After the three monsters temporarily retreated from the citadel highlands, the active presence of the Raging Brute Wyvern notably decreased.
Four days later, the antidote developed by En was announced to be successful, though its efficacy could not yet be guaranteed.
At this point, Fiorayne, who had been in a coma at the infirmary, was in critical condition and could no longer wait. En could only attempt treatment.
In the infirmary's main hall, among the anxiously waiting group, Li Fan was relatively calm.
He had already gotten through the game's plot; this time, the development of the antidote was not only thorough but also seemed to be ahead of schedule. There was no reason for her to die.
He felt that Fiorayne would not perish here.
Several minutes later, En emerged from the ward.
"The antidote is remarkably effective! Fiorayne's condition is improving!"
As this uplifting response was delivered, the suppressed atmosphere in the infirmary hall erupted into cheers.
Admiral Garregas let out a sigh of relief, and the Palico medics embraced in celebration.
Two days later, the awakened Fiorayne returned to the Kingdom Knights Hunting Team. Although not yet fully recovered to participate in hunts, she could engage in light training without wearing armor.
Arriving at the training grounds, Arlow was currently instructing the squad in exercises related to "Ki."
This was a mandatory daily practice for the squad during their time at the base.
The reason they weren't rushing to capture the Raging Brute Wyvern was that En was continuously improving the antidote, using Fiorayne as a test subject.
Li Fan hoped to wait until a more stable version was developed before launching a capture operation.
Picking up a familiar wooden training sword, Fiorayne stood before a training dummy.
"Hah!"
*Bang! Crash!*
With a thrust of her sword, the surface of the dummy cracked, and the wooden sword itself splintered, breaking in two.
Fiorayne, who had intended to gauge how much her weakened state had affected her, was astonished.
She looked at her hand holding the broken sword, unable to comprehend the immense strength she possessed.
"Fiorayne... don't push yourself too hard."
Arlow, seeing this, hesitated before offering a reminder.
"Understood, Instructor Arlow."
Still unsure of what was happening, Fiorayne dismissed the attempt as a fluke.
However, after several more attempts, Fiorayne became very certain that her strength had increased significantly.
*Clang! Crash! Clatter!*...
Like a valkyrie, Fiorayne, displaying extreme power, tore through the training ground with her bare hands.
Arlow felt he had to pay attention and called a halt to the "Ki" training.
Seeing Fiorayne shatter a large wooden barrel with a single kick, Eudora whispered, "Is that what you call 'humanoid anomaly overcoming'?"
"Yes."
"It's amazing."
Eudora said with envy.
"But it's a very dangerous path of improvement. To fight the Raging Brute Wyvern, which has mastered the final host, and potentially the Abyssal Lagiacrus that might appear later, this insect poison squad definitely can't avoid it."
Li Fan said with a hint of helplessness.
"We have the antidote now, so I'm not afraid, meow."
Dileu said, flexing her non-existent sleeves with her cat paws.
"Don't worry, Dileu, the Bloodsucker won't target you."
Li Fan informed her.
"Uh... alright, meow."
Dileu drooped her head and sighed.
"By the way, if humanoid anomaly overcoming matures, is there a possibility of widespread promotion?"
Eudora mused.
Regarding strength enhancement, humanoid anomaly overcoming was clearly more aggressive than current methods like strength training, demon drug, or cat food. However, its significant and permanent effects were unmatched by any existing means.
"Unlikely. According to En's treatment records for Fiorayne, the stimulation of the insect poison on the body continuously intensifies with the duration of poisoning. The length of time one can withstand the insect poison is determined by their physical strength. For individuals with ordinary physiques, even if they actively receive the insect poison to undergo the humanoid anomaly overcoming process, they would have to consume En's antidote within a short period, or they would die directly."
Li Fan explained.
"I see."
Eudora realized.
The poison of the Bloodsucker was key to achieving anomaly overcoming. The stronger the physique, the longer one could endure, and the greater the improvement.
En's antidote could indeed effectively clear the poison, but as it healed, the improvement stimulated by the toxin would cease.
"If we used the 'Super Regeneration Disc' during this period, wouldn't that effectively extend the time we could endure?"
Eudora thought of a possibility.
"Yes, and combined with the PSP's save data viewer, it might even be more extreme."
Li Fan speculated.
"You've thought of everything so thoroughly. It seems you're ready for anomaly overcoming."
