The frozen beast meat chunks crunched in the Brachydios's mouth with a crisp sound.
Before it could finish the current piece, the second dropped beast meat chunk from the air landed on the ice not far away.
The Brachydios lifted its wing claws from the ground and quickly walked over.
Li Fan, riding his little slowpoke, waved at the ground, signaling them to retreat quickly while they had the chance.
Straining to get up, Snow Shadow felt utterly exhausted. It tried to crawl on all fours for a moment but found its paws were already losing strength.
So, it simply began dragging its body forward with its two front claws.
"This won't do..."
Li Fan, who was busy feeding the beast meat chunks, saw this and felt the situation was not good.
If Snow Shadow tried to escape at this snail's pace, even if the beast meat chunks on Little Slowpoke's back were enough, the Brachydios would eventually eat its fill and regain its senses.
At this moment, Snow Shadow saw a Mizutsune sliding rapidly towards them.
*Whoosh~* A blast of cold air puffed from its nostrils.
Helpless, Snow Shadow lay down on the ice, seemingly having given up struggling.
*Whoosh!*
A strong gust of wind arrived, and Li Fan landed beside it.
He threw a Premier Ball. Snow Shadow's body turned into white light, but before it could be drawn in, it reappeared on the ice.
Li Fan deduced that Snow Shadow was likely only severely injured and exhausted, not yet on the verge of death.
"How about... I cut you a couple more times?"
Li Fan thought of a peculiar stratagem.
*Roar?*
Snow Shadow let out a surprised sound, as if asking, "Aren't you here to save me?"
"We're here, meow!"
Dillu, riding on Puff's neck, called out.
"We'll have to do this for now..."
After a brief moment of thought, Li Fan strategized: "Puff, lay down an accelerated slide made of frothy lubricant, be careful not to get frozen. Yidora, let's work together to cut out a chunk of ice."
The team immediately got busy.
*Burp~*
Having finished all the beast meat chunks, the Brachydios let out a satisfied burp.
It wasn't particularly fond of eating Icefang Dragons; their back shells were difficult to peel, and this one was gray, clearly unhealthy.
But even after consuming piles of beast meat, it still felt a lingering hunger.
It licked the remaining meat scraps from its fangs with its long tongue, then turned its head, only to see a scene that greatly surprised it.
The Icefang Dragon was now lying on a thin sheet of ice. Two hunters on top were pulling on a blue thread with both hands.
The other end of the thread was wrapped around the Mizutsune's foreleg.
"Brachydios is watching! The initial speed isn't enough, meow!"
Dillu, who was on lookout, exclaimed.
"I've got this!"
Yidora said, handing two wirebugs to Li Fan. Then, she jumped off the ice block and pushed hard from behind.
Puff slid forward briefly in a curve, reaching the pre-laid accelerated slide of frothy lubricant, and its speed instantly increased.
Yidora behind pushed forward, further boosting their sliding speed.
"Grab on!"
Li Fan threw a wirebug back, and Yidora lunged forward to grab the wire.
The Brachydios tilted its head, watching for a moment, seemingly wondering about this new way of playing.
Suddenly remembering that the creature it was chasing was its prey, a surge of anger rose from its heart.
*Roar!!!*
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*...
Yidora climbed onto the sliding ice using the wirebug, looking back and saying, "It's no good, we'll be caught at this rate."
"Don't worry, this isn't a race, we still have items to use! Puff! More frothy lubricant!"
Li Fan shouted.
*Roar!* Puff responded.
Soon, the ice was covered with more frothy lubricant, and many large soap bubbles emerged.
These originally crystal-clear bubbles quickly frosted over, turning into frosty mist bubbles that slowly descended.
*Pop! Pop! Pop!*...
The unstoppable Brachydios could easily shatter them, but the obstruction to its vision caused its pursuit direction to shift slightly.
The Brachydios could only use the gaps without frosty mist bubbles to reorient itself.
"Dillu! Is this near the location of Trap Number 4?"
Li Fan asked, looking at the towering ice mountain to the side.
Dillu took out a map from her waist pouch and searched for a moment, replying, "That's right, meow, it's just ahead."
"Alright, then we'll completely cut off the pursuit here."
Li Fan declared.
Currently, the distance between them was considerable, but the problem was that once they reached the shore, Puff wouldn't be able to drag the large ice block and slide at high speed like on the ice.
If they continued sliding without reaching the shore, it would become a battle of endurance between Puff and the Brachydios, seeing who would run out of stamina first.
Li Fan didn't want to attempt something with so little certainty.
"Puff, turn sideways to gain more distance, then head towards the foot of the mountain."
