Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 428 The blacksmith is so tired, he really wants to retire.

Lin Lin looked at the headband, which was mostly decorative and offered almost no protection, then at the bulge on the chest of the armor, and finally at the gap between the skirt armor and the greaves that revealed part of the thigh. He looked troubled.

This set of protective gear was specially designed for Yoko, whose physique is quite different from his, so it's probably impossible for her to wear it...

Even if it were to enhance the effect of the Blade Scale Armor, he could easily find another hunting commission for the Thousand Blade Dragon and have a set of men's full-coverage heavy armor made. This one... let Yoko wear it.

Unlike Lin Lin, who looked troubled, Ye Zi couldn't help but curiously turn her gaze to the golden shield-axe after hearing what the blacksmith brother said, her face showing a hint of eagerness.

Although she was proficient in the Insect Glaive, she had also been exposed to the other thirteen weapons when she was learning from Instructor Ni Tai. In addition, she felt that she could still use some basic moves of the Charge Blade after fighting alongside Lin Lin for more than a year.

Lin Lin turned his head, saw the expression on Ye Zi's face, and raised his eyebrows:

"Want to try?"

"Eh? Is that okay?"

"Given our relationship, what's wrong with that?"

These words filled Ye Zi with joy. Her gaze lingered on Lin Lin's strong profile, and she nodded in a crisp voice, replying:

"it is good!"

"What's good?"

The blacksmith rubbed his eyes:
"You should at least let me finish explaining before you try it, right?"

Yoko snapped out of her daze and nodded quickly:
"Oh, please continue, please continue..."

The blacksmith sighed, shook his head helplessly, and continued:
"Let's start with the most basic protective capabilities. Perhaps because this Thousand Blade Dragon has reached its limit, the properties of the materials have also changed slightly. This makes the armor's hardness and toughness stronger than initially expected. In addition, I have deliberately increased the coverage area without affecting the flexibility. The defensive power of this set is definitely much stronger than the Thunder Wolf Dragon set you are wearing."

Ye Zi looked down. Although the Thunder Wolf Dragon Armor and the exposed skin on her waist and thighs made her feel a little ashamed and uncomfortable at first, she had to admit that the design greatly facilitated her movements in battle, allowing her to make the most of her agility.

However, according to the blacksmith, the new Thousand Blade Dragon set has less exposed skin but does not affect agility at all. If that's true, it's perfect.

Hunters typically wear armor as everyday clothes for convenience. However, after obtaining the Zinogre armor set, she would usually change back into her everyday clothes unless she was going out hunting, which was quite troublesome. But with this set, she could go back to wearing the Thousand Blade Dragon armor set as everyday clothes, which was much more convenient.

As for this Thunder Wolf Dragon set? I'll save it for when I'm alone with Brother Lin Lin!

"Let's talk about the enhancements provided by this equipment..."

The blacksmith, unaware of Ye Zi's ulterior motives, continued his narration with uninterrupted flow:
"First of all, as I just mentioned, this equipment not only doesn't hinder the wearer's movement, but it actually provides assistance, making it easier for the wearer to dodge and generate more power when dodging. It also allows the wearer to quickly escape the range of attacks with a large area of ​​effect. (Evasion performance + evasion distance increase)"

Yoko nodded to herself. For her, as a Mushigumi user, dodging was almost the only way to deal with monster attacks, so this blessing was very useful.

"Furthermore, thanks to the fact that the Thousand-Blade Dragon often uses its sharp scales in combat, its materials also have a very high resistance to cutting. It can be said that as long as you have this set of equipment for protection, you will be immune to the abnormal status of [Rip]. When facing attacks that are sharp but lack strength, you can be a little bolder in dealing with them. (Rip Resistance)"

A sharp attack?
Yoko couldn't help but recall her previous encounters with the Ultimate Thousand Blade Dragon, as well as the battle before it reached its ultimate form. If she had had this equipment back then, she certainly wouldn't have been cut and contracted the Mad Dragon Disease.

However, this blessing doesn't seem to be very versatile. Apart from the Thousand Blade Dragon, there are very few monsters that would fight by relying on a method that is "sharp enough but weak enough"...

