Compared to the lavish meals cooked by a professional Chef Meow team, the evening feast prepared by the fishing village's residents could only be described as frugal to the point of meager.
Durable black rye bread paired with unidentified plant tubers, supplemented by dried goods made from salted fish, shrimp, and shellfish, along with a clear broth boiled with seaweed and other marine plants, regardless of how it tasted, the portions weren't enough to let anyone eat their fill.
There was no helping it; before this, the fishing grounds had been occupied by a Plesioth, and even these reserve supplies were what they had carefully rationed and specifically saved for emergencies.
The hunters and Palicos weren't picky eaters, which actually made the Village Chief and the elders feel quite embarrassed. They kept apologizing and begged them to stay a couple more days.
Now that the Plesioth occupying the bay had been dealt with, once they set sail tomorrow, they were sure to bring back a bountiful catch. By then, they would prepare a truly sumptuous seafood feast for them.
Altaïr and the others naturally declined politely. The quest was already complete, and there was no need to overstay their welcome just for a seafood meal.
Just as the Village Chief and the elders were feeling ashamed and pained over their inability to properly host their benefactors, the young men who had gone to process the Plesioth's carcass returned.
They brought back a large amount of meat, as well as edible air bladders, livers, and such.
According to them, that Plesioth was simply too big; transporting all the meat couldn't be finished in just one or two trips. In order not to neglect their guests, the Old Hunter leading them had them bring back one batch first.
With this meat, the village women's culinary skills finally had a chance to shine.
They sliced the large pieces of Plesioth meat thinly, briefly marinated them with sea salt, sprinkled them with dried shrimp, and steamed them together with the bland plant tubers in a large pot.
When the lid was lifted, the saliva of Isis, who had repeatedly claimed just moments ago that she was already full, began to flow again.
As Altaïr tasted the steamed Plesioth meat that could finally be called a delicacy, he noted down the preparation steps, planning to try the steaming method himself later.
The fishing village didn't produce grains, and because their income had suffered recently due to the Plesioth's rampage, the village naturally had no reserves of alcohol.
With the earlier lack of ingredients, there was nothing they could do, but now that a large batch of fresh meat had been delivered, to compensate for the lack of alcohol, the fishermen began putting their utmost effort into serving dish after dish.
It wasn't until even Isis truly couldn't eat another bite that the Village Chief and elders finally let them return to rest.
—--
In the simple, modest, but quite cleanly swept thatched hut, Isis, lying flat on the wooden plank bed, clutched her stomach and moaned softly, clearly having overeaten.
Altaïr, sleeping on a floor mat, twitched the corner of his mouth. He wasn't worried about her indigestion; her digestive system seemed to be made of iron; she'd be fine after a brief rest.
"The one-year period we promised to Master Amos should be almost up, right?" Altaïr suddenly spoke up.
Isis stopped her moaning, counted on her fingers for a bit, then nodded. "It is almost time, yep."
After leaving Dundorma, they had considered returning to Val Habar, but Amos's advice had dissuaded them from that idea.
Having grown up in the desert and even joined the Loc Lac Rangers, Altaïr's field combat experience couldn't be said to be lacking, but that experience was limited to "desert terrain."
For other types of terrain, he couldn't say he knew nothing, but he truly had no practical experience with them.
Unless Altaïr planned to spend his whole life in desert regions, becoming a true desert combat specialist, it was better to take advantage of this year for settling down and traveling around more, experiencing things he hadn't encountered before.
And so, the two humans and two Felynes began riding Airships and traveling all over the place.
They hunted the elusive Malfestio in the woods, hunted Royal Ludroth that occupied stream watering holes, drove out Congalala that were destroying specialty mushroom-gathering grounds, and saw through Gypceros playing dead to ambush in the swamps...
After this year, claiming proficiency in all terrains would be an exaggeration, but at least they wouldn't suddenly trip over tree roots during a fight in the Jungle anymore.
This could be considered, to some extent, filling the gap in their single-terrain experience.
"So next, should we continue hunting 3★ Monsters to accumulate experience, or should we prepare to advance to 4★?" Altaïr asked very directly and with a lot of confidence.
After this year of settling and experience accumulation, saying promotion to 4★ was a sure thing might be a bit of an exaggeration, but they probably had a seventy to eighty percent chance of success.
Even if they failed unexpectedly, with the cover of their hunting partners, they could retreat safely.
Isis, lying flat on the bed as if forgetting her overstuffed stomach, rolled over, letting her head hang over the edge of the bed. She looked down at Altaïr on the floor mat, her expression excited.
"I think we can prepare for the promotion! But we have to carefully choose the target for the Rank-Up Quest. What do you think about choosing a Rathalos?"
"I support it, meow!" Clawdia, squeezed next to Isis, was the first to jump up.
Altaïr's face immediately darkened. "The Rathalos's threat level was revised from 4★ to 5★ several years ago.
Even in the past, the Rathalos was one of the most dangerous among 4★ Monsters. Who chooses a Rathalos for their 4★ promotion challenge?"
Isis blinked. "My dad did!"
