"Please take care of me?"
"Brother! Give me a hint on how to take care of me!"
Li Fan watched Kuku's health continuously decrease, his breath growing weaker.
After a moment of thought, he came up with two rescue strategies.
The first strategy was for Dilu to take out the honey bugs and sprinkle healing honey dew around.
The healing honey dew could be absorbed through breathing and skin, and then by feeding healing medicine, Kuku's health could be stabilized first.
As for the second strategy...
"Dragon Amber Wine is here, meow!"
Frey ran out from the cabin door, holding a wine bottle.
Li Fan bit off the cork and took a big gulp.
Pfft! He spat it onto the blade of the hunter's knife.
Wow! Wow! ...
Kuku became excited upon seeing the shining, sharp blade.
"Kuku, you've misunderstood. I'm not going to cut you for materials, this is called surgery."
Li Fan quickly explained.
Upon hearing this, Kuku crawled back to the ground, his gaze gradually becoming unfocused.
Li Fan checked his handheld device and noticed a change in Kuku's status. A state called "All Attribute High-Speed Boost" was affecting Kuku.
His health was decreasing, but at the same time, his maximum health was increasing...
Huh? The rate of health decrease has increased. That's not right! It had stabilized just now!
Li Fan watched his handheld device while observing Kuku's weakened state.
He vaguely felt like he was grasping at some patterns.
Pfft! He spat another mouthful of wine onto the hunter's knife.
Kuku was startled awake again!
Li Fan didn't offer an explanation but took out a whetstone and silently sharpened his knife.
Kuku's eyes widened, and he directly stood up on the deck, letting out a defiant roar.
"So Kuku's own will to survive is also the key to overcoming the mutation... Quick! Bring out all the Shield Bugs from the cargo hold."
Under Li Fan's guidance, the cargo hold ceiling on the deck was opened, and a frost-covered cargo box was quickly hoisted up.
Prying open one side of the cargo box, the Shield Bugs inside rolled out.
"Kuku! Think about these Shield Bugs! If you're gone, who will eat them!"
A light flashed in Kuku's eyes. He raised his head towards the sky and let out a fierce roar.
Waaaooh! Chrrg!
Hum! A visible ring of sound waves emanated from Kuku's opened maw.
Everyone on deck, including the one person and two cats, covered their ears.
Is that a Dragon Roar? No! This sound is sharper than a Dragon Roar... This is a Black Wolf Bird's cry!
As the sound faded, Li Fan removed his hands and straightened up.
Tap! Tap! Tap! ...
Purple venom dripped from the tip of Kuku's tail onto the deck.
The light red carapace briefly turned black, then shifted to a deep purple.
Crack! Crack! Several cracked scales on its back fell off, and sharp spines emerged.
On its lower jaw, saw-like keratin was rapidly growing.
At this moment, Eudora, riding on Little Dumbbell, descended from high above using a Wirebug.
"I'll take care of it!... Is that Kuku?"
Eudora, drawing her greatsword, had thought the Flame Seal was under attack.
"I think so."
Li Fan himself was a bit unsure in Kuku's current state.
Waaaooh! Waaaooh! ....
Kuku no longer roared fiercely but continued to howl at the sky.
"What is Kuku saying?"
Eudora asked Li Fan, who seemed lost in thought.
"Kuku says... I, Kuku, also have the potential of an emperor."
Keratin shed and regrew, health plummeted and then stabilized...
The team took care of Kuku on the deck for a whole day, and finally, Kuku's condition stabilized.
Late at night, on the deck illuminated by a dim, yellow light.
Crackle! Li Fan, sitting on a small stool, used his hunter's knife to pry open the Shield Bug's carapace, pulled out the meat, and tossed it into the air.
Kuku, lying on its side, opened its great maw and caught the meat, chewing it slowly.
"Li Fan, take a break. I'll watch over him."
Eudora kicked away the pile of Shield Bug carapaces, walked up to Li Fan, and said.
"Yes, Kuku is very weak now. He can't chisel or chew the Shield Bug carapaces. We need to be careful not to leave any residue when peeling."
Sheathing his hunter's knife at his waist, Li Fan wiped the juice from his hands and began checking his handheld device.
Kuku's mutation had stopped, and all attribute information had been updated.
[Progenitor Black Wolf Bird] Male (Kuku)
Health: 890/3901
Status: Severely Weakened, Aspiring.
Level: 37
Strength: 211
Agility: 201
Intelligence: 77
Skills: [Progenitor's Might] The strongest evolutionary stage in this species' evolutionary tree.
[Battle Spirit] This monster enjoys combat.
