Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 544 Dragon Egg: What have I done to deserve this?

"An egg-moving quest?"

Hearing Brave's reaffirmation, Wenshu nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the foam in the glass in front of him, reflecting the firelight.
"Yes, it's the egg-carrying task."

After a pause, she explained her reasons:
"You're planning to test his adaptability and survival skills, aren't you? In that case, we naturally need to consider the most common and dangerous situation in the hunting grounds: monsters suddenly appearing."

"The most dangerous monster intrusion would undoubtedly be an encounter with an ancient dragon, but the possibility of that is too low, and we cannot use such a situation as a test."

"Aside from Elder Dragons and Deviljho, the most common crisis for lower-rank hunters is encountering monsters that are at the top of the regular ecosystem, such as Rathalos or Diablos."

Shion, who was listening in, couldn't help but ask curiously:

"But that kid hasn't passed the official hunter exam yet, right? Isn't it a bit too much to ask him to face a fire dragon?"

Manjushri couldn't help but cast a slightly strange look at Ziyuan, making her feel very uncomfortable.

"W-What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

So Manjushri asked the question that had been lingering in his mind:

"Ziyuan, have you never done an egg-carrying quest before?"

Ziyuan was even more puzzled: "I've done it, so why are you asking this?"

While Lin Lin Yezi was traveling with the troupe, she and Bref were clearing land in Moga Village. At that time, the only tasks they received in the village were hunting commissions like the Sea Dragon; most of them were various gathering commissions, including egg-carrying tasks.

Manjushri was also puzzled. "You've done it all, why don't you understand what I'm saying? The egg-carrying quest doesn't require facing monsters directly!"
"Excuse me, may I ask how you completed your previous egg-carrying tasks?"

Aster:

"Hmm... First, find the monster's lair, then injure the monster. While it's feeding and healing, steal the dragon egg. If it chases after us, leave the egg aside, fight it off, and then leave."

Finally, Shion tilted her head, her eyes conveying a very clear meaning:
Isn't that how you are?

Looking at the Thunder Wolf Dragon armor that was almost identical to Yoko's, Shion suddenly remembered that the person in front of her seemed to be a hunter from Flame Village as well.

Then Shion added in surprise:
"Wait...you're not going to just kill the mother beast, are you? Won't that affect the ecosystem?"

Manjushri: ...

You must have some misunderstanding about the hunters of our Flamefire Village.

It's not that they don't kill the mother beasts, it's just that there are only a few egg-carrying tasks in their area throughout the year. Manjushri's understanding of egg-carrying tasks was accumulated after he traveled around.

Manjushri tapped the table helplessly:

"Most people who do egg-carrying quests probably figure out the monster's movement patterns in advance, plan their route, and then quickly grab the egg and escape when the monster goes out... In this way, there is no need to have the ability to fight the monster head-on. As long as you can escape from the monster's pursuit, that is enough to prove the hunter's survival ability."

"Huh? Is that really the case?"

Ziyuan's mouth formed an "O" shape. "Are they all so carefree and don't mind the trouble?"

Manjushri: ...

Is it possible that for the vast majority of hunters, the most troublesome part is fighting monsters head-on?
Manjushri's gaze swept over the heavy crossbow behind Ziyuan, recalling some past experiences, and a look of realization suddenly appeared in his eyes.

To increase her strength, she traveled all over the continent and saw many hunters of all kinds. Some of them were injured in battle and had to retire, but others continued to fight.

Thinking back now, it seems that most of those hunters who were injured in the legs but still persisted in fighting were heavy crossbowmen!
For heavy crossbowmen, as long as the firepower is sufficient, fighting monsters might actually be easier than reconnaissance and planning...

Bref glanced at the bewildered Shion, then turned to look at the earnestly analyzing Manjushri, and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.

"Ignore her. This girl is an exception and cannot be judged by normal standards."

Shion is only able to spend so lavishly on hunting because she comes from a wealthy family. But how many people as rich as her would actually become hunters? The meager reward for the egg-carrying mission doesn't even amount to a fraction of the crossbow bullets she fires in a single battle. Which other heavy crossbow user would be so extravagant?