"Your dad... your father was... different..." Altaïr sighed helplessly. "Let's first find a more suitable target, prioritize completing the promotion, and then depending on the situation, consider whether to upgrade our equipment before gradually considering challenging more powerful opponents."
"Alright," Isis puffed out her cheeks.
Clawdia could only grumble and lie back down.
Before leaving Dundorma, Amos had told Isis to listen to Altaïr more, making her feel like her own words weren't as effective as Altaïr's now.
Altaïr got up from the floor mat and sat cross-legged. "Actually, I've been thinking about this for a while.
First, the Rank-Up Quest must be completed solo, so the target can't be chosen too difficult. If successful promotion is the top priority, we could choose subspecies of 3★ Monsters like Blue Yian Kut-Ku, Emerald Congalala, or Purple Gypceros as our first options.
These Monsters aren't drastically different in strength from their original species. As long as we prepare specifically, we should be able to hunt them successfully and complete the promotion.
The only drawback is that these subspecies are quite rare, so getting a quest for one would mostly be a matter of luck."
"..." Isis frowned. Though she didn't say it outright, it was clear she didn't want to be so utilitarian.
"Fine, I knew you wouldn't go for it." Altaïr pursed his lips. "The second option: based on the premise 'we are strong and will definitely complete the hunt successfully,' we choose based on the practical utility of the target's materials.
Garuga Armor Set and Ceanataur Armor Set are both quite suitable offensive armor sets for me. After a successful hunt, we could also upgrade our equipment along the way.
For you, the Basarios Armor Set. I hear that's the best defensive armor below 5★. You could choose a Basarios as your target."
"This is good, yeah!" Isis laughed happily.
Upgrading to better equipment to boost strength, then challenging stronger Monsters, that's the right pace! Only picking easy Monsters to ensure a smooth promotion, that's just too boring!
Altaïr lay back down on the floor mat with an expressionless face.
Before leaving Dundorma, Master Amos had repeatedly told him to help keep an eye on these two, whose brains weren't quite in order, and not let them do anything reckless.
He'd gone to great pains to get Isis to willingly choose a suitable target...
To be honest, he'd never really seriously considered choosing something like a Blue Yian Kut-Ku from the start.
But Isis was the type whose muscles replaced her brains, and her hunting partner Clawdia was even crazier. If left to their own devices, he could already imagine the scene:
Under Clawdia's urging, Isis would slam her hand on the Quest Counter, shouting that she wanted to challenge a Rathalos.
The guild receptionist would awkwardly inform them that Rathalos had been revised to a 5★ threat level, so they couldn't choose it.
Then the two would put their heads together: "The Rathian is still 4★? Then a Rathian would do, let's make do with that!"
And then get carted back by the Felynes...
Compared to the "Queen of the Land," who can fly, breathe fire, has venomous tail spikes, and might, with bad luck, attract a Rathalos to join the fight...
The dumb, slow-moving Basarios, whose only notable feature is its rock-hard carapace, was absolutely adorable.
And the armor crafted from its materials is quite useful too, so you should indeed go hunt a Basarios.
(End of chapter)
(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.
MONSTERS
Royal Ludroth — A large Leviathan-class predator found near rivers, coastlines, and other bodies of water. The male's most distinctive feature is a thick collar of yellow sponge tissue around its neck, which stores moisture for travel on land. It attacks with rolling charges, tail sweeps, and globs of sticky mucus capable of inflicting Waterblight, a status effect that impairs stamina recovery. Female Ludroth are significantly smaller and travel in packs, while the male Royal Ludroth is a solitary territorial creature. Threat level 3★.
Basarios — A juvenile Rock Wyvern with a carapace so dense and stone-textured that it is nearly impossible to distinguish from boulders when partially buried in the ground. Hunters have been ambushed by what they believed to be ordinary rocks. Basarios attacks with body slams and clouds of toxic gas; its thick shell resists most cutting and blunt damage. The armor crafted from its materials is considered among the best defensive gear available below high rank. Threat level 4★.
Rathian — The female counterpart to Rathalos, commonly called the "Queen of the Land." Where the Rathalos dominates the skies, the Rathian is primarily a ground combatant, relying on powerful charges, fire breath, and a backflip tail whip that delivers potent venom. She is fiercely territorial and will defend her nest aggressively. Rathian and Rathalos sometimes share overlapping ranges; encountering one may draw the attention of the other. Threat level 4★.
Yian Garuga — A large and unusually aggressive Bird Wyvern with dark, almost black-purple scales and a spiked, venom-laden tail. Its combat profile blends aerial mobility, fire breath, and relentless physical pressure in a way that puts it well above most Bird Wyverns in danger rating. Its materials are used to forge poison-element weapons and durable armor sets. Threat level 4★.
Shogun Ceanataur — A large Carapaceon that wears the skull of a large horned wyvern, typically Monoblos or Diablos, as a shell over its abdomen. It attacks with sweeping pincers and extendable bladed arms. Its hard materials are prized for crafting high-sharpness weapons, particularly Long Swords and blades requiring raw cutting power. Threat level 4★.