"Finally, like that shield axe, this armor set also inherits a portion of the Thousand Blade Dragon's spiritual influence in order to activate the properties of the materials. Based on my experience, the effect of this influence can be divided into two parts... However, these are all judgments based on my experience, and you will need to personally determine the specific effects in battle."

"Part One: In battle, if you encounter a large monster that becomes enraged, it may trigger the Thousand Blade Dragon's instinct to fight for territory, thereby strengthening the 'ki' within you and allowing you to unleash even greater power. (Challenger)"

"In the second part, if you can dodge the monster's attack in a relatively extreme way, the sense of crisis at that moment will cause the Thousand-Blade Dragon's lingering instincts to erupt, allowing you to briefly unleash even greater power. (Skillful Strike)"

Upon hearing this last part, Yoko's slight frustration over the limited versatility of [Rending Resistance] vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming excitement.

Adding values ​​is great, I love adding values!

For a long time, apart from using the "Dragon Slayer" skill when she had the chance, her Insect Glaive only had the Mount Finishing move, which Lin Lin jokingly called "Pole Dance," to deal significant damage to monsters. Most of the time, her attacks were not powerful enough to cause any real damage, and she could only apply a minor bleeding debuff to the monsters.

"call--"

The blacksmith took a deep breath. After finishing his long explanation, he looked even more exhausted. It seemed that the forging work he had been doing overtime for some time had taken its toll.

"Okay, take it back and try it on. If there are any problems, just come to me and I'll adjust it."

So Yoko called Niaru over to help carry the Thousand Blade Dragon armor back into the RV, and then went to change her gear.

Lin Lin wasn't in a hurry to find a place to show off his newly acquired shield and axe; he'd let the curious Yoko try it out first.

Seeing this, the blacksmith was somewhat puzzled:

Is there anything else?

Lin Lin glanced at the weariness in the other person's eyes and felt slightly embarrassed:
"There is indeed something I need to trouble you with."

"Don't bother with all this trouble. You're one of our hunters, just tell me directly."

It seems this blacksmith has a strong sense of belonging to the group.

"That's right. Next, we'll have to face the Shattered Dragon. Without 'that,' this guy is really difficult to deal with."

"Shattered Dragon... the 'that' you mentioned, could it be the 'Mycology Bead'?"

The blacksmith, who also knew about hunters, stroked his chin and pondered for a while before slowly speaking.

Mycological beads?
Lin Lin was slightly taken aback. Actually, he wanted to talk about explosion-proof beads, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded in realization.

Since the beginning of the world, he hadn't touched anything from the old stuff, so his initial thought of needing a Blast Resistance Jewel to break through dragons was futile. He almost forgot that in the old generation, there wasn't actually such a thing as a "Blast Resistance Jewel." The skill [Blast Resistance] was combined with [Odor Master] and [Stinky Resistance], collectively known as the [Bacteriology] skill. Considering that there's no such thing as failed blending in the new generation, it also has the added effect of "always succeeding in blending Fertilizer Orbs." No, that's not quite accurate. Lin Lin recalled for a moment. In the old generation, depending on the skill points, a 15-point [Dr. Bacteriology] skill had one more effect than a 10-point [Bacteriology Researcher] skill: it delayed the onset of Berserk Dragon Disease!
That is, when he traveled through time, the trailer for Wilderness had just been released. If it had been any later, and he had played through Wilderness before traveling through time, the high and low levels of this [Bacteriology] would have required the integration of another [State of Selflessness].

However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the effects of [Selflessness] are somewhat different from this. [Bacteriology] delays the onset of the virus, while [Selflessness] makes overcoming the Mad Dragon Disease easier and increases critical hit rate afterward. In reality, the principles behind the two are likely quite different. Perhaps, with more thorough research in the future, the two skills could even be activated simultaneously?

Assumptions are just assumptions, after all. Lin Lin didn't know what Capcom had been up to in the wilderness. Considering that he would likely be dealing with the Mad Dragon Virus for a long time during this troupe's journey, and even if the Mad Dragon Virus Research Institute developed an antidote that could completely cure it, he might get infected again in some battle later on. If he could build up the effect of [Dr. Bacteriology], not only would the battle with the Shattered Dragon be much easier, but the later battles would also be much easier. So he couldn't wait to make a bunch of Bacteriology Beads and equip them on himself and Yoko.

