Zhanzhan received no encouragement. It nudged the muddy ground with the flame-like shell on its back, settling in more comfortably.
He hadn't expected such a blow...
Li Fan had thought Zhanzhan's despondency over its severed tail would lessen as it gradually regrew.
Instead, it had fallen into complete despair, utterly resigned to its fate.
Aside from the threat to its survival, nothing else seemed to warrant its attention.
"Weren't you going to give Zhanzhan special training, meow?"
Dilu, seeing Zhanzhan lying down, couldn't help but ask.
"Zhanzhan has lost its fighting spirit, but I believe soon..."
Hoo~ Hoo~
Deep snores filled the air, with glistening snot bubbles popping out of its nostrils one after another.
"Soon it will be fast asleep, meow..."
Li Fan, helpless, decided to try initiating the training himself.
The towering trees of the Ancient Forest, though not as resilient as those in the Cloud-Kissed Peaks, were sufficiently thick-trunked.
To cleave through their surface with a Great Sword slash required both power and technique. As a training ground, it was just right for Li Fan at his current stage.
Two hours passed.
"Hah! ....Yah! ....Hah! Behold, my Rising Slash!"
Li Fan shouted, stomping his blacksmith boots on a tree trunk and leaping upwards.
Twisting his body with a burst of strength, he brought down his Shield Crab Great Sword.
"Ugh... landed on the ground again."
Li Fan sighed in frustration. While his jumping ability had indeed improved with his physical strength, he was still a far cry from being able to release a Silkbind Spinning Cleave from a flat ground leap.
"Would it be easier to use a Wirebug to propel myself and then release a Silkbind Spinning Cleave with a Wirebug Kick..."
Li Fan mused.
Roar....
He turned his head at the low growl, finding Zhanzhan awake and watching from behind the bushes.
"You're awake."
Li Fan greeted it.
Roar... Cough cough!
Zhanzhan responded with a sound, then began to cough heavily, spitting out a pile of hard, black slag from its mouth.
Li Fan sheathed his sword and walked over to examine it. He discovered these were mineral fragments that had cooled and hardened.
Normally, even after completing the smelting of its tail blade at this stage, a Zinogre would still store a certain amount of minerals at high temperatures in its furnace sac for combat reserves.
If that wasn't enough, it could also shave off some of the softened tail blade during grinding.
The mineral debris before him, completely cooled, indicated just how terrible Zhanzhan's state of mind was.
"I found a place during my practice earlier, want to go take a look?"
Li Fan suggested.
While Zhanzhan hesitated, Li Fan had already grabbed onto a protruding scale and climbed onto its back.
"It's just ahead, not far."
Li Fan pointed the way, and Zhanzhan began to move.
Before long, man and dragon arrived in a rare sun-drenched clearing in the Ancient Forest.
Zhanzhan observed curiously for a moment, realizing the sunlight was there only because the surrounding towering trees had been cut down.
Li Fan jumped off the dragon's back and approached a fallen log, tapping a cut surface. "This cut is still quite rough. It must have been made during recent practice."
Roar?
"It's the Zinogre that used to inhabit the Ancient Forest."
Li Fan said, then ran to another log to examine its cut marks.
"This one wasn't cut in a single strike, but the cut is much smoother, and it's a downward diagonal cut. The angle is very precise."
Li Fan moved forward again, arriving at a log with burn marks on its cut surface.
"This time, it heated its tail blade before cutting. Perhaps due to reduced rigidity, the cutting force actually weakened. It was an experiment, I suppose."
Zhanzhan listened to Li Fan's analysis, appearing thoughtful.
"At the end of this sunlit path, there's a mine. Want to go see?"
As Zhanzhan hesitated, Li Fan once again climbed onto its back.
Thump! Thump!...
Inside the dark cave, Zhanzhan trod on a gentle slope covered in claw marks, descending until it reached the mine.
Hoo~
Zhanzhan breathed out a flame, illuminating the surroundings.
On the deep blue ore veins, resembling towering walls in the distance, claw marks were reflected in the firelight.
Li Fan walked over to a pile of rubble and began to dig, with some effort dragging out a large, hollow shell.
Brushing the dust off his hands, Li Fan introduced, "This is the carapace from the base of a Zinogre's tail. I wonder if it belonged to it."
