The Serious Handler and I followed the Wyverian Hunter deeper into the Confluence of Fates. The Admiral was already there, likely investigating as well, and he welcomed us as we arrived.
"There you are. Let's begin the investigation."
We moved further inside, heading toward the heart where the bio-energy of the veins gathered. There, at the very center, we saw a glowing, cocoon-like mass attached to the cavern ceiling. Seeing this, the Admiral looked remarkably impressed.
"Oh... this is astounding."
The Wyverian Hunter examined the cocoon closely and explained it to us.
"This is the biological energy of an Elder Dragon, crystallized over a vast period of time."
Even a glance made it clear that this was an Elder Dragon's cocoon on the verge of hatching. These people, however, were far too relaxed. I quickly gave them a warning.
"That looks like an Elder Dragon's cocoon, and one that's about to wake up at that... It looks dangerous, doesn't it?"
"That can't be... You're saying a mass of energy gathered in such high purity is an Elder Dragon's cocoon?"
They seemed to be blind to the obvious. I told the Serious Handler and my Palico to step back.
"I have a bad feeling about this. You guys get to a safe spot."
"Understood."
"Meow!"
Following my lead, the Serious Handler and the Palico retreated. Then, exactly as expected, a powerful burst of energy erupted from the cocoon, beginning to destroy the surroundings. I swiftly grabbed the Wyverian Hunter and the Admiral, tucking one under each arm, and moved them to the safety where the Serious Handler was waiting before tossing them down.
"Honestly, are you all just stubborn for the sake of it? Why are you so unwilling to trust someone's word?"
Even as I spoke, the cocoon overflowed with radiating energy and cracked open. A massive, never-before-seen Elder Dragon was being born.
"Ugh! It really was a cocoon..."
"I'll handle that thing, so you two just stay here and watch."
"V-Very well. We leave it to you."
I immediately unsheathed my Dual Greatswords and lunged at Xeno'jiiva alongside my Palico. Since Xeno'jiiva had just been born, it was still disoriented. Taking advantage of that, I dug deep into its guard and slashed at its chest.
Splat!
"Kieeeek!"
Perhaps due to its sheer size, even a massive swing from a Greatsword didn't bite deep enough.
'I see...'
So, I infused the Greatswords with mana to extend the blades, intending to take its leg off entirely.
Slash!
But contrary to my expectations, the sword strike failed to penetrate deeply again.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Nano provided the explanation.
[The energy infused into the sword has been absorbed by Xeno'jiiva. It appears the power of your attack was halved as a result.]
"So that was it?"
Indeed, even in the original lore, Xeno'jiiva knew how to absorb the energy of the ley lines to use as its own.
While I was listening to Nano, Xeno'jiiva turned its head toward me and began to exhale a powerful energy breath.
Kwoooooh~!!!
I rolled hurriedly to the side to dodge the breath and immediately jumped toward Xeno'jiiva.
'Then I have no choice. I have to aim for the vitals!'
Holding my Dual Greatswords, I spun my body rapidly, grinding through the back of Xeno'jiiva's neck as I landed.
Shred-shred-shred!!!
"Kaaargh!!!"
Thud!
With its neck reduced to tatters, Xeno'jiiva collapsed. When I checked, its neck was torn nearly to the point of decapitation; there was no way it could survive.
Ding!
You have acquired the skill [(S) Energy Drain].
The skill [(C) Drain Touch] is being absorbed into [(S) Energy Drain].
[(S) Energy Drain]
Enables the absorption, storage, and discharge of energy. (If mana is full, you can store an additional amount equal to your total health.)
To be honest, I had almost given up on gaining abilities in the Monster Hunter world, but this was an exceptionally good one. It was an upgraded version of the [Drain Touch] I obtained in the world of Konosuba.
"Oh~ nice!"
As I examined the skill, the Wyverian Hunter, the Admiral, and the Serious Handler ran over to me.
"Are you actually human? How is such movement possible? And with two Greatswords, no less."
The Serious Handler and my Palico were less shocked since they saw me every day, but the Admiral and the Wyverian Hunter were clearly stunned.
"It's because I'm the strongest."
"I... I see..."
The Admiral stopped asking questions when I confidently declared myself the strongest. Regardless, we farmed materials from Xeno'jiiva and returned to Astera. Since the Admiral handled the reporting, I just went to have a meal with the Serious Handler.
