"Huihui, Shanshan, Xiaoming, Bingbingzi, Miemiezi, Juejuezi... there are already six monsters of seven-star level or higher."
Li Fan looked at his handheld device and sighed.
Capturing seven seven-star monsters to obtain the final reward from the illustrated guide was once an impossible dream in his eyes. Now, he was only one monster away from the last one.
However, he didn't have high expectations for the final reward.
The reason was simple: the current monster team's strength, even considering the local ecosystem, was already unmatched among seven-star elder dragons.
As long as he understood the monster's specific needs, capturing an elder dragon would not be difficult with the existing types of Poké Balls.
Therefore, even if the illustrated guide offered stronger Poké Balls, it wouldn't bring any substantial improvement.
Unless the final reward wasn't a Poké Ball, but unfortunately, the reward in the illustrated guide was marked with a question mark.
Who else had the possibility of advancing to seven-star level in the short term?
Li Fan checked his handheld device.
He concluded that Yuanjiao, Cheche, and Xixi had the highest probability.
The first two were six-star monsters. With attribute stacking and combat experience, once they achieved the "Anomalous Overcoming" state, they might be promoted to the elder dragon-level seven-star rating.
As for Xixi, she was still undergoing mutation. Li Fan had never seen such a long mutation period.
Even more unusual was that Xixi had achieved a six-star rating just by being in a state of mutation.
"Xixi entered the mutation state after swallowing the egg of the Hundred Abyss Thunder God Dragon... I need to research this when I have time."
Li Fan muttered, then checked the attributes of the Velkhana.
【Velkhana】 Male (Unnamed)
HP: 8401/21093↑
Status: Head carapace shattered, back carapace shattered, tail carapace damaged, Blood of Calamity filled, Blood of Calamity overflowing, Blight-ridden parasites leaking, Stunned, Humiliated, Dejected, Irritated.
Level: 171
Strength: 801
Agility: 1754
Intelligence: 901
Skills: 【Solitary】 This monster cannot share a habitat with any other monster.
【Elegant】 This monster values graceful posture and demeanor.
【Frugal】 Consciously controls food intake to maintain a well-proportioned physique.
【Athletic】 This monster's physique is perfect, possessing both flexibility and explosive power.
【Disdainful Gaze】 Dislikes being observed while eating.
【Rending Siphon】 Velkhana can inject its fangs into a monster's open wounds to directly siphon its vital energy.
【Ultimate Host - Blight-ridden Parasite】 When the nesting instinct is triggered, Blight-ridden Parasites will carry the absorbed life force and contribute it to this monster.
【Bestowal - Parasite of Vital Energy】 Blight-ridden Parasites that have long parasitized this monster will mutate into Parasites of Vital Energy.
【Nemesis - Abyssal Dragon】 This monster regards the Abyssal Dragon as its nemesis. Defeating it will greatly boost its confidence.
If defeated, its confidence will be greatly reduced.
【Blood of Calamity Injection - Overload】 Directs Blight-ridden Parasites to inject all Blood of Calamity into its body, greatly increasing Strength and Agility.
【Vitality Pulse - Shadow】 The life force and vital energy contributed by Blight-ridden Parasites, after fusing with the dragon element within its body, will undergo a change in energy nature.
The mutated dragon elemental energy is named Shadow, and this monster is adept at controlling and utilizing Shadow.
【Shadow Rush】 Velkhana coats its body with Shadow and instantly unleashes it for ultra-high-speed charges.
【Shadow Breath】 Velkhana compresses Shadow into a beam and exhales it from its mouth, possessing extreme destructive power and penetration.
【Shadow Wave】 Velkhana condenses Shadow to a single point, compresses it to a critical state, and then throws it.
The air blast caused by the explosion will spread outwards in a fan shape.
Description: A fearsome monster that frequently appears in the highlands of the fortress.
It is recognized as the instigator of many disasters in the kingdom's history.
Due to its silver carapace and elegant demeanor, it is known as Velkhana.
So, Juejuezi's special abilities originated from the mutated dragon elemental energy, Shadow.
To generate this energy, it also required the assistance of Parasites of Vital Energy.
Blight-ridden Parasites were currently the easiest monsters to mutate. If a beneficial mutation could be developed and widely released into the ecosystem, it might help to curb the spread of widespread "Anomalousization."
Li Fan felt that this direction was worth in-depth research.
The gradual increase in "Anomalousized" monsters could indeed advance the research into "Anomalous Alchemy," further improving hunter equipment.
However, in reality, any "Anomalousized" monster was a source of great headaches for the Guild.
Since the proliferation of Blight-ridden Parasites was unavoidable, preparations should be made in advance.
Tsk, tsk~
As the healing ball in his hand vibrated slightly, a wisp of black gas emerged.
