The small, foolish creature, struck by the attack, was knocked to the ground.
A paralysis trap lasted at most five seconds on a monster the size of a female Rathalos.
Li Fan believed the strongest heavy attack that could be unleashed in this time was Pao Fu's tail slam, executed after a charged glide.
*Hoo! Hoo!*....
Pao Fu glided away calmly after its heavy attack.
After delivering a set of attacks that dealt maximum damage, the next move depended on the small, foolish creature's actions.
The reason for slowing down the attack rhythm was that if Pao Fu continued to participate, the excessive amount of foamy slippery fluid left on the ground would significantly hinder the team's subsequent movements.
Li Fan had considered activating the ability "Dance of Bubbles" to reverse the negative effects of the foamy slippery fluid.
This would allow for high synergy when fighting alongside Pao Fu.
However, there was an insurmountable problem: the armor that could activate "Dance of Bubbles" was made from materials from the Almudron...
Pao Fu's opinion was still unknown, and hunting an Almudron was no small feat. Furthermore, "Dance of Bubbles" could not extend to other team members.
Therefore, coordinating attacks with the monster still had many limiting factors.
Li Fan had no experience to draw upon in this regard and could only rely on his accumulated knowledge from the Monster Hunter games to explore and experiment step by step.
The small, foolish creature rose again, opening its mouth, shrouded in black smoke, and let out a furious roar.
Even from dozens of meters away, Li Fan felt his eardrums ache, with an urge to cover his ears.
*Hoo! Hoo!*....
The small, foolish creature did not seize the opportunity to attack. Instead, it flapped its wings vigorously, lifting its body into the air.
It seemed that even in its enraged state, it wanted to distance itself from the hunters as quickly as possible.
However, after rising less than a meter, it sensed something was wrong.
The wind pressure generated by its flapping wings could no longer help it gain altitude quickly.
Attempts to adjust its flight posture or increase the frequency of its wing beats yielded no relief.
Seeing this, Di Lu stopped covering her ears and pressed the mechanism of a flash bomb with her cat paws, throwing it towards the small, foolish creature.
"Everyone, close your eyes, meow!"
Di Lu shouted, and the team members all closed their eyes.
*Swish!* A golden light flashed.
*Awooo! Bang!*
The small, foolish creature let out a mournful cry and fell back to the ground.
Li Fan opened his eyes, intending to pursue, but found that although the small, foolish creature had temporarily lost its vision due to the flash bomb's glare and was disoriented, it did not crash or fall.
The extensive damage to its wing membranes had indeed severely limited its flight capability. However, precisely because its flight ability was limited, it could only maintain a very low altitude.
At this altitude, even if the Rathalos suddenly lost its vision, it would not crash...
Li Fan felt somewhat dejected upon reaching this conclusion.
What made him even more speechless was that Pao Fu on the other side was also spinning around in panic, clearly affected by the flash bomb.
The small, foolish creature twisted its body, swinging its tail, which was covered in thorns, in a wide arc to defend itself.
"Eudora, attack freely! Don't push yourself!"
Li Fan shouted. All his prepared moves and strategies had been exhausted, and they could only adapt and rely on their own abilities.
As soon as its tail swept past, Eudora seized the moment and charged forward.
Although the small, foolish creature's movements were not restricted, it had lost its visual perception and clearly could not detect the hunter's approach.
The Shield Crab Great Sword swung horizontally towards its leg joint.
*Clang!* A chipping sound was heard.
Eudora, pushed back with the sword, steadied herself and then switched to a vertical slash.
The small, foolish creature sensed its vision gradually returning and violently turned its head.
However, the first thing it saw was the Shield Crab Great Sword descending upon it.
*Crack!* The carapace on its head cracked further, and the small, foolish creature stumbled back several steps before regaining its balance.
At this moment, a sharp pain in its leg caused it to falter, almost falling to the ground again.
It turned its head to see Li Fan, wielding the Shield Crab Great Sword.
