*Pachi!*
Li Fan stepped into the mud and swung his blade.
The blade cut into the mud clinging to the body, slicing swiftly through the carapace.
Though it only left a shallow gash, it didn't deflect his weapon and managed to absorb Qi.
Indeed, before the mud on the body could dry and harden, slashing attacks could easily cut through it.
Li Fan confirmed his hypothesis through practical combat.
There were three types of weapon attacks in the Monster Hunter world.
Slashing, blunt, and projectile.
Slashing attacks could be understood as attacks with sharp weapons, dealing damage by cutting and severing.
Blunt attacks could be understood as attacks with blunt weapons, dealing damage through impact and crushing.
Projectile attacks were ranged attacks with ammunition.
Corresponding to different monsters, different body parts, different flesh textures, and different elemental infusions, the damage dealt by these three attack types varied.
The presence of carapace, changes in skin texture, or the surge of elemental energy on the body's surface could all affect weapon damage.
The Monster Hunter world would certainly not follow the game's damage calculation formulas, but Li Fan believed the general tendency would be the same.
For example, if certain parts of a monster's surface carapace were shattered and peeled off due to continuous attacks, exposing the flesh underneath, then attacking that same spot would inevitably increase damage.
This was a logical inference, whether in reality or in a game.
The reason he focused on researching this was because, before setting out to hunt a Barroth, Li Fan heard two completely different accounts from other hunters.
Some hunters insisted that slashing weapons, if the distance was controlled well, could easily cut through the mud armor clinging to the Barroth's body.
Others claimed that only blunt weapons could most swiftly shatter the mud armor.
Li Fan initially thought this was a debate about which weapon type was more suitable for hunting Barroth.
But when he heard both sides adamantly stating that the other's claim was wrong, and that failure to do so could lead to hunting failure or even death, he became somewhat confused.
Hunters embarking on expeditions cared about their lives, and no one would argue about such matters without reason.
However, if both sides were correct, there needed to be a logical explanation.
Just now, Li Fan's attack attempts in practical combat resolved this confusion.
The two opposing groups of people were actually both correct.
It was simply that the Barroth they encountered had different states of mud armor attached to their bodies.
Barroth liked to dive in muddy areas, allowing moist mud to soak their bodies.
But they also had to go out hunting, at which point the moist mud armor would slowly solidify.
In terms of visual identification, this was a transition from dark gray towards grayish-white.
Soft and moist mud armor naturally could not resist the cutting of slashing weapons.
However, it had strong resistance to impact from blunt weapons.
To put it plainly, it was like a lump of soft mud; when struck with a blunt weapon, most of the force would be absorbed.
The solidified mud armor was the opposite.
The Barroth's body carapace was already very hard. When it fused tightly with the solidified mud armor, slashing weapons would need to cut through both layers of carapace to deal damage.
This placed very high demands on the sharpness of the weapon and the force of the slash.
For an average three-star hunter, this was practically impossible.
Blunt weapons, however, were different. With their powerful impacts, they could shatter large areas of solidified mud armor in just a few strikes, regardless of its hardness.
*Puchi! Puchi!*...
Li Fan swung his Great Sword, slashing repeatedly.
With the meager sharpness of the Jawblade I, he knew he couldn't cut through the Barroth's carapace.
However, through continuous slashing at the surface mud, Qi quickly accumulated to its limit.
Li Fan's idea was simple: since moist mud armor couldn't resist slashing weapons.
As long as he controlled the distance of his swings, he could use his Qi blade to cut through the Barroth's body carapace and deal devastating damage to the flesh underneath.
The biggest difficulty was judging the thickness of the mud.
If the slashing point was slightly too close and grazed the carapace, it would cause a weapon deflection, as the Qi blade was not a dimensional slash.
If it was too far, he would only cut the mud, dealing no damage.
Furthermore, the Barroth was not a training dummy; its entire body was in motion, further increasing the difficulty of achieving a precise Qi blade slash.
As Li Fan maneuvered to find a suitable angle, the constantly spreading mud beneath his feet significantly hindered his movement.
*Pachi! Pachi!*
In the mire, Li Fan had to lift his feet high to take each step.
"Still at it, huh? Still shaking it off."
Li Fan muttered casually. To his surprise, the Barroth actually stopped.
It slightly turned its head back, confirmed Li Fan's position, and then swung its thick, hard tail.