Li Fan was surprised, thinking that although Velkhana was not critically injured, it had still sustained significant damage. Shouldn't it be staying put in the healing ball?
Squeak~ squeak~...
The flying swarm of Blight-ridden Parasites quickly provided the answer.
"Oh! So you're afraid of losing followers."
Li Fan suddenly understood.
Although the Poké Ball was harmless to Velkhana, the Blight-ridden Parasites that considered it their ultimate host were currently out of contact with Velkhana.
Their loyalty was indeed high, but they at least needed proof that their ultimate host was alive to continue their devotion.
With a flash of white light, Velkhana appeared in the air, and a large swarm of insects immediately converged.
"It seems you're not suited to stay in the ball, especially now during the preparation phase. You can have free rein then."
Li Fan gave instructions.
Roar~
Velkhana indicated that it would only be recuperating within the fortress ruins recently.
"If you're recuperating in a fixed area, I'll assign you two bodyguards. That way, Fio's team shouldn't attack you."
Li Fan informed it.
Injured, not by his side, and operating within a fixed area.
These three factors combined required proactive security deployment.
Roar?
Velkhana was curious about what kind of monsters these two bodyguards were.
"Don't worry, you've met them before. They are very reliable monsters."
Li Fan said, and then his team, along with Velkhana, headed to the fortress ruins.
Bang! Bang!...
Before they even got close, the sound of massive impacts echoed.
Velkhana, flying at high altitude, swept its gaze.
It discovered that the Brachydios and the Rajang that had participated in the battle earlier were throwing chunks of the fortress walls at each other from a distance...
Whoosh~ Whoosh~...
Amidst the muffled sounds of air being torn apart, massive rock fragments flew left and right.
"Stop!"
Li Fan shouted to halt them.
Roar~
Cheche indicated that it was fun and wanted to join in.
"Fun... If I got hit by one of those, I might turn into a two-dimensional creature."
Li Fan had no desire to participate in the "pillow fight" between Cheche and the Rajang.
After listening carefully to the deployment, both monsters indicated they had no issues.
"If it were only Velkhana, Fio would definitely attack. With Cheche and the Rajang added, no hunter team would rashly approach this area."
On the way back to the camp, Li Fan, riding on a pig, was quite satisfied with this deployment.
"However, if the Abyssal Dragon remains unseen for a long time, it might launch an attack on the fortress ruins in the form of a large-scale joint operation."
Yudora voiced her concern.
"Don't worry, I'll submit the investigation report as soon as we get back. As long as Juejuezi stops taking the blame, the targeting will soon disappear."
Li Fan informed her.
The team returned to Elgade aboard Brave.
In the late-night plaza, lights blazed. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a cart carrying a cage with a live Nargacuga King arrived at the entrance of the research institute.
The first capture of an "Anomalousized" monster excited the local residents.
Admiral Galius immediately announced that the original Guild Research Institute would officially become the "Anomalous Research Institute," and all resources would be mobilized to study "Anomalousization."
"Nargacuga King... have the Blight-ridden Parasites reached the Frozen Archipelago already?"
Yudora, observing, asked softly.
"Much faster than we anticipated."
Li Fan also found it somewhat surprising.
The next day, Galius received the precise location of Velkhana. As he was hesitating whether to deploy an expedition, an investigation report from the Chief Hunter team arrived.
"Based on tracking the total amount of Blight-ridden Parasites controlled by Velkhana, this outbreak of Blight-ridden Parasites was not caused by it, but by the autonomous behavior of the Blight-ridden Parasites themselves. As for the source of the first batch of adult Blight-ridden Parasites, the Chief team speculates that they actually came from deep underground..."
Galius, with a grave expression, put down the report and fell into deep thought.
In fact, the capture of the "Anomalousized" Nargacuga King had already made the theory that Velkhana was the culprit somewhat untenable.
The reason was that the Frozen Archipelago was already considered the edge of the mainland.
And Velkhana had only shown signs of activity in the vicinity of the highlands of the fortress.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Velkhana could not have caused such a widespread transmission in such a short period.
The only plausible explanation was that this widespread transmission was caused by the inherent characteristics of the Blight-ridden Parasites themselves.
This meant that regardless of whether Velkhana existed or not, similar situations would occur, and it was merely one of the monsters passively accepting it.
Even if Elgade launched a large-scale joint hunt and defeated Velkhana, the Blight-ridden Parasites would still be rampant.
Instead of wasting time and resources, it would be better to prepare for the aftermath of widespread "Anomalousization."
At noon, in the Elgade Operations Command Center, the latest operational policy was released.
All investigation and讨伐 plans related to Velkhana were halted.
Elgade would unite with Hinomura to jointly resist this bloody calamity caused by the Blight-ridden Parasites.
In front of the notice board, the crowded onlookers were all bewildered by this news.
