secrete a fluid with a strong hypnotic effect, and it can also skillfully use its silk sacs to spit out highly sticky silk threads. It has a wide range of tricks up its sleeves!"

"If you're going hunting, be sure to prepare antidotes, energy drinks, and antidotes!"

Lin Lin smiled. "In short, it's still within our control."

"Then, the authorization form is finalized. Please take a look!"

After the village chief of the Tulong tribe, Lin Linye, and Gemma all reviewed the documents, Lin Lin and Gemma completed the formalities at Sophia's place and began preparations for their departure.

As Lin Lin returned to the RV and checked the preparation of the props, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Lin Lin turned his head to look, only to find Sophia standing at the door peeking in, looking very suspicious. He couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

"What's wrong? Why are you acting like a thief?"

Sofia hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Never mind, it's nothing..."

Lin Lin rolled his eyes:
"We've known each other for over a year now, right? Just say what you're thinking, why are you being so secretive..."

Upon hearing this, Sophia thought about it and agreed.

Lin Lin already knew his own personality, so what was there to hesitate about?
"Um... when you go hunting, can I come along and watch?"

"Don't worry, I'll hide it well. You've seen the camouflage techniques that Teacher Mia and I learned before, so it definitely won't affect your hunt!"

She took out her notebook and showed it to Lin Lin. This notebook was used by her to record information about the monsters she had seen and learned about. Unlike those standard academic books, the monsters in this notebook were drawn in a cute style, and the text descriptions were quite simple.

—Aidan from the top squad borrowed this notebook from her before, saying that the records in it were very interesting.

Lin Lin: ...

Tsk, fine, who told her to give the advice to become a mascot girl? The chance to get up close to monsters was also a promise I made to her back then.

"That's possible, but you'll probably only be able to choose one to go with. Think carefully about whether you want to observe the Ghost Frog or the Shadow Spider."

"Eh?"

……

into the night.

Well, I can only say that I went by instinct when night fell, because Naguli Village is located in an underground cave, and it is difficult to see the sky above.

Next to the RV.

Lin Lin sat on the ground, his head resting on Tiao Tiao's body, discussing the next hunting plan with Ye Zi.

Although Ghost Frog and Shadow Spider aren't exactly formidable opponents, a basic plan is still necessary.

"Let's split up, one person at a time. That's the fastest way to solve the problem."

However, Yoko seems to have a different opinion on this.

"But wouldn't it be safer if we went together and hunted in turn?"

Yezao handed Nia Lu a small dried fish, and her eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this.

It's been a year since her debut, and since when has Yoko's hunting style become all about playing it safe? In my opinion, this is probably just an excuse for the two of them to be all lovey-dovey.

"There's no need to be so conservative with a three-star danger level and a four-star danger level."

Lin Lin didn't consider the direction Ye Zao was thinking at all. He was thinking about the Black Erosion Dragon that had escaped from the Unknown Tree Sea. At that time, a golden hue had already appeared on its wings. Who knows how long it would take for it to evolve into the Heavenly Return Dragon?
If the elite team fails to hunt it down and it completes its transformation, once it has spread its scales in the restricted area, will it use its connection to the Black Devouring Dragon to turn around and settle scores with Jump?

Therefore, if possible, he still wants to complete the construction of the airship as soon as possible so that he can gain an advantage and go to Sky Mountain to investigate the situation.

"That's it..."

Ye Zi pouted and gave a helpless reply.

"Alright then, if we split up, how should we allocate the targets?"

Lin Lin turned his head and glanced in the direction of the blacksmith's workshop, where a small fire was lit—after all, he used a different technique than the Earth Dragon Clan, using burning coals for forging, so the interruption of the lava flow here wouldn't affect him much.

"Although I would love to show my machismo and take on the more dangerous Shadow Spider, I don't have any weapons available right now."

Lin Lin shrugged. "Besides, even with weapons, the Shadow Spider is smaller and more agile. It leaps and bounds up and down the spiderweb terrain it weaves, making it difficult for me to deal with. With your Insect Glaive and Wirebug, you can be even more agile than it."

"So I think I'll go and have a go at Ghost Frog, after all, that guy is much clumsy."

"Roar……"

Jumpy stirred slightly and let out a low growl. "You want to go too? Hmm, it's not impossible, but if possible, you'd better not join the battle. After all, if you spread the Mad Dragon Virus, I won't be able to explain it to the guild."

……

Leaving Naguli Village, walk two or three kilometers along the rocky path, and you will arrive at this hunting ground named Underground Cave.

Of course, this is just its current name. Before the lava flow stopped, it had a more resounding title that could rival the Ruins Plain and the Flying Ma Slope of the Ice Sea: the Underground Crematorium... Well, if you want to call it something nicer, you can also call it the Underground Volcano.

Now that the magma has stopped flowing, this place is still somewhat dark. The terrain is undulating, and in some places where the sun never shines, only fluorescent spore plants serve as the sole source of light. Not far away, an underground river flows quietly, reflecting the faint fluorescent light, like a galaxy fallen to earth, which is quite beautiful.

Lin Lin stood beside the cliff, watching the underground river rush out of the precipice and disappear into the deepest darkness, and a sense of unease arose in his heart.

It truly lives up to its name as an underground crematorium. If someone were to accidentally fall from such a height, they would definitely die, right?
Wait, no, I have a worm, so it's okay.

Lin Lin glanced back and saw Tiao Tiao standing beside the dark river, curiously sticking its front paws in and gently stirring the water a few times. Lin Lin could clearly see that with Tiao Tiao's movements, the water in the area where its paws landed quickly became murky.

"What are you playing for?"