Seeing the small, foolish creature about to roar again, Li Fan quickly sheathed his sword and retreated.
Eudora held the Shield Crab Great Sword horizontally in front of her, advancing slowly.
This was a greatsword technique not recognized by the Guild.
While the greatsword was held horizontally for defense, it appeared to be blocking the damage, but in reality, the decisive factor was the stance of parrying, with legs providing strong support against the ground.
If the legs could not withstand the monster's impact or pressure, even the strongest sword would be easily broken.
Furthermore, maintaining a horizontal greatsword stance while moving severely restricted mobility.
The only advantage was that one could get as close as possible before the monster attacked, and after withstanding the impact, launch a counter-attack.
Li Fan wanted to tell Eudora not to be so reckless, but he remembered that this was now a free-for-all stage, and someone had to break the deadlock.
Seeing the small, foolish creature tilt its head back and inhale,
Eudora quickly stood firm, burying her head in the gap between the sword and her shoulder armor. Her feet were placed one in front of the other, knees bent and lowered, adopting a parrying stance.
*Awooo!!!*
The sonic waves from the roar struck the Shield Crab Great Sword, causing Eudora's body to tremble and slide backward. Her red ponytail fluttered in the sonic impact.
*Hiss!*
As her arched heel landed, the backward momentum halted abruptly.
Eudora's eyes, fixed on the front, emerged from behind the Shield Crab Great Sword.
The impact was canceled so quickly... it was the defensive performance of the Shield Crab armor set taking effect!
Li Fan suddenly realized that Eudora's actions were not reckless but an attempt to create an opening for attack by activating the skills of the Shield Crab set.
He was so surprised because this Shield Crab armor was designed purely with defense in mind.
The small, foolish creature, having just roared, did not have time to understand the situation before Eudora swung the horizontally held Shield Crab Great Sword upwards and then brought it down in a powerful vertical slash.
*Boom!* A dull thud echoed, and the team members' expressions changed.
The small, foolish creature deliberately lowered its head, colliding with the blade.
This was not a charged attack, but a normal vertical slash. Without a full swing, not only was its destructive power limited, but the immense recoil transmitted from the monster also made it easy for the sword wielder to lose balance.
Eudora tried to bring the Shield Crab Great Sword back to a neutral position, but each of her previous moves had pushed her physical strength to its limit, and she was already exhausted.
*Splat!* Eudora fell to the ground with her sword.
The small, foolish creature did not approach. Instead, it shifted its legs back half a step, lowering its body abruptly.
"Pao Fu!"
Li Fan shouted urgently while throwing a Great Ball, attempting to interrupt the small, foolish creature's charging action.
However, the opened Great Ball rolled to the side of its leg. Apart from a faint white phantom appearing around the small, foolish creature, it had no substantial effect.
*Whoosh!* The small, foolish creature's legs exerted sudden force, and its body flipped into the air. Its tail, swung with momentum, lashed out fiercely.
*Clang! Crack!* A crisp sound of armor being pierced was heard.
Mid-air, the small, foolish creature saw that Eudora could no longer move. As it gathered flames in its mouth to spew them out, a large, purple, fluffy tail whipped hard against its back.
The small, foolish creature was slammed to the ground.
Li Fan had no time to attack. He scooped up Eudora and prepared to flee.
"Stop holding onto the Great Sword, I can't carry it! Let go!"
"Oh..."
Eudora, somewhat dazed, finally opened her hands.
"Put me down, these are just minor injuries... I'm fine."
"Sister, your face is almost as purple as an eggplant, and you say you're fine."
"I... I'm poisoned?"
Eudora also realized her consciousness was becoming hazy.
After running through the jungle for about two minutes, Li Fan, panting heavily, placed Eudora under a large tree to lean against.
Seeing the poisoned thorn that had pierced the Shield Crab armor and lodged in her waist, Eudora realized the severity of her injury.
