Monster Hunter Monster Girl Story

0012 The Battle with the Wild Boar

Li Ai had originally planned to try using the Love Hunter's Medal.

Unexpectedly, even the village chief Alvin was alarmed, but now it seems that things are turning around for the better.

Since the other party was able to recognize the medal and knew about the Love Hunter, even if they couldn't ultimately acknowledge his hunter identity, they could at least provide some information.

"Please sit down."

I sat down in a corner by the window on the second floor of the guild and followed the Palico, who quickly poured me two cups of tea.

Alvin picked up his teacup, took a sip, looked out the window at the hunters coming and going, paused briefly to recall something, and then said something that shocked Li Ai.

"The first Love Hunter was my wife, who passed away many years ago."

Li Ai took two sips of tea to suppress her shock and continued listening.

"That was over 300 years ago. Back then, humanity was utterly ruined by a cataclysm, and with the fall of the empire, the fire dragons, which could be hunted down with ease thanks to their armies and technology, once again dominated the skies. It was at that time that a great dragonman stepped forward and proposed the idea of ​​the Hunter's Guild, leading everyone toward recovery... Isn't that going too far off track?"

"No, please continue."

"At that time, communication with other villages and towns had been cut off, and there was an urgent need to establish a freight route for intelligence transmission and trade. Five people were selected from the village: a coachman, a scholar, a blacksmith, and two hunters for security, namely Peggy and me. This adventure in the vast ecosystem has shown us a lot, but if we had to talk about the most unconventional discovery, it would be the monster girl."

"I see. So, according to ecological observations, the Hunter's Guild actually began attempting to contact monster girls 300 years ago?"

"Yes, Peggy was also awarded the Medal of Love Hunter by the guild as the first hunter to form a partnership with the White Monoblos monster girl, as well as the special privilege of changing the conditions for fulfilling commissions. I hope that she can continue to do so like regular hunters."

"So now, love hunters have become extinct..."

Li Ai believes there must be some reason why the tradition has not been developed and passed down.

"The main problem is that there are just too few people with the ability to be friendly to monsters, making it impossible to continue the tradition. Moreover, at that time, most hunters, including myself, did not agree with the existence of hunters of love. We always felt that for the safety of the village, powerful monsters could only have two outcomes: being hunted or being repelled. My hunting career afterward changed my thinking, but unfortunately, I can no longer tell Peggy about it."

As Alvin spoke, he picked up the Love Hunter Medal, looked at it for a moment, and then handed it back to Li Ai.

"Within the guild's existing system, no one can assess the advancement of Love Hunters, so we can only use the conventional hunter system. Li Ai, do you still want to persist?"

"Yes."

Li Ai gave a solemn reply.

"Alright, I'll send a document immediately to contact the Hunter's Guild headquarters. It won't be long before the Love Hunter Regulations are distributed to all branches and agencies and reinstated. That way, even if you leave Kokot Village, you can still smoothly assume the duties of a Love Hunter."

Li Ai admitted that the village chief's idea was very thoughtful, but there was a problem.

"Village Chief, when someone is certified as a Hunter, a file is sent to headquarters, right?"

Li Ai called a halt and began to inquire, because he didn't have a similar hunter file.

"The Love Hunter doesn't need that. Having a medal and at least one monster girl companion is the best proof of their ability, so please rest assured that headquarters will not investigate. Even if the chairman and elders knew about this, they would only be genuinely happy."

"That puts my mind at ease... Village Chief, how did you know I have a monster girl companion?"

"Heh, in order to control ecological intelligence, Mori Hill will station multiple investigators. A creature that looks like a monster girl lives around the village, so it will definitely be noticed. However, the investigators have long lost their ability to distinguish, and they are afraid of disturbing the creature if they get close to investigate. Also, my legs are not very convenient due to an injury when I was young. Sigh..."

Alvin sighed deeply, feeling a sense of powerlessness, like a hero past his prime.

"It wasn't until you appeared with your medal that I connected everything."

Li Ai felt that it was a bit late to show off her medals, but then she thought that if she hadn't trained herself to this level, she wouldn't have even tried to accept the commission.

"Thank you so much, Village Chief. May I ask what the special permissions you mentioned earlier regarding the change of delegation were?"

This wasn't part of the original concept, and Li Ai was unaware of it.

"Simply put, previously only quests that could be completed by hunting or capturing monsters can now have the option of capturing monster girls after being accepted by the Love Hunter."

"So that's how it is."

Li Ai realized that he had a love hunter in his character design, but he had not yet figured out how to integrate him into the world view in a reasonable way.

However, the Monster Girls do exist objectively against the Hunter's Guild, and have taken numerous countermeasures throughout history.

