A month had already passed since I arrived in the Monster Hunter world. While en route to the New World, our ship had the misfortune of colliding with the Elder Dragon 'Zorah Magdaros' and nearly sank. I had no choice but to save the Handler who was nearby. After that incident, she stuck to my side, constantly chattering about monsters.
"So, the first time we came here, that Great Jagrasβ"
"Sigh... Handler, that's the seventh time you've said that. Can't you give it a rest?"
"Why do you keep calling me 'Handler'?"
"It's a nickname. You call me 'Partner' too. Isn't 'Handler' cute?"
"Now that I think about it, it is kind of cute."
Just then, my Palico came running.
"Oh~ Alma."
"Meow meow meow! (My name isn't Alma, human!)"
The Palico frowned at me. I called him Alma because he had black markings around both eyes that looked like glasses.
"Meow meow meow. (The smithy says your weapons are ready, go pick them up.)"
"Oh~ really? Finally."
The Handler asked me.
"How can you understand Palico so well? We usually just guess from their actions and expressions..."
"Lack of love. Palicoes are love. Anyway, I need to go get my weapons."
Truthfully, it was thanks to Game Life. Normally, hunters don't specifically study Palico language β they just learn it naturally after living together for a long time. It's similar to Groot's language in Marvel.
I stood up and went to the smithy. When I arrived, the smith handed me two Rocket-Powered Great Swords.
"Here are the Rocket-Powered Great Swords you ordered. It took extra time since you wanted two. You'll be the first person to dual-wield Great Swords like Dual Blades. Anyway, you're a Fifth Fleet ace, so I put extra care into them."
"Thanks. Dual-wielding Great Swords is a dream of mine."
I took the Rocket-Powered Great Swords, paid the remaining balance, and went to My House. I checked them β sure enough, the metal was pig iron. It looked well-smelted, but far behind modern refining technology. The hunters in this world simply use brute force to cut through monsters.
"No wonder you have to keep hitting monsters over and over. How is this any different from just clubbing them?"
I immediately used [Matter Manipulation] to evenly rearrange the atomic structure of the Rocket-Powered Great Swords and change the material to Orichalcum. Since I planned to keep these as souvenirs, I modified them carefully. It would have been easier to make them from scratch, but a new weapon suddenly appearing would seem strange, so I chose this more cumbersome method.
There was a reason I chose dual-wielded Great Swords. Back when Monster Hunter World: Iceborne was announced, there were rumors that a new weapon type would be added. I'd fantasized that it might be a dual-wielded Great Sword. But when Iceborne came out, no such weapon existed.
"Sigh... Thinking about that still... oh well, I had fun anyway... Anyway, I'm hungry. Time to eat."
I went up to the canteen and ate the meal prepared by the Palicoes. In the month since arriving in the Monster Hunter world, I'd hunted like crazy. I wanted to move on to Iceborne quickly. But even after dealing with Zorah Magdaros, no matter how many monsters I hunted, the story refused to progress. Eventually, the Commander came to me and said:
"You! I know you fight well, but show some restraint. Are you trying to wipe out every monster in the New World? Effective immediately, you are prohibited from hunting. That's an order!"
So I was banned from hunting. Now I just stayed in Astera, crafting weapons, or went up to the Gathering Hub to flirt with the Quest Receptionist.
"Hey~ radiant goddess! Care for a drink with me?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm on duty. Perhaps this evening."
The Quest Receptionist and I weren't dating, but we had a good vibe, and I felt good news would come soon. However, she was a beauty popular with many other hunters. Since I kept making moves on her, the other hunters treated me as a pariah.
"How about that drink with me?"
The Admiral suddenly leaned in.
"Whoa, shit! A Rajang!"
"Rajang! Isn't that a bit harsh?"
"Oh, it's you, Admiral. What brings you here? You ignored me last time when I asked to switch receptionists."
"You know we're short-staffed. Besides, you two were hunting just fine together. So what's the problem?"
"Problem? Do you know how much trouble that woman's reckless behavior has caused me? Just give me 'Serious Handler' already. Or give me the pretty receptionist over there."
