Two intermediate Poké Balls would be obtained tomorrow, and now the focus was on the battle with the Great Jaggi.
He mentally reviewed the plan.
After lunch, Li Fan, accompanied by Yudoluo, ventured into the woods in the afternoon to conduct field investigations for the hunting plan.
As they reached the foot of a hillside, Li Fan looked up at the crest, confirming it was the terrain he desired.
"Are you sure the Great Jaggi will appear here?" Yudoluo asked tentatively.
Field investigation before a hunt was indeed a common practice for professional hunting parties. However, their investigations focused on the regional ecology, such as whether other monsters were active nearby besides the hunting target. They also considered environmental factors like abnormal weather or spreading toxic swamps to prepare for a more targeted hunt. Li Fan's field investigation, however, was pinpointed to the foot of a specific hillside, which was puzzling.
"Of course. It's just that Qiuqiu sustained a minor injury and isn't suitable for hunting practice yet," Li Fan said with confidence.
"Qiuqiu? Practice?" Yudoluo became even more curious.
"Qiuqiu is the Shield Bearer I just captured. As for practice, it mainly involves coordinating our attacks after the Great Jaggi is hit by a trap."
"I see." Yudoluo nodded, appearing to understand. Although he wanted to ask more questions, he was, after all, a three-star hunter. As long as they operated together, he would surely keep up with Li Fan's thinking.
"Let's begin. Go to the top of the slope, you and I will cut trees, and Xiong Da will be responsible for hauling," Li Fan said, already moving. This was no challenge for Yudoluo; his Bone Greatsword could cut down a tree with a single swing. The trees cut the previous night for strength training were all hauled by Xiong Da to the vicinity of the wooden cabin for storage, so he was familiar with the task.
After gathering fifteen trees, Li Fan used his hunter's knife to trim off all the branches and slightly smoothed the rough bark. He selected two thinner logs, sharpened one end of each, and then Xiong Da stepped forward, cradling the sharpened end with his claws and forcefully driving it into the ground. Li Fan checked the spacing, marked another spot, and Xiong Da acted again. Next, the remaining twelve logs were laid horizontally behind the two wooden stakes.
At this point, Yudoluo, who had grasped the structure of the simple trap, began to help find the last required items: large, roughly circular stones. The two humans and the bear worked until evening, completing the trap's construction.
Bathed in the setting sun, Li Fan began the demonstration.
"The rolling logs will knock down the Great Jaggi. Then, the giant stone will deliver a heavy blow. No matter how hard its carapace is, it won't be able to withstand it. At this point, Xiong Da, you will have already removed the stakes to trigger the trap. You can then perform a high-dive and smash down onto the Great Jaggi."
Given the peculiar gravity of the Monster Hunter world, falling from a height posed no danger to humans. However, it didn't mean the person being smashed below would be unharmed. Therefore, both hunters and monsters had developed many attack moves that involved falling from heights.
"Yudoluo, after Xiong Da jumps down, you also need to jump from the high platform and perform a slash. It's best to target the wings. If there's no suitable opportunity, the legs and torso are also fine."
"Alright, Li Fan. Before you became a solo hunter, were you a captain of a hunting party?" Yudoluo asked tentatively. Arranging the hunting process so clearly and logically required considerable accumulated hunting experience.
"No. If there are any changes in the plan midway, I will immediately abandon all deployments and switch to my most proficient hunting method." Li Fan did not want to be vague on such professional matters, especially since this was their first professional, real hunt. It would be dangerous if Yudoluo developed unrealistic expectations and became overly reliant on the plan, abandoning his own most proficient combat style.
Next, Li Fan explained his main responsibilities: directing Qiuqiu and Xiong Da to participate in the hunt, and throwing Paintballs and Sonic Bombs. This would ensure Yudoluo could focus solely on combat.
In the afterglow of the sunset, Li Fan, riding Tai Mei and leading a group of monsters, returned to the wooden cabin with Yudoluo. After rummaging through chests, Yudoluo presented a piece of armor covered in white fur to Li Fan.
"This is the Felyne Armor."
"Hmm, it looks nice." Li Fan recalled that the skill attached to this chest piece was [Evade Window]. In reality, its effect wasn't to improve ground evasion but to increase critical hit rate after evading.
"This is a replacement for the Great Jaggi armor, and it has been reinforced with two Armor Spheres," Yudoluo explained.
"Then the defense should be good."
"Yes."
A brief silence fell within the wooden cabin.
"You don't mean... you want me to wear it for tomorrow's hunt, do you?" Li Fan understood Yudoluo's intention.
"That's right. The Great Jaggi is, after all, a three-star monster," Yudoluo said worriedly.
"But the Felyne armor series has very low fire resistance. Also, isn't this women's armor?"
"Uh... fireballs can be dodged. As for it being women's armor, I promise I won't say anything. No one is in the woods anyway." Yudoluo persuaded him. In the history of hunters, there had indeed been several peak-level hunters with superb combat skills who had challenged monsters without wearing armor. Some achieved legendary status, while others had to pay exorbitant fees to the Felyne corpse retrieval team to possibly recover and bury any surviving remains.
"Alright." Li Fan, recalling the Great Jaggi's beak, thought that a direct downward peck could potentially cause him to spit blood on the spot, and thus accepted the suggestion. He took the Felyne armor; the white fur felt soft and comfortable. To prepare for tomorrow's hunt and maintain peak energy, Li Fan did not stay up late to claim the Poké Balls.
The next morning, the two intermediate Poké Balls were obtained. Apart from being slightly larger and heavier, there was no significant difference compared to ordinary Poké Balls. After checking the necessary items, the hunting party, consisting of the two humans and the bear, officially set off into the depths of the woods. Although they hadn't officially begun the hunt in the past two days, Yudoluo had managed to pinpoint the Great Jaggi's current activity area through its calls and remaining traces.
Upon arriving at the trap deployment site, Li Fan threw a Poké Ball, and the Shield Bearer, Qiuqiu, appeared on the grass.
"Why are the edges of this Shield Bearer's carapace red?" Yudoluo asked curiously.
"Traces left from special training."
"I see." Qiuqiu curled into a ball and began to hop forward, with Li Fan riding Tai Mei closely behind. After nearly half an hour of searching, they found the Great Jaggi at the edge of a cliff, gazing into the distance.
*Clang!* Qiuqiu's "Bounce" attack struck the light red carapace on the Great Jaggi's torso, creating a shower of sparks. The Great Jaggi turned its head, somewhat bewildered. It was quite surprised to find the snack it usually loved actively attacking it. It lowered its head, let out a low growl, and then its massive beak pecked down fiercely.
*Bang!* Dirt flew. The bounce combined with the impact sent Qiuqiu flying a considerable distance. Upon landing, it quickly rolled away to create distance.
"Wow!" The Great Jaggi let out a cry, moved its legs, and excitedly gave chase.