The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　"Yes, just as you imagined, the new creature that appeared in the swamp area is the Bloodthirsty Dragon. But you've probably noticed it too, right? This is definitely not a coincidence. It's possible that Donnie and the others' thoughts, or rather, Toki and the Songstress's curse, brought the Bloodthirsty Dragon to this place."

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　Volume 1: Chapter 486 - It's All Over

　"I see. So that dragon-human scholar actually said such a thing, Gallo." Bass seemed to know the dragon-human woman as well, and Sereria hadn't even expected that the person opposite her would be a teacher.

　However, this sentence made Donnie very angry. In his anger, Donnie even wagged his tail, leaving afterimages. "I think they just want to stop us, meow. Hunter, don't listen to them."

　Compared to Downey, Bass clearly has a completely different viewpoint.

　“No, Donnie, what they’re saying might be true, Gallo.”

　"Wh-what meow?"

　"The moment we thought of finding him, the Bloodthirsty Dragon appeared. This is definitely not a coincidence, Galo. It's probably the curse of Tokishi... No, it might even have been brought by the Songstress herself..."

　Upon hearing what Bass said, Donnie immediately became unhappy, meowing and pretending to punch Bass.

　"What are you saying, meow? What you're saying makes it sound like the songstress brought disaster to this region. The songstress is the one who saved the entire forest, and she is definitely not the culprit who destroyed the world, as some people say."

　This time, Bass didn't argue with him. Instead, he silently turned around and looked at the huge trees behind him. Donnie, seeing Bass's expression, didn't press him for an answer. Instead, he looked at Sereria. Seeing this perplexing scene, Sereria scratched her head and said with some doubt, "Are we about to commit a terrible crime?"

　Although Donnie heard Sereria's words, he didn't want to dwell on such trivial matters and continued, "Even so, we still hope to regain the songstress's power, meow!"

　As if to encourage Donnie, Bass emphasized, "No matter what calamities may befall us, as long as the Songstress regains her power, everyone will surely be able to live happily. If you, Hunter, can hunt the Bloodthirsty Dragon, we will remember this kindness for the rest of our lives."

　"Since you put it that way, I can't refuse even more." Sereria didn't think too much about it. Hunters make a living by hunting, and as long as they can hunt, that's enough.

　To get from Mejboltan to the swamp hunting grounds, you have to take a boat. After disembarking, Sereria stepped onto the pier leading to the camp. Because this area is shrouded in thick fog all year round, visibility is extremely poor. Sereria had to be on high alert, careful of anything that might appear in the fog, which put a lot of pressure on her.

　After checking her location on the map, Sereria quickly found the Bloodthirsty Dragon's location. As Sereria moved forward, a thick, dense fog gradually enveloped her body, making her feel cold all over. Although the flames created by the Flying Dragon Blade [Moon] were barely enough to keep her warm, they did provide some warmth.

　However, when Sereria used her Wyvern Blade [Moon] to cut through the mist and arrive at the hunting grounds, she immediately noticed a faint smell of blood in the air. Sereria rushed over and saw the shriveled carcass of a red Velociraptor lying on the ground. Sereria slowly walked towards the place where she found the carcass.

　Just as she was about to approach the nearby carcass of the Red Velociraptor, Sereria spotted the huge and strange monster. Sereria lightly tossed the Dyeball in her hand, then aimed it at the vicinity of the Blood Eater's thigh and threw it. The Dyeball hit its target accurately and exploded.

　The Blood Eater Dragon has a tall and slender body with white and blue-purple markings on its body. It has fin-like structures on its head, back, and feet. Its forelimbs are rounded and have no claws, which seem soft, but if you attack it directly, you will find that its rounded claws are quite tough. These claws can not only be used to attack enemies, but also to allow it to move underground and in the sea.

　However, if we're talking about what makes Blood Eater Dragon so strange, its head and body features are the most striking. These features are completely different from any other sea dragon species observed so far. Blood Eater Dragon has a pair of long, sharp teeth protruding from its upper jaw, long, streaky structures on its neck and one side of its body, and a long, strangely shaped tongue protruding from its mouth.

　It extends its tongue and bends it to attack, which is quite troublesome for many hunters. The Scryers' investigation report also found that the Blood Eater prefers to live in damp and dark environments. It was this characteristic that led to its initial sighting in the swamp.

　The Blood Eater can keep its body surface moist and smooth by absorbing moisture from the surrounding environment. When hunting, you can also find the slime that locks in moisture on the Blood Eater's body surface. The Blood Eater can also burrow underground in swamps to absorb water. Sometimes, the Blood Eater becomes very active because it is in a wet state.