As Li Fan spoke, Puff's two front claws exerted slight force on the ice, one in front of the other.
Several sprays of ice mist erupted backward from the tips of its claws.
*Hiss....*
Puff elegantly carved a semi-arc on the ice, completing the turn.
The pursuing Brachydios, whether caught off guard by the turn or affected by the frothy lubricant reducing its grip, was thrown off balance as it tried to turn sideways.
"Remember, Brachydios, speed in corners is true speed. Anyone can go fast in a straight line."
Li Fan shouted back mockingly.
The Brachydios didn't understand Li Fan's words but wasn't angered. It straightened its body and resumed the pursuit.
Before long, in the area where the ice surface met the ice mountain, a huge shadow appeared, cast by an overhanging ice platform on the mountain.
Puff, sliding along, looked up for a moment, and mist formed around its mouth.
As they approached from below, it raised its head and spat a straight stream of water upwards.
*Swoosh!*
The water jet swept across the junction of the overhanging ice platform and the mountain, leaving a black line-like mark.
After sliding out of the shadow, Puff abruptly turned back, swinging the ice block it was dragging behind it, and faced the charging Brachydios directly.
Seeing the other party stop, the Brachydios also braked sharply, stopping right in the shadow.
Perfect!
Li Fan praised internally, feeling that the plan had succeeded.
*Huff... huff... huff...*
The ice surface of the near-sea, illuminated by the moonlight, was exceptionally quiet.
The heavy panting of two five-star monsters sounded exceptionally clear.
"Yidora, did we cut the pre-set fracture points on the ice platform above?"
Seeing no movement from the ice mountain for a long time, Li Fan asked in a low voice.
"We did, you even told me not to cut too deep, or the ice platform might fall before we leave."
Yidora replied.
"Then what's happening... Ah! It's the Zinogre weapon's fault!"
Li Fan suddenly realized.
"What do you mean?"
"When the Zinogre weapon cut, it melted the ice, causing a lot of water to accumulate in the cut. When this water freezes again, it effectively repairs and solidifies the ice cut."
"This..."
Yidora was also surprised that the problem stemmed from this.
*Bang! Bang!*
The Brachydios adjusted its wing claws that were supporting its weight. It seemed to have rested enough and was preparing for a fierce battle.
"Puff! Roar!"
Hearing Li Fan's call, Puff, whose eyelids were drooping from exhaustion, mustered its strength and let out a roar at the Brachydios.
"Everyone roar! Ah!!!"
Li Fan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly.
"Ah!!!"
"Meow!!! Cough cough...."
Snow Shadow, propped up, looked left and right at the team members, thinking they were acting crazy.
But then, it glanced at the ice platform on the mountainside and the Brachydios at the foot of the mountain, and suddenly understood something.
The Brachydios was a bit stunned by the roar, but in a show of reciprocity, it lowered its front claws, straightened its upper body, and raised its head.
*Roar!!!*
*Crack! Snap!*
A crisp cracking sound came from above.
First, a small amount of snow and ice fragments slid down, followed by the entire ice platform rapidly falling down the steep mountainside.
Sensing something was wrong, the Brachydios turned its head towards the ice mountain.
*Oh roar...*
*Boom! Bang!*
The Brachydios was hit on the side by the tumbling ice platform and fell to the ground, instantly buried by a large amount of snow.
"Run!"
Li Fan put Puff back into its ball and led the team, along with Snow Shadow, to the shore.
With the pursuit gone, the Brachydios had completely lost track of Snow Shadow's whereabouts.
In the forest, Snow Shadow hesitated for a long time in front of an ice wall before striking it with its claw.
As the ice cracked, an opening was revealed.
Snow Shadow stumbled inside, and the team followed.
Reaching the innermost part of the cave, in front of a small mountain of beast meat chunks, Snow Shadow stared for a moment, then used its tail to continuously push the meat chunks towards the team.
"Is it thanking us, meow?"
Dillu said in surprise.
"Probably... You didn't have to be so polite, though."
Li Fan waved his hand.
Perhaps due to fatigue, Snow Shadow listlessly lay down on the ground, curling into a ball.
Li Fan threw a Poké Ball to try and capture it. Perhaps due to recovering its strength during this time, this time it didn't even go into the ball.
Li Fan was immediately troubled.
The other party had no hostility and had witnessed the team's strength. He couldn't just beat Snow Shadow to near death for no reason, or break its spirit, and then try to capture it.
While thinking, Li Fan remembered the Friendship Balls he had only received twice so far.
He rummaged through his backpack and took out a bright pink Poké Ball with a heart symbol in the center.