Roar?
"Yes, I suspect it also lost its tail. Then, filled with confusion and despair, it came to this sunless Ancient Forest. But it didn't give up. Instead, it tempered itself in seclusion, waiting for the day its tail blade would be reforged!"
Li Fan said, clenching his fist.
Roar....
"This is what a Zinogre should be!"
Ah... ah.... ah..... ah (The echo in the mine)
Zhanzhan, which had been hanging its head low, gradually regained a spark in its eyes.
In the forest, Dilu began humming a melody Li Fan often sang.
"Yang Kuku, Dai Yeye, Yuan Qiuqiu, Ni Shasha, Fen Juxing is a little dummy, Hu Paofu is a fat Sunshine, Don't look at me, I'm just a meow, Food becomes more fragrant because of me...."
At this moment, a large blue mushroom beneath a tree caught Dilu's attention.
"This is... the king of blue mushrooms, meow!"
Dilu said, taking a small shovel from the side of its backpack and preparing to harvest it.
Thump! Thump! Thump!...
A rapid thudding sound approached from a distance.
"Aren't the surrounding areas occupied by Paofu and the others? This is strange, meow."
Dilu hid in the bushes to observe.
"Zhanzhan! Don't rush! We still have plenty of time for training... it's okay to wait a bit... Ouch! It's so hot!"
Hearing Li Fan's shout, Dilu looked in that direction.
It saw Li Fan struggling to maintain his balance on Zhanzhan's back as it moved at high speed, but there was nothing for him to hold onto.
He tried the flame-like shell sticking out at the back, but Zhanzhan's skin was glowing red, and wisps of heat emanated from its body. Li Fan had only lightly touched it and was already burned.
Ssss!!!
In the open space, Zhanzhan, with fire in its mouth, braked sharply, sliding for more than ten meters before swinging its tail.
"Damn it!"
Li Fan, almost thrown off, quickly crouched down and covered his ears.
Roar!!!
Birds flew away, rabbits scurried into their burrows, frogs leaped into the water, and fish dove for cover.
It seemed all the creatures in the vicinity were fleeing.
Dilu walked over to the imprint of Zhanzhan's three-toed foot, looked at the flattened King Blue Mushroom in the pit, and slumped to the ground, dejected.
In the evening, at the fixed camp built suspended from the top of a tree trunk,
Li Fan and Dilu were eating dinner around a campfire.
Listening to the rumbling sounds from a distance, Dilu asked worriedly, "If Zhanzhan keeps training like this, won't something happen, meow?"
"Don't worry. At most, it will be exhausted and faint from physical exertion. We've secured the surroundings, and Yeye is on night watch, so it's safe even if it sleeps outdoors."
Li Fan said, then served himself another bowl of mushroom soup.
"I'm afraid that while sleeping, Zhanzhan might cut down the tree supporting the camp below, meow."
Dilu sighed.
"It won't. Based on the distance, Zhanzhan won't be able to reach here before its stamina is completely depleted,"
Li Fan explained, then picked up a piece of mushroom and put it in his mouth, exclaiming, "The mushrooms today have a really firm texture! Is it a new variety?"
"It's not a new variety, it's a blue mushroom, meow."
Dilu sighed.
The next day, Li Fan, who had slept until noon, emerged from his tent and stretched as he went to relieve himself at the edge of the tree branch.
This feeling of being king of the mountain in the wild was truly exhilarating.
After putting on his armor and strapping on his weapon, Li Fan began to search for Zhanzhan's whereabouts by following the traces of tree destruction.
As expected, he found Zhanzhan sleeping soundly in a clearing where the surrounding giant trees were full of dents.
Li Fan didn't rush to wake it. Instead, he practiced more in-depth slashes with his Great Sword on a lower dented section of a tree.
The intention was simple: if its tail blade's slash caused armor to break, he could directly attack the inner flesh by targeting the cracked area.
An hour later, Zhanzhan woke up.
No way, I just rested for a bit and you're already awake.
Li Fan had intended to use his own heroic display during training to inspire Zhanzhan, but he hadn't expected it to wake up at such an inopportune moment.
Roar...
"Go forage. I won't be following."
Li Fan waved goodbye.