　Conversely, focusing attacks to remove the slime from its body surface will affect its movement. Although water is necessary, you can also see the Blood Eater attacking with water during the hunt.

　As the investigation progressed, the cause of death for the unnatural-looking red Velociraptor corpses was also determined: they were...

　This strange sea dragon died completely after having all its blood drained from its body. Based on this behavior of sucking the blood of other monsters, it got its name, Blood Eater Dragon.

　The Blood Eater's long, tubular tongue has a very sharp tip that can pierce directly into the prey's body. Then, the tongue will contract rapidly like a water pump to absorb the prey's blood. In the Scribes' investigation, although blood-sucking behavior can be observed in the ecological behavior of some individual monsters, those monsters also have the danger of absorbing toxins from the other's body while absorbing blood.

　Monsters that suck blood from venomous creatures have not been identified before, but the Blood-Eating Dragon has a special organ called a blood gland, which prevents the absorbed toxins from seeping into its bloodstream, allowing it to suck blood from its prey without restraint. In addition, depending on the type of blood gland, it can be completely resistant to toxins and paralysis.

　Introducing toxins with these properties directly from the outside will not cause illness, because the blood glands control the circulation of toxins. Relying on this special organ, the blood glands can also change their own attributes by absorbing blood.

　By absorbing the blood of its prey, the Blood Eater also absorbs the prey's bodily fluids and other substances into its body, which circulate in its blood glands and are stored in organs called tubes on the sides of its neck and body. Once a certain amount is accumulated, the tubes will open completely, at which point the Blood Eater can actively use the obtained substances to attack. This is also the reason why the Blood Eater can change the attributes of its body.

　According to the scribes' observations, the Blood Eater Dragon would immediately turn its hostility towards the hunter upon spotting them. Therefore, the scribes judged the Blood Eater Dragon to be a very warlike monster. However, some scholars have proposed other explanations. This group believes that the Blood Eater Dragon's actions are to protect its own interests, which is an overreaction.

　However, further research is needed to determine the specifics.

　The Dye Orb emits a strong stench when it explodes, allowing hunters to pinpoint the approximate location of monsters. It's an indispensable tool when fighting wyverns. As the stench begins to spread, the Blood Eater raises its upper body. Sereria dodges its slamming tail and rushes to the vicinity of the junction between the tail and its body.

　"Drink!"

　Sereria swiftly turned the hilt of her Flying Dragon Blade [Moon] and slashed at the Blood-Eating Dragon. Blood splattered everywhere, and a piercing scream rang out. The dragon quickly turned its massive body, its huge feet, which looked like black, withered wood covered with a layer of rubber, drawing a circular trajectory. However, Sereria did not stop her attack.

　The area between the Blood Eater's two forelimbs is relatively safe. If it tries to attack with its tail, it will first sweep its own feet. Even if it intends to bite its enemy with its tongue, the Blood Eater's limbs will block the tongue's attack. Therefore, this is an excellent place for hunters to launch an attack.

　Sereria swiftly dodged the poison shot out by the Blood Eater Dragon, then raised the Flying Dragon Blade [Moon] horizontally and stabbed it fiercely at the Blood Eater Dragon. The blade of the Flying Dragon Blade [Moon] effortlessly sliced ​​through the Blood Eater Dragon's rubbery skin and cut deep into its flesh. The Blood Eater Dragon let out a groan and almost jumped up.

　The intense wind pressure generated when it leaped immobilized Sereria for a moment. She had to protect her face with her hands and try to track the Bloodthirsty Dragon by following the scent of the dye orbs. The Bloodthirsty Dragon only leaped back a few dozen meters before it immediately puffed out its throat upon landing. The dragon opened its tree-trunk-like mouth, and purple slime flew towards Sereria.

　Seraria lunged to the side and rolled away on the ground.

　The slime evaporated immediately upon contact with the ground, filling the surrounding area with a strong, pungent odor, which indeed matched the information they had heard from Bayonetta. In fact, Sereria was also well aware of this level of information, as it wasn't the first time she had encountered such a monster.

　As Cerelia stood up, she checked her condition. She remembered that when the Bloodthirsty Dragon started running, its path followed a certain pattern. Therefore, to find out its route, she had to force it to start running. So, Cerelia reached into her item bag and took out a flashbang.

　With a "whoosh," the flashbang instantly blinded the Bloodthirsty Dragon. The Bloodthirsty Dragon stuck out its tongue and thrashed it wildly, while Sereria had already aimed her Flying Dragon Blade [Moon] at the Bloodthirsty Dragon's position and was swinging the katana with all her might.

