[Skills obtained: Natural Oil Coat, Oil BallACCEPT: YES/NO]
—So few skills... Though considering that Jyuratodus and Barroth both have mud-based abilities, I guess they just overlap.
I got up after finishing the monster. The taste wasn't the best—it obviously tasted like fish—but like Barroth meat, it had that persistent muddy flavor.
Now that I think about it, I'd heard something similar about boar meat. I believe there's a way to get rid of the taste, but I have no idea how, and even if I did, it's not like I have the right tools on hand.
…Still, it's not inedible—at least not for me. It just has… a peculiar flavor.
—Now what? I've been in this desert for a couple of days and only found two monster species. If the game's timeline is accurate and I'm still in low rank, then the only monsters left to find are Diablos and Rathian.
—…Now that I think about it, there's a part in the story where the main hunter investigates a Barroth corpse filled with spikes—which turn out to be from Nergigante.
I don't know exactly when I am in the game's timeline, and they never really mentioned how much time passed between Zorah Magdaros's arrival and Nergigante's attack on that Barroth.
—Now that I think about it... how long does the game's story take? Days? Weeks? Months?
At this moment, I curse the devs for not giving us an estimated timeframe.
…
POV Narrator
—Still nothing?
—No, sir.
At the hunter's response, the commander frowned and rubbed his face with irritation.
He knew that in an event as big as the arrival of the Fifth Fleet, some things could go wrong—there's always a margin for error in these situations.
But it's one thing to lose a few supplies, and another entirely for one of the largest monster species in the world to show up, damage several ships, even sink a few, and leave dozens injured and a few dead.
—How do you lose track of something that big? —the commander muttered, still rubbing his face.
—I'm a biologist, not a geologist, but one theory is that it's using an existing cave system… or it's just digging its own. We still don't know much about Zorah Magdaros's biology—it might just prefer traveling underground rather than on the surface —replied the chief researcher.
—How are the injured?
—They're doing okay, but... some suffered serious wounds and will have to retire from hunting —said the head of the medical wing.
—Better that than being dead. What's the status on salvaging the wrecked ships?
—That's actually something I wanted to bring up, Commander. Apparently, a Lagiacrus decided the wreckage made a good nesting ground —another hunter responded.
—*Sigh* Do an inventory of how many supplies have been recovered. If we're only missing a few crates, it's not worth fighting the Lagiacrus... but if it starts attacking ships in the area, that's another story.
The hunter nodded and walked off to carry out his orders.
The commander looked around at everyone gathered, waiting for someone to speak up. Seeing that no one did, he began talking again.
—Here's what we'll do. Since the situation has stabilized, we'll allocate more resources to finding Zorah Magdaros—mainly veteran hunters. The new ones will take care of the smaller tasks.
He paused and looked around, waiting for questions. And in fact, someone did speak up.
—I guess it lost priority due to recent events, but… what about the Phageris?
—As you said, the Phageris lost priority, but it's still an extremely important matter. So while we're hunting Zorah Magdaros, we'll keep an eye out for her too.
The hunter who asked the question, along with everyone else, nodded in agreement.
—Alright… if no one has anything else to add: May the Sapphire Star light your way!
…
—Thanks, Lyra!
A nurse from the medical wing thanked Lyra as she grabbed some bandages from the boxes the hunter had brought in. She was tending to another hunter who had been injured on a mission earlier that day.
Lyra glanced around the medical wing, seeing rows and rows of people lying in beds, many with bandaged limbs. It was a rare sight—hunters getting hurt is normal, but this… this was excessive.
And the reason for so many injuries was exactly what had been discussed during the meeting.
Seeing that she had nothing more to do there—and wanting to escape the depressing atmosphere—she left. With some free time before heading out to look for the Elder Dragon, she decided to walk around Astera.
But she couldn't help sighing at the state of the place. It was mostly deserted. At that moment, the only crowded area was the medical wing.
And the people who were around either looked serious or outright depressed. She remembered her arrival in the New World ten years ago with the Fourth Fleet—how they celebrated, laughed, smiled… even if she had to do her first mission hungover.
But there were no celebrations here, only mourning. It reminded her of what she'd been told about the Third Fleet—the ones who never arrived. This must be how the people of Astera felt back then, realizing an entire fleet had been lost.
—I came out for a walk to cheer myself up, but I just feel worse. *Sigh* I might as well go sharpen my weapon.