In this head-on collision, the one who gained the upper hand was not the larger Velocidrome, but the hunter who only raised her weapon at the last moment.
The Velocidrome felt as if it had crashed into a massive boulder; its entire body was thrown backward uncontrollably.
Having executed a Perfect Guard without retreating a single step, Isis strode forward with a roar, swinging the Steel Gunlance I that had just unfolded from her left arm in a wide horizontal arc.
The blade, not particularly sharp but heavy enough, smashed into the Velocidrome's neck, brutally hacking open a wound down to the bone. Blood gushed forth.
Already off-balance and leaning back from the impact, the Velocidrome staggered sideways from this heavy blow. Before it could even steady itself, Isis's follow-up attack arrived.
Another powerful downward smash sent the stumbling Velocidrome crashing to the ground.
Not giving it a chance to rise, Isis planted her foot on the Velocidrome's neck. The blade at the gunlance's muzzle plunged downward, piercing the Velocidrome's throat and pinning its struggling, writhing head to the ground.
Then, she pulled the trigger.
"BOOM!"
Amidst the roar of the Wyvern's Fire, the point-blank eruption of explosive flames blew the Velocidrome's head to pieces. Blood and shattered bone splattered across the hunter's armor and the surrounding ground.
After a few spasms, the headless corpse lay completely still.
The Arena fell silent. Even the commentator in charge was momentarily stunned.
"RAAAAH!"
From the spectator stands, Lambert leaped from her seat, raising her arms high and shrieking.
This was it!
Blood! Fangs! Death! The clang of steel! The roar of gunpowder! The howls of monsters!
This was what she was looking for! This was the savage symphony she had always sought but never found!
The girl's roar ignited the stands like a spark.
Monsters of the Velocidrome's level were usually the "warm-up act" for Arena Challenges. Truly powerful hunters disdained choosing such opponents, and the guild wouldn't pit them against a Velocidrome either.
As for ordinary 2★ or even 3★ hunters, even if they could hunt a Velocidrome easily, they couldn't achieve such clean, brutal violence.
Isis's "performance" brought them an unprecedented thrill.
Facing the roaring crowd, Isis, who had never experienced anything like this, felt flustered. She even forgot the symbolic carving segment of the procedure.
She sheathed her weapon, turned around, and jogged out of the Arena.
Amidst the thunderous cheers, faint voices could be heard: "Forty-one seconds! New record!"
—--
Isis returned home, buzzing with excitement.
She had never imagined she could break a record. This was different from someone's personal praise; there was no room for polite consolation.
Her name hanging at the top of the leaderboard made her realize clearly for the first time that she might, perhaps, actually be... pretty good?
"Grandpa Amos! Did you go watch just now?"
Seeing Isis bouncing with joy, Amos was about to say, "It was just a Velocidrome, don't get complacent." But after a warning glance from Altaïr, he chuckled softly, patted Isis's shoulder, and said, "Of course I watched. You handled it beautifully."
If not for Altaïr's reminder, he hadn't quite noticed that Isis's current issue wasn't arrogance or complacency, but a lack of self-confidence.
"Hehehe," Isis giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "I told you! Choosing to go the Tank route was definitely the right choice!"
Hearing Isis bring this up, Amos couldn't hold back anymore.
There were things Isis wouldn't tell him but could discuss with her peer, Altaïr, matters of emotion and feeling.
But there were other things these youngsters couldn't judge, which he could see through, the result of insight and experience.
He beckoned for Isis to sit down first.
Realizing the grandfather and granddaughter were about to discuss something, Altaïr prepared to excuse himself. Unexpectedly, Amos stopped him too. "You're Isis's partner. Stay and listen."
Altaïr was puzzled but obediently found a seat.
"Isis, first, you need to understand one thing: Gunlances and Lances are the most suitable weapons for Tanks. That conclusion is not wrong.
But the reverse isn't necessarily true. Do you understand what I mean?" Amos said slowly.
"?" A question mark popped up over Isis's head.
Altaïr, however, began to grasp it. "You mean, as a Gunlance user, Isis is too biased towards offense?"