"Let's rest for a few days. We've been pushing ourselves hard lately."
"Sure, let's do that."
The Serious Handler didn't object, likely tired herself. Funny enough, in the game, defeating Xeno'jiiva leads to a big party in Astera and the ending credits, but perhaps because I finished it too easily—or because some other hunters had died earlier—there was no such party.
"Well, does it matter?"
I spent several days resting and noticed the Excitable A-Lister training in the training area. He was wearing a wooden prosthetic on the foot he had lost.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
"Hah! Hyah!"
"Working hard since morning, I see."
When I called out, he spotted me and smiled.
"Ah, it's you! I was just getting bored lying in bed, you know?"
The Excitable A-Lister was quite a cheerful fellow. With a wound like that, most would consider giving up being a hunter, but he didn't seem to have lost his spirit. Feeling somewhat responsible, I decided to give him a gift.
First was the prosthetic—not a crude wooden one, but one designed to be sturdy and shock-absorbent. Second, I commissioned a Sword and Shield set at the Smithy using the materials I had gathered. After refining them slightly myself, I handed them to him.
"Wow~ this is incredibly comfortable!"
"Right? I put quite a bit of thought into it, so it won't rust easily either. Though you'll still need to oil it."
"I see! Thank you so much!"
I was glad he liked it.
"And once you're used to the prosthetic, try going on hunts with the Serious Handler. I'm going to take a break for a while. Since we're short-handed, it's hard to find assigned handlers right now anyway."
"Understood. Thanks for looking out for me."
I had already discussed this with the Serious Handler, so there was no issue. She had actively agreed to help him out.
A month passed. Eventually, the Serious Handler was paired back with the Excitable A-Lister, and the 'Light-like Big Sister' from the Gathering Hub became my assigned handler. Her empty spot at the Hub was taken by the handler I had rescued previously. That girl had suffered too much trauma to continue following hunters into the field as a support handler, which is how it ended up this way.
"Keep it moderate, please. You're going to make a baby at this rate. That would interfere with work."
"Don't worry about that. I'm keeping things under control."
"Control, my foot! You did everything inside..."
"Was it only good for me?"
"Well, that's not what I meant..."
Well, that's how things went.
Anyway, since I had hunted everything I needed to in 'World,' I decided to continue my activities slowly while waiting for 'Iceborne.' However, no matter how long I waited, there were no signs of moving into the Iceborne arc, so I decided to prompt them myself.
"I've confirmed Legiana migrating to the west. I suspect there is something across the sea to the west."
"I see. But to dispatch a research team based solely on your word..."
"Then just provide me with a ship. I'll go confirm it myself."
"Hmm... very well. I'll lend you a small boat. I'll allow only you, your assigned handler, and your Palico to go."
"Fine by me."
I informed the Hub Lass of this. She wasn't keen on going, but I barely managed to convince her, and we began our journey in the small boat. Of course, since the island we were heading to would be extremely cold, I packed cold-weather gear in advance.
"Safe travels."
"Will do."
With that, we set sail from Astera.
"Is there really something to the west?"
"I'm telling you, there is."
Both the Hub Lass and the Palico looked skeptical.
Since we weren't making much speed, I pulled out the [Sword of Triton] I had obtained from the Pirates of the Caribbean world from my inventory. Using it to manipulate the ship, we moved rapidly westward.
"Oh? The wind seems to be helping us all of a sudden."
"I suppose so."
"It's getting colder by the moment... Wait, there's something over there!"
The Hub Lass shouted as she saw a massive landmass appear ahead.
"It really was there."
"Do you believe me now? Honestly..."
"Hehe, sorry. Anyway, let's take some photos."
"Sure."
The Hub Lass went into the cabin, brought out a camera, and started taking pictures of the land. Since the technology in the MonHunter world was primitive, the camera was massive, so I had to help her with it.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
"I think that's enough."
"Let's go further in."
"No! We don't know what threats might be there. In this situation, returning to report is the priority."
When it came to work, the Hub Lass was strictly by-the-book. Reluctantly, we headed back to Astera.
'I shouldn't have brought the cold-weather gear if I'd known we were turning back so soon.'
The Commander looked at the photos we brought and said,
"It's true. To think there was another island... though it seems a bit large to be called just an island..."