After closing her eyes and drinking an entire can of extremely foul-tasting blue antidote, Li Fan wiped the thick purple venom from the thorn with a piece of animal hide.
"You or me?"
Li Fan asked.
"I can't seem to muster any strength, you do it."
"Alright, I'll count to three. One! Two! Three!"
*Pfft!* Purple blood and a small amount of venom splattered onto the grass.
Li Fan forcefully pulled out the conical, barbed, hard thorn.
"Does it hurt?"
Li Fan asked with concern, seeing Eudora's lips turn from purplish to pale.
"It's... okay... I guess."
Eudora raised her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"No wonder you guided me to overcome fear by feeling pain."
Seeing this, Li Fan had a new realization.
After drinking a recovery potion handed to her by Di Lu, Eudora calmed her breathing and explained, "Actually, that sword..."
"I understand. If I had the equipment that could activate 'Perception' back then, the small, foolish creature wouldn't have had a chance to counter."
Li Fan had been obsessed with various equipment builds when playing games.
Although the actual implementation differed, the trade-offs when activating abilities were consistent with the logic of game builds.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The sounds of consecutive fireballs exploding echoed from afar, and large flocks of birds took to the sky.
"You rest here first, I need to go back."
Li Fan said, covering Eudora with a leaf camouflage net.
"Wait! You're going alone?"
"Yes, the small, foolish creature's combat ability has exceeded expectations. If we fail to capture it this time, it might be difficult to even get close next time."
There might be individuals in the monster world who would fight hunters to the death when provoked, but the small, foolish creature was clearly not one of them.
"I can participate too!"
Eudora said, forcing herself to stand up.
"Rest well. You've already dealt a heavy blow to the female Rathalos, and your performance is worthy of a four-star hunter. Leave the rest to my Pao Fu."
Li Fan said earnestly.
"And me, meow!"
Di Lu chimed in.
"Okay... fine."
Eudora, clutching her abdomen, reluctantly sat back down under the tree.
As Li Fan ran, he checked his handheld device. Pao Fu's health had only decreased by one-sixth.
However, the burn and poison icons in the status bar were flashing alternately, indicating it had suffered.
Logically, a four-star monster would have no advantage against a five-star monster.
But the small, foolish creature, being a high-quality individual, was not without the possibility of an upset.
When Li Fan returned, the combat zone had changed dramatically.
Foamy slippery fluid had spread across the ground, bubble clusters were everywhere, and large trees had been broken and toppled.
Poison spots, green scales, and unburnt fire clusters were scattered around.
Half of Pao Fu's face was blackened, as if hit by fireballs, and the pale pink fin on its back subtly showed a purplish-blue hue.
"Such terrifying destructive power... meow."
Di Lu exclaimed in awe.
Seeing this, Li Fan finally fully understood the Guild's good intentions.
He had the Twilight Barrier, which could effectively prevent monster intrusions.
With the five-star Pao Fu present and a very detailed hunting plan, they were still pushed to this point.
He couldn't imagine the dangers and hardships a hunter team would have to endure.
*Woo~ Woo~*
The small, foolish creature panted heavily. The black mist that had previously emanated from its mouth had been replaced by faint white vapor.
Since the tip of one of its claws had been severed by an air slash, the small, foolish creature had to step firmly with each landing, seemingly afraid of slipping on the foamy slippery fluid.
As the two sides faced off, the small, foolish creature sensed Li Fan's arrival. It shifted its orientation by swinging its tail and then quickly moved its legs, charging forward in a monster rush.
"There's nothing over there, meow!"
Just as Di Lu thought the small, foolish creature had been stunned, Li Fan recalled Pao Fu into a Poké Ball and released Kuku.
Di Lu was right; there was nothing on the cliff side, but it was the small, foolish creature's only escape route.
"Kuku, catch up to the female Rathalos ahead."
Li Fan said, climbing onto Kuku's back and hugging its slender neck.
"Go, Kuku, meow."
Di Lu said, jumping onto Li Fan's shoulder and hugging his armor tightly.