　Several wounds immediately appeared on the Blood-Eating Dragon's body, blood gushing from them and instantly staining everything around it crimson. Its massive head swooped around, its nose, as hard as rock, slamming into Sereria's back. Normally, Sereria would have felt intense pain. But now, she remained completely unmoved.

　Cerelia didn't turn around, but simply swung her hand back and punched Blood Dragon in the nose. He felt himself hit something hard, and the other's head retracted. As Cerelia emerged from between the enemy's legs, she also gave Blood Dragon a good slashing of his leg ligaments.

　The Blood-Eating Dragon crashed to the ground with a deafening roar. The wind generated by its fall dispersed the mist for a moment, but only briefly; the surroundings were quickly shrouded in a thick fog, turning everything grayish-white. However, Serelli...

　Sereria knew that the Blood Eater Dragon was just pretending to be dead. She held her breath and raised the Flying Dragon Blade [Moon]. Sure enough, the Blood Eater Dragon rolled over and stood up from the ground again.

　The Bloodthirsty Dragon rumbled over the spot where he had just been lying, spewing venom haphazardly to the left and right as it passed. Fortunately, none of the venom hit Sereria, so Sereria charged forward again.

　Despite the many twists and turns, Sereria managed to bring back the Blood-Eating Dragon's Crown. After Bass took the crown, he immediately sprinkled the previously prepared potion on it and urged Donnie to bring out the songstress. However, unexpectedly, the Blood-Eating Dragon's Crown did not glow after the potion was applied, and at this moment, the songstress had already emerged from under the Prayer Tree Spring.

　The songstress first bowed to the hunter, expressing her respect. "I've already heard what happened from the Palicoes. I'm so sorry they've caused you trouble again. I'm truly sorry."

　All his efforts were rewarded with this outcome. Donnie cried out in despair, "Why, meow! Your curse, Diva, should have been completely lifted by the miraculous medicine of heaven, earth, and man! But why didn't the medicine work? Why hasn't your power returned, meow!"

　"I know what you're thinking, but it's all over, all over." The songstress's tone was heavy. If she stayed any longer, something bad might happen, so she prepared to leave after she finished speaking.

　"Wait, Lady Songstress, we cannot accept your explanation, Gero. Besides, this hunter only helped you so much because of you..."

　"Yes, the hunter's eyes look a lot like that person's. He understands my song better than anyone else, and he's the only person I trust more than anyone else. Yes, that legendary hunter, Tokishi's eyes also have that kind of gleam."

　"Wh-what, meow!"

　"Songstress?"

　"What's going on, meow!? Tokishi is the culprit who stole the songstress's power, meow! Why would anyone trust a man like that?"

　"Enough, really enough. Don't put the hunters in danger anymore. This is my last hope."

　"My lady, I just can't understand, meow, absolutely not! Bass, do you even understand, meow!?"

　"No, I don't understand it at all either, but I think that Mori might know the key to regaining the Songstress's power."

　"Mami? Is that Mami, our last partner, the one who set off on the investigation trip, meow?"

　"That's right, let's wait until Moshi comes back first."

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　P.S.: My darlings! Happy New Year! Wishing you all a happy and successful year ahead!

　Volume 1: 487 - Shedding Skin Once Again

　While Sereria was trying to resolve Donnie's request, Yan Tai also submitted all the information he had obtained about the Revenant to the Hunter's Guild. The fact that the Revenant disliked Stink Bombs was also written into the Monster Encyclopedia by the Hunter's Guild and emphasized three times. After all, Yan Tai's Hunter Rank was also very high. However, even Yan Tai was sent back by the Revenant with a single claw. That shows the power of the Revenant.

　The Hunter's Guild members didn't intend to delve into the exact extent of the World Lord's power. Of course, if the World Lord were willing to stand obediently in front of them and then unleash a claw attack on the power testing machine, the Hunter's Guild wouldn't mind.

　However, how the hunter will persuade the World Lord to obediently test its power is another matter entirely. And what is our World Lord doing now? Oh, rubbing its scales.

　Based on previous speculation, Lanmei estimated that the little girl's molting time was probably soon. Sure enough, after finishing breakfast, the little girl nestled in Lanmei's arms and happily rubbed against Lanmei's chest. The reddish-brown giant horn collided with Lanmei's golden long horn. However, the little girl then pushed hard twice, causing their horns to intertwine and become somewhat difficult to pull apart.