"Well...let me think about it..."

The blacksmith pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"For the Mycology Bead, in addition to the [Diamond Origin Bead] that serves as the carrier, you also need the [Solid Shell of the Crimson Armor Beast]. So if you want to make this thing, you'll have to find a way to hunt a Crimson Armor Beast."

"And there's one more thing I need to remind you. While the Fungal Beads can suppress the activity of the Exploding Slime, they also make you more likely to attract the aggro of monsters. Some monsters that would normally ignore hunters might suddenly attack you if you encounter them."

"I'm not entirely clear on the specific principles. Maybe once it's built, you can wave it in front of Jump and see what it feels like."

Lin Lin's lips curled downwards involuntarily. How could this be...?

If I actually made one and embedded it into the armor, wouldn't Jumpy dislike it...?

A rider who gets disliked by monster companions? No way!

Just as Lin Lin was lost in thought, the blacksmith seemed to remember something and added:

"Actually, there are other solutions."

Lin Lin was overjoyed: "What is it?"

"I learned about this while talking with other craftsmen. It is said that the solution was devised by the legendary Dragon Craftsman."

"Through his efforts, a superior alternative to mycology beads was developed, called mycology beads, which not only eliminated such negative effects, but also had a much stronger effect in suppressing explosions."

Lin Lin quickly followed up, "Then, what materials are needed?"

"The hard shell of the Crimson Armor Beast, and the obsidian armor of the Shattered Dragon."

The blacksmith smiled slightly:
"So you won't be able to create the Fungus Pearl until you fight the Shattered Dragon."

Lin Lin: ...

Alright, looks like there's no way to skip the Fungal Beads. I'll probably be getting a lot of flak from Jumpy for a while before I can complete the Brachydios capture quest...

After answering Lin Lin's questions, the blacksmith felt sleepy and rubbed his eyes. Seeing that Lin Lin was still pondering and showed no sign of leaving, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.
"Anything else?"

Lin Lin's smile became even more awkward. He stretched out his hand and made a gesture with his index finger and thumb that would enrage the Great Han Ming Kingdom:

"There are two more things I need to trouble you with..."

"I already told you there's no need to be so polite."

"Firstly, Sophia doesn't have any hunting requests for Crimson Armor Beasts yet, and I can't violate the guild rules by poaching in the wild..."

The blacksmith was quite savvy:

"Understood. I'll send a request to Sophia in a bit. What about the other thing?"

Lin Lin shrank his neck:
"Another thing is that we've only been hunting the Armored Dragon for a short time, and I saw that my master has a set of Armored Dragon armor that seems to have excellent performance, so I was thinking of making a set for myself to try..."

Lin Lin spoke with utmost sincerity, after all, he had witnessed it firsthand. With the double protection of the Black Horned Dragon Shield Axe and the Armored Dragon armor, his master Kevin had withstood the powerful breath attack of the Storm Dragon, which was capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, and the price was only a few days of lying down and a few months of recuperation.

The blacksmith rubbed his temples wearily and chuckled, muttering a curse:
"You little rascal, you always manage to find me work!"

Lin Lin: "Then..."

"Don't worry, this is also a good opportunity for me to hone my skills. I'll take the job. But this time it shouldn't be in such a rush, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Then I'll rest for two days before starting work again, and try to get it done for you before the airship is finished."

"Thank you, brother!"

……

On the outskirts of Naguli Village, there is a relatively open area of ​​exposed rocks.

A golden figure twirled and leaped through the air, wielding an insect club with ferocious power, transforming into a golden eagle, with the entire sky as her domain.

After a while, Ye Zi landed back on the ground, took the towel Lin Lin handed her, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and sweetly said, "Thank you, Brother Lin Lin~"

Tsk, this girl, she's picked it up again...

So what if it's a double chord? It sounds good, I love it, give me a couple more.

Lin Lin smiled and raised the golden shield and axe in his hand:

"Want to try this? I'm curious to see what effect this set will have when used together!"

(End of this chapter)