He then turned to look at Lin Lin:

"What do you think of this idea? If Zack can succeed, I can truly trust him to handle most crises."

"only……"

Lin Lin: "Just what?"

"But what if he fails to escape and gets cornered by the fire dragon? Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"

Lin Lin rolled his eyes without any politeness:

"Are you stupid? If Zack can't handle it, do you think we can't handle it either?"

Bref shook his head with a wry smile. He was about to say that he was worried about his brother, a katana user with no defensive capabilities, and that he might not be able to protect him in a critical moment. But he stopped himself as soon as he opened his mouth.

"You just said 'we,' does that mean you're going too?"

Lin Lin nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"What else? You're not welcome?"

Such an interesting thing, why wouldn't he go and see the excitement? Was he going to stay in Minagarh and continue his sightseeing? The scenery was all the same, the food was unremarkable and mediocre, there really wasn't much to see in this place!
"Welcome, welcome, of course you're welcome. I just didn't expect you to come along, after all, this is my own private matter..."

Lin Lin slapped Brave on the shoulder, almost making him stumble.

"What are you talking about! What kind of relationship do we have? Your brother is my brother too! I'll call Yezi along later, and we'll protect you together!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Your brother is my brother! We'll protect you!"

Ziyuan nodded repeatedly, but despite her words, the undisguised excitement and anticipation on her face revealed her intention to rush to the front lines and watch the drama unfold.

If she really needs to step in and save the day, wouldn't she make quite a splash? She'd definitely have to be careful with her demeanor, putting on that aloof, senior air... Hmm, I guess only in situations like this do those tedious aristocratic manners find a little bit of use...

Bref glanced sideways at Shion, who was grinning foolishly and seemed to be lost in thought. He subconsciously leaned back slightly to avoid absorbing her silliness.

"Hmm... After all, it was my idea. Now that I've finished fighting Lao-Shan Lung, I'll be free of worries and go check it out too."

Wen Shu initially thought it was inappropriate for her to get involved in the White Wind Squad's own affairs, but after glancing at Bref's expression, she changed her mind.

Go check it out. Putting everything else aside, Zack was almost killed by a piece of Lao-Shan Lung's carapace on the overpass, and she was partly responsible for that. Protecting him would make up for it... Yeah, that's it.

The group at the table were engrossed in discussing the rules for Zack's upcoming trial, completely unaware that an elderly dragon was listening in at the counter not far away. It wasn't until Yezao glanced at her seat, which had been taken by Bref, and turned away to look for another empty seat that she noticed the elderly dragon's presence. "Mr. Chairman?"

Yezao remembers this old dragon man. During the Battle of Laoshanlong, he personally came to the scene. Although he did not directly participate in the command and dispatch on the battlefield, he managed the logistics and war preparation materials in an orderly manner.

It is said that while they were fighting Lao-Shan Lung, the fort's armory was attacked by the Gigantopithecus, but this did not cause much of a disturbance or affect the progress of the battle against Lao-Shan Lung. In addition to the efforts of the hunters who were present at the time, the Lao-Shan Lung's handling of the aftermath was also indispensable.

Seeing the date palms waving at him, the old dragon man smiled and nodded, then asked:

"The Zack they just mentioned, is he the hunter who was the first to find the armory when the Felynes attacked it?"

Huh? They didn't seem to be hiding the fact that they were eavesdropping at all...

Dates muttered a curse to herself, but there was no point in hiding it, so she answered:
"It's him, but he hasn't passed the Hunter Exam yet, so he can't be considered a real Hunter, meow."

The president nodded, fell into a brief moment of thought, and then walked towards Lin Lin and the others.

Upon seeing the old dragon man approach, the group stood up to greet him: "Chairman!"

The old dragon waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for further formalities:

"I've heard some of what you were just talking about. That kid named Zack hasn't passed the Hunter Exam yet, right?"

