After having the Gunlance shoved deep into its throat and forcibly enduring a Wyvern's Fire, the Yian Kut-Ku's esophagus and trachea were blown apart, and a huge open wound exploded on the back of its neck.
In the low, wheezing breaths leaking out, the Yian Kut-Ku was barely clinging to life, with no strength left to stand up again.
Isis intensified her assault and quickly concluded the battle.
The bell announcing the end of the hunt rang, and the timer was stopped.
This time, she finally didn't forget to carve the corpse, and the time taken for the hunt was announced by the host.
A bit regrettably, in this arena hunt, she didn't break the previous records, nor even managed to rank within the top ten.
Unlike the Velocidrome, which is at the bottom in terms of strength and unpopular, the Yian Kut-Ku can showcase a challenger's ability while not being as dangerous as truly large Flying Wyverns, so it has always been a hotspot for enthusiasts "grinding scores."
Among the top ten record holders, more than half are Heavy Bowgun users, with a few scattered records from Light Bowgun and Great Sword users. As for weapons like the Gunlance, they hardly appear on the rankings.
Isis's performance this time couldn't compare to those Heavy Bowgun users whose methods have almost become "routine," but among Blademasters, it was quite outstanding, surpassing the standard line for S Rank evaluation.
The viewing experience of the battle process was also far above those formulaic hunts, which could be heard from the enduring cheers and applause from the spectator stands.
Regarding this arena challenge, whether it was the event organizers, the audience, or Isis herself, everyone was quite satisfied.
After quickly completing the carving, Isis bowed to the spectator stands on all sides and waved vigorously before happily leaving the arena amidst the audience's good-natured laughter.
—--
Returning to the preparation room, before she could even remove her armor and weapons, Francesca and Clawdia rushed in like they were racing.
"Little Isis!"
"So amazing, meow!"
The human and cat surrounded her, showering her with praise, making her feel a bit embarrassed.
Altaïr and Amos were a few steps slower than them. Altaïr smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, while Amos also looked quite pleased, patting her arm.
"Well done."
"Hehehe..." Isis rubbed the back of her head and grinned foolishly.
But then, Amos's smile suddenly faded. "However, someone wasn't too satisfied with your performance."
"Huh?"
Isis hadn't quite reacted yet when she saw an elderly man, about Amos's age, walk in from outside the door.
He was burly, with broad shoulders; even through the heavy leather coat, one could see his prominently raised deltoids, and he was also taller than Isis.
Isis quickly bowed slightly. She didn't recognize this elder, but felt he looked familiar; perhaps she had seen him when she was young.
Francesca recognized his identity, lifting her skirt slightly and performing a simplified lady's bow.
"My name is Fabius." Fabius briefly stated his name, his gaze sizing up Isis several times.
Her frame wasn't small, but her muscle mass was average, even somewhat slender. Where did this child get such arm strength? It could only be said that there are some exceptionally gifted people in this world.
"Hello, I'm Isis." Isis bowed again, simultaneously trying hard to recall this somewhat familiar name.
Couldn't recall...
Francesca sidled up to Isis and whispered a reminder, "Lance user of the Ace Hunters, Julius's teammate, high-ranking Guild member."
"Ah! It's you!" Isis finally recalled a bit.
Uncle Julius is father's senior fellow apprentice; she had met him a few times. She had also met this elder when she was very young, but at that time his hair wasn't so white.
"At your age, having this level of skill is quite remarkable, but there's a significant deficiency in defense. Amos asked me to give you some pointers." Fabius didn't beat around the bush, stating directly.
His tone wasn't severe, but Isis instinctively straightened her chest and shouted, "Yes!"
"My time is limited; perhaps I can't teach you much, but at least I can help you understand the way of defense better.
"After seven tonight, come to the training ground behind the Guild Hall. Don't be late." After saying this, Fabius nodded slightly to Amos and then turned and left the preparation room.
"Seize the opportunity, learn well." Amos smiled faintly.
"Fabius is among the top-tier defenders. Among current hunters, even counting retired ones, the number of defenders who can be compared with him can be counted on one hand.
"Your foundation in defense is too weak; logically, there's no need to have someone of Fabius's level instruct you.
"But... getting familiar with him will be beneficial for you both."
—--
To avoid being late, after dinner, Isis set out from home and arrived at the training ground located behind the People's Tavern.