*Wow?*
Kuku exclaimed in surprise, as if questioning whether this task was a bit too advanced for it.
A Great Maccao chasing a female Rathalos? It didn't have that ability, you know.
"You can do it, Kuku."
Li Fan patted its back armor to encourage it.
Kuku turned its head from side to side, ignoring him.
"Alright, I shouldn't have said you had low flying talent during our previous training sessions."
Li Fan immediately saw what the other party was concerned about.
*Wow!* Kuku cried out joyfully, but then remembered that Li Fan's evaluation was just stating facts, and it lowered its head in disappointment.
"Now is not the time for self-doubt. The female Rathalos escaping ahead is a great opportunity to prove yourself!"
Li Fan exhorted.
*Wow!!!*
Kuku roared with fighting spirit, tucked its wings, stood upright, and moved forward rapidly.
"Kuku! That's a cliff! You have to use a bird car charge to glide out! You'll fall if you just stand like that!!"
Li Fan shouted a reminder.
*Wow!*
Kuku quickly lowered its head and crouched its body.
Switching to a bird car charge sprint, it headed straight for the edge of the cliff.
At this moment, the small, foolish creature, already gliding downwards, tried to flap its wings.
However, the large tears on its wing membranes, combined with the injuries accumulated during the fight, prevented it from utilizing any flight techniques.
But even in this dire state, the small, foolish creature felt safe.
A moment later, relying on its keen monster instincts, the small, foolish creature sensed something pursuing it from behind.
It twisted its neck to look back and saw a Great Maccao. Its composure gradually returned, but then it immediately realized something was wrong.
Because under normal circumstances, their positions should have been reversed.
Ecological niche was the dignity of the monster world.
Being followed by a monster of a lower ecological niche made the small, foolish creature instinctively uncomfortable.
However, due to its poor condition, it could only suppress and endure it.
Li Fan kept pace with it, but the situation did not feel optimistic at all.
The aerial pursuit over the plains soon took them beyond the range of the Twilight Barrier.
This meant that Di Lu, Kuku, and he were all exposed to danger. If it weren't for the minimal fall damage in this area, Li Fan wouldn't have dared to take the risk.
If the small, foolish creature landed on the plains, it would have to be captured quickly, otherwise, both the surrounding monsters and hunter teams would become uncontrollable troubles.
Unfortunately, in terms of its injuries, it still felt like it wasn't enough.
This would have to do...
Having thought of a solution, Li Fan hugged Kuku's neck with one arm and took down the Shield Crab Great Sword, which was glowing red on his back, with the other hand.
"Di Lu, the blade got too worn from cutting stones earlier, help me sharpen it."
"Okay, meow."
Di Lu crawled forward, rode on Li Fan's neck, and then took out a whetstone from her backpack.
*Squeak! Squeak!*....
With the rapid rubbing of her cat paws, the blade of the Shield Crab Great Sword, illuminated by the sun, soon emitted a sharp glint.
"The blade, infused with red aura, is a bit hot to sharpen, meow."
Di Lu said, looking at her warm cat paw pads with wonder.
"The matter of releasing Pao Fu after landing will be up to you, Di Lu."
Li Fan said, handing her a Poké Ball.
"Okay, meow... Ah! Leave it to me!"
Di Lu was particularly surprised.
"That's right, I have other things to do."
*Wow!* Kuku suddenly reminded him with a cry. Li Fan looked forward and saw that the small, foolish creature had already been left far behind.
That's not right, its wing membranes were extensively torn, it should only be able to glide...
Li Fan noticed the small, foolish creature's downward angle and immediately understood the reason.
This was not gliding at all, it was a dive towards the plains!
"Kuku, are you scared?"
Li Fan asked tentatively.
*Wow!* Seeing the female Rathalos flying further and further down, Kuku roared in unwillingness.
"Then chase!"
Li Fan said resolutely.
*Swish!* The airflow rushing past suddenly intensified.