[Defiance of Fate] This monster has mutated and may not be accepted by its own kind or the natural ecosystem.
[Fearless] This monster has no object of fear.
[Grows Stronger with Battle] As combat duration increases, this monster's focus will increase in stages, making it easier to discover enemy weaknesses.
[Fierce Combat Activation] When this monster is in combat, it can convert all available attributes such as stamina, energy, and health into energy to supply its body, causing its strength and agility attributes to increase in stages.
[Rathalos Ruby] The source of the mutation.
[Monster Hunter - Intermediate] This monster has accumulated considerable experience from long-term combat with hunters.
[Iron Hide, Steel Bones] The scales and bones of this monster are exceptionally hard.
[Poison Resistance - Medium] Possesses fairly good poison resistance.
[Wolf Bird Hearing] When the fan-shaped cochlea on its head unfolds, it can monitor the surrounding area.
[Wolf Bird Charge] A very swift charge.
[Fireball Breath] After a brief charge, it breathes out explosive fireballs.
[Tail Spike Injection] Flips into the air and thrusts its tail spike, piercing the target and injecting poison.
[Backstep Fireball] Swings its wings to retreat while releasing fireballs to explode, a skill taught by Li Fan.
Description: Unknown monster, seems to have existed.
How many skills are there?
And what is this Progenitor's Might? Could it be that Kuku's mutation activated some dormant, invalid genes, causing it to revert to a certain form of the Great Bird of Prey from the past?
But currently, apart from the fan-shaped cochlea being larger, other features are clearly more akin to a Black Wolf Bird.
Could it be that their ancestors were all a species called the Progenitor Black Wolf Bird?
Li Fan wrote down his various findings in his notebook.
He then compared the attribute values with other monsters.
He discovered that through mutation, Kuku's attributes had reached a four-star level, only its intelligence was a bit low.
If comparing skills, Kuku had more skills than five-star monsters, and they were all combat-related.
Li Fan considered for a long time and tentatively classified Kuku's monster level as 4.5 stars, although this was his own assessment, the Progenitor Black Wolf Bird in the system was still a four-star monster.
It would not unlock a slot for the six-star bestiary.
In the early morning, Li Fan convened a monster meeting on the plain below the Flame Seal.
All monsters of four stars and above were invited.
After two days of rest, Kuku's body gradually recovered and he could move on his own.
A terrifying scene then unfolded on the plain.
Mizutsune, Zinogre, Lagiacrus, Rathalos, Rathian, Nightshade Paolumu, Black Wolf Bird, and Barioth were either crawling or standing, forming a circle.
The scene was like a gathering of demons.
The Four Heavenly Kings were only missing a Brute Wyvern. If only there was a combined technique for the Four Heavenly Kings, with ice, water, lightning, and fire attributes all present.
However, a Brute Wyvern wouldn't be very useful to the team, as it feared high temperatures outside of snowy mountains.
As Li Fan was lost in thought, Puff and Zang Zang started arguing over their positions, and dissatisfied low growls were heard.
Seeing this, Xi Xi stood by Puff's side, resolutely supporting him with roars.
Li Fan sighed helplessly, thinking that apart from Little Dumbbell and Naughty, combined monster techniques were just a fantasy.
Huh? Why is Xi Xi suddenly helping Puff?
Li Fan quickly thought of a stratagem.
Hey? Where did Ya Ya go?
"Ya Ya!"
Li Fan called out, and Ya Ya poked its head out from behind a pile of rocks not far away.
No way, so cautious, hiding before the fight even started.
"Alright, alright, everyone pay attention to order. Little Dumbbell and Naughty, separate Zang Zang and Puff first. The meeting is about to begin."
With Li Fan's intervention, the monsters quickly rearranged themselves. However, just as they had settled, Kuku squeezed out a spot between Little Dumbbell and Naughty, taking the position directly facing Li Fan.
Is this a fight for the center position... Forget it, let's start quickly. If a hunter team were to observe this, it might become the most significant ecological discovery of the year, besides the Valstrax.
"The reason I've gathered everyone here today is simple: to discuss how to overcome the fear of Elder Dragons. Xi Xi and Kuku both have relevant experience. You two will speak first, and I will translate."
After Li Fan finished speaking, Kuku stepped forward with his chest puffed out.
Waaaooh! Waaaooh! ...
After a series of roars, Li Fan frowned slightly.
"Uh... Kuku says, Elder Dragons, haven't you ever seen a Black Wolf Bird? Dare you not spar with me, and I'll show you what black claws are... That's roughly the meaning, you can grasp the essence of it."