"Yaya!"
*Roar?*
"Let's travel together!"
Li Fan said, throwing the Friendship Ball.
Snow Shadow instantly turned into a pink light and entered the ball.
A heart-shaped phantom floated on the ball.
*Pop! Pop! Pop!*
After three strange sounds, the capture was successful.
[Icefang Dragon] Male (Un-named)
HP: 1709/4622
Status: Fracture in hind leg, torn wing membrane, fractured wing bone.
Level: 58
Strength: 221
Agility: 180
Intelligence: 355
Skills: [Superior Intellect] This monster is extremely intelligent.
[Survival Expert] This monster can sense danger in advance and prepare thoroughly in most situations.
[Carnivore Sense] Particularly sensitive to the smell of meat.
[King of the Hunt] This monster's hunting skills have reached their peak.
[Innate Heterochromatic Shell - Gray] For an Icefang Dragon, this color makes it difficult to blend in with the pack.
[Friendship Capture] A rare capture method.
[Iron Shoulder Charge - Icefang Dragon] The Icefang Dragon leaps up, changes its posture into a brief charge, and then uses its wing bones, concentrated with its full strength, to perform a short-range sideways impact. This is an extremely explosive move.
[Frost Storm - Youth Edition] This Icefang Dragon's breath attack is not fully developed. After releasing a frost gas, it needs to combine with the wind pressure released by its wings to form a storm.
Description: A flying dragon-type monster with strong hunting capabilities. It has excellent survival abilities in cold regions. Its amber fangs and the conical spikes on its wings are distinctive features. Its extreme restlessness when entering combat makes many hunters head.
"It's strange, with Yaya's high intelligence, why is its Frost Storm still the Youth Edition?"
Li Fan, looking at the handheld device, was puzzled.
According to his understanding, shouldn't higher intelligence make it easier to learn skills?
After a brief analysis, Li Fan speculated that it might be due to the innate heterochromatic shell.
Monster skill inheritance might not be as strong as human teaching, but it could still pass down some core skills.
However, Yaya might have had difficulty integrating into its pack since childhood, meaning it never received any inheritance.
This Frost Storm Youth Edition might be something it figured out on its own.
Furthermore, it managed to achieve an effect similar to a true Frost Storm by utilizing the wind pressure from its wings.
Yaya was released from its ball and immediately went to check the pile of beast meat. Realizing nothing was missing, its mood finally stabilized.
"Sigh... The trait of hoarding food hasn't manifested, but it's likely related to Yaya's inability to integrate into its pack when it was young."
Li Fan sighed inwardly.
He believed that monsters, like humans, were constantly shaped by their environment and experiences.
As the first rays of dawn illuminated the frozen archipelago, Little Slowpoke landed at the cave entrance.
"You've worked hard."
Li Fan said, putting the tired Little Slowpoke back into its ball.
"Little Slowpoke tracked the Brachydios until dawn and confirmed it has left this area."
Li Fan's announcement instantly eased the minds of Yidora and Dillu.
Next was the familiar process of summoning the investigators.
The contract stated that it was uncertain when the investigators would arrive.
However, the fixed landing point for the frozen archipelago was a dock on the near-sea ice.
Although it was long abandoned, it had become the designated landing point due to the presence of two derelict transport ships as landmarks.
The environment here was harsh, and the extreme cold alone posed many dangers.
The team didn't want the investigators to take unnecessary risks and wanted to certify the contract as soon as possible, so they moved their camp next to the frozen, abandoned ship cabins.
At night, if the weather was good, they would fire more signal flares.
Four days later, at noon, Dillu was at the top of the mast of a derelict transport ship. A small boat bearing the Guild's flag came into view.
After a brief deployment, the team gathered at the edge of the ice to greet them.
The small boat docked, and two investigators, clad in thick white cotton coats, jumped off.
"We thought it would be a Snowbaron at most, but it's an Icefang Dragon! Incredible!"
The middle-aged male investigator exclaimed.
"A hunter team with Zinogre armor... No wonder."
The middle-aged female investigator was also surprised, but upon seeing the team's equipment, she seemed to immediately understand why Snow Shadow could be hunted.
After the contract was stamped with the certification mark from the Honoka Village branch, the middle-aged male investigator curiously asked, "May I ask which hunting group you two belong to?"
"We don't actually have a hunting group yet."
Yidora replied.
"You could consider joining one. With your skills, many hunting groups would be willing to recruit you. Thank you for guarding the landing point, so we don't have to venture deep into the frozen archipelago. Would you like to leave by boat together?"
The middle-aged male investigator invited.