"The Poison Moth is dangerous, its mouth and tail can both spew venom. Please be careful,"
Di Yan had intended to say he would cover everyone's retreat, but after witnessing Yudora's performance just now, he felt it was uncertain who would be covering whom.
"Strange, the supply team members haven't made any aggressive moves, yet this Poison Moth is acting so violently."
Aibo noticed something was amiss.
Indeed, some monsters would become enraged simply because humans intruded upon their territory, but the Poison Moth was not one of them.
At the very least, it would require inflicting a certain amount of pain during combat or invading its nest to truly provoke it.
"It is a bit strange, but let's prioritize covering the supply team's evacuation first."
Yudora also found it difficult to comprehend.
The supply team members had no hunter escorts and were doing their best to avoid the Poison Moth, so they would never have provoked it.
"Do you have a plan, Yudora?"
As the three charged forward, Di Yan inquired.
"Yes!"
"What is it?"
Aibo asked eagerly.
"Kill the Poison Moth."
"That's right. The simpler the plan, the fewer loopholes there will be."
Di Yan agreed.
The Poison Moth was a herbivorous monster. Furthermore, this particular individual was on the new continent and had rarely encountered humans. Even in its enraged state, it struggled to keep up with the lightly-equipped supply team members fleeing through the forest.
"Don't run!"
Yudora, flying closer from above, shouted.
The Poison Moth heard the voice, braked sharply, looked up for a moment, and then its rapidly inflating tubular tail pointed towards the sky.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
A large mass of purple poison gas was spewed from the nozzle at the tip of its tail towards the sky.
Yudora's movements were like a swimming fish as she dodged, and after creating enough distance, she swung her Great Sword, the Gale Wind God, in an empty slash.
The trailing purple poison gas was immediately dispersed by the airflow generated.
Seeing its poison gas attack repelled, the Poison Moth's throat quickly bulged.
Puff! Puff!
Two blobs of liquid purple poison were spat into the air, arcing weakly before falling back to the ground.
Splat! Splat! They shattered into two pools of venom clinging to the ground. The surrounding plants and flowers, soaked by the venom, rapidly decayed and withered.
The scene fell silent.
Roar!
The Poison Moth immediately masked its embarrassment with a roar, then, in a fit of rage, flapped its wings and took to the air.
Although the Monster Squad didn't have a Poison Moth, they had seen plenty of other monsters. Yudora could tell at a glance that its take-off posture was full of openings.
Thinking of the flesh-softening attacks commonly used by New World hunters, she decided to give it a try.
Flesh-softening attacks emerged with the advent of two-person hunter teams on the New World.
The primary reason was that the compilers lacked combat ability and had no available support. Hunters fighting alone, before their stamina was depleted, could only defeat target monsters by striking vital points.
However, most monsters, even those rarely fighting hunters, paid close attention to protecting their vital areas.
At this point, flesh-softening attacks, which broke through the outer hide and armor to create vital points, were developed.
The principle was to use equipped hook claws to secure themselves to certain parts of the monster, allowing hunters to attack at extremely close range to break through scales and armor, creating weak points that could inflict considerable damage.
These created vital points were beyond the comprehension of New World monsters, who rarely fought hunters.
They hadn't even evolved corresponding defensive measures in their ancestral lineage.
Of course, some scholars believed this was due to hunters venturing into the New World too infrequently, lacking sufficient threats.
But at least for the current stage, it was considered a very effective hunting technique.
As for its drawbacks, there was only one: the risk of encountering the unknown.
New World monsters might not understand flesh-softening attacks, but they certainly wouldn't be polite to hunters attached to them.
For this reason, the fifth-term hunter training class regarded flesh-softening attacks as a technique to be used with caution.
Swish! Click!
The hook claw on her left arm was fired, latching onto the Poison Moth's back. As the tip tightened, its sharp claws embedded into the scales.
Yudora was not as skilled in its use as the local resident hunters, but she possessed an advantage that other hunters lacked: the ability to launch hook claws from a high position.
Squeak.
As the rope tightened, Yudora, in a flying assault, landed on the Poison Moth's back.
This seemingly odd behavior was actually a standard maneuver for flesh-softening attacks.