The Barroth's movements were fluid and fierce, without any hesitation. Everything happened very quickly.
Li Fan instinctively wanted to counter with a Foresight Slash, but after a moment's hesitation, he opted for a safer sideward dive.
However, he overlooked one point: the area beneath his feet, due to the continuous accumulation of mud, was no longer just water.
*Pachi!* Li Fan fell into a mud pit. Although he got up as quickly as possible, his entire body was covered in mud.
Seeing this, the Barroth walked closer, raised its head carapace high, and then slammed it down with force.
*Boom!* Mud and water splashed.
Li Fan rolled and then dodged, barely avoiding the attack.
The Barroth slowly raised its head and took a step to pursue further when Kuku, using its Bird Wyvern charge, flew in from above.
*Boom!*
The Barroth was hit, causing one of its claws to leave the ground, but it maintained its balance before falling sideways.
Li Fan got up again. This time, his grip on the Great Sword couldn't be maintained during the violent movements.
He hastily sheathed his sword and, after creating sufficient distance, squatted in the water to wash off the mud.
Otherwise, the mud clinging to his body would severely restrict his movement.
However, the Barroth ignored Kuku. Its head carapace lowered to be level with the ground, pointing towards Li Fan's location.
Indeed, the pain inflicted by hunters had left a deep impression on this Barroth.
Its hatred for hunters far surpassed its animosity towards Kuku.
Li Fan confirmed his guess, but his current situation was precarious.
He reached for the Pouch containing the Puffball on his shoulder strap. After a brief hesitation, he ultimately did not retrieve the Pouch.
The Barroth was indeed very angry, but not to the point of losing its mind.
He needed to further enrage it before he could release the Puffball.
Despite the dangerous situation, Li Fan had not forgotten that the key to this capture was not a lack of combat power, but the Barroth escaping too early.
*Woo! Woo!*
From the top of its head carapace, Qi surged.
Li Fan had experience dealing with charges that couldn't adjust their trajectory on the fly.
By now, most of the mud clinging to his armor had been washed away by the water.
He got up, waited for the moment, and rolled!
Li Fan dodged the charge again and quickly pursued from behind.
As he drew his sword, half of the Qi in his gauge had been lost, but it was enough for two Qi blade slashes.
*Puchi! Puchi!*
Two cutting marks appeared on the surface of the mud armor on its hind leg.
There was no weapon deflection, only a slight obstruction, indicating that the blade had not come into contact with the carapace.
But whether the Qi blade had penetrated the carapace and cut the flesh underneath was impossible to tell from the mud-covered exterior.
Had it succeeded?
Li Fan watched intently.
*Wooo!*
The Barroth let out a low growl.
One of its hind legs went limp, its entire body sank, and it assumed a one-legged kneeling posture.
However, this state lasted only for a moment. The limp hind leg's foot quickly straightened, firmly planted in the water.
Hmm... the Qi blade must have cut through the carapace and hit the flesh, but the damage dealt by Jawblade I was also low.
The Barroth turned its head back again.
Li Fan had just experienced this move; it was likely a tail whip attack that involved turning.
Seeing the notch left by the Great Sword's slash on the Barroth's head carapace, Li Fan didn't want to dodge anymore.
Because the remaining Qi in his Great Sword was not enough to perform even one Qi blade slash.
It was better to use it to take a gamble than to let it dissipate into the air.
Another reason was that after the Barroth's tail whip attack, its body orientation would change.
Li Fan, who was pursuing from behind, was now in its rear. After the tail whip, it could face him directly without moving.
What I and Kuku have been practicing is using a Foresight Slash to counter tail whips. If I find the right timing, I can do it!
Li Fan encouraged himself with his extensive practice experience.
*Whoosh!* The brown tail, covered in mud, swung through the air with a gust of wind.
Because there was a small amount of Qi remaining in his gauge, Li Fan first retreated a step to ensure his safety.
Then, using his left leg as a pivot, he rapidly spun his body.
Pale blue mist-like Qi spread outwards from the back of the Jawblade I, instantly filling the area in front of Li Fan.
The moment the mist-like Qi formed, the Barroth's tail struck.
*Buzz!*
A faint buzzing sound occurred.
The activated mist-like Qi suddenly dispersed, its brightness surging.
And the Barroth's tail swing, as if striking cotton, suddenly lost its force.