"While Love Hunters can fight with the help of their monster girl partners, building trust with monsters and gaining their favor through continuous contact is extremely dangerous. This may sound a bit long-winded, but I want to confirm one more time: are you really ready, Li Ai?"

Li Ai stood up, gripping her heart-shaped medal tightly, and said, "To rebuild the glory of the Love Hunters is our inescapable duty. Dealing with monster girls is indeed dangerous, but I, Li Ai, will not back down!"

"Very good, I see your determination... However, many villagers and hunters cannot understand the Hunter of Love, so you should be prepared for that."

"clear."

"Alright, I'm going to write the notification form now. The village organization will contact you first, and your Love Hunter status will be recognized very quickly. The others will be forwarded by headquarters to various locations, which may take a long time, but since you don't plan to go on a long hunting trip, you don't need to worry about it."

After Alvin finished speaking, he exchanged a few words with Ailu, who immediately ran downstairs. When she rushed back, she informed him that she had finished communicating with the counter and that the one-star [Angry Hum] request could now be verified normally.

Li Ai then bid farewell to the village chief.

After he left, Alvin took out a heart-shaped hunter's medal from his collar, its surface covered with mottled marks and faded white, and muttered, "The most suitable male love hunter you said you were looking for has really appeared. I hope Li Ai can fulfill your last wish."

bang~

With the dragon seal affixed, Li Ai's first hunting commission was finally accepted.

Because it's a Love Hunter mission, even one-star missions have the option to capture monster girls.

"Here is a map of Morioka. Please take it. Before you set off, remember to use the commission as proof to collect your supplies from the warehouse. However, the area you are heading to this time is very close to the village, so you don't need to bring barbecue grills, tents, or other supplies."

After Becky patiently explained the points that novice hunters often overlook, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thanks.

When Li Ai walked out of the warehouse, she had three bottles of emergency medicine, two boxes of food, and two dye balls in her backpack.

These supplies, known as provisions, are marked and cannot be sold or circulated. If they are not used by the end of the hunt, they must be returned to the guild upon returning to the village.

Upon arriving at the blacksmith's shop, the shopkeeper, who had just received the notification, also approved of the pink hunter's medal.

Li Ai spent 4000 z to purchase a full set of standard hunter armor and a bone-bladed one-handed sword.

The armor's defensive capabilities are not only much stronger than ordinary clothing, but the Elru craftsman apprentice also stated that wearing the complete set will activate three abilities: [Sharpening the Whetstone], [Gathering +2], and [Hunger Reduction by Half].

After wearing it, Li Ai felt a bit warm, and some parts of her body did indeed show changes in their sensations.

As for the bone blades, they're nothing special; they're just short swords and shields cut and processed from a single piece of dark yellow bone.

"It's quite heavy."

Li Ai gripped the hilt of the bone-bladed sword, lifted it slightly, and then tucked it into her lower back.

Li Ai has nothing to worry about regarding food.

Then came the final step before the hunters set off: heading to the village entrance to catch a truck.

Actually, Li Ai's place is a short distance away that she could walk to, but since she had finally become a hunter, she wanted to experience the atmosphere that a hunter's journey should be like.

Fortunately, the drivers didn't mind and immediately found an uncle who wasn't far from their destination to take Li Ai along.

Pulled by the herbivorous dragon, the truck left Kokot village.

"Young man, what are you hunting for?"

The older man asked a question.

"A little wild boar."

"Is the username a grumpy snort?"

"Uncle, you can tell fortunes?"

Li Ai was quite surprised.

"No, I placed that order. That little wild boar always suddenly rushes out. Dogg has been startled twice already. Last time, Dogg panicked and ran away, even throwing the cargo box off, and a whole box of porcelain bowls was smashed."

The uncle looked at the herbivorous dragon pulling the cart with a pained expression.

"Don't be sad, uncle, watch me subdue it."

"Subdue?"

"It's similar to hunting; once you achieve it, there won't be any more trouble."

I advise you to be more careful.

The middle-aged man looked worried.

Why?

"Although it's not a giant wild boar king, the kind of individual that looks extremely threatening, the fact that it can roam freely on the roads near villages and towns without being caught by hunters makes me think that little wild boar must be something special."

The older man provided his analysis.

"That makes sense."

Li Ai felt that although it was a small wild boar, it should not be an ordinary individual, otherwise why would it come here to live?

Less than 20 minutes later, Li Ai arrived at the final designated sighting location and got out of the car.

A few fragments of porcelain bowls are still embedded in the sand and soil on the road.

Li Ai sent Cisel her location and began using the trace identification techniques taught in the Hunter's Knowledge course to track the little wild boar.