　However, this wasn't the first time such information had appeared, so the young girl quickly responded. Fortunately, the golden horns of the young girl weren't as complicated as the reddish-brown horns of the young girl, so the young girl only needed to exert a little force in the direction of the young girl to make the young girl's horn slide directly to the base of the young girl's horn. Although the young girl's horn had many small spikes, the base remained unchanged.

　Looking at the little girl's delicate skin and smooth face, Lanmei thought that it wouldn't be bad if the little girl were on top of her, no matter how you look at it. After feeling that her horn and the little girl's horn had broken free from the quantum entanglement, Lanmei grabbed the little girl and pulled her off her body. Looking at the little girl's cute tilted head, Lanmei couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

　The young girl didn't think anything of Lanmei's smiling face; in fact, Lanmei often had this expression. The young girl gently flicked her tail; her tail had been...

　A tingling sensation often came from her skin. The young girl knew that this was a sign that she was about to shed her skin. She knew that the time to shed her skin was when the scales could be easily torn off with a little force.

　The little girl reached out and grabbed her own tail. With a gentle push, she tore off the outermost few dragon scales. The process was completely painless. It seemed it was time for her to molt. The little girl rolled up the scales with her tail and handed them to Lanmei. Lanmei curiously took the scales from the tail and was about to say something when she realized that the little girl was about to molt.

　"Is it going to shed its skin again?"

　"Hmm, it feels a bit small."

　The young girl was referring to the fact that the scales restricted the main body's shape, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. The young girl reached out her small hand and pulled Lan Mei up from the ground. Lan Mei rubbed the smooth scales in her hand and was about to ask the young girl where she was going to molt.

　"Do you want to molt here, Xiao Guang? You've eaten all the little guys around here, so it's relatively safe."

　Besides the Thunderbird and the Rock Dragon, the Barroth, Diablos, and the Rathalos that often appear here are also on the little girl's diet. During the time the little girl has lived here, she has eaten almost all the monsters around her. This has resulted in the fact that there are no creatures left near where the little girl and Lanmei live. If nothing unexpected happens, they will have to move away in a few days.

　The young girl did not object to Lanmei's suggestion. Unlike her molting in Xinard Village and on the isolated island in the sea, although the young girl would continue to grow after completely reconstructing the three dragon jades, the requirements for subsequent molting were not as strict as those two times. In other words, the young girl would not lose her combat power during the molting process.

　After a flash of blue light, the little girl transformed back into the form of the Reincarnated One, while Lan Mei remained standing in the same spot, quietly watching the Reincarnated One. The feeling in the little girl form was not so clear, but once she transformed back into the Reincarnated One form, the little girl clearly felt the restriction that the scales imposed on her body, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

　The Wanderer looked around at its surroundings, then focused its gaze on the rock wall beside it. After flexing its wing claws, the Wanderer rammed into the rock wall, its massive body causing rocks to fall from the wall. The Wanderer then turned around and rubbed its back against the rock wall, its hard scales constantly creating dazzling sparks as they rubbed against the rock.

　However, these sparks were not very noticeable in the sunlight.

　The Melalus and their companions brought out their homemade props to cheer on the World Lord. Although they didn't have much effect, the Melalus successfully livened up the atmosphere and inspired Lanmei to also cheer on the little girl.

　It wasn't that Lanmei didn't want to cheer her on; rather, Lanmei had unwavering trust in the young girl. Just like how the young girl had defeated the Black Dragon, the Skeleton Dragon, the Silver Dragon, and the Abyss Dragon, the young girl had almost never been defeated in previous battles. Lanmei believed and always felt that the young girl was truly invincible.

　Lanmei quickly turned her attention back to Huishizhu, ignoring the commotion of Meralu's gongs and drums.

　After crashing into the rock wall, the Wanderer lashed it several times with its tail. Unlike the thick scales and sword-blade scales on its back, the scales on its tail were not difficult to fall off. Each time the tail struck the rock wall, some fragments of dragon scales fell off. After warming up its body, the Wanderer spread its wings and claws to their maximum extent. As expected, the scales on its wings and claws began to crack.

　The Reincarnated One kept retracting and bending its wings and claws. As the Reincarnated One moved, the white-gold scales on its wings and claws were peeling off one by one, and hidden under the white-gold scales were dark blue scales. These dark blue scales were originally soft, and it seemed that a slight breeze could blow these soft dark blue things.

　However, just like before, the dark blue scales that appear beneath the outer scales of the Reincarnated One will quickly oxidize and turn red when exposed to air, but will eventually turn into a beautiful white-gold color. As the Reincarnated One moves its body, this color change also occurs in every corner of its body.