It was true. The Handler would wander around, getting us into unnecessary danger and making my life difficult. Even my Palico, Alma, didn't like her.
"Sigh... Fine! If you handle this next request, I'll switch your receptionist."
"Oh~ Really?"
"Yes, I promise."
The Admiral began explaining. While I was banned from hunting, Zorah Magdaros had altered the terrain. In the fissures of the Veil, subspecies had appeared, changing the ecosystem.
But if Nergigante were to emerge from the Veil, many Elder Dragons would flee outward, causing massive problems. To prevent this, they had tried to eliminate Nergigante, but failed repeatedly. So they came to ask for my help.
"I see. I'll take care of it quickly."
"Be careful. Nergigante is no easy foe."
"Just get ready to keep your promise."
I immediately called my Palico.
"Meow meow! Meow! (Human, this is such a hassle! Can't we go tomorrow?)"
"If you keep this up, no Churu for you."
I'd once given my Palico some Churu treats I'd brought from the modern world. He loved them and begged for them every day. So threatening to withhold Churu usually made him behave.
"Meow! Meow meow! Meow! (How sneaky! How can you do this! Fine, I'll go, I'll go!)"
And so, I went with my Palico to hunt Nergigante. Somehow having gotten word, the Handler was also at the provisional camp. The Admiral must have told her.
"Hey... is it true? That you said you don't want to hunt with me anymore?"
"Yes, we don't seem compatible. So let's each find our own partner from now on."
The Handler quietly sat with a dark expression, then asked me.
"Could you tell me why?"
"You're too reckless and create unnecessary danger. Because of that, I've been in trouble more than a few times. Honestly, Alma doesn't like you either. If you want to investigate, do it from a safe distance."
"Meow meow meow! (That's right, human!)"
"..."
My Palico strongly agreed. The Handler didn't say anything.
"Anyway, I'm going to hunt Nergigante. Stay here and don't do anything stupid."
Leaving those words, I departed with my Palico. Other hunters searched for tracks, but I didn't need that. I used [Kenbunshoku Haki] to find Nergigante immediately and started hunting.
"This is a true Leviβ Countershred!"
SHAK SHANK SHASHASHAAAA!
"GRAAAAAH!"
CRASH!
"Too easy!"
"Meow! (Too easy!)"
With the hunt over, it was carving time. It was easy to kill, but unlike in the game, in reality I had to do everything by hand, which took a lot of time. While I was struggling, my Palico sat beside me, sucking on Churu treats.
"Meow meow meow! (Delicious!)"
'You little... You're lucky you're cute.'
I took Nergigante's materials, picked up the Handler at the provisional camp, and returned to Astera. The Handler was silent the whole way back.
"Oh~ You actually got him!"
"Just get ready to keep your promise!"
"Alright! I'll take over as your receptionist myself! Hahahaha!"
The Admiral said he would personally be my receptionist. At first, I thought he was joking, but after some thought, I realized having the Admiral β who needed no rescuing β might actually be better.
"Fine. Looking forward to working with you."
"What! Are you serious?"
It seemed the Admiral had only suggested that because he thought I wouldn't want to work with him. But when I agreed, he was the one caught off guard.
"Yes! I'm serious."
"Hmm... You must really hate the other options. No choice then. Hey, you two β sorry, but I need to reassign your partners."
The Admiral instructed 'Lively Handler' and 'Serious Handler' to swap partners.
"What? Really? I was just getting along well with my partner..."
"Can't be helped. Since he hates it that much."
"Sigh... well, it can't be helped."
I also apologized to Lively Handler and Serious Handler.
"Sorry, we just didn't get along. I'll buy you a drink later."
"Okay, fine."
Just then, the Commander came and said to me.
"You, what happened this time was unavoidable, but your hunting ban is not lifted. Stand by."
"What?! Seriously... Fine."
I was flabbergasted, but complied. With me resting, Serious Handler also had nothing to do and rested with me. Then, about three days later, word came that Lively Handler and the Handler had disappeared.
"Geez... I knew this would happen. Fine, I'm done."
The Handler must have been reckless again, attracted Elder Dragons, and caused this mess. After being abandoned by her partner, I thought she might change, but she was still the same. Until now, I had been able to clean up the messes she caused, but ordinary hunters couldn't handle it.