Following Amos's suggestion, Altaïr also came along.
His coordination is good, he learns quickly; even if he won't frequently use defensive weapons in the future, knowledge like this, storing more is never harmful.
Moreover, Isis's memory isn't particularly good; Amos worried that after Fabius teaches her something, she might forget it before even practicing it thoroughly, possibly needing Altaïr, who has astonishing muscle memory and loves taking notes, to help with remedial lessons later.
When they arrived at the training ground, it was just six o'clock, still an hour before the agreed time. The two each took training weapons from the rack and practiced independently.
Around fifteen minutes before seven, Fabius also arrived near the training ground.
Noticing Isis, and that young Long Sword user Amos often brings along, said to be very talented, were training, he didn't approach immediately but found a somewhat hidden spot to quietly observe.
Isis was practicing lance swings, occasionally mixing in shield bash actions, which made his head ache a bit.
In this era, young people willing to honestly become defenders are truly becoming fewer.
He shifted his gaze to Altaïr.
The training ground is also a public space; to avoid unnecessary attention, Altaïr wasn't randomly practicing those moves that normal hunters would consider reckless.
Instead, he was properly swinging and practicing with the Hammer.
Wait, why the Hammer?
Practicing casually for fun? No, the swing movements are very standard, stable center of gravity, inertia usage very smooth; this is clearly systematically trained, to a degree that it can be completely applied to actual combat.
As a Long Sword user, practicing the Hammer as a secondary weapon to adapt to different hunting needs is still reasonable.
Fabius was thinking this when he saw Altaïr put down the Hammer, picked up the Sword and Shield, a while later, successively changed to Great Sword, Long Sword, Dual Blades.
Then the Switch Axe, the Insect Glaive, even the Hunting Horn was picked up and played with a few times, also looked decent, but the proficiency was obviously not as good as the previous ones.
"All-round type like Aiden?" the elder muttered to himself.
Seeming to lament something, Fabius shook his head and walked into the training ground.
Seeing the elder arrive, Isis and Altaïr quickly stopped their actions and returned the training weapons to the rack.
Under Fabius's gaze, Altaïr's expression stiffened slightly.
The other party did not invite him, nor did they agree to give him guidance, but he still came on his own initiative. Although Amos said it was okay, there was still some awkwardness.
Fortunately, Fabius took the initiative to break the awkwardness. "You're called Altaïr, right? I heard the Guild Manager mention you, same age as Isis, also 3★?"
"Yes." Altaïr bowed slightly, showing respect.
"You seem to know quite a few weapons."
"Yeah, I learn things relatively quickly, so I practice a variety, but only Long Sword, Great Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, and Hammer are truly proficient." Altaïr honestly replied.
Fabius stared at him, his voice echoing: "I see you basically practiced all close-range weapons, even didn't even let Hunting Horn go, but you just bypassed all defensive weapons, do you hate defense that much?"
Altaïr was momentarily embarrassed.
He understood the implied meaning; since you hate defense so much, why are you coming to me?
"No... not hate, just not good at, so I shamelessly wanted to make up for my shortcomings..." Altaïr laughed drily in reply.
Seeing Altaïr's insincerity, Fabius snorted.
"You two, take Large Shields, follow me."
(Translated by yourtl.app)
─────────────────────────────────────────
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.
EQUIPMENT
Heavy Bowgun — A large, immobile ranged weapon capable of firing a wide variety of powerful ammunition types. Its high firepower and versatility make it a dominant choice in timed arena challenges, though it sacrifices mobility for raw output.
Light Bowgun — A lighter, more mobile ranged weapon. It trades the Heavy Bowgun's raw power for speed and agility, allowing hunters to reposition quickly while maintaining a steady stream of shots.
Hunting Horn — A blunt weapon resembling a large horn instrument. Hunters attack with it using wide swinging motions, and specific attack combinations produce musical notes that trigger buff melodies benefiting the hunter and their allies. It occupies a unique dual role as both a combat weapon and a support tool.
CONCEPTS & SYSTEMS
Blademaster — A general classification for hunters who primarily use close-range melee weapons, as opposed to Gunners who use ranged weapons. Blademaster armor typically offers higher physical defense.
S Rank — A performance evaluation tier awarded in Arena Challenges based on completion time. Achieving S Rank indicates a hunt was completed well within the target time and is considered a mark of high skill.