Lower levels of the Ancient Tree.
When Sita and the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors arrived here, the blood scent from the Zinogre corpses had already attracted flocks of scavengers and several small carnivorous wyverns.
Most numerous among them were Jagras.
Fortunately, thanks to the Grimalkynes' friendly negotiations, the Jagras feeding on the corpses didn't show any hostility.
"You skin your share, I'll eat mine."
Sometimes, they even got annoyed by how slow Sita was and would step in to help rip open the hide.
And just like that, Sita's harvesting speed actually increased—miraculously.
"Zinogre's solid carapace, high-voltage fur, thunder sacs, reverse scales, sharp horns, sharp claws—nya-ha! Jackpot!!"
Sita's eyes narrowed with joy as he gathered materials. Though some parts had been damaged in the battle or from the corpses being thrown down, rendering them unusable…
There were just so many Zinogre corpses here!
A slice here, a scrape there—and the materials added up fast.
And they were all top-tier materials.
After all, Zinogre was a high-tier apex predator. Even a lone one was nearly impossible for most hunters to take down—let alone an entire pack.
More importantly, this site wasn't just littered with ordinary Zinogres—the materials stripped from those five Tempered Zinogres were by far the most valuable.
If they hadn't gotten themselves into a turf war with the Rathalos, monsters of that level wouldn't have gone down so easily.
"Nyooo~ This one looks like it was their leader! It's almost charcoal now, nya."
At that moment, a voice from one of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes helping out caught Sita's attention.
He walked over and saw a Zinogre whose body was slightly smaller than those of the Tempered ones lying around. However, its horns were significantly larger than those of any other Zinogre.
That said, the corpse's overall color had taken on an unnatural ashen-gray hue.
The exposed wounds showed not a single drop of blood. The muscles inside were charred black, looking like overcooked jerky.
He poked at it with a paw—rock hard!
There was no nutritional value left, and the texture was so awful that even the Jagras didn't bother giving it a taste.
"Huh? Why are the scales and outer shell so brittle?"
Sita easily peeled off a scale. It snapped with just a little pressure—completely useless as crafting material.
Still, those horns might be worth something.
Sita drew his greatsword and, with a precise strike, cleanly severed both massive horns at the base. He hefted them in his hands—surprisingly heavy.
"What's this, nya?"
One of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes, who had been standing nearby, tiptoed on a Jagras's back to peer curiously into the opening on the Zinogre leader's forehead where Sita had cut. It dug out a crystal roughly the size of a fist—emerald-green and jade-like in texture.
"Nya! This is—!"
Sita's pupils widened slightly. Just as he was about to say something, he heard the other Grimalkyne excitedly mutter to itself.
"Nya! What a beautiful gem! Perfect for offering to Boss Rathalos! It'll look great decorating the nest!"
Sita's half-open mouth quietly closed again.
Zinogre's Skymerald—this ultra-rare material, in the forging craft passed down by the Wyverians, could be fused into matching components, allowing the resulting armor to possess superior energy conductivity.
Some master craftsmen could even account for energy conductivity in the very initial design of the armor. The gear they created could then react in subtle ways when worn as a set, granting the wearer additional enhancements in specific areas.
Still, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes had already helped him a great deal. With such an enormous haul of top-tier materials from this trip, he couldn't afford to get too greedy.
Pushing aside thoughts of the Zinogre's Skymerald, Sita went back to harvesting other materials.
By the time evening came, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes proudly presented the Skymerald before Logan like it was a priceless treasure. Only then did he realize what those little guys had all gone off to do.
He looked down at the Skymerald with a complicated expression.
Most of the life energy inside had nearly dissipated. Left exposed like this to the open air, it barely raised the life energy density in the nest by the smallest fraction—better than nothing, he supposed.
But since it was offered with sincere intent, he didn't bother refusing. Turning it down would only make the little guy feel like it had done something wrong.
Besides, the gem's color wasn't bad—it could still serve as a nice ornament.
After accepting the "tribute," Logan listened to them talk about their encounter with Sita. When he heard that Sita had even borrowed six Jagras from the Grimalkynes as pack animals, he couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.
Had the Research Commission just stumbled into a windfall from this war?
The Rathalos and Zinogres fought to the death—and in the end, it was the Commission who profited.
Still, Logan didn't dwell on it. He didn't really care what happened to the Zinogre corpses.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that as part of the agreement for helping Sita, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes had requested to send members of their tribe with him to the Astera base—to learn his methods of combat firsthand. Not only that, but they also wanted to use some of the harvested materials to forge proper armor and weapons for those warriors.
That way, they could not only strengthen their tribe, but finally become true protectors of Rathalos, instead of merely serving as lookouts and early-warning scouts.
Perhaps it's because the New World belongs to the undeveloped realm of monsters, but the native inhabitants here all seem to possess a kind of primitive innocence, free from complex schemes or cunning.
That was why Sita had been able to earn their friendship and trust simply by helping the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne defeat a Tobi-Kadachi. That alone was enough for them to entrust him with a dangerous transport mission—leaving their tribe behind to head to the outskirts of the Ancient Forest and deliver goods to Astera.
So when these little guys earnestly declared that they wanted to grow stronger and truly become Logan's guards, they absolutely meant it. They were speaking from the heart.
"What a bunch of adorable little fellows."
Since they had already made up their minds, how could Logan possibly stop them?
Besides, forming a connection with the Research Commission through these little ones might actually be a good thing—who knows, it might come in handy someday.
And in any case, he wouldn't have to deal with them directly.
Logan thought for a moment. Since his little guards were so determined to become stronger, he might as well go all in.
He called out twice to Aki, then began actively shedding a few of the scales and pieces of hardened keratin that were about to molt anyway. He tossed those along with the ones Aki had just shed—plus a useless Skymerald—to the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warrior at his feet.
That would be more than enough for the Research Commission to forge a few sets of appropriate equipment for them.
"Boss~ meow~!"
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne tied the materials onto the back of a Jagras, meowing in gratitude for a long time and wiping away tears as he bid farewell to his kin.
As night approached, a total of nine Jagras set out, carrying the cargo and the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes into the distance.
These four Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors bore the heavy responsibility of learning new combat techniques and bringing back modern weapons and equipment. Together with Sita, they marched toward Astera.
...
Time passed quickly.
Aside from the Fire Wyverns who had experienced the war, the forest itself would not remember it.
Under the natural cycle of the ecosystem, it took only ten days for all traces of the battle to vanish without a trace. The many Zinogre corpses became nourishment for the forest, and the lower zones now brimmed with vitality.
With the Zinogre pack gone, the few that remained were scattered across the region and soon assimilated. A large number of monsters migrated in from other areas, filling the gaps left behind and restoring the balance of the ecosystem.
Makes sense, really. It had just been a crisis caused by ordinary creatures—no big deal for Mother Nature. The damage was nothing compared to what an Elder Dragon could do.
The Ancient Tree region had once again returned to peace.
At the edge of the forest, Sita emerged from the woods beside a river, dusty and worn from travel.
He could hear the sound of ocean waves crashing in the distance, feel the sea breeze brushing against his face, and in the far-off distance, he spotted the ship, broken in two and resting atop the mountain peak.
He hadn't expected riding a Jagras would allow them to move through the forest so quickly. From the heart of the Ancient Forest to the outer region had only taken ten days—a pace he would've never dared dream of before.
Fortunately, the Wyvern Taming Program at Astera was nearly complete. Once finished, hunters would be able to tie ropes to a wyvern's legs and travel through the skies.
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