Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 522 The Suddenly Appearing Girl in White

Let's assume a scenario.

If you've been studying/working all day and are dragging your tired body to bed, just as you're about to fall asleep, you're woken up by the buzzing of a mosquito in your ear. You instinctively reach out to catch the mosquito and instantly destroy it, but when you let go, you find your palm empty; the mosquito has vanished without a trace.

To get a good night's sleep, you reluctantly got up and searched the room, checking it several times, but ultimately found nothing. You thought about how you had to get up early for class/work the next day, and if you didn't rest, you probably wouldn't be able to get up tomorrow, so you hid back under the covers, covering your whole body with the blanket, even covering your head with a towel, leaving only your nostrils exposed for breathing.

Even so, you still couldn't get a good night's sleep because a mosquito bit you on the nose, and the resulting bump made you unbearably itchy. Before dawn, you were forced to wake up by the itching.

Question: If you experienced the above scenario, how would you feel?
The sea dragon's feelings are almost exactly the same as yours right now.

Feeling the unbearable pain and itching at the base of the right corner, the sea dragon angrily opened its eyes, scanning its surroundings continuously, but still found nothing, as if it were the only living creature in this cold and desolate deep sea.

Perhaps because it had already adapted, the oppressive aura that had been surrounding it without any apparent source had faded and dissipated considerably. The Great Sea Dragon wandered around and patrolled twice more, still finding nothing. It had no choice but to vent its anger on the surrounding rock formations and, incidentally, grind its right-side giant horn. After shaking the residents of Moga Village into a state of unease and fear, it finally returned to its nest to catch up on some sleep.

The sleep was sweet at first, but it didn't last long. A bizarre dream filled with never-before-seen images intruded into its dreams.

What is this moving metal box? And why can that iron bird fly without flapping its wings? And why does that guy with two huge fangs in the yellow ocean look somewhat similar to me?

The dream was fragmented, with frequent jumps in time, so much so that the Great Sea Dragon couldn't quite understand what was happening in the dream, until the scene finally shifted to the familiar deep sea, where a strange sphere appeared in its field of vision.

The moment the sea dragon saw the sphere, it felt that familiar, oppressive, and terrifying aura again. It didn't know what it was, but the strong sense of threat it gave it made it eager to destroy it.

And in the dream, he did the same thing. The Great Sea Dragon watched himself draw his sword and shield and slash at the rock sphere. Sword Mode, Axe Mode, Super Release, and more...

After a series of clanging and banging, the thing was finally destroyed. The magma hidden inside flowed out, boiling the surrounding seawater and turning it an ominous dark red. The ominous aura spread out, enveloping the thing itself.

Then, the scene shifts again, still in the deep sea, but the light is much brighter than before.

The Great Sea Dragon was wondering why things had suddenly changed again. When it turned its head, it saw itself charging towards "itself". From its current perspective, its own body was so magnificent, charging in with overwhelming momentum. It even felt its mind go blank, completely unaware of how to defend itself.

Then it found itself taking out the shield, blocking the impact head-on, and using the momentum to create distance.

The dream ended there, and the sea dragon slowly opened its eyes.

The oppressive aura that had made it feel so uneasy had disappeared, and the small wound at the base of its giant horn had also healed completely thanks to its powerful self-healing ability. The Great Sea Dragon turned its head blankly and looked around. It was cold, quiet, and deathly still.

It subconsciously recalled the scene in its dream where it faced its own collision.

If the one charging in the picture is yourself, then who is "yourself"?
After carefully recalling his actions at the time, Da Hailong quickly found the little guy wielding a sword and shield in his memory.

No wonder when I faced that little guy before, I could clearly feel a huge threat from him, but in the brief exchange, he didn't cause me any harm. It turns out that the aura didn't come from him at all, but from a strange broken stone. I had misunderstood him.

What an idiot! How could he get something like this wrong? Come to think of it, with such a small body, no matter how strong he is, what threat could he pose?

The Great Dragon was annoyed by his own stupidity. He opened his mouth and blew out a series of bubbles. He couldn't help but recall the scene in his dream again. When he was in the other's shoes and facing his own attack, he was filled with despair. He couldn't find any way to survive. But that little guy did it. Not only did he do it, but he also disappeared right under his nose.

That little guy is pretty amazing. I wish I could see him again...

Ahem, don't misunderstand. As an ancient dragon, the Great Sea Dragon has no moral compass and wouldn't feel guilty or remorseful because of such a misunderstanding. It simply remembered something.

That tiny axe could even split that weird rock in two, so it could probably be used to polish the right corner of my head and fix that damn thing that was blocking my view.

Okay, that's settled then. If we encounter him again, I'll still have to take the initiative and force him to fight me. I just need to control the rhythm and find a way to use my right corner to absorb the attacks...

……

The location of the campsite on the small island.

Lin Lin lay exhausted on the large bed in the tent and sighed helplessly.

This giant sea dragon is really patient. If it takes even a little longer, Yezi and the others will have to bring their replenished supplies and ammunition to intercept it.

Thankfully, although the process was a bit tortuous, the result was still pretty good. The blood of the Great Sea Dragon has been obtained, and now all we need to do is communicate with that guy, and the earthquake problem will be solved.

"Brother Lin Lin, are you really alright?"

Beside her, Yoko looked worried.

Lin Lin waved his hand helplessly:

"I'm really fine, I'm not hurt at all, don't worry, I'm just a little tired."

"The most urgent thing now is to solve the problem of the Great Sea Dragon. Hurry back to the village to inform everyone of the situation, and then prepare for the horn to be cut off. Don't worry about me, I just need to rest."