Eudora said with surprise.
"I'm preparing for you. I plan to take a different path and become the final host of the Bloodsucker."
Li Fan informed her.
"Why? With the Super Regeneration Disc and save data monitoring, plus an antidote that can be administered at any time, isn't anomaly overcoming more stable?"
Eudora asked, confused.
"Compared to stability, I want to try something different. Even if the results are not as expected, it won't be a significant loss for me. Instead, I can pass on the experience I gain firsthand to the monsters."
"Oh, right. Your combat style mainly involves commanding monster teams, and Poké Balls are also very helpful for final hosts... Hmm, you won't become too strange, will you?"
Eudora was initially supportive, but upon imagining Li Fan's body covered in Bloodsuckers, she immediately became worried.
"How could that be? For humans, having three to four Bloodsuckers parasitizing them is already the limit."
Li Fan replied.
"But there would still be negative side effects, wouldn't there?"
Eudora felt that applying the final host route to humans would cause problems.
"During combat, it might consume some life force. However, as long as the Bloodsuckers I cultivate are strong enough, I should be able to draw it back from enemies."
Li Fan informed her.
After informing Arlow that he would not be attending training for the time being, Li Fan separately disclosed the source of his extraordinary strength to Fiorayne.
After all, such unconventional means of enhancement, once publicized, would trigger many连锁 problems.
If it were any other time, the Kingdom might have been able to adapt slowly, but for now, the crisis should be resolved first.
Eudora's preparations for humanoid anomaly overcoming began at noon.
Li Fan first found the artisan Mina to custom-order ten "Early Recovery Orbs" that could restore injuries, then purchased a large quantity of "Vitality Potions" and "Life Dust."
The PSP could monitor the character's status in the save data, but Li Fan did not want to compromise Eudora's health for the sake of improvement.
Three days later, having received En's latest stable antidote, all the gems on the "Gale Armor" had been replaced with "Early Recovery Orbs."
With all preparations complete, Eudora initiated the anomaly overcoming attempt in the Brave's cabin.
After injecting the insect poison, Eudora could still move around during the day, unwilling to lie in bed. In the evening, she fainted without any warning.
Using the PSP to check Eudora's condition, Li Fan confirmed that the insect poison was taking effect.
Afterward, Li Fan and Dileu took turns caring for her day and night.
Late on the fifth night, under the dim lamplight, Dileu noticed the PSP screen she had been intently watching suddenly split into two.
She quickly shook her head to stay awake.
"Dileu! Don't slack off, meow!"
Looking at Eudora, still unconscious beside her, Dileu forced herself to stay alert and continue monitoring.
"Shift change..."
Li Fan pushed open the cabin door.
"Li Fan... are you alright, meow?"
Seeing his dark circles, Dileu tentatively asked.
"I'm fine... Dileu, why do you look taller?"
"You're facing a wardrobe, meow. I'm over here. So you can't hold on either..."
Dileu sighed helplessly.
The sixth day, the seventh day, the eighth day...
On the ninth day, an unexpected situation occurred: Eudora managed to exhaust the insect poison within her body without using the antidote.
"It seems that no matter where you are, exercising daily has its benefits."
Li Fan looked at the PSP with a peculiar expression.
That afternoon, Eudora opened her eyes, stretched, and sat up in bed.
"Ah~ I'm so hungry... I feel like I've slept for a long time... Ah! Li Fan, why do you have dark circles under your eyes?"
Eudora said, surprised to see Li Fan.
"I haven't been sleeping well lately. As soon as I close my eyes, a screen pops up. I'm glad you're awake... *yawn*... *yawn*..."
Li Fan, sitting in the corner, leaned against the wall and immediately fell asleep.
Eudora found a blanket and covered Li Fan with it, then took the PSP from his hand.
"To monitor my condition in real-time, you've been watching it all along..."
A strong sense of gratitude surged within Eudora.
She looked at the sleeping Li Fan, and a thought occurred to her.
"Shift change... meow?"
Dileu, rubbing her eyes with her cat paw, pushed open the cabin door and suddenly froze.
"Uh... don't misunderstand. I just wanted to get a closer look at Li Fan's dark circles."
Eudora, her face close to Li Fan's, quickly extended a finger and poked at the dark circles.
"You're awake! That's great, meow!"
Although Li Fan had said Eudora would wake up soon, seeing her awake for real, Dileu couldn't help but burst into tears of joy.