A short while later, the roadside grass swayed twice, and a herbivorous dragon's head emerged.

"Li Ai, the sheep village fence is complete, meow... You've become a hunter, meow!"

Cissell was quite shocked.

"It's just a one-star hunter, no need to make a fuss."

As Li Ai spoke, she wiped the hunter's medal on her chest.

"That's unbelievably fast, meow... I wanted to ask, why can't I send you that adorable, blue-bandaged Elu emoji from my phone, meow?"

"The silly cat emojis are paid emojis. I'll buy you a set later when I have time."

Li Ai's points kept increasing, so she was naturally incredibly generous.

"Thanks, meow."

After saying that, Cissell jumped off the grass.

In an instant, Qingcao transformed into a monster girl, squatted on the ground, and began to observe the hoof prints with Li Ai.

"This little wild boar really does cross this area often; the most recent hoofprints were left not long ago..."

Li Ai followed the hoofprints and looked towards the roadside bushes.

"Grass, I need your help in the battle. Are you ready?"

"It's done."

Qingcao clenched her fists and nodded.

Herbivorous dinosaurs have an absolute size advantage over wild boars, but if they are frightened out of fear, they will have a hard time making any progress.

"Let's go then."

The man and the dragon walked into the jungle.

"Li Ai..."

"What's wrong?"

"I feel that your breathing and gait have become more steady."

The green grass expressed its feelings.

"It has improved somewhat, but it's still far from good enough."

The deeper Li Ai's understanding of hunters became, the more formidable Senegal seemed to her.

I also understand the importance of the Hunter Star System more and more. For example, if I encounter that Velocidrome again now, at least I can face it head-on.

But if you get locked on by a horned dinosaur, there's little hope of escaping.

After searching for about half an hour, the sound of a wild boar grunting quickly pinpointed Li Ai's location.

The two crouched down and slowed their pace.

Gently part the bushes with your hand, and a creature is revealed under the tree, greedily feeding on fungi.

With its dark brown fur, jet-black hooves, and two tusks protruding from its mouth, it was undoubtedly a wild boar.

The other person seemed quite happy amidst the cheerful humming.

Li Ai pressed her face against the ground, looking down at the little wild boar from a lower angle.

"It's a female, that's right."

"Uh...should I make a 'hehe' sound later too?"

Qingcao recalled the scene when Li Ai tried to make contact with her.

"No need. I'm making these noises so you can gradually get used to my presence. It's useless against a monster as volatile as a wild boar."

"What should we do then?"

"There's only one way: defeat it."

Subduing a character through battle will lower their initial affinity, and battles themselves carry a certain degree of risk.

Li Ai didn't want it to be like this either, but some of the monsters with violent tempers were simply impossible to subdue.

Although the wild boar is not strong, it is one of them.

"In its eyes, the herbivorous dragon only knows how to flee in fright. I will hold it off from the front, while you charge in from behind. It will have a hard time defending against that."

After the deployment was given, the two men split up and stealthily moved into the bushes.

The little wild boar, who was happily eating, seemed to sense something and tilted its head back to sniff.

The two stopped moving immediately. After confirming that only its own grunting could be heard in the forest, the little wild boar continued to nibble on the mushrooms.

Seeing that Qingcao was in position, Li Ai drew his bone blade from his lower back, attached a bone shield to his arm, and strode forward.

The noise immediately alerted the little wild boar.

Turning around, locking onto the target, rubbing and shuffling its front hooves—all the movements were executed in one smooth motion.

Two breaths shot out from its nostrils, and the little wild boar lowered its head and charged forward.

In terms of size and strength alone, this force should not be as great as the impact of grass, but those two sharp fangs are enough to kill in one blow.

Li Ai lowered his center of gravity, raised his bone shield to his chin, and assumed a standard blocking stance.

Clang!

The fangs struck the shield, sending sparks flying, before sliding to the side.

Li Ai, who had been slightly pushed back by the impact, saw the wild boar's body sway to the side, its entire side exposed in front of her.

He practiced the slashing motion hundreds of times every day until it became second nature.

Oh!

The pig bristles, sharp as steel needles, made a series of dense, tearing sounds, revealing a line of spurting blood.

The little wild boar did not back down despite its injuries. It slid a short distance to its feet, lowered its head, and raised its tusks in a poised stance.

To its surprise, the dull thumping sound of the herbivorous dragon behind it was coming towards it.

Bang!

The grass bumped into the pig's rump, knocking the little wild boar to the ground. Before it could even struggle to get up after rolling twice, a bone blade came crashing down from above.

"Now you see, this is what a love hunter is like!"