Ancient Dragon in Arknights

"?"

What does that mean? Something's not right with this cat.

Logically, when faced with something like this, shouldn't you be extremely confused and desperately searching for any possible clues? For example, what is the relationship between this world and that so-called other world?

Why the sudden change of topic to wanting to go hunting? It feels like... fishermen, those people will do anything for fishing, and this little cat seems to be doing the same for hunting.

"Based on the description of the target you mentioned—I can determine that it is a dragon slayer. Its characteristics are obvious: a tail like a steel blade, and martial arts capable of cutting through anything..."

Then, the follower cat also mentioned several characteristics of the dragon slayer.

Compared to him, Neltharion was practically an amateur; a professional hunter should look like this.

"Well, although I am no match for you, I can still offer you a great deal of guidance in the art of hunting."

"...Please give me your guidance."

Chapter Forty: Teaching by Renowned Teachers

"Guiding worms are one of the hunter's most important aids. They help us track prey quickly and can also serve as a warning in critical moments. And those green herbs over there—make them into a potion and drink it; it can heal most injuries in a short time. Come on, follow me..."

Along the way, Nesario was pointed out almost everywhere; he had no knowledge of this place, and everything was unfamiliar to him.

But in the eyes of the follower cat, these are all tools and traps that can be used for hunting.

Nesario mimicked his follower cat's actions, grinding the green herbs into a liquid and then mixing it thoroughly with drinking water... To be honest, the green stuff looked more like vegetable juice than a potion.

"Heal a large number of injuries in a short time? The same effect as Originium Arts? That can't be that powerful..."

Nesario was somewhat skeptical. His long-held beliefs had limited his perspective. Healing-type Originium Arts were already incredible, yet they still couldn't completely heal all injuries. Now, his Palico could just grab a handful of grass from the roadside and claim it could instantly heal most injuries?

"You'll know once you try it yourself, meow."

The two continued forward, the green Scoutflies having already tracked down the dragon's trail. Along the way, besides herbs and such, Neltharion also learned how to use the Slinger.

With the cat companion's systematic explanation, he finally understood the immense power of the small, crossbow-like device on his left hand. The hunters were able to fight monsters dozens of times their own size precisely because of the powerful abilities of this little thing.

"Target spotted! It really is Dragon Slayer Cat!"

The follower cat suddenly pulled Neltharion behind a rock to hide. The two peeked out and—sure enough, the dragon was standing not far away, feeding, its gaping maw devouring the flesh and blood of the herbivorous dragon, revealing the most primal nature of the survival of the fittest in its savagery.

"Are you craving something sweet?!"

"!"

Nesario only realized he was drooling after being reminded by his follower cat.

"Sorry... the effects of the Odogaron are a bit severe."

“Odogaron has a habit of marinating meat with its own saliva before eating it, and you seem to have mastered this instinct as well.”

The follower cat was also speechless; he had never heard of such a hunter before.

"Cheer up! Do you remember the order I told you to follow?"

"Grab the opponent's face with the projectile, and before they can even roar, quickly unleash a round of 'softening attacks' on their face. Dodge the counterattack, look for an opportunity to use the projectile to slam them against the wall. Then unleash a flurry of attacks, right?"

"You're a quick learner. Go for it! I'll support you from the sidelines, meow!"

Nesario glanced at the bottles of green potions in his pouch, two of which were mixed with honey—his follower cat had said that adding honey would greatly enhance the healing effect.

Isn't honey a condiment? Is this guy trying to fool me with some ingredient? Nesario was quite distrustful.

But for now, we have no choice but to go through with it. The powerful force is right in front of us. For a bright future—charge!

Whoosh! The steel claws shot out swiftly from the projectile, hitting the target squarely, and Neltharion was propelled toward the dragon's head by the immense pull.

He approached almost without pausing, and his greatsword slashed down on the dragon's head. Using the recoil, Nesario leaped into the air—the tip of the sword pointing downwards—and the powerful penetrating force instantly destroyed the dragon's sturdy cheek.

This was also the suggestion of his follower, who said that dual blades weren't the best solution for dealing with Glavenus; the long sword was the most suitable weapon. Neltharion chose to believe him. Their first encounter had given him some insight into Glavenus, and this guy did indeed resemble a long swordsman.

The moment it landed, its roar, amplified by the pain, created a shockwave—and Neltharion, who was directly facing the roar, was so stunned by it that his head went blank.

"Get out of the way!"

Reminded by his companion cat, Neltharion rolled backward.

Sure enough, the next second—the huge blue steel tail tore apart the spot where he had been standing.

Nesario drew his katana and, taking advantage of the opening, unleashed a series of attacks: a stepping slash, a straight slash, a thrust, and an upward slash. Before the dragon could unleash its next attack, he quickly sheathed his sword and created distance.

This scene was witnessed by the cat companion, whose brows furrowed.

'No way...could it be that this kid...'

The follower was sweating profusely. He had just taught Neltharion many things, such as using the grappling hook to force monsters to turn, ram into walls, and provoke them, as well as the use of many items; but there was one thing he hadn't considered—had this guy ever learned any hunter's martial arts?!

"Nesario! Sharpen it! Why didn't you sharpen it just now!"