Li Fan translated.
The other monsters looked at Kuku with admiration for daring to challenge an Elder Dragon.
Then Xi Xi walked out from the monster pile, thought for a moment, and let out a low roar.
"Xi Xi says if you have no hostility towards Elder Dragons, they won't intentionally make things difficult for you."
The monsters hesitated for a moment. After all, they had all grown up under the shadow of Elder Dragons, and that instinctive fear must have a reason, so they weren't entirely convinced by this statement.
"Does anyone else have an opinion? If not, I'll speak."
Li Fan scanned the monsters. Seeing no objections, he began to express his views.
"Based on my research over this period, I've found that what you truly fear is not a specific Elder Dragon image or the anomalies surrounding Elder Dragons. What you truly fear is the Dragon element overflowing from within Elder Dragons."
Li Fan's research at the Dragon History Institute headquarters in recent days was not limited to the study of special individuals.
How to help monsters overcome their fear of Elder Dragons was also a major research direction.
Fortunately, with the appearance of Valstrax, research in this area had just achieved a breakthrough.
According to the research findings provided by the Dragon History Institute, each monster has different sensory organs. The consistent fear of Elder Dragons must have a deeper reason.
It was previously speculated that Elder Dragons' influence on the surrounding environment caused the monsters' panic.
It wasn't until the fall of the Scorching Carapace, which carried Dragon energy and caused a large-scale migration of monsters, that this mystery was solved.
Besides the strong impact of the Scorching Carapace, it did not cause any environmental anomalies.
However, the range of monsters' panic was no less than that of an Elder Dragon's personal appearance.
Since Valstrax did not control other elemental abilities, the Dragon element, exclusive to Elder Dragons, was quickly identified as the culprit behind the monsters' panic.
"I previously thought of special training using Dragon element weapons and Elder Dragon blood, but the Dragon History Institute already has relevant test reports. Dragon element weapons have very low activity and cannot produce substantial effects. As for Elder Dragon blood... it's too expensive, and given your size, killing an Elder Dragon for blood wouldn't be enough."
Li Fan paused at this point.
"Therefore, the only feasible method currently is to capture a monster that possesses abundant Dragon element within its body but is not an Elder Dragon, to serve as an adaptive sparring partner until the fear of the Dragon element is completely eliminated."
The monsters fell silent, their expressions gradually becoming serious.
"The reason for holding this meeting is that there might be casualties this time, and I felt it necessary to inform you in advance."
After Li Fan spoke for a long time, Kuku was the first to roar.
"You want to fight first? Alright."
Ao? Xi Xi also shouted in agreement.
"Very strong. If we compare physical strength alone, it can rival most Elder Dragons."
Xi Xi pondered for a moment and then stepped out of the monster pile, as if making a declaration.
Boom! Boom! ...
Zang Zang stomped on the ground, creating depressions in the earth. After stepping out of the monster pile, he glanced back at Puff.
Puff couldn't stand such a provocation and slid closer to the front.
Little Dumbbell and Naughty exchanged glances and then moved forward together.
Finally, Ye Ye and Ya Ya looked at each other and slowly crept to the very front.
"I'll go prepare the plan. Of course, if anyone really doesn't want to participate, they can choose to withdraw midway."
After dismissing the monsters, Li Fan returned to the Flame Seal and informed Eudora of his idea to capture a Savage Deviljho.
"Savage Deviljho? Now?"
Eudora asked with some surprise.
"It's still in the planning stage. The monsters seem willing to participate based on their current state, so I came to discuss it with you."
"Hmm... it feels a bit forced. Any Savage Deviljho is a terrifying existence."
"But if we want to eliminate the monsters' fear, we can't go find real Elder Dragons. We could be wiped out in one go."
Li Fan was also helpless.
"The team doesn't even have a five-star hunter yet, so we can't accept a six-star contract, right?"
Eudora asked.
"We are all senior hunters of the Dragon History Institute, so we can accept it through that identity."
Li Fan explained.
"Uh... let me state upfront that I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to die before tracking down Kushala Daora, so I don't want to participate. I suggest you don't either."
Eudora sighed.
This was the first time the two of them had a disagreement regarding a hunt.
Eudora's concerns were valid, but Li Fan couldn't find a better solution.
"I understand... If you don't want to go, then don't. I also feel it's a bit too risky."
"You... you're not going? Really?"
Eudora was incredulous.
"Yes, thinking about it carefully, it seems like a good life to travel to various regions for investigations, accept contracts within the team's capabilities, and continuously strengthen and refit the Flame Seal."
Li Fan said with a smile.