Amidst the undulating mountain ranges, towering trees stood erect, their canopies piercing the sky, while the annoying cries of the Barroth echoed incessantly.
Countless ruins of city walls lined the path, now seamlessly integrated with the natural ecosystem.
After three hours of trekking across the fortress highlands, the team spotted a stone bridge leading to a dilapidated castle in the distance.
Through warning signs erected by the Elgado branch, the team learned that the castle might be inhabited by a Ruiner Nergigante, and entry was prohibited, lest they be deemed poachers.
This was a point the receptionist, Chichae, had solemnly reminded them of when issuing the contract.
The reason was simple: hunters, after provoking a Ruiner Nergigante, might be able to escape.
However, the Elgado branch and the kingdom could not.
The Ruiner Nergigante had been relatively stable in recent years, and the best strategy was to avoid provoking it.
"It's a bit cold if I don't drink it, but a bit hot if I do..."
Li Fan looked at the hot beverage in his hand, then put it back into his backpack after a moment.
"I found a swamp nearby, a toxic one, but no sign of the Great Jagras," Eudora reported, descending from the air.
"Can't you summon it with the Paldex, meow?" Felyne asked.
"I haven't interacted with the Great Jagras before, so it wouldn't understand the meaning of touch input. We'll have to track it using traditional hunter methods."
Theoretically, the Great Jagras could sense the touch on its icon on the Paldex.
However, due to its inability to comprehend the meaning, even if it sensed Li Fan's location, it wouldn't approach.
Moreover, being plagued by the Ichinosemushi, it had no inclination to delve into such matters.
"The terrain here is so complex, tracking by scent is the best option, but I don't have a sample," Eudora said helplessly.
"I brought a sample," Li Fan said, taking out a test tube filled with yellow liquid and introducing it.
"This is concentrated plant fertilizer. I got it from the branch research institute before setting out. It's the bodily fluid of a Great Jagras, said to effectively promote plant growth."
"I'll do it, meow!" Felyne extended a paw, wanting to take it.
"Well... when the researcher gave it to me, he said the concentrated plant fertilizer had a rather strong odor, and only one member of the team should bear it alone," Li Fan explained.
"I'll do it. As a hunter, no scent can stop my advance," Eudora declared, taking the test tube with a wave. She walked a distance away and uncorked it.
Gag... gag...
Seeing Eudora kneel and gag after just a sniff, Felyne quickly ran over to check on her.
Gag... meow... gag...
As Felyne also knelt, Li Fan rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
"Well... I've etched this scent into my memory. Let's go." Eudora wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth and stood up resolutely.
As the team set off again, many insects and Fireflies were attracted, following Eudora and Felyne.
Three hours later, as evening arrived, the sky turned dark.
Following the scent, the team finally located the Great Jagras in a concave mountainous area.
The Great Jagras, resembling a giant ape, was crawling on the ground with a pained expression, its three-toed paws and greatly extended limbs digging into the soil.
Sensing the team's approach, its forearms, covered by thick armor, suddenly propped up. Its ape-like face, with red eyes, scanned its surroundings with vigilance.
"Hello, Little Gang. Do you remember me?" Li Fan waved and greeted.
Little Gang lowered its head to look. Its expression had just begun to soften when it suddenly gritted its teeth, tilted its head slightly, and its expression turned ferocious.
Mmmph!
A muffled roar sounded.
Buzz... Squeak... Chirp...
Numerous small creatures scattered from the moss-covered, heavy shell of Little Gang.
"Don't bother me, or you'll all die..."
After translating, Li Fan attempted to throw an empty Poké Ball.
Bang! Little Gang raised its forepaw supporting its body and smashed the ball into the ground.
"It has serious violent tendencies and refuses to return to the ball. It seems we need to calm Little Gang down first." Li Fan took out a Full Heal Ball from his shoulder strap.
*Whoosh* With a flash of white light, Wooloo appeared.
Actually, Wooloo wasn't necessary to deal with Little Gang. But among the monsters that were immune to the Frenzy Virus and Ichinosemushi, there were only three in the team: Xiao Ming, Hui Hui, and Wooloo.
Xiao Ming's body was filled with flowing life energy, leaving no room for viruses or Ichinosemushi to survive.
However, Xiao Ming itself was a disaster. Its appearance in Elgado might be even more dangerous than a Zorah Magdaros.
Hui Hui had already been infected by the Frenzy Virus and had survived, completing its extreme transformation. As for Ichinosemushi, even if they could invade through the gaps in its armor, they would surely not withstand the heat waves during flight.