"No." Amos raised a hand, signaling him not to rush. "Defense and offense aren't matters of right or wrong, superiority or inferiority. They're just different approaches.
I'm saying this because I hope you both realize: don't use the concept of 'Tank' to confine Isis's style."
Worried his explanation wasn't clear enough, Amos continued, "Altaïr, and Isis herself, why do you think she's suited to be a Tank?"
Isis thought for a moment. "Altaïr suggested it first, but after trying it myself, I also felt a weapon with a large shield like the Gunlance suited me better."
Altaïr pondered longer before answering. "It was during the Barroth hunt. Isis chose more conservative defense several times when she had opportunities to attack. That's why I thought she might be better suited for that role."
Amos smiled. He looked at Altaïr and asked, "You know Isis isn't good at actively seizing offensive opportunities, right?"
Isis pouted, feeling exposed.
"Mhm, she's mentioned that's why she gave up using the Great Sword," Altaïr nodded in reply.
"Not being good at actively seizing offensive opportunities doesn't mean not being good at attacking. Let me put it this way: at least in my view, Isis is inherently more of an Attacker at heart, not some so-called Tank.
You think her offensive capability is lacking, likely because your own offensive nature is too strong. You probably think everyone's offense is lacking compared to yours."
Altaïr: "…"
Hard to argue with that.
"Let's take the most straightforward example. In today's fight, when the Velocidrome charged at her, do you think Isis rushing forward to clash with it was a defensive act or an offensive act?"
Without waiting for Altaïr's answer, Amos stated directly, "That's a classic offensive act. A Tank would choose to enter a defensive stance and receive the monster's attack.
Let's go further. After Isis used Perfect Guard to stagger the Velocidrome, she chose to step forward and slash. Do you think that was defense or offense?"
"This…"
"That's still a classic offensive act. A Tank would most likely choose to block and shell, or directly unleash Wyvern's Fire while the Velocidrome was stunned."
Altaïr and Isis looked at each other, speechless.
"Just holding a shield doesn't make you a Tank. If you swing the shield like a hammer and beat a monster to death with it, do you think that's something a Tank would do?" Amos asked with a smile.
Isis guiltily averted her eyes.
"…"
Having raised Isis from childhood and being intimately familiar with all her little habits, Amos fell silent for a few seconds, then asked helplessly, "So you've actually beaten a monster to death with your shield?"
"Hehehe," Isis giggled foolishly.
Amos sighed. "Sigh… Don't do that kind of thing anymore. Back to the original issue. Do you know why I taught Isis moves like Foresight Slash and Iai Slash so early?
That was actually one of the solutions I came up with for her problem. Since she's not good at actively seizing opportunities, fight with counters.
Unfortunately, that approach doesn't seem to have worked too well. Whether it's Foresight Slash or Iai Slash, the moment of counterattack still tests one's judgment of timing."
Altaïr nodded in deep agreement. There had been times before when Isis evaded a monster's attack with Foresight Slash but hesitated at the moment of executing the counter, resulting in her being sent flying by the monster.
"Both are counters, but you stumbled upon a path more suited to Isis by accident: defensive counters.
Using methods like Perfect Guard to force monsters to expose openings. These openings are much easier to seize than those for Foresight Slash and more likely to create pressure.
Isis suits the Gunlance not because she's a born Tank, but because the Gunlance is better suited for defensive counters and can better leverage Isis's strength advantage.
So, I'll say it again: don't confine yourself with 'Tank' thinking. Defense is for the sake of better offense."
Isis took this to heart, nodding vigorously.
"And one more thing," Amos began, then paused for a few seconds. "Judging from your aptitude for defensive counters, the Long Sword might truly not suit you.
But, the Great Sword… not necessarily."
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES — LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
SKILLS & TECHNIQUES
Perfect Guard — A high-precision defensive technique used by Gunlance and Lance hunters. By timing a guard at the exact moment a monster's attack connects, the hunter neutralizes the impact with minimal stamina loss and forces the monster into a brief stagger, creating an immediate window to counter-attack. Unlike a standard guard, a Perfect Guard turns defense into a proactive offensive tool.