Wooooo... The Bazelgeuse let out its signature whistle-like cry. Countless scales detached from its body and rained down on the mountaintop below.
BOOM! BOOM!
The scales hit the ground like missiles, blasting one massive crater after another. This was the terrifying power of an Elder Dragon-level creature, an ability akin to a natural disaster.
"ROAR!" A ferocious roar, like that of a tiger but far more majestic and powerful, echoed through the mountains. A purple, tiger-like monster appeared, wreathed in violet ghostflames, and shot into the sky to intercept the Bazelgeuse.
This purple tiger had long fangs, reminiscent of a saber-toothed tiger. Its body was covered in draconic scales, and its tail was shaped like a crossed spear. This was the Elder Dragon-level monster, Magnamalo.
Magnamalo
Level: 89 (Sub-Legendary Tier)
This specimen was twenty-one meters long and stood about eight meters high, its body burning with an ethereal purple fire. The flames were beautiful, but lethally dangerous.
FWOOSH! The Bazelgeuse spat a fireball hundreds of meters wide at its rival. In response, the Magnamalo flicked its flame-wreathed tail, sending a beam of purple fire to meet it.
KABOOM!
A violent explosion rocked the sky. Red and purple flames painted the heavens, dyeing them a brilliant violet-red.
"Rathalos, let's go," Zhang commanded. He turned his mount and left quickly. The battle between two Elder Dragon-level creatures was not a spectacle to be enjoyed from the sidelines. A single stray attack could be fatal. The mountain below them was already engulfed in flames, turning into a fiery peak.
The Rathalos spread its wings and flew away with Zhang on its back, staying low to the ground to avoid attracting the attention of the two titans.
"I'll hunt the Nargacuga another day. Both the Bazelgeuse and the Magnamalo are too dangerous," he decided. Adhering to his principle of safe development, he had no intention of sticking around to watch, let alone trying to reap some opportunistic reward. He was a man with a system; as long as he didn't die, he would eventually stand at the top of the world. There was no need to take foolish risks for minor gains.
"ROAR!" The battle grew more intense. Countless purple flames and fiery red scales rained from the sky like bombs, blasting craters into the earth. Monsters of all kinds fled in a panicked stampede, desperate to escape the cataclysm.
"Good thing I got out of there fast," Zhang thought with a shudder, looking back at a river that was now covered in purple flames and explosive scales. If he had stayed to watch, he would have likely been caught in the crossfire.
"Sub-legendary tier... the power of divine beasts," he mused, gazing at the distant battle. "One day, I will capture you both. Especially you, Magnamalo. I will definitely have one of my own." He had always admired the monster's design handsome and powerful, a perfect combination of style and strength.
Back in Kamura Village, Zhang arrived on the back of his Arcanine. He would have ridden the Rathalos, but he didn't want to frighten the villagers.
He made his way to the Guild Hall. It was usually empty, but today, four hunters were gathered, apparently planning a hunt together.
"Zhang, you're back!" Hinoa noticed him immediately, a bright smile on her face. "Mission accomplished? You're amazing!"
"The head of a Rathian... This is the first time I've seen one up close," one of the other hunters said, staring in shock at the trophy Zhang was carrying.
For the player in the game, hunting everything from small fry to Elder Dragons was normal. But for the average hunter in this world, monsters like Rathian and Anjanath were terrifyingly out of reach. Most hunters stuck to elite-tier monsters like the Great Izuchi, Arzuros, and Tobi-Kadachi. Very few could hunt a Rathian. As for the Rathalos, an Elite Four-tier monster, only the true elite of the elite could even attempt it.
"Hinoa, my mission is complete," he said, taking a seat in front of her. "Did you miss me?"
"How long have you even been gone?" she retorted, though her face was slightly flushed. "Still... I did miss you."
"I missed you too. Here, I brought you a gift." He took a large bouquet of wildflowers from his backpack and handed it to her. He had picked them from outside the Shrine Ruins.
"Thank you," she said, her face beaming. She sniffed the flowers appreciatively before carefully placing them on a cabinet behind her. Then, she stamped his quest sheet as complete and handed him a large bag of gold coins. The reward for the Rathian hunt was 10,500z, or 1050 gold coins.
"I'm rich again. It won't be long before I can afford a pseudo-legendary," he thought, though his mind was already elsewhere. "Still, compared to raising a pseudo-legendary from a juvenile, capturing a powerful monster like the Rathalos is much more cost-effective. It doesn't need to be trained; it's ready for battle immediately."
"By the way, Hinoa, I ran into the Bazelgeuse and the Magnamalo," he said, putting the gold coins away. "They were fighting fiercely over something. You should probably warn the other hunters not to go to the Shrine Ruins for a while."
"The Magnamalo and the Bazelgeuse are fighting?" Her brow furrowed, a flicker of worry in her eyes. Both were incredibly dangerous; a territorial dispute between them could cause massive casualties. She remembered how, three years ago, a place called Mezeporta Square had been destroyed by a Bazelgeuse, and many people had died.
"I understand. I'll go inform the Village Chief and have him make preparations, just in case," she nodded.
"You're not busy anyway, you should probably go now," he suggested. "After all, you never know what tomorrow will bring. It's better to be careful."
"You're right," she agreed after a moment's thought. She turned to the Palico beside her, a one-meter-tall, cat-like creature. "Cream, could you watch the counter for me for a bit? I'll be back soon."
"Don't worry, Hinoa, go on, meow," the Palico nodded. "The Magnamalo and the Bazelgeuse are more important. I've got things covered here, meow."
"Let's go, Zhang." She stood up and walked out with him, her usual leisurely pace replaced with an urgent stride.
"Hinoa, what's wrong?" asked Fugen, who was enjoying a drink, as she pushed open the door to his home. He knew her well; she wouldn't leave her post unless it was something important.
"Village Chief, the Magnamalo and the Bazelgeuse are fighting in the Shrine Ruins. It might be a territorial dispute," she reported.
"What?!" Fugen shot to his feet.
A territorial battle between monsters might not sound dangerous, but it was. The conflict between the two titans would cause a massive exodus of other monsters, forcing them to expand into new territories. During this expansion, they were likely to encounter human settlements and attack their villages.