Lin Lin asked with a smile, "This guy is so big, how come he behaves like a cat?"
"Roar……"

Jumpy let out a low growl, which startled Lin Lin slightly.

Having lost its sight and now suppressing its instinct to observe the world through its scales, Jump Jump observes its surroundings using the senses that Lin Lin has shared with it.

Just now, Jump Jump noticed that the river in front of him seemed quite different from the emerald green lakes and pale blue rivers he had seen before. Under the dim light, the river seemed to have a bright milky blue color.

"If that's the case, then it does seem so..."

Lin Lin couldn't help but stroke his chin. He hadn't noticed it before, but after Tiao Tiao noticed, he also felt that the river water was indeed much bluer than normal.

"Let me think about it..."

"It's because this is a volcanic area!"

Sofia had just finished sketching a spore plant next to her when she turned around and saw a man and a dragon deep in thought, staring at the river. Curious, she asked them a question and then smiled as she gave an explanation.

"Volcanic rocks are altered under high temperature and hydrothermal conditions, and the compounds released dissolve in water, forming fine colloidal particles. Just like the sky appears blue, these particles scatter light. Due to the depth of the river and the different sizes of the particles, the scattered light will also vary. When blue light is scattered preferentially, the river water will appear bluer than usual."

Lin Lin nodded, seemingly understanding, then realizing that another piece of useless trivia had been added to his knowledge.

As expected of scholars, I initially thought they were only good at studying monsters, but it turns out their knowledge in other areas is just as impressive.

As for Jump, it didn't understand a word Sophia was saying. It just thought it was fun that the river could change color. After poking around with one of its front paws at first, it simply stepped its whole body into the river and started playing in the water.

As Lin Lin watched this scene, he couldn't help but recall the time when he first brought Tiaotiao out of the desert and arrived in Lokrak. Back then, when he gave Tiaotiao a bath, it played in the water with great enthusiasm, just like this.

"boom!"

However, this peaceful and beautiful atmosphere did not last long. Suddenly, a muffled explosion rang out, followed by a scream from Tiaotiao, who jumped out of the river and onto the bank, shaking his body vigorously and splashing a lot of water.

Lin Lin went on alert when the explosion occurred, but after looking around several times and waiting for a long time, there was still no movement. It seemed that the explosion was not caused by any unknown attacker.

While Lin Lin was still bewildered, Sophia seemed to suddenly remember something. She hurriedly ran towards Tiaotiao, circled it once, and then called out to Lin Lin in an extremely excited tone:

"Come quick, look here!"

Lin Lin: ?
He had a feeling that Sophia had discovered something extraordinary.

Upon closer inspection, several scales on the tip of Jumpy's tail were shattered, revealing the flesh that protected them. It seemed that the explosion had occurred right there.

Lin Lin twitched the corner of his mouth. Although this small wound was just a superficial injury for Tiao Tiao, he still prescribed a bottle of recovery medicine and helped Tiao Tiao clean the wound.

However, Sophia's focus was not on Tiaotiao's wound. After discovering Tiaotiao's injury, she immediately bent down and searched around. After Lin Lin finished treating Tiaotiao's injury, she also successfully found what she was looking for.

"Look at this!"

Sophia held up a piece of black scale in front of Lin Lin.

This scale was undoubtedly one that Jump had just been blown off by the explosion, but that's not the point. The point is actually the little bit of glowing green substance attached to the scale.

After staring at the thing for two seconds, Lin Lin took a deep breath and slowly uttered a name:
"This is... slime mold?"

"To be precise, this is an exploding slime mold! There are actually many types of slime mold, but only this exploding slime mold can coexist with darlings!"

Sofia's face was flushed with excitement.

Compared to Sophia, Lin Lin's complexion was far from pleasant.

Brachydios is an extremely dangerous monster. If we were to categorize the monsters in the Monster Hunter world into a general ecological niche, then creatures like Rathalos and Diablos, which are top-tier in their conventional ecological niches, could be called map kings.

Ragnarok, Deviljho, and Bazelgeuse are examples of creatures that, while lacking the ecological influence of Elder Dragons, possess combat power comparable to Elder Dragons; they can be classified as "police-level."

The Broken Dragon, capable of killing the Map King Flame Dragon with three punches, can be classified as a strong Map King, somewhere between Map King and Police-level. Its danger level can also be ranked as six stars, similar to subspecies like Azure Rathalos.

Although Lin Lin is still only a five-star, he has at least had experience fighting against the Storm Dragon, the Ultimate Thousand Blade Dragon, and the Black Eclipse Dragon which shows signs of transformation. Even if he can't win against some six-star danger level monsters, he is confident that he can escape unscathed.

However, this is contingent on him having a weapon.

The Thousand Blade Dragon Shield Axe is still being forged. The letter was only sent back to Dongdorma not long ago. The Deviljho Shield Axe is probably still on its way. I thought it was just about fighting a Ghost Frog. I thought I could try it out. Hunting without weapons wouldn't be too dangerous. If all else fails, I still have Jumpy. With its wing claws outstretched, it can kill the Ghost Frog in a few slaps.

But a Ghost Frog is a Ghost Frog, and a Shattered Dragon is a Shattered Dragon. When they fight Ghost Frogs, they are fighting small animals, and when the Shattered Dragon fights him without weapons, it is also fighting small animals. This suddenly increases the level of danger.

"Should we retreat first?"

Lin Lin was a little unsure of what to do. Without a weapon, he didn't feel safe facing a fighter like Shattered Dragon!
There's no need to be so nervous!

Sophia finally noticed that Lin Lin's expression was off, and recovered from her excitement, offering a reassuring word.

"Just finding slime mold doesn't mean we're definitely going to run into our darlings..."

(End of this chapter)