Over the next two weeks, Altaïr participated in several more Arena Challenges, honing his new technique through actual combat.
Just as Master Amos had said, Devouring Demon was not easy to master.
The microorganisms inside his body did mitigate some of the harm caused by boiling his blood. However, whenever he could not strike a Monster and absorb flesh and blood from an outside source, Devouring Demon inflicted even more damage on him than it did on other practitioners.
After all, he was human. His body did not possess the energy reserves of a Radiant Dragon.
To accelerate his healing, the highly active microorganisms would consume his own flesh and blood for energy, leaving him even weaker.
This made the technique a true double-edged sword.
If he chose the right moment, he could inflict severe damage on the Monster while absorbing enough flesh and blood to heal his wounds rapidly. That would also resolve the internal injuries caused by the successive bursts of fighting spirit.
But if his timing was wrong, if the Monster interrupted his attack or forced him to keep his distance... his stamina would run dry, and he would collapse within moments. Even deactivating the technique early would not help much; he would still be left in an extremely weakened state.
During his last Arena Challenge, against a Nargacuga, he had encountered just such a situation.
The instant he activated Devouring Demon, the Nargacuga leaped away. If he had not closed the distance with Instant Slash and continued his pursuit, the Hunt might well have ended in failure.
That was why Sajji had given the technique a new name: Felyne Blade Rakshasa.
The name won the approval of quite a few people, Isis among them.
Meanwhile, Altaïr repeatedly traded wounds with Monsters in savage battles as he worked to master Devouring Demon. Beneath that crimson blade light, no Monster was left with an intact corpse. His exceptionally bloody fighting style left a profound impression on both the spectators and the Hunters present.
Certain less-than-flattering epithets soon began to spread...
—--
A fierce wind raced through the jungle. The purple-black shell blended almost perfectly into the forest at night, making the creature's movements difficult to track.
Against such an opponent, relying on sight alone was nowhere near enough.
Hearing, sensitivity to vibrations, the feel of the wind against the skin, even smell... every sense had to be brought to bear.
"Got you!"
Lambert spun around with a low shout and swung her Hunting Horn, sending out an Echo Wave.
To her surprise, before the invisible sound wave struck its target, the purple-black Monster twisted its head and spat out a blazing fireball.
The fireball collided with the sound wave and exploded with a bang.
Without the slightest pause, several more fireballs tore through the lingering flames and hurtled toward the Hunter.
With no time for a better response, Lambert gritted her teeth, sprinted a few steps, and dove behind a large tree, hoping its trunk would shield her from the relentless breath attack.
Firelight flashed through the forest. A fireball struck the tree sheltering the Hunter. With a sharp crack, the trunk shattered and the tree toppled, its blazing crown transformed into a gigantic torch.
Dazed by the close-range explosion and the piercing ring in her ears, Lambert braced herself with both hands and gritted her teeth as she rose.
With that speed and that much power, there was definitely something wrong with this creature!
Lambert struggled to raise her head, then froze.
It was not especially large. Compared with others of its kind, it could even be called slender and petite. Its silhouette blotted out the moonlight.
A single bloodshot eye gleamed with cruelty.
"GAAO!" With a piercing shriek, it swept its thorn-covered tail toward her, the overflowing venom giving the spikes a fluorescent green glow.
Lambert barely had time to raise her weapon before the venomous tail sent her flying into a nearby tree.
Blood spilled from her mouth.
The shock coursing through her body, the potent poison, and the exhaustion of the prolonged battle overwhelmed her all at once.
The young Hunting Horn user lost consciousness.
Just as the ferocious Monster charged in, its sharp beak poised to tear the Hunter apart, several small figures burst from the shadows of the jungle.
They were wild Felynes.
Some blew horns to distract the Monster, while others scrambled to drag the unconscious Hunter onto a crude cart.
"Retreat, meow!"
Pushed by the Felynes, the cart hurtled away with speed and agility far beyond anything even a Large Monster could match, bouncing and swerving as it vanished into the forest at night.
The Monster was left behind, thrashing and crashing into everything like a mad beast as it vented its unspent rage.
A few dozen minutes later, the cart carrying the Hunter returned to camp. The Felyne pushing it brutally tipped it over, dumping the barely breathing Hunter onto the ground.
"Holy shit!" Hearing the commotion, Chia ran out of the tent and cursed at the sight of Lambert lying beside the campfire, barely breathing.
"Vari! Antidote!" he shouted over his shoulder as he pried Lambert's mouth open and poured a Potion down her throat.
Vari came running with Antidotes and bandages. After a frantic struggle, the two finally managed to stabilize Lambert's condition.
Only after breathing a sigh of relief did they have a moment to look at the Felynes that had brought her back.
The one at their head was a very strange-looking Felyne.
Unlike most Felynes, which had a patch of dark fur around the nose, this one's dark fur encircled its mouth and eyes.
It looked... anything but trustworthy.
It held out a paw to Chia. "Just as we agreed, meow. We stayed close behind her and dragged her back as soon as she was in danger, meow. In return, you owe us a larger share of the reward, meow."
"I know, half the reward, right?" Chia grumbled as he pulled out his coin pouch, counted out 3000z, and handed it over.
By custom, Felynes who pushed the cart took one-third of a Hunter's reward as payment for saving their life.
This Felyne, however, had approached them as soon as they reached camp and offered a higher-priced "custom service." In exchange, the Felynes would remain near Lambert at all times, ensuring they could rescue her the moment she failed.
It was almost as though the Felyne had been certain Lambert would fail...
Lambert had initially refused. She had picked up the Felyne and was preparing to kick it out of camp when Vari and Chia agreed on her behalf.
This was Lambert's promotion assessment quest for 4★. As mere 3★ Hunters, they could not accompany her and had no choice but to wait at camp for news.
Spending a little extra was like buying insurance for their companion. Who would have thought it would actually pay off?
Lambert was strong enough to face a Rathian head-on. Even if hunting a Yian Garuga did not go perfectly, she should at least have been able to retreat safely.
How had she ended up carting?
The strange-looking Felyne cheerfully finished counting the money and carefully stowed it in the small pouch it carried.
"Since you paid without making a fuss, I'll tell you something, meow. That black maniac is no ordinary Monster, meow. I saw it beat a Rathalos with my own eyes, meow.
"For your own sake, you'd better retreat, meow. That isn't an opponent you can handle, meow."
Chia glared at the Felyne. "Why didn't you tell us something this important sooner?!"
The strange-looking Felyne gave him a sidelong sneer. "If I'd told you earlier, would you have believed me, meow? Or would you have thought we were trying to scare you just to raise the price, meow?"
"You..." Chia had no answer.
"All right, Archi." The easygoing Vari patted Chia on the shoulder, counted another 1000z from his own coin pouch, and handed it to the Felyne.
"Thank you for risking yourself to rescue our companion. This is an extra token of our gratitude."
The Felyne looked at him in mild surprise, then accepted the money without hesitation. "You humans are surprisingly generous, meow."
"Chief, you said this Yian Garuga is different from ordinary ones and has even beaten a Rathalos. Could you tell us more about it?"
"So that's what you're after, meow." The Felyne's eyes shifted, and the dark fur around its mouth made its expression look especially cunning. It held out a paw. "Another 2000z, and I'll tell you everything I know, meow."
Veins bulged on Chia's forehead as he reached for the sword of his Charge Blade. "What the hell? You must have a death wish--"
"Calm down! Calm down!" Vari hurriedly held his hot-tempered companion back.
"I'll give you the 2000z." A hoarse voice came from beside the campfire. At some point, Lambert had opened her eyes.
"Tell me everything."