If one had to summarize Lancer's current situation, it'd probably be like this...
Someone's thoroughly exhausted after a big battle...
And as for the specific scene————right now, Lancer was sprawled out next to the corpse of a certain 'monster', gasping heavily, while at his side sat three equally breathless… 'cats'?
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[WELFARE SIDE-MISSION | NONE | 72H]
Facing the stooped, elderly granny standing before him, Lancer wore an exceptionally complicated expression. He honestly felt like slapping himself. At first, he'd thought that a so-called "Welfare World" would mean lots of PAPAPA, or maybe an ero-anime world like "Taimanin" or "Kuroinu"—but who knew it would turn out to be a world where equipment and skills were easier to obtain? Ah~
To be fair, Lancer couldn't entirely be blamed for having a head full of milky-white fluid. He'd really been suppressing himself far too harshly these past six months!
Back when he'd saved the Fueguchi mother and daughter, he'd almost slipped into evil mode. But whenever he thought about how she'd only agree out of desperation to protect her daughter, he couldn't help but feel it wouldn't be any different than playing with an inflatable doll. As for making a move on Hinami Fueguchi… he wasn't scum!
It wasn't as if he hadn't considered going to a brothel, which was legal here in Japan. But shortly after joining the CCG, he'd heard a story about an Investigator who'd gone to a brothel and gotten killed by a Ghoul halfway through…
Initially, it was fear of dying. Later, considering his growing notoriety among the Ghouls, coupled with the reality that stepping outside basically guaranteed a Ghoul ambush, he could only give up helplessly. Dying randomly in a brothel instead of on the battlefield would be way too ridiculous.
Thus, Lancer often thought he might be stuck in a permanent state of "Hormones 100%". Whether it was a buff or a debuff depended entirely on personal opinion.
The elderly granny standing before Lancer had no clue what this strangely dressed man was thinking. She was simply faithfully carrying out her responsibilities as the Village Chief.
"You must be the Hunter from outside the region, yes? You can freely choose any task here, but I advise you to do your best within your capabilities. Though a Hunter's duty is to hunt monsters, only those who survive have a future."
Though Lancer's mind was wandering, he politely received the scroll handed over to him with both hands.
Inside the scroll were no detailed explanations, just dozens of task 'titles'. Many of them were already crossed out, presumably completed. And now, Lancer finally realized exactly what kind of 'world' he'd landed in.
Though Lancer didn't know exactly which generation he was in, it was certain—this was the world of "Monsters Tormenting Humans"!
That's right! It's "Monster Tormenting Humans," not "Monster Hunter"!
When Lancer was still on Earth, there were already plenty of recommendations for masochistic games, but the MH series remained deeply memorable, being a gateway for countless people into masochism.
The game was notoriously unfriendly to newcomers. Even normal small monsters without bosses could cart a new player who didn't grasp the weapon mechanics. Particularly infamous was the newbie-killer, the "Bullfango". Countless newbies, who'd barely defeated the Velocidrome, excitedly ran to challenge other bosses only to instantly learn the terror of "Dragon (Pig) Carting".
After reminiscing a while, he began scanning the tasks. First off, the Tigrex was an instant PASS. Though in-game he could hammer-charge interrupt the Tigrex's attacks, in this real world, he'd better not try it. Especially since the mission description glowed ominously blood-red, clearly warning him he'd be severely screwed—maybe even directly GG. Who knew if cat carts even existed here?
Being completely unfamiliar with this world, he set his sights on the "Yellow" and "Green" difficulty tasks.
One-star missions: direct PASS. They were all basic gathering, or trivial small monster hunts. The grey color showed they posed no threat whatsoever—pure waste of time.
Two-star enemies were mainly Yian Kut-Ku, Velocidrome, Congalala, and Cephadrome. Green indicated no threat, but he wasn't satisfied. Either the monsters were too weak or way too gross. Congalala stank horribly, and Cephadrome required Sonic Bombs. This wasn't a game, he had no Combo Book, no money for materials, and didn't want to deal with the stink either. Better see what's next; he'd only consider these as a last resort.
Three-star monsters looked more normal: Khezu, Velocidrome, Plesioth, Daimyo Hermitaur, Gypceros.
This rank seemed just right for him. A "Recommended" tag hovered above these tasks on the scroll, clearly favored by the system.
Wanting more but afraid to risk too much—humans truly were contradictory creatures…
But just as his eyes roamed randomly, suddenly he spotted one task that made his eyes shine!
"I've decided!"
"Chosen already? I'll register it for you then—which one is it?"
"Five-star mission! Ultimate—"
...
After choosing the mission, Lancer thought he'd immediately head out, but surprisingly, the granny suggested he first eat his fill before leaving.
Though knowing she meant well, he couldn't shake off a strange feeling that it was "a last meal before execution."
Next, guided by a bipedal, walking "meow," Lancer entered the Gathering Hall, and then...
Damn, that smells amazing!!
This time Lancer genuinely wasn't exaggerating. Crab pincers thicker than his arm, slabs of roasted meat of similar size, plus a small basin of hearty vegetable stew.
Honestly, at first glance, he'd thought it impossible to finish. But once he started eating, he realized he'd underestimated the sheer 'black-tech' (or was it magic?) of this world. The portion seemed overwhelming, but after eating, there wasn't any uncomfortable fullness—instead, he felt power coursing through him.
When he opened his stats panel afterward, he realized it wasn't just his imagination.
[BUFFS]:
FELYNE MEAL | DURATION: 48:00
ATTACK UP (LARGE) | +50 STAMINA
"Thanks, Chef!"
Feeling upbeat, Lancer shouted toward the kitchen. Moments later, out stepped a large orange tabby.
Nearly twice as big as a regular Palico, the chef—wearing a tall cook's hat—gave Lancer a thumbs-up, seemingly complimenting his refined taste.
After finishing his meal, Lancer once again approached the "Village Chief Granny." Now, standing beside her were three "Meowstars," or officially named: "Felynes."
"All the hunters in the village have gone out already. But hunting is extremely dangerous, so let these little ones temporarily be your companions this time."
For free teammates, Lancer naturally raised both hands in full support!
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