The Research Commission, riding on Jagras, was climbing through the inner passages of the Ancient Tree when they caught sight of a golden figure in the distance, chirping cheerfully as it descended along the passage.
The Jagras quickly moved aside, and the cats seemed utterly unfazed by the sight.
Only the group of scholars let out quiet cries of astonishment.
"It's a new monster we've never seen before! Amazing—who would have thought that right after arriving here, we'd encounter a New World–exclusive monster! We're truly fortunate!"
"Is this also one of the symbiotic monsters unique to the Ancient Tree? It doesn't show any hostility toward us at all—how incredible!"
As the scholars discussed among themselves, they directly concluded that Ahtal-Ka was a unique creature of the New World.
To this, the Admiral raised no objections. After all, when Ahtal-Ka's information had been sent back to the Old World last year, the Hunters' Guild had conducted a review and ultimately confirmed that there were no relevant records of Ahtal-Ka within the Guild's archives.
As such, the Guild named this monster Ahtal-Ka and officially classified it as a unique monster of the New World.
When Logan heard this news from Tonkotsu's mouth at the time, he hadn't known what to say.
It couldn't be helped. Judging by the timeline, there were still more than ten years before the Ahtal-Ka of the Old World would be discovered.
Therefore, since it had first been discovered in the New World and there were no corresponding records in the Old World yet, classifying it as a unique species of the New World was perfectly reasonable.
As for the possibility that traces of Ahtal-Ka would later be found in the Old World and the current conclusion overturned after investigation—that wasn't a big deal either. Errors in speculation were part of the scholars' daily routine.
The Research Commission passed shoulder to shoulder with Ahtal-Ka. Containing their excitement, the scholars, filled with anticipation to witness the grandeur of an Elder Dragon, once again pressed onward toward the canopy layer.
An hour later—
"What!! The Fire Wyvern Boss just left? Went into the depths of the New World? And you don't even know how long he'll be gone?" The Admiral looked at Tonkotsu in disbelief. The moment he thought about having to explain this to those scholars who had just arrived at the Ancient Tree Research Base, he already felt a headache coming on.
"Why did it have to be today of all days…"
The Admiral began to sink into self-doubt.
...
Northeast of the Coral Highlands.
Time slipped by swiftly.
Following his sense of life energy, Logan soared over the desolate Great Ravine, crossed the Coral Highlands, passed through the territory of the Legiana, and finally arrived at the northeastern edge of the Coral Highlands.
Without the slightest pause, he continued forward while ascending higher and higher.
The volcanic zone of the New World was its highest region, and even for a Flying Wyvern, it required tremendous effort to successfully cross this natural barrier.
For Flying Wyverns not skilled in upward flight, such as the Bazelgeuse, once they left the Elder's Recess, they often could never return.
If even the Flying Wyverns had it so hard, then for monsters incapable of flight, their only path was to enter through the Rotten Vale into the Everstream, and from within the Everstream reach the Elder's Recess. Should they have poor luck, they would easily be swallowed by the magma within the Everstream.
As Logan kept ascending in flight, the air temperature gradually began to rise, and the acrid stench of sulfur filled the atmosphere.
The black soil came into view, and before him appeared a half-collapsed volcano, still streaming with flowing magma—that must have been the very fissure the tempered Azure Rathalos had mentioned back then, the one that had collapsed for no apparent reason.
As Logan advanced, the sky began to turn murky and dim. These were not dark clouds, but volcanic ash carried by erupting magma.
Descending in altitude, one volcano after another stretched in a continuous chain. Crimson magma flowed from their peaks, streaming down through the gullies between the mountains toward the lowlands, eventually converging again with the Everstream in some hidden corner.
Dense life energy coursed along with the magma, and the searing heat caused even the air itself to shimmer and distort.
Logan's destination for this journey—the Elder's Recess—was located somewhere within this volcanic region.
"Gah!!"
A flock of Barnos scattered in panic as Logan and the group of Fire Wyverns dove swiftly downward, each seizing one prey in its claws, and began biting into them right there in the sky.
Having lived in the volcanic zone for years, these Barnos naturally didn't taste very good, but here, they were already considered premium food. Aside from the Gastodon and those monsters capable of feeding on ore, the main source of food for monsters in this barren volcanic region was the corpses of other monsters.
After searching for more than half a day, a dreamlike crystalline land finally appeared before Logan's eyes.
An immense surge of life energy rushed toward him, and Logan felt as though he were standing in an ocean of life energy. Every cell in his body cheered as it greedily absorbed the invisible vitality in the air.
Even before fully entering, the concentration of life energy had already surpassed that of the underground branch of the Everstream beneath the Wildspire Waste in those earlier days.
Overcome with excitement, Logan eagerly activated his Gale Wings, creating swirling gusts as he sped toward that world interwoven in black and white.
This area brimming with life energy was centered around a massive crystal known as the "bioenergy crystal." Around it spread constantly flowing magma, and a special terrain formed by interwoven layers of basalt created as the lava cooled.