　The sharp-eyed Lanmei quickly noticed that the little girl's body shape had also changed. If Lanmei's estimation was correct, the World Lord's body should now be seventy-two meters long. As it turned out, Lanmei's estimation was correct.

　While the World Lord was molting, Sereria also received an urgent request: a fierce dragon had appeared near Mejepoltan. However, this was not the reason it was called an urgent request. The real reason was that the descendant of a deceased hunter had gone missing. When people investigated, they found that his footprints had disappeared in front of this hunting ground.

　Due to the urgency of the situation, the Grand Elder of Mejpoldan quickly prepared a formal warrant for the hunt. After signing the contract, Sereria immediately headed towards the highlands. Her primary objective was to find and protect the child named Vanessa who had run away from the village before entering the hunting grounds, if Vanessa had not yet entered the hunting grounds.

　If she enters the hunting grounds, she might encounter monsters. Moreover, formidable monsters like the Fierce Dragon have appeared there. For a girl who isn't even a hunter, even small monsters would be enough to threaten her.

　Threatened, Sereria and her group had prepared for the worst and quickened their pace.

　Normally, to avoid wasting energy, hunters would walk slowly to the hunting grounds, but Sereria and her group were now running as fast as they could.

　Even so, there are still some places on the way to the hunting grounds that require caution. Unlike the roads on the streets, the mountain paths are not used by many people, so they are mostly narrow trails. The closer you get to the hunting grounds, which is the West Siberian Mountains, the more treacherous the roads become.

　In some mountainous areas, a misstep could be fatal, and the weather in the surrounding area is unpredictable, quite different from when hunting electric dragons, and very unstable.

　Although they searched anxiously, they couldn't find the girl anywhere.

　"She went that far?"

　Sereria stopped and asked her teammates.

　"I guess it's because the local residents are very familiar with the mountain paths in this area."

　Sibett answered Sereria with a very anxious expression.

　"No, I can't breathe!"

　Edward's face was exposed to the strong wind, and his mouth kept opening and closing.

　"No matter what, we need to hurry. Although we want to avoid unnecessary physical exertion before the hunt, we can deal with that later."

　Sereria readily agreed to Sibert's suggestion, then started walking, looking up as she went. A huge valley covered by high mountains stood before her, as if waiting for Sereria and her party to arrive.

　"Is it there..." Besides rescuing the girl, they also had to be wary of the terrifying monsters lurking in the huge mountains. Thinking of this, Sereria couldn't help but clench all her muscles. They were being blown by the fierce wind as they tried to hurry on their way.

　However, as time passed, they still couldn't find a single person. Sereria and the others became increasingly uneasy. Even among the local residents, the surrounding area hadn't experienced such harsh conditions this morning. However, how could a hunter's stamina not catch up with a fourteen-year-old girl?

　A bad feeling was gradually spreading. Why was he so sure she would take the straight path? Before coming here, there were several very dangerous places. It was hard to guarantee that she hadn't fallen from there, or that there were no signs of her falling.

　At first, they were so focused on getting there that they didn't consider the possibility of her falling off the cliff. They soon arrived at the hunting grounds. Cerelia didn't stop, but turned around and said, "What should we do? We're almost at the hunting grounds."

　Should they turn back from here, or continue searching in the hunting grounds? Sereria was asking Sibert for his opinion.

　"...I don't know, but let's go into the camp first. Maybe she used the tools in the camp. If so, we can determine that Mimori has been to the hunting grounds."

　"understand!"

　Sibert nodded. Once he figured out whether to move forward or backward, he regained his motivation to move forward. When Sibert was having trouble making a decision, he always trusted Sereria's judgment. This time, due to various factors, the situation was more complicated, but even so, the three of them had to find a way to overcome it.

　Sereria arrived at the camp with unease, but a surprising miscalculation occurred.

　"Sibett! It's a girl!"

　Sereria, who was ahead, was the first to notice something unusual. The highland camp was set up in a crevice between rocks, making it impossible for such a giant monster to enter. The surrounding trees also provided cover. There were simple beds with a place to cook inside, and a young girl was lying on a bed that hunters used to recover their strength.

　"What?" Upon hearing Sereria's words, Sibert hurriedly checked the girl's breath. "She's just asleep."

　Sereria breathed a sigh of relief. "I can help her diagnose her injuries," Edward said. Edward had indeed said before that he wanted to be a scholar, so he had accumulated a great deal of knowledge. Sereria and Sibert obediently stepped back to allow Edward to examine her.

　"Edward, how's it going?"