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MHD Chapter 141: The March of a Hundred Wyverns
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 18:11:13 +0000 UTCAfter Logan passed down the notice, the entire dwelling burst into activity.
The cats began slaughtering their bred livestock for storage, gathering supplies, and repairing the massive woven baskets.
The Fire Wyverns, meanwhile, increased the frequency of their hunts. Those with hatchlings took the opportunity to train them in solo hunting, personally demonstrating and guiding them in basic skills.
Indeed, some of the hatchlings that had migrated years ago had now reached five years of age. They had completed their first rapid growth stage and gained the ability to hunt and survive on their own.
These hatchlings would not be joining the Fire Wyvern group’s migration. They would remain here to grow independently.
It might seem cruel, but this was something every Fire Wyvern had to endure in their growth. What’s more, because of the group’s changes, these hatchlings had also inherited the instinct to cooperate in pack hunts. Compared to their parents’ generation, their road to maturity was far less dangerous.
Furthermore, as hatchlings of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern group, their starting point under the influence of Symbiosis was far higher than that of ordinary Fire Wyvern hatchlings. Not to mention, the lingering presence of the Fire Wyvern group in this dwelling would serve as a protective shelter for them for a long time to come.
If they still could not survive under such conditions, then it could only be said that this batch of hatchlings was never meant to endure.
The Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern group now possessed a sense of kinship, but it had not yet reached the level of the Zinogre, who raised their young to adulthood before they naturally joined the main fighting force of the pack.
Survival of the fittest remained the fundamental tone of the Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern group. This had not changed to this day, and it would not change in the future.
Thus, the most a Fire Wyvern couple could do was teach their offspring more hunting techniques, as well as how to deal with the hunters of the Research Commission.
And the cats?
Including the newly joined tribe from the Wastes, they would all return to the Ancient Tree together.
Just as their name proclaimed—the “Ancient Tree Fire Wyvern Clan.”
...
The commotion at the Fire Wyvern settlement naturally caught the attention of the Research Commission. In recent days, the Fire Wyvern flock’s frequent hunts had even triggered localized ecological disturbances, leaving several large monsters so on edge that the slightest rustle or breeze would send them into a frenzy.
This, in turn, made things more troublesome for hunters conducting research missions nearby.
Fortunately, the Commission’s relationship with the Fire Wyverns was good. There was no need to half-guess, half-fight to piece together what had happened. All they had to do was find the Grimalkynes and ask.
The Grimalkynes had no intention of hiding anything. Even if the Commission didn’t ask, they had planned to set aside time to inform them regardless.
When news spread that the Fire Wyvern flock intended to migrate back to the Ancient Tree, the message was swiftly relayed to Astera.
The upper ranks of the Commission immediately convened, quickly setting forth a plan: to restart the expansion into the Ancient Forest that had been suspended years before. They moved ahead of the Fire Wyverns, sending reinforcements along the original route and transporting supplies to the abandoned camps that had once been built there, reactivating them.
This time, however, the Fire Wyverns’ preparations were taking longer—mainly because the exact condition of the Ancient Tree’s ecosystem remained unclear.
To avoid the risk of returning to the Ancient Tree only to starve, the Fire Wyverns were going at it full force. Both Rathalos and Rathian went out hunting together, raising such a commotion that the leviathan packs at the coastal hunting grounds believed the Fire Wyverns were intent on driving them out entirely. For a time, they even prepared for a desperate last stand.
But the Fire Wyverns had no interest in them. More often than not, they seized their prey and left at once, showing no intention of engaging in battle.
At least the flock was still rational. They didn’t foolishly attempt to wipe out everything, but instead left enough leeway. The local ecology suffered some disruption, yes, but the balance of the food chain was never truly broken.
At the very least, life was left with a way to persist—though the coming days would certainly be harsh for many creatures in the area.
Because the flock had to stockpile much larger stores of food for this migration, even though some hatchlings would not be leaving, the Grimalkynes had to weave many more baskets. They also had to assign members to begin the initial processing of the prey brought back by the Fire Wyverns, slowing down the rate at which the food would spoil.
In this bustling manner, half a month of preparations passed. Finally, the day came when everything was ready.