The purpose was to maximize contact area and maintain balance, preventing a fall, as soon as the monster was attacked.
"First step, successful! Next, it's the knife."
To adapt quickly to the New World environment, Yudora's training was not limited to strength. The entire process of flesh-softening attacks was also a necessary daily training item.
Weapons like the one-handed sword and dual blades, which could slash at very short distances, were manageable.
However, other weapons, in pursuit of maximum damage, had high standard slashing distances and required full-body engagement.
Maintaining balance while slashing at hard scales and armor at almost zero distance was difficult in terms of movement.
At this point, the short and agile hunter knife found its use.
Yudora wrapped one arm around the Poison Moth's neck and reached behind her waist, drawing her hunter knife.
Sensing danger, the flying Poison Moth immediately landed and leaped violently, trying to shake Yudora off.
"It really is difficult..."
Amidst the violent shaking, Yudora was already using all her strength just to avoid being thrown off. Actually cutting with the knife was a mere wish.
Helpless, as she was about to use her silk thread to disengage smoothly, a thought suddenly struck her.
Why am I exerting so much effort to secure myself?
Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh~
From the insect cage on her right arm, three azure Wirebugs flew out, trailing silk threads that wrapped around the Poison Moth, binding it.
"Done."
With the silk threads binding her to the Poison Moth, Yudora no longer felt any shaking or jolting, no matter how the creature thrashed.
She reversed her grip on the hunter knife and brought it down.
Clang! Clang! Slash!
After several stabs, a raised, emerald-green scale was dislodged.
Yudora did not continue attacking deeply, as the damage inflicted by the hunter knife was unlikely to threaten the Poison Moth.
Her goal was to use this as a center to pry open more surrounding scales, creating a weak point area.
Crack! Clatter!
Broken scales continuously fell, and the Poison Moth was still helpless.
"The next step is the final finishing touch..."
Yudora muttered, dropping the hunter knife in her hand and drawing the Gale Wind God Great Sword.
Without the scales, the bloody pink flesh on the Poison Moth's back could now be attacked, even by weapons with a suboptimal reach.
However, the execution of the movement would require some changes.
Yudora raised the Gale Wind God Great Sword with one hand, tossed it lightly upwards, and then let the angled blade naturally fall downwards.
At this moment, she reached out and gripped the hilt, changing the sword from a forward grip to a reverse grip, and then thrust it downwards with force.
Slash! Crack...
As the Gale Wind God Great Sword plunged into the wound, surrounding intact scales burst, and the weak point area expanded further.
The Poison Moth, thrashing and twisting its body, suddenly paused. It stumbled and fell onto the grass after only a few steps.
Its curled pink tongue involuntarily flicked out.
Yudora released the silk threads and quickly disengaged from the side of its fallen back.
She was extremely excited, having successfully completed a flesh-softening attack on her first attempt.
A new weak point had been created, and the next step was to attack it directly...
After considering her next move, Yudora looked at the dying Poison Moth and suddenly felt something was off.
"A flesh-softening attack was enough to hunt you... Alright, I'll focus on the weak point next time."
Yudora said with a sigh and moved to the Poison Moth's head to end its suffering.
"You're amazing, Yudora! The Poison Moth is a species from the original continent. With this corpse, after comparative analysis, we should be able to gain a deeper understanding of the differences between monsters from both lands."
Aibo said excitedly.
"A splendid hunt. I didn't expect you to use flesh-softening attacks."
Di Yan said with some surprise.
"Since I've come to the New World, I naturally have to try the hunting methods applicable here."
Yudora informed them.
After thanking them, the three members of the supply team stated that they didn't need to trouble themselves to guide the transport team, as they could handle the transportation of the Poison Moth's corpse themselves.
However, they would need the help of two hunters to lift the corpse onto the cart first.
As the cart loaded with the Poison Moth's corpse moved away, the three discussed their next course of action.
The abnormally agitated state of the Poison Moth had aroused Aibo's suspicion, so they decided to explore the surrounding area.
After about two hours of investigation, near the jungle beneath the ancient giant tree, the guiding insects on their waists reacted simultaneously.
Seeing the flashing blue light, Di Yan immediately became alert.
"The guiding insects have detected traces of an Elder Dragon. Fortunately, judging by the brightness of the light, the main body shouldn't be nearby. However, please be careful."
