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MHD Chapter 81: Wounds and Lessons
🕑 Added 2025-08-06 00:18:57 +0000 UTC[Boom—]
Just as the Teostra was breathing fire toward a distant Hunter, it suddenly turned its head—the searing column of flame shot straight toward the Huntsman at close range.
“No time to dodge!”
Caught off guard by the sudden change, the quick-thinking Huntsman bent the hand gripping his sword. The greatsword’s broad blade rose like a shield before him.
His feet sank deep into the scalding sand. The blazing breath—hot enough to melt steel—was firmly held back by the Fire Wyvern Greatsword.
The blade, glowing crimson, burned ever brighter, yet it didn’t scald his hand. On the contrary, the tip of the sword seemed to grow sharper under the stream of flame.
That’s right—this time, the Huntsman wasn’t using his usual Pink Rathian Greatsword. Before setting out, the Second Fleet Master had specially crafted him a new weapon. The core material? One of the reverse scales Logan had left behind during his last medicine trade.
The Second Fleet Master felt nothing unusual when first handling Logan’s Fire Wyvern reverse scale.
But after noticing the silvery edge of the scale and the faint metallic sheen that reflected under firelight, his interest was piqued.
Then, when he placed the scale into the forge, he was struck with excitement!
A scale that retained its original properties even long after leaving its host—this was a trait typically seen only in Elder Dragon materials infused with life energy.
Yet this was just a Fire Wyvern’s scale!
Driven by curiosity, the Second Fleet Master tirelessly researched and analyzed the material. Using Logan’s reverse scale as the core, combined with other stored Fire Wyvern parts and rare high-grade ores, he finally succeeded—after three full days—in forging a new greatsword.
It was named Scorching Flame Wings.
In addition to retaining the fire-aligned energy characteristic of Fire Wyvern weapons, Scorching Flame Wings could absorb flame energy to slightly enhance both sharpness and damage.
Furthermore, as a greatsword, when held in a defensive stance, it could link with the energy circuits of the user’s armor, enhancing resistance to fire.
When the forging was completed, the Second Fleet Master was overjoyed. But after that excitement faded, he was filled with regret—constantly blaming himself for not fully unlocking the potential of those reverse scales, and lamenting that the supporting materials used weren’t particularly well-suited.
This weapon could have been even better—stronger!
Ignoring the Second Fleet Master’s melodramatics, Scorching Flame Wings was immediately assigned to the Huntsman, who would be leading the upcoming Teostra investigation. A weapon so specifically attuned to flames would be of great use.
And sure enough—when the Teostra finished its breath attack and failed to inflict any significant damage on the Huntsman…
The Huntsman quickly closed the distance. With others providing suppression and support, he completed the final charge in a matter of seconds.
He timed it perfectly. A crimson arc tore through the air—just as the Teostra turned its head.
It was as if the Elder Dragon had deliberately extended its head into the strike. The empowered Scorching Flame Wings, with its boosted sharpness and damage, sliced across the curve of the Teostra’s horn, then slashed down its face—tearing open the outer layer of scales and leaving a visible wound.
Struck by the powerful blow, the Teostra’s head snapped back. In its eyes was nothing but disbelief.
But in the very next instant—murderous intent erupted from those blue pupils. Drawing on its formidable physique, it forcefully halted its backward motion, twisted its body violently, and slammed a flaming claw straight into the Huntsman’s chest.
The claws ripped through the Pink Rathian chestplate, sending the Huntsman flying through the air.
“Flashbombs! Smoke bombs! Stink bombs—fire!”
The Wyverian Hunter’s pupils shrank at the scene. Without hesitation, he dashed forward—drawing the Teostra’s attention while barking out rapid commands.
The Hunters in the distance followed orders immediately, hurling their items one after another—obscuring the Teostra’s vision and cutting off its sense of smell.
“Retreat!”
Without a trace of hesitation, the group hoisted up the wounded and began to withdraw rapidly.
Falcon lifted the Huntsman onto Kiba’s back, dragging the Scorching Flame Wings behind him as they retreated with the main force.
Blinded by the sudden flashbomb, the Teostra instinctively leapt backward. It dodged the incoming stink bombs, shook its head, and then released a cloud of explosive dust across its entire body. Its flaming jaws clamped together.
The explosive dust was ignited—erupting in a thunderous blast around the Teostra and kicking up a dense cloud of smoke.
When its vision cleared again, there was no sign of the Hunters.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it soared into the air—spotting the retreating Hunters far off in the distance.