The exploding, abundant Qi was re-injected into the Qi gauge as Li Fan swung his sword upwards.
Although it didn't fill the Qi gauge as it did in the game upon a successful judgment, it was enough to perform three Qi blade slashes.
The Barroth, having completed its turn, had its head directly facing Li Fan.
In its black, dot-like pupils, half was anger, and half was curiosity.
In its mind, if the human hunter in front of it hadn't dodged, then the tail whip attack just now should have sent it flying.
The distance was too close; a horizontal Qi blade slash was impossible to perform. The only option was a direct downward slash...
Although Li Fan felt fear, the gap on the head carapace was right in front of him, and he didn't want to give up!
He raised his sword with both hands and slashed down with all his might!
The Jawblade I precisely entered the gap, and yellowish-brown keratin fragments flew everywhere.
The healing keratin did not seem to be strong. As the blade was pressed down, a crack was split from top to bottom on the head carapace.
The crack on the keratin even extended to the Barroth's eye.
*Puchi!*
A thin stream of blood spurted out along the keratin crack.
Countless bloodshot veins appeared on the Barroth's whites of its eyes. After intertwining, its two blood-red eyes slowly looked up, staring at Li Fan with a tremor.
Seeing this, Li Fan suddenly recalled the scene in "Kung Fu Hustle" where Stephen Chow used a table leg to smash the head of The Beast.
This time... it should be completely enraged.
Li Fan let go, even abandoning the stuck Jawblade I.
"Everyone get out of the way! The Barroth is going on a rampage!"
Li Fan shouted instructions to Dilo and Kuku as he ran.
*Woooo!!!! Wooooo!!!!*
Five Qi holes on the top of its head carapace spewed out a stream of scorching hot air.
The Barroth didn't even charge up this time. Without lowering its head, it launched a charge towards Li Fan.
Li Fan, running with his back turned, glanced behind him and then dodged the charge with a sideward roll.
When he got up again, the Pouch was already in his hand.
"I intended to hunt you as an ordinary hunter, but I was met with a deadly attack. I'm not holding back anymore, come out, Puffball!"
Li Fan swung his arm forcefully, throwing it towards the Barroth.
The Barroth turned around and saw a coiled up Pukei-Pukei heading towards it.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, it let out a roar and, without showing any weakness, raised its head carapace and slammed it down.
Puffball slid its body on the water and lightly retreated backward, easily evading the Barroth's attack.
When the Barroth looked up again, before it could assess the situation, a stream of water shot past its body at high speed.
Where it passed, mud flew and carapace cracked, leaving a thin, long wound.
Li Fan immediately realized that larger monsters generally had an advantage in terms of strength.
However, when facing attacks, their larger target area also meant they would be hit more broadly.
Dilo only needed to bend slightly to avoid the water stream.
Even if the Barroth lay on the ground, it couldn't possibly dodge it.
*Aooo!* Another roar!
The Barroth still didn't retreat, clearly having lost its mind.
Li Fan wanted to withdraw first, but he noticed that the Barroth's gaze followed his movements.
So, he had to call Kuku, climb onto its back, and take flight.
"I see it, meow! One slash to shatter the Barroth's head carapace!"
Dilo, perched on Li Fan's back, excitedly recorded in its small notebook.
"You can write about it later. For now, hold on tight and don't fall off."
Li Fan reminded her. He wasn't worried about fall damage.
But if Dilo accidentally landed near the Barroth or within Puffball's attack range, she could be in grave danger.
Kuku had no riding saddle on its back, so Li Fan could only hold onto Kuku's neck.
Dilo observed for a moment, then wrapped its cat claws around Li Fan's neck.
One bird, one person, one cat.
Three heads stacked together, all looking down.
"Kuku, you're the pilot, can you stop looking at the battlefield below?"
Li Fan looked down for a long time before realizing something was amiss.
*Wow...*
Kuku let out a mournful cry and stopped looking at the battlefield below.
*Boom!* A large tail with purple fur slammed down.
The Barroth was hit and flipped over, sliding a long distance on the water before stopping.
Puffball didn't rush to pursue. It tucked its tail and rapidly slid its body in place.
As bubbles continuously overflowed, its rotation speed increased, and the friction sound grew louder.
The Barroth was hit and flipped over, sliding a long distance on the water before stopping.
Puffball didn't rush to pursue. It tucked its tail and rapidly slid its body in place.