Elder Dragons slumbered in the Rotten Vale, and their life energy merged into the Everstream. When too much life energy accumulated, it overflowed and crystallized into bioenergy crystals. Some of these bioenergy crystals condensed within the Elder's Recess, while others were expelled through volcanic eruptions together with the magma.
In other words, these bioenergy crystals were high-concentration life energy solidified through unknown means—one could even say that the bioenergy crystals were the New World itself, an indispensable component of its existence.
Unlike the black clouds high above the sky, upon entering the Elder's Recess, the heavens seemed to turn crimson, and fractured crystal fragments covered the land.
Logan landed on a slab of basalt, stretched his wings comfortably, and let the immense life energy wash over his body.
[Crack!]
A crisp sound echoed. The few wyverns still awestruck by the scenery turned their heads, only to see the Flame Rathalos engulfed in fire, biting off a chunk of bioenergy crystal and crunching it between its jaws.
After a while, it opened its mouth and spat out a mouthful of bioenergy crystal fragments.
Clearly, this stuff couldn't be directly eaten by Fire Wyverns.
Faced with Logan and the others' dumbfounded stares, the Flame Rathalos slightly folded its wings and pretended to glance around nonchalantly.
Too lazy to bother with this increasingly harebrained fellow, Logan spread his wings again and took flight.
Next, it was time to find a nest.
As for how to find one—simple. Locate an occupied nest and drive its owner out.
Among the four Fire Wyverns present, the Azure Rathalos was the only one slightly weaker in strength. Therefore, Logan did not choose the higher, more elevated basalt regions better suited for Fire Wyverns, but instead flew straight toward the depths where bioenergy crystals and molten lava intertwined.
...
[Boom—boom—boom!]
A dull rolling sound echoed through the crystal-lined passage. A monster with a heavy metallic carapace on its back—its surface covered with raised patterns resembling tire treads—had curled itself into a "wheel," recklessly rolling and charging through the narrow tunnel at high speed.
Suddenly, a fireball fell directly onto its path. Caught off guard, the Uragaan was blasted by the explosion, forcibly thrown to the side of the passage. The Explosive Rocks on its body scattered across the ground, glowing red-hot in the intense heat, as though they might explode at any moment.
Struggling to get back up, the Uragaan quickly locked onto the golden-green Rathian above its flank and let out a threatening roar.
Aki, however, showed it no mercy. She immediately accelerated into a dive, and just as the Uragaan attempted to curl itself into a wheel again, another burst of flame struck its side, blowing apart the half-formed rolling form once more.
Fortunately, that golden carapace—embedded with various rare metals—granted the Uragaan sufficient defensive power. Though Aki's fireballs packed tremendous force, as a creature that had managed to survive in the Elder's Recess despite being among the lower ranks of its hierarchy, the Uragaan had more than enough confidence in its defenses.
Yet that confidence vanished completely the moment Aki's dive was followed by a tail whip laced with a nearly lethal poison.
Unlike its back, the Uragaan's abdomen possessed far weaker defense.
Without the slightest hesitation, enduring the pain, the Uragaan shook off large chunks of Explosive Rock. Then, slamming down its jaw—formed from a fusion of countless minerals and hardened to a toughness far exceeding steel—it detonated the rocks in a massive blast.
The thick smoke and explosions blocked Aki's second follow-up dive, giving the Uragaan a decent chance to escape.
Amid the sparks born from metal scraping against the ground, the Uragaan curled up like a race car ready to launch, its rotation speed climbing rapidly within the haze. When it reached its peak, it shot forward like a catapult, speeding away.
Just as it was about to rush out of the bioenergy crystal passage, a massive fireball meteor fell from above, colliding with it head-on.
With a pained roar and a violent chain of Explosive Rock explosions, its bulky tail was torn from its body. The Uragaan burst through the smoke and crashed heavily onto the ground. By the time Aki trotted over, it no longer showed any sign of life.
The bluish-violet flames drew inward. Logan, his entire body radiating a ferocious aura, folded his outstretched wings, lifted the Uragaan's corpse, and flew deeper into the bioenergy crystal passage.
Aki likewise carried the Uragaan's severed tail and followed alongside Logan into the depths of the Elder's Recess.
By then, it had already been their fifth day in the Elder's Recess.
Finding a nest had been unexpectedly easy. They had originally thought there would be a battle, but to their surprise, there were few monsters nesting at the junction between the bioenergy crystal fields and the molten zones.
Upon later inspecting the surroundings, they discovered that most ordinary monsters were gathered around the basalt plains and magma caves. For common monsters unable to directly utilize life energy, the inner depths of the Elder's Recess were lacking in both food and water. Hunting or moving through it was inconvenient—and running into Elder Dragons was far too likely.
Thus, over time, within the vast Elder's Recess, only about two-thirds of the area remained as territory for ordinary monsters.
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