Just as it prepared to give chase and vent its fury, something at the edge of its vision caught its eye: a black speck rapidly approaching from the distant sky.
A deep, instinctive resonance between Elder Dragons allowed it to immediately identify the newcomer.
It was that same bastard who attacked it at sea!
The Teostra’s rage swiftly faded, replaced by a wave of helpless frustration.
Casting one last icy glare at the retreating figures of the Research Commission, it turned and flew off toward the inner depths of the New World.
It admitted—yes, it couldn’t beat the Nergigante. But as an Elder Dragon capable of crossing oceans, it was still far stronger than those fledgling creatures—and not one to throw itself into a losing battle in a blind fit of pride.
It couldn’t win, but it could damn well escape!
The only thing it didn’t understand was—what the hell was that lunatic doing, refusing to let it go?
Thinking of Nergigante’s berserk fighting style—trading blow for blow with its overwhelming regenerative ability—the Teostra flapped its wings even faster.
Seeing that the Teostra hadn’t pursued, the Wyverian Hunter finally let out a long breath. Looking at the battered and soot-covered Hunters, a wave of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
They had made quite a few preparations for this battle with the Teostra.
Even knowing it was just a trial run—and that lasting this long without traps, ballistae, or cannon support was already far beyond expectations…
Still, there was no denying the sting of disappointment.
Shaking off the troubling thoughts, the group quickly found a shaded area and set up camp on the spot.
By this time, the effects of the cool drink had worn off. Only now did the Hunters truly feel the burning pain all over their bodies, and many of them were suffering from burns.
The Field Team Coordinator quickly pulled bandages, healing ointment, and Aqua Herbs from a small pouch, assisting the Hunters in removing their armor and applying medicine.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in this battle. The most severely injured was a Long Sword user, whose abdominal armor had been shattered by an explosive blast of fire, resulting in serious burns.
But with a plentiful supply of healing medicine, such wounds were not fatal. With proper rest and recovery, he’d be fine.
The Huntsman regained consciousness. He removed his helmet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then leaned against the wall with some help.
“Hiss... that smarts~”
Reaching up to touch his chest, he suspected a few of his ribs were broken.
Still, more than the broken ribs, the Huntsman felt a deeper pain for his armor. It was in such a state of disrepair, he wasn’t even sure if it could be fixed.
The Fire Wyverns in the New World were different from those in the Old World. If the materials weren’t compatible, then the armor that had accompanied him for over ten years—through countless hunts—might be forced into retirement.
“We failed.”
The Wyverian Hunter, with his arm wrapped in herbal poultice, sat down beside the Huntsman after drinking a healing potion, his tone heavy with disappointment.
Beyond the mission’s failure, one of his Kinsects had also been burned to death during the battle.
Training a good Kinsect was no easy task, let alone one he’d nurtured carefully for years.
Neither spoke. The two men sighed in perfect unison.
“Huntsman, your sword.”
Falcon dragged the Scorching Flame Wings to the Huntsman and placed it before him. He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
“Thanks!”
The Huntsman took it with one hand. Seeing the blade untouched, its chilling gleam still intact, a satisfied look flickered in his eyes.
This sword had not only taken a direct hit from the flame breath, but even after that, with the horns cushioning it, it still pierced the Teostra’s scales and dealt a significant wound.
That alone was enough to make the Huntsman abandon his lingering sentiment toward his old Rathian greatsword—he had fully moved on.
What a perfect sword!
“What is it? If you’ve got something to say, just say it. No need to be shy between comrades,” the Huntsman said with a smile, noticing Falcon’s hesitation.
“I... Please take me as your apprentice!”
Falcon had made up his mind. He suddenly bent forward and shouted his request.
“Huh?”
The Huntsman, having expected something serious, blinked in surprise. Curious, he asked, “Aren’t you a Dual Blades user? I don’t know how to use Dual Blades.”
Falcon bit his lip, slightly embarrassed. “I-I want to learn your swordsmanship! Not the Dual Blades!”
The Huntsman looked at Falcon’s determined expression, and suddenly recalled what he had said the night before about his dream.
'You want to master all weapons, huh...?' the Huntsman thought to himself, his gaze carrying a hint of appreciation as he looked at Falcon, waiting for a reply.
“I won’t take you as an apprentice.”
Falcon’s face fell instantly. Just as he was about to say something, the Huntsman continued. “But I’ll teach you seriously. How much you learn depends on you.”
Falcon froze for a moment, then a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.
“Yes! I’ll train seriously, Master!”
The Hunters watching the scene all burst into laughter.
The Teostra investigation mission of the Research Commission had ended in failure.