Neltharion, who was frantically dodging the dragon's gaping maw, quickly asked:

"What is sharpening!?"

"*Palin swearing*! Abandon today's hunt! Run!"

"Why!?"

Neltharion was puzzled. He felt he was in excellent form and had a real chance of winning. Besides, his minion hadn't even made a move yet, so why the sudden retreat?

"You can't even use the weapon in your own hand! How are you going to hunt?!"

Damn! Sure enough, Nesario knew the coach had a trick up his sleeve.

"Running away won't help! There's always another chance, so just tell me what to do!"

Nesario rolled away again to dodge the dragon's gaping maw. The creature wasn't enraged yet, so its attack frequency was generally manageable.

"Your weapon can build up energy with light attacks and consume energy with heavy attacks. Normally, the weapon will be sharpened after four consecutive heavy attacks. Sheathing the sword will allow you to stack the sharpened state multiple times. In the sharpened state, the weapon will be sharper and you can use more powerful moves!"

"It feels like a game mechanic!"

"Don't worry about anything else, just do as I say!"

Nesario stopped joking. He did remember that when he killed the Odogaron, he also used a katana. He clearly remembered that the blade started to glow and heat up during the battle.

The follower cat is right; I don't even know how to use weapons, so I'm definitely not qualified.

Now that we know what to do, let's launch the counterattack! Nesario drew his sword and slashed back, preparing a proper combo of sword techniques.

Suddenly—the dragon that had been relentlessly pursuing them leaped back, its small eyes fixed intently on Neltharion, and the atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

'This guy... used that move!'

Neltharion's combat instincts had already guessed what the next move would be, and he could dodge it, but Neltharion didn't intend to be in such a sorry state.

Before the blade he had just swung out could be retracted, Neltharion seized the opportunity—as the dragon's steel tail swept across, he leaped backward. The enormous gust of wind from the sword almost grazed his hair. Although it was extremely dangerous, he dodged it!

"It's now!"

Without needing many instructions from his follower, Neltharion knew what to do.

Neltharion will not miss the opportunity when faced with a Dragon Slayer whose movements are too exaggerated and completely expose its weaknesses!

A sudden side slash, followed by a powerful spinning slash! After this heavy blow, the blade in his hand instantly became scorching hot, successfully sharpened!

Chapter 41 A true man clashes with the Dragon Slayer!

Nesario was a good student, and every teacher he had ever had thought so, including Angelia, who had fought with him a while back.

Therefore, he kept in mind the words of his hunting teacher, the Palico.

'So, after sharpening, you can sheathe the blade and then sharpen it again...? Then now's the time!'

Nesario took a moment to sheathe his sword, and what can you do with a katana when it's sheathed? Iai Slash, of course! Nesario quickly drew his sword again, stepped forward, and unleashed several swift slashes.

"The next strike is coming!"

The Palico, who had been observing the battlefield, gave a hint, and Neltharion immediately abandoned his greedy attack and rolled to the side.

The scorching steel blade slashed down on him in an instant, cracking the hard ground around him.

'He dodged it!'

"Don't let your guard down!"

The follower cat felt a sense of foreboding. Many hunters were fooled when they first encountered Glavenus. In its normal state, Glavenus's tail would only slash once before retracting. However, in its scorching state, the sharpness of its tail increased, making it easier and less strenuous to tear the ground. At this time, the slash would generally be divided into two parts!

Swish-!

Flames swept across the earth, and the sword tail that was originally slashing at the ground swept directly towards Neltharion, who was caught off guard and unable to dodge.

The Odogaron's armor protected him well; Neltharion wasn't cut in two by the blade, but judging from his appearance, his internal injuries were probably quite severe.

"Drink the medicine quickly!"

The follower cat knew it was time for him to make his move. He drew his sword and quickly stepped forward, leaping nimbly to cling to the side of the dragon-slaying beast.

Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of blades piercing flesh echoed continuously. Compared to Nesario's slashes that left marks on armor, the Palico's attacks seemed quite cute. But no matter how cute they were, they were still blades in his hands.

Mosquito bites can make people angry, let alone being stabbed with a knife.

The dragon was instantly drawn to him, and it began to thrash its body, lunge forward, spin, and even leap, all in an attempt to throw the prisoner off its back.

However, because Palicoes are smaller and lighter, their momentum is not as great as that of hunters, so the Dragon Slayer actually failed to throw him off for a moment.

Nesario quickly pulled out a green potion in a bamboo tube from his pouch. The potion flowed down his throat, and after a slightly bitter taste came a sweet aftertaste—in an instant, almost all the pain in his body disappeared!

"It's amazing! My injury has really healed!"

"Now that you're better, hurry up and help! This is a great opportunity!"

The Palico's voice came from near and far, because the Dragon Slayer was moving around wildly, and the Palico was almost out of reach.

"Substitute!"

Clutch Claw attack! Neltharion once again slammed his fist into the face of the dragon.

At this moment—his face was directly facing Zhanlong's small eyes, and he could even see his own reflection in the other's eyes.

"What? Thinking about me?"

Nesario aimed the projectile in his hand at the dragon's eye, and with a flick of his finger, he fired all his projectiles!