Two hours later, Zhanzhan returned, not only well-fed but also with a new layer of mineral solution poured onto its tail blade, though it appeared somewhat thin.
However, as long as Zhanzhan had the will to fight, this was a good start.
Its furnace sac at the throat was also bulging and low, indicating it had stored a considerable amount of explosive minerals.
Seeing that Zhanzhan was so well-prepared for its special training, Li Fan first praised it, then explained his research findings.
Combined Combat Mode.
"Dilu, come! Demonstrate for Zhanzhan."
Li Fan said, lying down on the ground. Dilu, holding its staff, jumped onto his back, and the fun and lively teaching session began.
"Zhanzhan, this is now Combined Combat Mode. Although this is a demonstration, during training, I am you, and you are... no, I am Dilu, and you are me. It might sound a bit complicated, but as long as you grasp the general idea, it's fine."
Roar...
Zhanzhan blinked, looking utterly confused.
"You don't need to worry about me; you can even ignore my existence. But at critical moments, I will assist you in launching a heavy attack on the enemy! ...Move Dilu."
"Meow... Meow! Meow!"
Dilu waved its staff a couple of times.
Zhanzhan pondered for a moment, then saw a beetle crawling on the muddy ground. It raised its foot and crushed it into a beetle pancake, then nudged it out of the mud with its head.
"I do risk being affected by you... but as I said, just ignore my existence."
Li Fan knew what Zhanzhan was worried about.
The immense power monsters wielded during combat, adjusted according to their size, might be difficult for even themselves to control precisely.
Just like the Iai Spirit Slash, anyone nearby would be within its attack range.
If the coordination wasn't good, even if Li Fan wasn't accidentally injured by Zhanzhan, there would be mutual interference.
Passive movements like retreating after being hit or falling over were even less controllable by Zhanzhan.
Roar!
Zhanzhan acknowledged Li Fan's fearless spirit.
After a brief lesson, Li Fan climbed onto Zhanzhan's back and tied a large-diameter Iron Wire between the tops of the flame-like shells on either side, serving as a handle to grip.
Seeing that the high temperature did not significantly damage the Iron Wire, Li Fan felt that his Combined Combat Mode had taken another step forward. The next step was combat practice.
Li Fan, positioned on Zhanzhan's back, would generally not be attacked.
The counter-attack of the Courage Style was difficult to execute, so he switched his weapon to the Shield Crab Great Sword.
Specific attack patterns had not yet been formed. Li Fan followed Zhanzhan's tail blade slashes to gradually adapt to the attack rhythm and the undulations of its back, while also providing guidance on tail blade slash techniques based on his understanding of the Great Sword.
Two days later, a "sizzle" sound echoed from the forest, and soon a giant tree crashed down.
Zhanzhan, panting heavily, glanced at its tail blade, which was bent forward. Although the ore poured onto it was still thin,
after Li Fan's guidance on force and angle, no giant tree in the Ancient Forest could withstand two slashes.
"It's time to go back. If we leave now, we'll be back in time for dinner."
Li Fan felt that the training he wanted had been largely achieved. After summoning the monsters, he rode on Little Dummy and began the journey back.
Upon returning to the small wooden house, everything was as usual.
During dinner at the dining table, Eudora mentioned the Zinogre, saying it was still lingering around the village and town. To cooperate with the Guild's defense, Cara Village had entered lockdown.
"Is there any more information?"
Li Fan inquired.
"Well... according to the information released by the Guild, after being injured by Iron, this individual Zinogre not only showed no intention of avoiding the village and town but its desire to fight and hatred for humans actually intensified."
Eudora informed him.
"It's planning to use hunters to hone its blade."
Li Fan deduced.
"What do you mean?"
"Let me give you an analogy. If a hunter spent many years crafting a very high-quality weapon, what would they do?"
"Naturally, they would hunt."
"Exactly. The Zinogre's behavior is similar. While forging its tail blade takes a lot of time, there's ultimately a limit to its lifespan and the tail blade's carrying capacity."
"Are you saying... that Zinogre has reached the limit of its tail blade forging?"
"Yes, so all that Zinogre needs to hone now is its combat skills."
"Why would a monster relentlessly improve itself like this?"
Eudora sighed.
This Zinogre's pursuit had clearly gone beyond mere survival.