"The enemy isn't Velkhana, but the Blight-ridden Parasites?"
"No way! Velkhana is the culprit!"
"No wonder Hinomura is recruiting hunters in large numbers. It seems the kingdom isn't the only one in crisis."
....
Behind the gathered crowd, Li Fan said with some relief, "Finally, we know who the real enemy is."
"Wait, isn't the real culprit the Abyssal Dragon?"
Yudora asked, confused.
"No, even if the Abyssal Dragon is successfully defeated, it still won't stop the trend of mutation proliferation."
"Then what should we do next?"
Yudora was somewhat lost.
In similar situations in the past, as long as a certain monster was defeated and eliminated, the ecosystem would return to normal. But this time was clearly different.
"I will use the existing information to conduct research as soon as possible to see if I can find a way to stop the spread. If it's truly impossible to stop, then we can only consider the existence of Blight-ridden Parasites as part of the ecosystem and defend against them."
Li Fan expressed his thoughts.
Elgade, in its busyness, began preparations for "Anomalousization."
The easily induced mutated Blight-ridden Parasites had many mutation pathways. Li Fan knew of at least three.
The giant Blight-ridden Parasites parasitizing Miemiezi.
The Parasites of Vital Energy parasitizing Juejuezi.
And the Annihilation Blight-ridden Parasites of the Abyssal Dragon.
Among them, Miemiezi's giant Blight-ridden Parasites had the characteristic of devouring smaller, weaker ones.
Although the output from Miemiezi alone could not balance the entire ecosystem, continuous cultivation and release could still have a deterrent effect.
Thus, after two days of rest, the team decided to go into the wild for experiments.
In the highlands of the fortress, conflicts with Juejuezi's swarm of Blight-ridden Parasites were likely, so the location was chosen as the dense forests of the island.
"The main objective this time is not to hunt down a specific 'Anomalousized' monster, but to find a way to block the spread of Blight-ridden Parasites."
Li Fan stated the purpose of their trip.
"Understood."
"Got it, meow!"
Amidst Yudora and Dilu's affirmations, the team landed.
Heavy rain, huge waves, sandy beaches, coconut trees, and small shield crabs.
Boom! Under the cover of dark clouds flashing with lightning, the team settled into a dilapidated public campsite.
At the same moment, deep within the jungle.
Beneath a giant tree swaying constantly in the wind, Xixi stood tall.
Beneath her insect-wing-like transparent membranous wings, Xixi, whose small body had already formed a solid carapace, looked up at the torrential rain pouring down from the sky, her eyes filled with confusion.
Squeak~ squeak~
Little Xixi, confused, asked, "Why don't we go find shelter from the rain?"
Roar~ Roar~
Xixi replied, "There are many Blight-ridden Parasites in the caves, and going there might threaten you."
Sizzle~
Little Xixi's body's piezoelectric armor vibrated at high frequency, and small blue sparks emerged.
Squeak~ squeak~
Little Xixi stated, "I'm not afraid of Blight-ridden Parasites. If I encounter them, I'll teach them a good lesson."
Roar?
Xixi asked, "What if we encounter a Spinosaurus then?"
Thump~
Little Xixi's paws went weak, and she sat down on the ground, but quickly straightened her neck and leaned forward, standing up again.
Squeak~ squeak~
Little Xixi said, "Once I learn all of Dad's moves, even a Spinosaurus can be defeated."
Roar~ Roar~
Xixi replied helplessly, "What 'all moves'? I only know one."
Dilu, riding on Li Fan's neck, held a giant leaf above her head with her cat paws to block the rain.
Pfft~
A flash of golden electricity. A Blight-ridden Parasite stopped flying and fell onto the grass.
"So powerful, meow."
"It wasn't me."
Li Fan said, then observed the several Blight-ridden Parasites that had been stunned on the grass.
"Some kind of circular electric field has been set up here, preventing the Blight-ridden Parasites from getting close. Judging by the energy properties, it should be released by Xixi."
Li Fan made a deduction.
"Then the electrical energy sensed by the Thunder Dragon armor should be this, meow."
"Exactly. Since Xixi is nearby, let's go meet her. We have something to tell her anyway."
Li Fan said, and then, guided by his senses, he moved deeper. Before long, he found Xixi's location.
The arrival of the man and the cat caused Little Xixi to quickly hide behind Xixi's paws.
"Oh! The carapace has already formed, possessing the agile aura of an electric dragon, meow!"
Dilu, seeing Little Xixi's growth, immediately opened her book and began recording.
"Xixi, how have you been lately?"
Roar~
Xixi indicated she was doing well, but the ecological environment was getting worse.
"Yes, it really is... Since I'm idle anyway, why not try to achieve mutation today while the weather is good?"
Li Fan stated his intention.