Ye Zi said "Oh," turned around, and walked out of the tent.
“Sana has already returned with the intelligence. Bref has taken over the preparations for the battle, so I don’t need to do it. Let me go boil some hot water for you. You’ve been in the sea for so long, so wipe yourself down and warm up.”

Lin Lin watched Ye Zi walk out of the tent, then slumped onto the bed, not wanting to move a single finger, only his smile grew even wider.

Having a virtuous wife is truly wonderful...

"rustle……"

A series of footsteps approached slowly, without any attempt at concealment, which made Lin Lin somewhat puzzled:
"The water boiled so quickly?"

There was no response; the footsteps stopped near the bed. The other person stood there quietly, which made Lin Lin immediately sense something was wrong. If it were Ye Zi, she would never have reacted like this to his question.

He quickly turned his head and looked over, and what came into view was a pure white robe without a single blemish.

Lin Lin's pupils shrank suddenly. In an instant, he thought of a certain possibility that he had imagined countless times before, and his heart rate soared from fifty to two hundred in an instant.

Lin Lin's entire body stiffened, his gaze moving upwards inch by inch like a rusty gear, finally meeting a delicate and beautiful face, but without any expression, as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes, as bright as rubies, gazed silently at Lin Lin. Without uttering a word, an invisible yet oppressive aura emanated from her.

Lin Lin took a few quick breaths, slowly suppressing the fear he had felt just moments before. He straightened up, his muscles tense, like a crouching cheetah, ready to unleash its full power at any moment.

"The First Dragon...?"

The girl in white maintained her calm and composed demeanor, her gaze fixed on Lin Lin without uttering a word. Yet, her clear voice, tinged with the vicissitudes of life, resonated deep within Lin Lin's heart.

'Since you already know, why ask further?'

Sure enough, it's you!

Lin Lin took a deep breath and carefully examined the white-clad girl in front of him. He couldn't be sure whether she was the true form of the Ancestral Dragon or, like the Wind and Thunder Divine Dragons, was communicating with him through the body of the Resonator.

But regardless, at least the other party is standing here in human form, not a white dragon. Whether he can't or doesn't want to do so, this at least shows that the other party doesn't pose much of a threat to him for the time being.

Having figured this out, Lin Lin's tense body relaxed slightly. He looked directly at the girl in white before him and asked a question that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time:
Why were I brought into this world?

He had been struck by a red lightning bolt and then opened his eyes to find himself in this world. At first, he thought it was just a pure accident, but after the incident at Lingfeng, he realized that the red lightning bolt was most likely the work of the guy in front of him.

'To create one's own destiny.'

Create your destiny?
What utter nonsense! Can you please stop being a riddle reader?! Who would understand this?!

Lin Lin pressed on directly:

"What destiny do we create? How do we create destiny? Why me and not someone else?"

The girl in white shifted her gaze slightly, meeting Lin Lin's eyes directly. This brought an invisible pressure, and also gave Lin Lin the illusion that everything about him was being seen through by her, as if she were scrutinizing him.

The time is not right.

Lin Lin took a deep breath, suppressing his rising anger. "Damn it, if I weren't outmatched, I would have really started fighting. Don't you know I hate riddle people the most?"

Lin Lin rubbed his temples vigorously and chose to ask a different question:
"If the time is not right, then why are you here?"

The girl in white kept her gaze fixed on Lin Lin, her expression unchanged, but her voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement.

'Didn't you already guess?'

Lin Lin sighed heavily. This way of speaking was really annoying.

"Is it because of that thing I shattered? That thing that resembled the scorching core used to forge the black dragon?"

The girl in white finally made a move; she nodded slightly, confirming Lin Lin's guess.

'You are tainted with the aura of the King of Purgatory. If left unchecked, it will hasten His destined day of resurrection.'

Lin Lin: ...

This prison is incredibly sinister; even getting its scent on you can accelerate its resurrection. Who added this setting?
"Then how do I erase this aura? Also, when is the Black Dragon's destined resurrection?"

The girl in white took two steps forward and, under Lin Lin's wary gaze, reached out her fair hand and patted his head twice.

Lin Lin: ?
What are you doing? Isn't this too presumptuous?
'I have erased the aura of the King of Purgatory. As for the destined day of resurrection, you will have to find the answer yourself.'

Here we go again. These damn riddle-solving answers are always so infuriating.

Also, what do you mean by "the aura of the Black Dragon has been erased"? Just those two touches you made? Was it really necessary to be so hasty?
Lin Lin was about to continue asking questions when a wave of dizziness washed over him. His body went limp back onto the bed, and even as he tried to get up, his eyelids felt as heavy as lead. The image of the girl in white became increasingly blurry in his vision.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, the thought that flashed through Lin Lin's mind was:
"Is this old woman secretly hiding a sleeping bag in her hand...?"

When Lin Lin opened his eyes again, he found that he had turned into a sea bull—well, it might be a bit presumptuous to say that, but the image of a sea dragon is just too fitting for the word, whether in adult or juvenile form.

Lin Lin quickly realized that the blood of the great sea dragon he had drunk earlier was taking effect, and he was experiencing the life of the great sea dragon through a dream.

—Actually, there's not much to say. The life of the Great Sea Dragon can almost be summarized in one sentence:

How lonely it is to be invincible~
Perhaps the only truly thrilling and dangerous incident was when the Great Sea Dragon was still young, it unexpectedly encountered a giant squid that secreted a bright blue mucus. If a giant sea dragon with black and blue lightning flashing all over its body hadn't happened to pass by at that time, distracting the giant squid, the Great Sea Dragon might have perished there.

"Brother Lin Lin? Brother Lin Lin? Wake up, it's dawn!"

(End of this chapter)