In terms of aerodynamic shape, Kuku was clearly not outstanding.
But a dive was not just about flight posture; courage was also a crucial factor.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The heads of the small, foolish creature and Kuku lowered further, their bodies tilting downwards, and their descent speed increased.
The small, foolish creature suddenly slowed down slightly, deliberately keeping pace with Kuku.
Li Fan thought the small, foolish creature had chickened out, but then it growled and gave Kuku a provocative look.
Then, it drastically lowered its angle, and its descent speed instantly increased.
*Wow..... Wow!!!*
Kuku roared, unafraid, and followed closely.
"This descent speed... isn't it a bit fast, meow!"
Di Lu, her body floating in the air, couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, it is a bit."
Li Fan said, changing his posture from lying down to crouching.
After only a few seconds, the small, foolish creature and Kuku were side-by-side again.
"Kuku! It's betting its chance of victory on the landing!"
Li Fan saw through the small, foolish creature's intentions.
It believed Kuku's flying ability was inferior to its own, but due to its condition, it couldn't escape. Therefore, it wanted to use a high-speed dive to the ground, a dangerous maneuver, to make Kuku crash.
*Wow!*
Kuku let out a confident roar.
In the distance, a middle-aged Guild investigator, hidden in a treehouse, approached the telescope and opened his logbook.
"I don't know what's gotten into those two female Rathaloses earlier, attacking any creature they see. I need to pay close attention to them."
The investigator muttered, then began his observation.
"The 3rd Rathalos pair has not left the nest... The population of herbivorous dinosaurs on the plains has sharply declined and is no longer observed... A Great Maccao is diving downwards with a female Rathalos.... Huh?!"
The investigator was stunned.
*Whoosh!*
Just before hitting the ground, the small, foolish creature tilted its body upwards and abruptly spread its wings.
Although the flapping wings were torn, combined with its claws scraping the ground, its speed sharply decreased.
Just as it thought Kuku would surely crash badly, it was horrified to discover Kuku, with its wings spread, catching up to its side and still keeping pace, gliding close to the ground.
Furthermore, a hunter wielding a Great Sword stood on Kuku's back.
"Kuku has been practicing flying diligently since it fell on its back during its first real flight. You underestimate it too much."
*Roar!* The small, foolish creature roared in response.
"The red blade is almost gone, I can't chat with you right now."
After saying this, both sides decelerated their claws, leaving four deep tracks on the grass.
Li Fan slightly bent his knees, timed his jump from Kuku's back, and leaped into the air.
*Buzz!* The scenery within his vision instantly distorted.
The small, foolish creature swung its head and slowly turned towards Li Fan, who was flying towards it from mid-air.
The hunter, with a determined and fierce look in his eyes, raised a red-glowing Great Sword behind him.
*Clang!*
A straight silver line descended.
At the wing-claw joint, several streams of Qi condensed into a single point and exploded.
The already heavily injured wing bone immediately snapped, and the right wing collapsed as if losing support.
"What a powerful move, meow... Oh!"
While exclaiming in admiration, Di Lu remembered the task of throwing the Poké Ball and quickly released Pao Fu.
Pao Fu glanced around, saw the small, foolish creature lying nearby, looking half-dead, and quickly crawled towards it.
"Wait a moment."
Li Fan raised his hand to stop it, then began to persuade.
"You've seen my team. There are only two paths before you: join us, or become dirt."
Actually, Li Fan didn't know if communication was possible.
But it felt like something was missing if he didn't say this before attempting a capture.
The small, foolish creature snorted twice, its attitude unclear.
Seeing this, Li Fan directly threw a Poké Ball to attempt capture.
*Click! Click!*.... *Click!*
Capture successful. Li Fan didn't rush to celebrate. He first recalled Pao Fu and Kuku into their Poké Balls, as his team was too conspicuous in this open plain.
After feeling that there were no abnormalities, he opened his handheld device.