The Commander pondered for a moment before calling the Admiral and the scholars for a meeting. News of a new island discovery spread quickly among the hunters, and the Commander drafted a plan to form an investigation team.
The investigation team decided to use the Third Fleet's airship to reach the new land. Hunters, the supply team, and the tech team began working feverishly to repair the vessel. During this, the First Fleet Field Master approached me and asked about the Handler.
"I heard the news. They say the girl you traveled with died?"
"Yes, that's what happened."
"You don't look sad at all."
I decided to be honest.
"To be frank, it was exhausting traveling with her. She wandered everywhere, attracting far too much monster aggro. Moreover, she never even apologized once for the trouble she caused. That's why I asked the Admiral to replace her. Even after that, she couldn't break the habit, put her new assigned hunter in danger, and was eventually eaten by a monster."
The Field Master sighed.
"I see... her curiosity was excessive. But with your skills, couldn't you have prevented it?"
"Why should I have? I volunteered to come here for monster subjugation, not to be her babysitter. And while we're on the subject, she shouldn't have been a handler in the first place. She ignored her duties for her own greed. Furthermore, at the time of that incident, I was under orders from the Commander to refrain from hunting."
"I wasn't trying to blame you. I'm just saddened. I felt she would achieve something great. Anyway, I understand."
The Field Master left after saying that.
The next day, the Commander summoned me and issued an order for me to return to the mainland. The details were unclear, but it seemed the Field Master's influence was involved.
"What? Why are you giving such an order?"
"We decided this after yesterday's meeting. You do not understand the ecosystem. Rather than trying to understand the monsters, you seem to enjoy the massacre. You do not fit our investigation team."
What the Commander said was true. I had just wanted to progress quickly to see the majestic dragons I targeted. However, there were still many dangerous Elder Dragons left; I had no idea how they planned to manage without me. The problem was that I was the only one who knew about those future threats.
"Fine. I'll do that. I'll head back on the supply ship from the mainland next week."
"Do as you wish."
I told the Hub Lass about this and asked if she wanted to come with me. Naturally, she decided to go to the mainland too.
'Let's see how well you do without me.'
So, I returned to the mainland on the ship. Since I had plenty of money saved up, I bought a mansion and lived happily with the Hub Lass and the Palico, earning money by dealing with troublesome monsters on the side.
Eventually, news reached us that a massive Elder Dragon had appeared in the New World and almost all the members of the research team had been killed. It was likely Safi'jiiva or Shara Ishvalda.
"My, my..."
I was planning to just ignore it, but a messenger arrived from the royal palace saying the King was summoning me.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"You are that famous hunter. The one called 'The Red Star,' is it not?"
"Yes, that is what they call me."
"I believe you have heard the rumors regarding the New World. Go there and assist them."
It was exactly as I expected.
"Can I refuse?"
"No! This is a command!"
"Then give me a higher authority than the Commander currently there. If not, I will leave for another kingdom."
The King seemed quite shocked by my words.
"Are you serious?"
"I am. As you know, I am someone who was practically kicked out of there. Unless I have that much power, I won't go help them."
The reason I could get away with such a statement was because I had thoroughly proven my strength during the months I spent active on the mainland. Everyone knew that even if I truly left for another kingdom, no one could stop me.
"Phew... very well. I shall appoint you as a Special Inspector."
"Understood."
After receiving the rank of Special Inspector, I returned home and told the Hub Lass.
"Won't it be dangerous?"
"Don't worry, nothing much will happen. Besides, you know how strong I am."
"True. With someone like you, maybe I should be more worried about the monsters than you."
"And this."
I handed a large pouch to the Hub Lass. It was filled with gold and jewels. Seeing it, she looked astonished.
"This is..."
"In case I'm late, use this."
"I understand. But I have a request..."
"What is it?"
The Hub Lass blushed as she made her request.
"I want to have your child."
"Oh? Gladly! Then I guess I'll have to put in some effort tonight!"
I lifted the Hub Lass and headed to the bed. After a passionate night spent in an 'impregnation mode,' I boarded the ship for the New World the next day.
Alongside me on that ship were soldiers and hunters sent by the Kingdom.
"Inspector, Astera is coming into view."
"Right. Everyone, get ready."
"Yes, sir!"