It was a pity that although life energy didn't have the same wide-ranging deterrent effect as Dragon Element, Hui Hui's low-altitude flight could still bring serious impact to the surrounding ecosystem.
This was not the New World, where every action of a monster could have far-reaching consequences for the humans in the region.
Li Fan felt he had to be cautious in this regard.
Wooloo, with its super-regeneration, could directly counter the Frenzy Virus and Ichinosemushi.
Besides being a bit of a glutton, it was safe and environmentally friendly to the ecosystem, making it the best choice of monster.
Little Gang stared at Wooloo hovering in the air, flapping its wings, for a moment, and let out a relatively gentle roar.
Mmmph~
"I'm so uncomfortable, please let me go..."
Ao?
Wooloo bared its fangs and asked curiously, "Is this the end of the world?"
Little Gang, still somewhat bewildered, wanted to communicate, when a dark red light suddenly surged from the gaps in its heavy shell.
Mmmph!
Little Gang roared at the sky, its ferocity unleashed.
*Splat*
The next second, Little Gang's head was deeply pressed into the mud by Wooloo's opened sharp claws.
"It's a bit difficult in the gaps of the back shell..." Li Fan said with a troubled expression.
"Let Wooloo restrain Little Gang, and we'll take action," Eudora proposed a plan.
"Then we'll do it manually, but be careful. Although Ichinosemushi generally don't parasitize small creatures, they are highly toxic to humans. No antidote has been developed yet, so do not touch them," Li Fan warned. With that, the team began their operation.
*Thump* Wooloo's other sharp claw pressed down, restraining the Great Jagras's forearm.
The Great Jagras initially tried to resist, but as it felt its body sinking under the pressure of the two claws, it became docile.
The two climbed up the green-moss-covered shell of the forearm and quickly reached the back.
Hiss~ Hiss~ Whoosh~
They drew their hunter knives, and Felyne held up a bug net, attempting to drive out the Ichinosemushi.
Inserting the hunter knife into the gap of the shell, which emitted a dark red luster, Eudora switched to a two-handed grip and pried upwards with all her might.
"Ugh... it's pried open." Li Fan felt a chill upon seeing the dark red cluster of insects nesting in the gaps between the shell and flesh.
"It's no wonder it goes mad when attached by such things... Hold on, Little Gang!" Li Fan said, reaching in, his hunter knife slashing rapidly.
*Chop* *Chop*...
Squeak~ Squeak~...
Dense insect chirps and the sound of flapping wings erupted simultaneously.
Seeing the red light surge out, Li Fan shouted, "Retreat!"
The two quickly withdrew. Facing the swarming insects, Felyne, holding the bug net, swung it rapidly.
*Chomp* *Chomp*
After a series of bites, the G-rank bug net was torn. The escaped Ichinosemushi and the detached swarm reassembled into a dark red sphere.
The red sphere moved left and right for a moment, then, in a spiral, moved towards Little Gang's forearm.
But just as it was about to surge into the gaps of the thick forearm armor, it suddenly stopped in mid-air, hovering.
Squeak~ Squeak...
The dense sound of flapping wings suddenly intensified, and the red sphere turned and flew towards Wooloo.
*Chomp* *Chomp*
After a series of bites, the dark red cluster of insects quickly disappeared on Wooloo's back.
"Ichinosemushi are indeed adept at invading from the back," Eudora confirmed the characteristic she had heard from Li Fan.
Mmmph~
At this moment, although Little Gang was still pinned down by its claws, it let out a sincere expression of gratitude.
Clearly, after being freed from the Ichinosemushi, its suffering had been greatly relieved.
Mmmph~
But soon, Little Gang indicated that the new pain was becoming unbearable and hoped Wooloo would be gentler.
"Wooloo, stop. You don't need to restrain Little Gang anymore." Li Fan said. Wooloo immediately retracted its claws and leaped back.
"Do you feel uncomfortable?"
Ao~
Wooloo indicated it did not.
"No... How is that possible? Those are Ichinosemushi!" Li Fan was quite surprised by this answer.
Ao!
Wooloo, suddenly realizing something, roared excitedly.
"Haha, I feel my blood and energy being drawn... What's so happy about that?" Li Fan was speechless.
Ao~ Ao~...
Wooloo roared repeatedly, explaining.
"Haha, so that's how it is."
"Why are you also getting happy about it..." Eudora covered her forehead helplessly.
"Eudora, remember the training with the Super Regeneration Disc's charge-up?"
"Of course. I invented this training method."
"What's the method?"
