After a round of sparring, Bai Mo successfully joined Jasper's investigation team.
This team consisted of Jasper, who wielded a greatsword, the bow hunter Albert, and the dual-blade user Morris—making a standard four-member hunter squad with Bai Mo included.
Of course, there were also the three Palico members accompanying the team.
Originally, Jasper's squad had another hunter who used an Insect Glaive, but that member had been injured in a previous mission and was still recovering, which conveniently opened a spot for Bai Mo.
The mission Bai Mo's team accepted was to capture the "Forest Ruffian," the Anjanath.
After enjoying a hearty lunch at the Meowscular Chef's canteen and stocking up on supplies, Bai Mo and the group left the Astera research base.
However, this time, aside from the four of them, a large black cat-like creature followed along.
Since Bai Mo had tamed the Nargacuga earlier, it was only natural to bring it along.
Moreover, the Nargacuga had lived in the Ancient Forest for a long time and could definitely be of use.
After entering the forest from the coastal wasteland, the Nargacuga instinctively hid itself within the shadows of the tree canopy.
As a stealthy assassin that preferred lurking in darkness, the Nargacuga was more accustomed to ambushing its prey from the shadows.
"Bai, you sure that guy won't run away?" Jasper asked with concern.
Bai Mo's expression turned slightly odd.
If this had been earlier, the Nargacuga might indeed have tried to escape. But during lunch at the canteen, it had eaten alongside Bai Mo.
Just to grill enough meat for this gluttonous creature, the Palico chefs had roasted over a hundred pounds of meat.
As a "country bumpkin" from the forest, the Nargacuga had never tasted such delicious food before—how could raw meat compare?
So, when they set off, the Nargacuga kept growling at Bai Mo—not as a threat, but to ask when it could eat another meal like that!
Indeed, whether human or monster, the pursuit of delicious food was a universal desire.
"Don't worry about it. It's just scouting and keeping watch nearby. Jasper, could you teach me some hunter survival and hunting techniques?"
Jasper had no reason to hold back. Together with Albert and Morris, he began imparting knowledge on everything from finding water sources, moving stealthily through the forest, tracking prey, to selecting and setting up campsites.
Additionally, they taught Bai Mo how to construct and dismantle various traps, such as pitfall traps, net traps, and shock traps.
Real hunting was far from just a 10-to-20-minute in-game experience.
Merely arriving in the area and locating traces of the Anjanath took them an entire afternoon.
If not for Jasper's insistence that this area definitely had an Anjanath presence—along with the discovery of its shed fur and mucus—Bai Mo wouldn't have believed an Anjanath could be here at all.
Clearly, he still had much to learn, especially in cultivating a hunter's most fundamental patience and observational skills.
That night, at a hidden research camp nearby, Bai Mo chewed on dry rations while earnestly seeking Jasper's guidance.
For example, in the game, players could casually cook meals at camp, but now he was stuck eating cold meat—what a stark difference between the two worlds!
Jasper's explanation was simple:
Their current location wasn't a true safe zone. The area around this makeshift camp was still prowled by numerous predators, so fragrant cooking and grilling were absolutely out of the question.
Only in cleared safe zones or a few well-hidden camps could they afford to cook outdoors.
But in this part of the Ancient Forest, there were only three such camps, all too far from their current position.
Thus, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Jasper and the others mostly subsisted on jerky, hardtack, and water during field investigations.
This was the true life of a hunter.
Though Bai Mo's idealized image was shattered, he also gained a deeper sense of realism.
Just like in Teyvat, while this world had fantastical elements like "Meowscular Chef meals," it was still a real, living world.
And this was exactly the kind of practical knowledge Bai Mo wanted to learn.
So, without complaint, Bai Mo spent two days with Jasper and the others gathering resources and tracking through the Ancient Forest until they finally found traces of a male Anjanath.
Watching the Anjanath feasting on a Great Jagras in the distance, Jasper gestured to Albert.
The bow-wielding hunter swiftly climbed a tree and took aim at the Anjanath.
"Bai, you and Morris get ready. I'll lure the Anjanath over—we're using an ambush tactic this time!"
Having already familiarized himself with the three main hunting methods—ambush, patrol, and encirclement—Bai Mo quickly began setting up traps with Morris as Jasper stealthily approached the Anjanath.
Moments later, Jasper struck the Anjanath's head with a stone fired from his slinger.
Enraged, the beast abandoned its half-eaten Great Jagras and charged straight at Jasper.
True to its title as the "Pink Tyrant" and "Forest Ruffian," the Anjanath didn't bother dodging—it simply bulldozed through trees, carving a direct path toward Jasper.
Once it entered the ambush zone, Jasper remained calm.
After crossing a patch of brownish-yellow grass, he dashed a few steps further and unsheathed his greatsword.
This "grass" was actually the trap they had set earlier.
The moment the Anjanath stepped on it, the ground collapsed, and a net sprang up, ensnaring the beast.
Seeing the trap succeed, Jasper immediately rushed in with his greatsword.
Morris and the two melee-oriented Palicos also leaped out from cover, launching their assault.
As for Bai Mo?
He stood behind the Anjanath, shield axe in hand, poised to sever its tail!
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T/N:
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