The Grimalkynes leapt nimbly into the large baskets, settling in beside the wyvern hatchlings. Rathians circled the baskets, responsible for carrying these supplies, while the Rathalos waited at the outermost edge of the clearing.
Up on the waterfall, several Commission members looked down in awe at the breathtaking sight of more than a hundred Fire Wyverns gathered in one place. The scribes were frantically sketching and recording.
Over a hundred Fire Wyverns, each as large as a hill, huddled together. The sheer density of fire-element energy made the air in the clearing blaze with heat. Other than the mutated Grimalkyne, all the other cats were panting with tongues lolling.
Then, upon the cliff, Logan’s colossal form appeared.
In that instant, a crushing aura swept across the entire area.
The Commission members across the waterfall, the rowdy Fire Wyvern flock, and the Grimalkynes below—every last one of them was stunned into silence.
In a heartbeat, the clearing fell utterly still.
The entire clearing seemed shrouded beneath the looming shadow of a colossal Rathalos—ferocious, silver-grey, its form gleaming with a metallic sheen.
[Pressure]: A powerful and savage presence, coupled with the aura born of half a step into a higher ecological niche, creates an overwhelming field that presses upon all creatures of lower standing. From the depths of their very genes, they feel crushing fear. Enemy creatures grow timid, and in battle they suffer immense psychological strain, leading to heightened stamina consumption.
Note: When fighting creatures of the same ecological tier, one can lock onto the opponent to apply psychological pressure. This trait has no effect on monsters of a higher tier.
After half a month, the trait bar—already near its limit—finally reached the top. The new trait Logan had been yearning for at last arrived.
This ability was mystical in nature, yet within this world, it was something undeniably real.
When the gap between ecological tiers grew too wide, such an oppressive force would naturally manifest—a primal fear carved deep into the genes of lesser creatures.
Thus, for Elder Dragons, beings no longer counted among ordinary life, this absolute gulf in life’s hierarchy allowed them to exert a suffocating oppression upon nearly all common monsters.
This was precisely why, whenever an Elder Dragon appeared in a region, ordinary creatures would instinctively abandon that land.
Even monsters that had broken through their life’s limits, wielding power on par with an Elder Dragon, could not achieve the same.
But now, with this trait, Logan could.
What pleased him even more was that this trait could be activated or deactivated at will—meaning he no longer had to worry about it interfering with his daily life.
At that moment, gazing down at the silent Fire Wyvern flock below, Logan felt deeply satisfied with the effect he had achieved. With a sweep of his wings, he sent shockwaves scattering in all directions and soared into the sky.
After a calm yet resonant wyvern roar from him, every Fire Wyvern below answered in unison with roars of their own.
Over a hundred Fire Wyverns took to the air. Caught up in the atmosphere, the Grimalkynes raised their paws high and let out loud meows.
By the waterfall, those watching saw the flock rise into the heavens, flying toward the direction of the Ancient Tree. The sheer surge of fire-elemental energy dyed the surrounding white clouds a blazing red, while the calm yet awe-inspiring roar still echoed in their hearts.
“Mm…”
A female scribe wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes and quickly sketched the sight of the wyverns vanishing into the clouds.
“It’s so beautiful! This is the true wonder of nature’s ecosystems!”
Unlike hunters, who had countless different reasons for choosing their path, scribes became what they were for one reason alone: from the depths of their hearts, they loved every facet of the natural world. They yearned to be on the front lines, recording all that they saw and heard with the pen in their hands.
In the wild, scribes suffered casualties far greater than hunters. Yet they accepted this without complaint—many even relished it.
So when they saw this woman’s reaction, none of the others found it strange. On the contrary, they nodded in agreement.
“I’ve decided—once we return to base, I’m applying to join the Ancient Forest expansion. I believe it won’t be long before I see them again!”
The others chose to let her words pass without comment.
The Ancient Forest expansion project was no simple matter, certainly not something easily accessible to a small squad like theirs—new recruits from the Second Fleet, whose strength barely reached the bottom ranks. Too many others had long prepared for years to seize such a chance. There was no guarantee they could compete.