Di Yan said with a serious expression.
"If we collect a sample, can we analyze which Elder Dragon these traces belong to?"
Yudora inquired.
"Yes, but it must be a confirmed species."
Aibo gave an affirmative answer.
Slowing their pace, the three followed the light blue guiding insects and soon arrived before a stone emitting a scorching aura.
Compared to the dark jungle filled with the scent of vegetation, this steaming stone seemed out of place.
Magma was slowly seeping out from the red cracks on its surface, which flickered intermittently.
"These are traces of a Kulve Taroth."
When protecting the Burning Flame's landing, Yudora, who had been observing Kulve Taroth's movements on deck out of concern for Li Fan's safety, recognized it immediately.
"This is an incredible discovery. The old man would be shocked too."
Di Yan said with surprise.
"I will collect the traces first."
Aibo said with great seriousness, as this was a crucial trace collection.
After scraping the sample into a bone tube, he looked up at the large circle of scorched black leaves above. Aibo then crouched down to investigate the surrounding grass and soon discovered a large amount of carbonized and solidified venom.
After a moment of analysis, he reached a preliminary conclusion.
"This large rock likely fell from Kulve Taroth's back and landed here. The draconic energy it emitted caused the nearby Poison Moths to panic, leading to their frenzied state."
"I know that. It's similar to the ecological impact caused by the Valstrax."
Yudora had participated in the entire hunt for Valstrax, so she was well aware of the cause of such situations.
"Due to differences in mobility, Valstrax can cause a wider impact than Kulve Taroth. However, since the hunt in the Elder's Ridge, Valstrax's ecological behavior has become extremely stable, almost as if it's being controlled."
Aibo said curiously.
"Uh, let's get back to Kulve Taroth. In terms of overall ecology, this isn't much of a threat, is it?"
Yudora steered the conversation back.
"Yes, especially for the New World. However, the significance of discovering these traces is very important for the investigation of the Elder's Crossing."
Aibo gave a confirming reply.
"Then let's hurry back and report to the old man."
Both agreed with Di Yan's suggestion.
With consecutive whistles, Yudora and Di Yan's wyverns rushed into the dense forest to provide support.
As for Aibo's wyvern, he tried various methods like feeding it green pellets and increasing the volume of his whistle, but it never appeared.
"There's no helping it, Aibo. Not only have Poison Moths been active here, but there are also Elder Dragon traces. The wyverns that have only recently made contact won't come to help humans, even my Yago, who has been with me for many years, is quite fearful."
Di Yan explained.
"That's probably the reason... Yudora, why did your wyvern come to help?"
Aibo asked in surprise.
Their wyverns were registered at the same time.
"Perhaps Yura was tired of flying, and I could help."
Yudora speculated.
"Yura is the name you gave your wyvern?"
"Yes."
"It seems I need to name my wyvern too."
Aibo felt that the key to interacting with wyverns might lie in naming them.
Finally, Aibo held onto a Wirebug silk thread, and Yudora towed him in flight.
The three quickly returned to the Star Base and informed Commander Fry of their significant discovery.
"Thank you for your hard work. This trace discovery is of great importance. I will hand it over to the second-term investigation team leader to expedite the experimental results."
Fry said excitedly.
"Commander Fry, can I obtain the latest research results?"
Aibo asked tentatively.
"Of course, and each of you will be rewarded with 30,000 investigation points."
Fry gave a definite reply.
With the arrival of the fifth-term, the investigation point system was also put into trial phase to better implement the camp advancement strategy.
Hunting quests and the camps built along the way did allow hunters to venture into various unknown areas.
However, the problem was that hunters with hunting duties were fundamentally different from guild investigators. To get them to bring back a large amount of ecological information, incentives were crucial.
Thus, sightings, material collection, trace collection, ecological records...
As long as the information or items brought back to the base had value, no matter how small, they would be rewarded with investigation points.
As for their use, investigation points could be considered a unique currency within the Star Base.
"Yudora, the research results should be out soon. Perhaps we can put aside the hunt for the Great Jagras for now."
Fry advised.
"Old man, the hunt for the Great Jagras has already been completed."
Di Yan informed him.
(End of Chapter)