I just passed the time napping at My House. Then the Commander urgently called for me. Several teams β including the Handler's β had gone missing. He asked me to search for them.
"I'm banned from hunting, remember? I don't want to."
"Don't you care about your fellow hunters?"
"I don't want to be used only when needed. If you're going to ban me, ban me properly."
"Sigh... This is insane... Fine, fine. You win. I will no longer restrict your actions."
With that promise, I went to search with Serious Handler. Some Elder Dragons attacked us, but for the sake of time, I quickly sliced them down.
"Wow~ You're amazing. I'd heard rumors, but I didn't know you were this strong."
Every time I cut down an Elder Dragon, Serious Handler gasped in admiration. Eventually, we found one team β one member was half-devoured and dead, the other was hiding in a cave, trembling. We put him on a Wingdrake and sent him back to Astera, then continued searching.
We eventually found Lively Handler. She had lost a leg and was near death. I quickly healed her wounds and used a heal.
"Cough... water..."
While I treated her wounds, Serious Handler gave her water.
Gulp, gulp.
Given her condition, it was a miracle she had survived. I carried Lively Handler on my back and returned to Astera with Serious Handler.
People quickly gathered to treat Lively Handler. The Commander asked me.
"Did you find anything?"
"Strangely, the Elder Dragons were all gathered near the Veil."
The Commander thought for a moment, then asked again.
"We still have missing personnel. Please continue the search."
"Fine."
Serious Handler kept fidgeting, worried about Lively Handler, so this time I went alone back to the Veil to search for the missing. My [Kenbunshoku Haki] only detected Elder Dragons, so it seemed the missing were already dead. Still, I decided to retrieve their personal effects. Using [Jack Sparrow's Compass], I found the Handler's belongings inside a pile of dung left by an Elder Dragon.
"In the end, she became dung."
I picked up a stick, scooped the Handler's belongings out of the dung, washed them off with magic, wrapped them in cloth, and stored them. I continued searching for the others, but they too had become dung. I collected their belongings as well. Then I picked up the half-devoured corpse I'd seen earlier and returned to Astera.
The Commander looked bitter as he saw the belongings and the corpse. He addressed everyone.
"Sigh... Everyone rest today. We'll hold the funeral tomorrow."
I could have prevented this if I had stepped in. But I didn't want to. I wasn't particularly attached to them, and I didn't want to be criticized for disobeying the Commander's orders. Knowing my skills and choosing not to use me β that was their fault. Still, I felt a little sorry for Lively Handler. If she had been with Serious Handler, she might have been safe.
Later, when Lively Handler regained consciousness, I heard that β as I had suspected β the Handler was reckless, attracted the Elder Dragon Kushala Daora, and they were forced to fight. But Kushala was so powerful they couldn't land a single hit. As they desperately held on and were about to die, the Handler sacrificed herself to save Lively Handler.
'She cleaned up the mess she made and turned into dung. She was a magnificent piece of dung.'
Anyway, after the funeral, the investigation of the Veil began. With no more restrictions, I started slaughtering Elder Dragons indiscriminately. It was definitely easier working with Serious Handler. She didn't do anything reckless and focused entirely on support.
"Wow~ I can barely even remember the Handler's face anymore."
As I was slaughtering my way through, the Commander called me and pleaded with me to focus less on hunting and more on capturing. So I reluctantly switched to capturing Elder Dragons. In the game, Elder Dragons cannot be captured, but with my abilities, it was possible. The only problem was that I had to beat them senseless first β they weren't in great condition β but they were still captured alive.
Despite how tiring it must have been, Serious Handler followed me without complaint. My Palico was fine as long as I gave him Churu. And whenever a particularly strong monster appeared, I didn't forget to kill it and turn it into a Shadow Soldier.
Then, the Hunter from the Commission suddenly called Serious Handler and me to the Veil.
"Bioenergy is abnormally gathering in one spot. I'm going to head there now. I would appreciate your help."
Finally, it seemed I would be able to hunt the final boss of World β Xeno'jiiva.