"Perhaps it's simply driven by its nature, or it has its own ideals, something it wants to protect. It might be like humans and Dragonborn, constantly arming and improving themselves, just to have the ability to resist when disaster strikes."
Li Fan offered his opinion.
The next day, the team went to the Guild branch hall to check the joint hunt recruitment contract.
The contract name was "From the Unknown Beyond."
Upon signing the contract, an advance payment of 22,500z would be issued. Hunters who participated in repelling the monster would be directly promoted from three-star to four-star. Four-star ratings would be counted towards Guild evaluations and play an important role in future five-star hunter promotions.
Additionally, there was a remaining payment of 28,500z.
If the monster was killed, hunters would have the right to share in its materials based on their contribution.
The names of the hunters and hunting groups would be recorded in the Cara Village Chronicle.
A Spirit Jade-tier Chosen One Badge would be awarded. Daily, two free venison meals could be collected from the Cat's Grill, provided by Mayor Bazel of Cara Village.
"Overall, it feels similar to the Moonlit Duet,"
Li Fan remarked.
"Last time I participated, we had to strictly follow the Guild's deployment. Can you adapt to that?"
Eudora asked with some concern.
She didn't believe Li Fan would disobey orders and hinder the Guild's operations.
Rather, the situation could easily spiral out of control once the monsters he led appeared in battle.
"I can't adapt. The Guild might not even trust people, let alone monsters."
"Ah? Then why are you looking at the joint contract?"
Eudora asked, confused.
"Why wouldn't I take free money?"
"Free money?"
Eudora looked bewildered.
Li Fan glanced around, seeing that the hunter teams in the hall were busy with their own affairs. He lowered his voice and asked, "Doesn't that Zinogre want to improve itself through combat? I can help it. It's just a bit too intense."
"You mean!"
"Shhh... Among five-star monsters, only another Zinogre can confront it head-on. You said that yourself."
"That's true, but there are no usable monsters in the surrounding area. This means the hunt will have to rely on the team's own strength."
Eudora voiced her concerns.
Although she didn't understand monster capture as well as Li Fan,
she could clearly sense that Zhanzhan was not in a bad state when it was captured, only that its mental state had collapsed.
The exploited Diablos "Handsome" also played a crucial role.
Excluding these factors, completely hunting and killing a Zinogre was an exceptionally difficult task.
"I've considered all of that. But as long as Zhanzhan is here, the situation won't develop in a bad direction."
"Yes, as long as Zhanzhan is here, even if the hunting attempt fails, we can use the Zinogres' penchant for duels to lure it elsewhere."
Eudora suddenly realized the key point.
"Since the Zinogre will definitely be attracted away, that advance payment of 22,500z is truly like free money. I'm signing up!"
Eudora said, running towards the counter with a cheerful expression, which seemed out of place in the solemn atmosphere of the hall.
However, this advance payment of 22,500z per person was not entirely free.
That evening, the team received a summons from the Guild.
As Li Fan was still a three-star hunter, he was not assigned to direct combat but was placed in the support group.
"Li Fan!"
In the Guild's outdoor outpost tent, Shireen, also in the support group, looked particularly surprised to see Li Fan.
"What a coincidence. Is this box of G-rank Mega Potions for you to sign for?"
Li Fan said, putting down the grid box full of potions.
"Yes. Did you mix all of these yourself?"
"Yes, I wanted the effects to be stronger, so I added more honey and enhancers within the allowed limits."
Li Fan informed her.
"No wonder the color is a bit dark. Twenty-four bottles in total, you must have worked hard!"
Shireen immediately completed the signing.
"What's next?"
"Can you mix some Flash Bombs for me?"
"No problem."
"Hmm... the standard materials were lost. I bought these Luminescent Moths with my own money. Please be careful."
Shireen clasped her hands together.
Li Fan suspiciously stepped on the bulging carpet, lifted a corner, and saw the corpses of more than a dozen crushed Luminescent Moths, instantly startled.
"Your mixing success rate is a bit low."
"Hoo~ You found out. I'm already depressed. Please don't tease me anymore."
Shireen said, covering her head.
"Don't worry about it. My nickname is 'Mixing Prince.' Flash Bombs are a piece of cake for me."
Li Fan said confidently.