[Female Rathalos] Female (unnamed)
Health: 398/4122
Status: Critically injured, fatigued, hungry, wing bones damaged.
Level: 40
Strength: 201
Agility: 171
Intelligence: 188
Skills: [High-Quality Individual] This monster is exceptionally gifted.
[Carnivore Perception] Particularly sensitive to the scent of carnivores.
[Hunting Expert] Skilled in hunting.
[Poison Resistance - Medium] Female Rathalos has decent resistance to poison.
[Brute Charge] Female Rathalos has well-developed hind legs, allowing for instant bursts of charge.
[Fireball Barrage - Triple] Female Rathalos can store up to three fireballs in its mouth, capable of hitting three different targets rapidly.
[Tail Spine Injection] Female Rathalos leaps into the air and thrusts its tail spine, piercing the target and injecting venom.
Description: A Flying Wyvern species monster, exceptionally skilled at ground hunting.
With strong hind legs and a venom-injecting tail, it is a creature many hunters avoid, also known as the Queen of the Land.
The "High-Quality Individual" was directly reflected in its skills, which Li Fan had not expected.
Compared to a normal female Rathalos, the small, foolish creature seemed to have learned all its skills.
If it were an old dragon like Aunt Mo, it might not be surprising, but the small, foolish creature was young.
After escorting Eudora back to the camp to recuperate, Li Fan found Gigantor, praised him profusely, and then recalled him into a Poké Ball.
Back at the camp, the two people and one cat were all lying on the ground, exhausted.
Perhaps they hadn't noticed during the hunt, but once they had free time, the soul-draining fatigue surged instantly.
Li Fan, after removing his armor, used great effort to open the pull tab on a portable ration.
He now understood why they had to return to the village for supplies after every hunt.
Otherwise, after a high-difficulty hunt that depleted a lot of stamina, if the team were to find themselves in an unstable environment, it would easily lead to a vicious cycle of insufficient stamina -> inability to obtain enough food for replenishment -> insufficient stamina.
"Ugh..."
"Ugh..."
"Meow..."
The team members groaned one after another.
"No, this can't continue."
Li Fan suddenly sat up.
"But... I'm so tired, meow."
Di Lu said, rubbing her belly.
"The Guild hasn't certified the Queen of the Land contract yet. It's best to return to the village or town as soon as possible."
At Li Fan's suggestion, the team immediately set out.
*Swish! Bang!* A cloud of blue smoke exploded in the sky.
More than two hours later, a clump of bushes moved from a distance, stopping and starting intermittently.
"I am Deng Pu, a cautious Guild investigator. Is there anything unusual nearby?"
The speaker was a man with a deep voice.
"Uh... there's a talking clump of bushes, does that count as unusual?"
Li Fan asked uncertainly.
"Heh, a humorous hunter. Where are the other two members of your team?"
Deng Pu asked while crouching in his bush camouflage, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings as if an attack could come at any moment.
"They are injured... recuperating in a circular camp."
Li Fan informed him.
"In such an unstable area, hunting a female Rathalos, you must have had a difficult time... Ugh! It's number 4! And it's a capture hunt!"
Deng Pu was visibly shocked to see the small, foolish creature, covered in wounds, lying on the ground, not killed but fast asleep.
"We know the Guild's transport team can no longer enter the Forest Hill, so we found a transport service run by a Felyne camp."
Li Fan explained.
"Yes, a very prescient judgment. Hand over the contract."
Li Fan handed the Queen of the Land contract towards the bushes.
*Rustle! Rustle!*
The bushes shook, and the stamped Queen of the Land contract was handed out.
"Please submit the contract to the Hunter's Guild at the location where it was issued as soon as possible. On behalf of the Hunter's Guild, I thank the hunter team for their efforts in maintaining regional stability. May we meet again."
"May we meet again."
After watching Investigator Deng Pu depart, the team returned to the camp and devoured all the food they had brought.
After sleeping until evening and regaining some strength, they set off for their return journey.