Monster Hunter Monster Girl Story

0030 Encountering the Past

"Wait, could it be that he also helped you transform into this form?"

Lone Wolf realized a problem.

Due to their significantly reduced size, monster girl forms are better suited for stealth and concealment, have lower food requirements, and can view things more rationally, giving them a great advantage in survival.

Lone Wolf tried to guide Yang Kuku more than once, but she herself was a rare case and didn't know how to effectively assist, so she persisted for many years without success.

Without any additional factors intervening, there's no reason why Yangkuku would separate for two months; it suddenly achieved this on its own.

"That's right! How did you know!"

"Judging from this, Li Ai is indeed not simple."

"Hehe, you have good taste. No wonder you are an individual who can become a monster girl on your own."

Li Ai also agreed in her heart.

Yang Kuku is optimistic and cheerful, and previously had the protection of a strong lone wolf.

At first, the biggest advantage of becoming a monster girl was that she could eat shield bugs until she was stuffed.

Although he has gradually come to understand and begin to apply it under Li Ai's guidance, he still cannot see it as clearly as Lone Wolf.

"That human is dangerous."

"Li Ai has helped me so much, why are you saying such things about him?"

Yang Kuku asked eagerly.

"Didn't you just say that he was going to try to tame a female Rathalos? If a highly talented individual is bewitched by him and becomes a monster girl, and then receives his long-term guidance, even I might not be a match for her."

"Uh... I'll advise him not to hunt you."

"Ha, you think I'm afraid of him? For me now, one more enemy doesn't matter. I'm worried about you, Yangkuku. Are you really prepared to face the female Rathalos?"

"Of course, I recently learned a new move called the Chicken Kick. Let me show you."

"No need. Since you're so stubborn, there's no point in me saying anything more."

As he spoke, Lone Wolf turned to leave.

"Ah~ It's not easy to meet, let's have a good chat before you leave."

As Yang Kuku spoke, he moved closer, grabbed the lone wolf's paw and wing, and shook it.

"Hmph~ Let's chat a little longer then."

The lone wolf snorted and sat down under the giant tree.

"It seems that the ferocious one-eared black wolf bird has no way to deal with Yangkuku."

Li Ai crouched down in the bushes, looking at the information that filled the screen, and used the stylus to click and turn the pages.

A piece of white worm meat, picked up with a knife, was offered to the purple lips.

"Eat quickly."

Urged on by Yang Kuku, the lone wolf slurped up the worm meat and sucked it into his mouth.

"Mmm~ It's shield bug meat, icy cold, and a little sweet... Didn't I see you break open the shield bug's shell?"

"I'm puzzled," Lone Wolf asked.

Yang Kuku smiled and held up the AD calcium milk bottle: "What you're eating is stored in this bottle. There's a lot more stored in the cellar built of ice crystals, which can be stored for a long time."

"No need to ask, it must have been Li Ai who taught it again."

The two monster girls chatted under the tree and soon started talking about how they met and got to know each other.

In fact, Yang Kuku had never paid attention to why Lone Wolf treated him so specially before.

It wasn't until Li Ai also researched it out of curiosity that she realized this matter was indeed very unusual.

Let alone the Great Strange Bird, even with other black wolf birds, Yang Kuku has never seen a lone wolf get close to anyone.

Moreover, she hadn't yet become a monster girl at that time, so it was impossible to become a close partner through in-depth communication, making the whole thing seem shrouded in mystery.

"You mean this? You've become a monster girl now, don't you know what happened back then?"

"The lone wolf sighed."

"I don't know. I only remember that after we first met, you started traveling with me and protecting me."

"Okay, now you understand the clear meaning behind my words, so I'll tell you."

Li Ai realized that this information was crucial, so he quickly crawled and turned to the side, pressing his ear against the giant tree.

The lone wolf's tattered, ear-like horns on its neck were folded together as it leaned its head back against the tree trunk.

The dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves shone on my face, giving it a weathered look that seemed out of place with my youthful appearance.

With his purple lips pursed slightly, Lone Wolf began to speak.

"I have been a loner since I hatched, and I love fighting and killing. Even when facing monsters stronger than me, I have never been afraid or subdued. Whether it is the Great Bird or the Blue Bird, although they look very similar, they are all weak and cowardly in my eyes."

"No wonder you always go out alone."

Yang Kuku recalled the past and felt that this experience was indeed very similar to that of Lone Wolf.