Facing Dileu's pounce, Eudora hugged her and gently stroked her cat back, thanking her, "Thank you for taking care of me, Li Fan and you. I'm sorry for making you worry."
The next morning, at the base's training grounds.
Arlow was directing the members of the Kingdom Knights to arrange new training facilities according to the plan.
"Sigh~ Fiorayne has finally departed..."
Arlow sighed, stroking a brand-new training dummy.
During Fiorayne's stay, no training equipment could escape her destructive power.
Moreover, she was the leader of the hunting team undergoing recovery training, so it was difficult to impose restrictions.
"Instructor Arlow, where should this sign be placed?"
A knight carrying a wooden sign asked.
"That's fine."
Arlow pointed to the location.
"Please take care of the training equipment..."
Li Fan looked at the inscription on the sign and felt a sense of contradiction.
After all, hunters' training was most effective when performed with full power.
"It's the Chief Hunter Squad. We haven't seen you in a while. Are you here to continue 'Ki' training today?"
Arlow asked with a smile.
"Not today, Instructor. I haven't stretched my body in a long time, so let's do some regular training first."
Li Fan informed him.
"You've come at the perfect time. The training equipment has just been replaced."
Arlow reminded him.
"Don't you have any old ones?"
"Why would you look for old ones?"
Arlow asked curiously.
At this moment, Eudora, holding a wooden greatsword for training, walked up to a training dummy.
"Hoo~"
Taking a deep breath, Eudora swung the wooden sword, gathering her strength.
"Hiyah!"
*Boom!* The training sand exploded, and dust flew.
Even with a few small pebbles splashing onto his face, Arlow's rigid expression remained unchanged.
"Uh... how did only the hilt remain."
Eudora, standing in the center of the impact crater after the dust settled, said with some surprise.
"You all wait a moment. I'll have the knights go to the warehouse to look. There should be some old equipment."
Arlow now understood Li Fan's intention.
At noon, a Felyne delivered intelligence from the Kingdom Knights Hunting Team back to the base's combat command center.
The report stated that the Raging Brute Wyvern's tracks had disappeared, and the citadel highlands were affected by Bloodsuckers, causing a large number of monsters to enter an enraged state.
The hunting team would continue to track the Raging Brute Wyvern to quell the threat as soon as possible.
Garregas, after reading the intelligence, immediately sent a copy to the Brave docked in the harbor.
"It's time to set sail."
Li Fan, in the cabin, put down the intelligence scroll and said softly.
He raised the anchor and unfurled the sails.
Dileu, wearing her captain's hat, stepped onto a small cargo box and turned the helm.
As the bronze bell chimed, the Brave sailed out of the harbor.
"Bug-bug, it's up to you now... Betrayal?"
At the bow of the ship, Li Fan, holding a handheld console and observing, froze as he saw the status displayed for Bug-bug.
This was the first time he had encountered a monster captured by a Poké Ball betraying him.
Bug-bug was a Bloodsucker abandoned by Meowscular. Although I captured it with a Poké Ball, I am not its final host, and we have spent very little time together.
Afterward, it parasitized the Raging Brute Wyvern and likely had a good experience, causing a conflict between the final host and the capture.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, believing this to be the only possible reason for Bug-bug's betrayal.
However, insectoid communication abilities are weak. Even if it betrays me, it should not be able to transmit effective information to the Raging Brute Wyvern. At the same time, I have lost the ability to track the Raging Brute Wyvern.
Li Fan hadn't expected an undercover operation to occur, and he was somewhat bewildered for a moment.
He could only start by tracking the swarm. The current Raging Brute Wyvern possessed a large swarm of Bloodsuckers, which was an undeniable trace.
Although he still couldn't avoid capturing and cultivating Bloodsuckers, if he couldn't obtain their loyalty without being the final host, then he would just train one specifically.
With double assurance of capture and being the final host, plus a superior habitat, the Bloodsuckers would surely follow him devotedly.
However, he couldn't choose a mutated individual like Bug-bug again. Otherwise, when dispatched to track the Raging Brute Wyvern, it would surely attract the latter's attention.
Perhaps it was this abnormally large size that led the Raging Brute Wyvern to discover and pay special attention to it, causing it to lose itself in the latter's care and enter a state of betrayal.
"Bug-bug, I will definitely bring you back to the right path."
Li Fan looked out at the sea and made a promise.