"Infuse the body with an unbearable amount of power, causing muscle overload and damage, while simultaneously activating the Super Regeneration Disc to continuously repair. This cycle is used to rapidly enhance physical strength," Eudora explained the principle.
"If you can't infuse the body with an unbearable amount of power, then even if the body is constantly in a super-regenerative state, it won't improve, right?"
"Uh... that's right." Eudora confirmed.
The ten-minute daily limit of the Regeneration Disc was precious, but tearing and damaging the body was equally important.
Otherwise, even if in a permanent super-regenerative state, it wouldn't bring any improvement.
"Wait, are you saying Wooloo is using the Ichinosemushi to constantly tear its body to achieve training goals?" Eudora asked tentatively, surprised.
"Hmm... not quite yet," Li Fan sighed.
"I knew it. How could something as terrifying as Ichinosemushi have beneficial effects," Eudora breathed a sigh of relief.
"Indeed, meow. Hurry and find a way to help Wooloo clear them out," Felyne agreed, as such insects were truly terrifying.
"The reason it's 'not quite yet' is not because Eudora's analysis is wrong, but because... Wooloo finds these Ichinosemushi too few and too weak," Li Fan informed them.
"Ah?"
"Ah meow?" Eudora and Felyne exclaimed simultaneously.
Late at night, on Little Gang's back shell, Li Fan, holding a Potion, poured the green liquid into the gaps of the shell.
After emptying it, Felyne took the empty bottle and handed over a new Potion.
"Is Little Gang's condition okay, meow?"
"Its life is not in danger, but its entire back has been infested by Ichinosemushi. If not dealt with promptly, it could lead to permanent shedding of its back shell," Li Fan said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"The Potions are running out, meow..." Felyne looked at the dozen empty bottles in the backpack and sighed helplessly.
"It's okay, Eudora has already rushed back to the base camp. There's also the pollen from the Fireflies... Oh, for crying out loud, who told you to collect the red powder." Li Fan, who had initially held hope, looked utterly dejected when a swarm of Fireflies, laden with red powder, returned.
Buzz~ Buzz~ Buzz~
Some of the Fireflies landed on Little Gang's shell, while others circled around.
"Only the green ones have healing effects," Li Fan picked up a Potion and demonstrated.
Chirp~ Chirp~...
The Fireflies looked at each other, scattered the red powder from their abdominal sacs, and flew away again.
"I'm not sleepy at all, meow!" Felyne's eyes lit up after inhaling the red powder.
"If we crush the black pill from a Mega Potion and apply it, it should also have some healing effect, right?" Li Fan pondered other items with healing properties.
"I'm back!" Eudora returned, carrying two large boxes of Potions, floating in the air.
"Phew~ If I hadn't gotten lost halfway, I might have been even faster."
"Thank you for your hard work," Li Fan said, picking up a bottle to examine it.
"Aren't these issued Potions?" Li Fan asked in surprise, seeing the label on the bottle.
"Yes, but the camp administrator told me not to hold back and to take as many as I wanted."
"Alright, let's continue the treatment then."
The next morning, warm sunlight streamed into the mountains.
*Sizzle* *Pop*
A tender sprout broke through the soil from the earth.
Chirp~ Chirp~...
Hearing the cheerful chirping of the Fireflies, Little Gang, lying on its side, slowly opened its eyes.
Mmmph?
After a slight perception, Little Gang was surprised to find that the severe pain in its back wound had disappeared.
Just as Little Gang was recalling whether last night's experience was a dream, its gaze fell upon a white spine stuck in the soil.
Bang! Bang!
Little Gang was so startled that it stumbled back two steps.
"You look in good condition. There shouldn't be any problems. If you notice any signs of decay or loosening of your shell, remember to come find me," Li Fan said, walking over while observing with his Paldex.
Mmmph!
Little Gang excitedly expressed, "You're the human who sent me back to my homeland!"
"That's right, it's me. Humans will be very wary of you for a while, and the ecosystem here will soon face major problems. I suggest you go hide in the Dragon's Roost," Li Fan advised.
Mmmph~
Little Gang said it also felt the ecosystem here was becoming increasingly abnormal, but unfortunately, its back couldn't carry it, and then it was infested by terrifying insects.
"On the back of Little Crab... are you talking about that Big Shield Crab?" Li Fan mimicked crab claws with his hands raised above his head.
Mmmph~
Little Gang confirmed it was that one and didn't know how it was doing, missing it a bit.
"It actually came back... Never mind, let's not talk about this. I'll have your old friend take you. The ecosystem of the Dragon's Roost might not be suitable for you, but it's better than being constantly eroded by Ichinosemushi here." Li Fan said, releasing Cream.