"Later, I met a human who used a sword and shield. Unlike other weak humans, he had extremely terrifying resilience and a terrifying growth rate. Every time I encountered him, I could sense that he was getting stronger. After almost dying at his hands several times, I began to...be afraid."

After gritting his teeth and saying "I'm scared," Lone Wolf let out a long sigh of relief.

"Driven by fear, I grew stronger and stronger, but I still couldn't catch up with the other person. The immense pressure to survive almost drove me to the brink of collapse. Fortunately, in my despair and near death, I awakened this human-like form, which helped me escape the crisis."

The lone wolf looked down at its wing claws, seemingly somewhat relieved.

"So this is how powerful the hero hunter is in the eyes of the monsters."

Li Ai had never imagined that the reason why the one-eared black wolf bird could become a monster girl on its own was because of fear.

"However, just as new hope was beginning to emerge, something even more terrible happened: a thick fog enveloped the forested hills."

"I remember now, that was the moment we met, wasn't it?"

Yang Kuku suddenly realized.

Although there are occasional abnormalities in the environment of Senqiu, this is the first time she has encountered such a dense fog.

"Yes, didn't you notice its existence at the time?"

"Who is it?"

"As expected... it was a monster powerful enough to change the climate. My body and will were once again dominated by fear in that thick fog."

As Lone Wolf spoke, his tone became somber.

"Did Xialong appear in Forest Hills back then...? The Kokot Village Guild does seem to have a record of it."

Lone Wolf may not know what the monster is, but Li Ai can make inferences based on the abnormal weather.

"Hmm... to be honest, I was quite scared back then."

Yang Kuku agrees with this statement.

"Then why don't you run?"

The lone wolf was puzzled.

"I'm lost. Everything around me looks pretty much the same, so I'm too lazy to keep going."

"Ah~ Actually, it's because I saw the shield bug."

The lone wolf let out another helpless sigh.

"Haha, you saw right through me. That shield bug is really big... though it's still a little smaller than the shield bug king that Li Ai gave me."

Yang Kuku smiled and gestured with his hands.

"It was you who saved me back then."

"what?"

Yang Kuku blinked, completely bewildered.

"I felt it was everywhere, that its eyes were watching from behind every patch of fog, and I even hallucinated that the hunter was walking towards me from the dark thickets..."

As Lone Wolf spoke, his pale yellow eyes began to tremble, and then his body began to tremble involuntarily.

Sheep Kuku didn't realize that mentioning the past would instill fear in the lone wolf.

He could only get up with some hesitation, and unconsciously looked at the bushes he had glanced at earlier.

Clearly, they had already sensed Li Ai's presence when they inquired whether the fire dragon had gone far away.

After a long silence, Li Ai, who had gotten up to look around, saw Yang Kuku's pleading eyes.

"With this type of question that's on the exam every year, is it really necessary to seek help from outside the exam room?"

Li Ai sighed, then hugged the small tree next to her tightly, and then turned her face to the side, rubbing her cheek against it.

Yang Kuku lowered his head and pondered for a moment before looking at the giant tree.

He raised his hand to gesture, then quickly shook his head.

"No way, if I told you the answer, would I write it in the wrong place?"

Li Ai slapped her thigh remotely, then quickly pointed to the tree below and demonstrated a grabbing and hugging gesture remotely.

Yang Kuku finally understood, stood in front of the lone wolf with empty eyes, transformed his claws and wings and spread them out in the wind, then hugged him tightly.

Since Li Ai didn't provide any guidance on the lines, Yang Kuku, left to improvise, spoke his mind.

"It's okay, I'll stay with you no matter how dangerous it is. At worst, we'll die together."

As Yang Kuku spoke, she lowered her head, and the two monster girls touched forehead to forehead.

The lone wolf's pupils slowly regained focus, and glistening dragon tears flowed down its cheeks.

Li Ai breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the lone wolf and sheep Kuku embracing under the tree, smiled with satisfaction, and then retreated back into the bushes.

"The lone wolf problem is huge."

After flipping through the two pages of notes, Li Ai sighed inwardly.

"Although she was brutal and skilled in battle and had exceptional individual talent, after encountering a top hunter like Senne, she lived in a state of anxiety and fear about survival for a long time. In extreme despair, she voluntarily transformed into a monster girl, which improved her situation and greatly enhanced her survival ability. However, the key issue was that her emotional perception also became more acute and nuanced. If no one provided proper guidance, she would completely collapse mentally if she encountered an Elder Dragon like the Chameleon, which could trigger her monstrous instinctive fear. In this light, the sheep Kuku that appeared at that time really saved her."