Bref said "Yes," looking down at the old dragonman's wrinkled face, feeling slightly uneasy.

What do you mean by asking this? Do you think the test I set for my stupid little brother is not up to standard?
"Since that's the case, I'll just go with the flow and do you a favor."

Old Dragon pointed to the thick stack of commission forms displayed at the quest counter:
“It’s breeding season now, and there are a lot more requests to move eggs. You can choose one as a test request for that child, so he won’t have to do it twice.”

"As for the standards for supervising and evaluating whether someone is qualified or not, I think no one is more suitable than the high-ranking hunters present here."

Ziyuan timidly raised her hand, and the old dragonman gestured for her to proceed, wondering what insightful opinion this heavy crossbowman might have.

"Um... only Sister Manjushri is a high-ranking hunter here..."

Old Dragon Man paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, almost bending over with laughter.

Young people these days are much more interesting than he was when he was young!

After laughing his fill, the old dragon waved his hand and mumbled:
"They're all the same, they're all the same..."

……

The next day.

In front of the south gate of Minagard.

A herbivorous dragon slowly pulled a cart out.

Zack nervously checked the props in the car several times before taking a deep breath, jumping out of the car, and heading towards the group of people waiting not far away.

"Brother!"

"Yes, you're here..."

After Zack shouted, his gaze subconsciously swept over Bref's back, where four hunters dressed in various outfits were lined up, with their hunting partners beside them.

He happened to have seen these hunters before during the Lao-Shan Lung ambush.

Lin Lin, Ye Zi, Zi Yuan, Wen Shu, and his older brother—a total of five high-ranking hunters. With such a formidable force, could it be that some powerful monster has threatened the safety of Minagard?

In the eyes of most hunters, the White Wind Squad, who joined the Lao-Shan Lung ambush halfway through, must have been a high-ranking hunter as well, since they were able to fight Lao-Shan Lung head-on with other high-ranking hunters.

Since his older brother hadn't given them a detailed introduction, Zack naturally assumed they were all high-ranking hunters.

Thinking of this, Zack put aside the test he had been worrying about and couldn't help but say urgently:
"What happened again? Is it urgent?"

"In that case, brother, you shouldn't have waited for me! If Minagard were to fall into crisis because of me, then I would be a sinner!"

Brave paused for a moment, glanced back at the four onlookers behind him, and then realized that his younger brother seemed to have misunderstood something. He shook his head helplessly.
"You're overthinking it. The Old Mountain Dragon has already been repelled, so what threat could it pose? Those few just came over to join in the fun because they're on good terms with me and have some free time."

"Ah? Oh... I see..."

Upon hearing this, Zach's anxious expression faded, but the tension he had just suppressed resurfaced, even more intense than before.

Five high-ranking hunters have come to witness my trial...

Good heavens! This pressure is off the charts!

The thought that any action he took might be seen as "amateurish" or "terrible" by these high-ranking hunters, and could even cause his brother to lose face, made Zack feel his blood pressure soaring.

"You don't need to worry about us. During the test, you need to complete everything independently. Unless you encounter a fatal crisis, we will not appear in front of you. Just pretend that we don't exist."

"Gudu..."

Zach swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

On the bright side, with at least five high-ranking hunters protecting me, I can fully utilize my skills without worrying about losing the game due to a single mistake.

"So, what are the assessment criteria?"

So Brave pulled out a receipt and shoved it at Zach.

-

Gathering Quest: Spicy Delicacies (★★★)
Quest objective: Submit a dragon egg.

Reward: 9000z
Mission Location: Schreitsen Hill
Limited time: 7 days

Client: A wealthy businessman with a gluttonous appetite

After eating horned dinosaur eggs last time, I couldn't forget this dish where golden-yellow egg liquid is poured over hot oil and then topped with a spoonful of desert hot sauce.

So please, hunter, go and bring me back a fire dragon egg! I'm really curious about the difference between the Sky King and the Desert Tyrant in terms of taste!
(End of this chapter)