Li Ai knew that Yang Kuku wasn't immune to fear; it was just that his optimistic and cheerful nature led him to have a completely different way of coping with fear.

It was this performance that allowed the lone wolf, who was on the verge of collapse, to regain his confidence.

"The best time to make a move has long passed, and since the opponent is a Black Wolf Bird, there's even less chance of forming a partnership."

Li Ai changed the stylus to red and drew a red cross at the end of the record.

Clearly, even with all the information about the lone wolf, it would still be impossible to complete the mission.

However, Li Ai felt that she had gained a lot this time, at least she had found out the reason why the monster girl was making friends in an unusual way.

"You really won't leave with me into the forest? You insist on staying with that human?"

Before long, Lone Wolf's cold, sharp voice rang out again.

"Yes."

Yang Kuku gave a solemn answer.

"Whatever you want."

After that, only the sound of the wind could be heard in the forest.

I thought you would try to keep me.

Lone Wolf spoke first.

"I won't. The forest will be too dangerous in a while, and Li Ai already said you would go to the dense forest. I have no reason to stop you."

Yang Kuku said frankly.

"Then we'll have to see you again in a while... Don't die, Yangkuku."

Li Ai sensed Lone Wolf's reluctance, but the problem was that if she chose to stay in Senqiu during the Fire Dragon breeding season, it would be tantamount to suicide.

"Goodbye, forest shield bugs, please give me some more to eat."

Yangkuku waved its wing claws in farewell.

After confirming that the lone wolf had run far away, Li Ai got up from the bushes and walked out.

"At this hour, Lone Wolf is still showing up here. It seems he really cares about you."

Li Ai sighed, then took out an AD calcium milk bottle and collected a few glistening dragon tears from under the tree into the bottle.

Dragon Tears, as a valuable calculation item, can be exchanged for a considerable amount of guild points.

"I can feel it, but I also need to try to survive independently... What kind of monster is it that can create dense fog and terrify even lone wolves?"

Yang Kuku became curious.

"Her name is Xialong. She should be a mysterious woman with a quirky personality and an invisible body. She occasionally likes to steal things and play pranks on other creatures."

Although it's still uncertain whether Xialong has achieved monster girlification, Li Ai believes that if it does, it should be consistent with her own design.

"She's so annoying, she makes Lone Wolf uncomfortable just thinking about her."

Yang Kuku was indignant.

"Although the ancient dragons have a great impact on the ecology, they are actually based on instinct. Just like you like to eat shield bugs, you can't stop eating them just because they are uncomfortable."

"That makes sense. Are there any powerful monsters that could trigger a shield bug infestation?"

"We haven't discovered this guild yet... Training has been postponed today, let's begin immediately."

"Uh... it's getting harder and harder to sway you. Can we start after we've eaten?"

Yang Kuku asked tentatively.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

One week later at noon, at the top of the highest peak on the outskirts of Senqiu.

Inside a low, concealed shed made of leaves and branches, a middle-aged male investigator is holding binoculars and looking up at the sky over the plain.

He licked his dry, chapped lips, put down his binoculars, picked up his water bottle, and took two big gulps. Just then, he heard the sound of heavy wings flapping in the sky.

The investigator turned to his assistant, Elru, who was grinding the Undead Worm into powder with a small grinder, and asked, "Quick, wanna bet I can tell the sex of an approaching dragon just by listening to the sound of its wings flapping?"

"Rathalos has more developed wings and is better at aerial combat, so this is no problem for you investigators, meow."

Quake clearly didn't want to get involved.

"Listen, it's very windy here. What if I can't hear you clearly?"

"I just can't do anything with you, meow. Fine, I'll bet 5 z. I'll bet you'll make a mistake, and you're not allowed to peek."

After saying that, Quirk took out a coin covered in mud.

The investigator chuckled, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes.

Whew...

The powerful flapping of the rotor blades in the air made the investigator frown slightly.

He could confirm that what was approaching was a Rathalos, but even if it was a Rathalos, the sound of its flapping wings surging with air currents, which was almost like tearing, was still too abnormal.

The investigator lost his sense of humor, immediately opened his eyes, and raised his binoculars to look at the sky.

A fire dragon with a bluish-gray carapace was seen flying overhead, its wings outstretched.

"It's Azure Rathalos... We must notify the guild immediately!"

Seeing the investigator quickly pick up a pen to write an observation report, Quirk knew the other party was not joking, and immediately put on his equipment to prepare for transmitting the intelligence.