After landing a clean blow, Leon quickly pulled back, his footsteps steady as he vanished into the shadows of the nearby trees.
He wanted to test Ramsey's strength.
After all, when he first crossed over into this forest, he had been chased all over the place by a Great Jagras, nearly losing his life.
That sense of oppression—the reversal of predator and prey—was still seared into his muscle memory.
But—
Ramsey showed no fear, not even a hint of hesitation.
He stepped forward, the iron Great Sword in his hands as steady as a mountain, as he faced the Great Jagras head-on.
There were no wasted words, no empty bravado.
Ramsey simply stood firm among the trees, raising his Great Sword high, biding his time.
The next second!
With heavy force—the blade fell—
Thump!
A massive boom echoed as the Charged Slash landed squarely on the head, actually knocking the Great Jagras flat onto the ground!
Seeing this, Leon's expression shifted slightly. 'This guy... he's strong...'
At the same time, Dumpling caught onto Leon's intent. It nimbly climbed a tree trunk to watch the battle in silence.
Ramsey was steady yet sharp; he didn't look like a novice at all.
He didn't give the Great Jagras a moment to breathe. He stepped forward, shoulders dipping slightly as he swung the Great Sword down again!
Another heavy blow struck the Great Jagras's head.
"Haha! Part broken!" Ramsey sheathed his Great Sword and quickly ran toward the Great Jagras's tail.
Even in the heat of a fierce exchange, his voice carried a sense of heart-pumping passion and trust.
Ramsey shouldered his Great Sword once more—
Level one—level two—level three—
True Charged Slash!
Boom!
The Great Jagras shrieked in pain as its tail took a devastating hit.
The severed tail stiffened in the air for a split second before falling to the ground with a loud slap, splashing withered branches and fallen leaves.
"This thing is way weaker than a Zinogre!" Ramsey stood his ground, a confident smile playing on his lips.
Standing in the shadows, Leon watched the scene, a strange emotion stirring in his heart.
'This guy is practically a textbook protagonist.'
'Sunny, upright, optimistic...'
Roar...
The Great Jagras let out a weak whimper, blood flowing from its tail as it flailed on its back, struggling to get up.
Ramsey took a deep breath, hoisting the Great Sword onto his shoulder again, refusing to give the Great Jagras an opening to rise—
The edge of the blade cut through the wind with a dull boom.
This strike slammed heavily into the Great Jagras's neck!
The Great Jagras continued to struggle violently, but it was already at its limit. Ramsey rolled close to dodge a claw swipe, then followed up with a clean, diagonal slash to the underbelly, moving with precision and leaving no openings.
"It's over!" Ramsey drove the Great Sword deep into the Great Jagras's belly.
Standing in the distance, Leon's heart pounded. This was the first time he had seen a Great Sword user hunt from up close. Like the Dual Blades, it required seizing the monster's openings to counter-attack.
The difference was that Dual Blades relied on high attack frequency, making them advantageous with elemental or status weapons, while the Great Sword's attacks were slow but carried the force of an entire army with every hit.
And Ramsey seemed born to stand before a monster. Every swing he made—
Was filled with overwhelming momentum.
"Roar—!" The Great Jagras forced itself up, charging furiously at the only enemy in sight.
Ramsey didn't dodge. He stood his ground like a mountain, bracing his Great Sword in front of him to tank the impact head-on.
The moment the Great Jagras turned, Ramsey moved like the wind, sliding into position and delivering a backhand diagonal slash—
Crack!
The Great Sword bit deep into the bone.
The Great Jagras's body froze instantly before it crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
Tranquility returned to the forest.
Leon stepped slowly out from the shade of the trees to stand beside Ramsey. Looking down at the fallen Great Jagras, he said, "You did well. The Great Jagras is the first large monster one encounters upon arriving in the New World."
"Haha, it was teamwork," Ramsey said with a grin. "Didn't you distract it first? We finished this hunt together!"
His tone was light and devoid of any arrogance. Instead, he seemed to be encouraging Leon, which felt a bit baffling.
Leon paused, a sudden realization hitting him. He felt as though some people in this world were simply born to be the light.
Meanwhile, whether it was the Leon of the past or the Leon who had crossed into this world, he lived only for himself. His reason for hunting was simply to find a way back to his original world.
"You said earlier..." Leon said softly, "That this thing is way weaker than a Zinogre?"
"Of course!" Ramsey shouldered his Great Sword again, his smile bright as the sun. "But a Zinogre isn't that hard either. You'll see once you run into one."
Leon raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, you've hunted a Zinogre before?"
"Yeah, took one down in the Old World," Ramsey said with a wink. "Once I get used to the ecology here, let's hunt together."
Leon didn't speak, only nodding in response.
"Great job! Hurry up and carve the materials!" Dumpling trotted over excitedly to the Great Jagras's carcass. It was about to pull out its knife when Leon grabbed it by the collar.
Leon stopped it, saying, "Ramsey killed the Great Jagras, so the materials should be his."
Dumpling pouted, grumbling, "But... but we're in a party! Why..."
"It's fine, it's fine! Like I said, this is a victory for teamwork. Let's do it together!"
Only then did Leon let go.
"Meow! You're actually a pretty good guy, meow!" Dumpling chuckled and looked at Ramsey. "Do you have a Palico partner yet? I can introduce you to some!"
"A Felyne?" Ramsey scratched his head and replied, "I had one back in the Old World, but... but it gets seasick. It refused to come with me..."
"Aha! That's perfect, meow!" Dumpling waved its carving knife happily. "Then once we're back at the base, I'll introduce you, meow!"
"Sure thing!" Ramsey gave a sunlit smile and began carving the Great Jagras materials as well.
...
After sorting their gear, the two didn't return to camp. Instead, they continued deeper into the Ancient Forest.
"Are you sure there's another one ahead?" Ramsey wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I'm sure." Leon crouched to examine a faint claw mark, picking up a crushed leaf to perform a simple analysis. "These are fresh tracks. The color is still new."
Dumpling jumped down from a branch, twitching its tail. "Meow! The scent around here is different too. A Great Jagras is definitely not far ahead, meow!"
"Good!" Ramsey gripped his Great Sword, his spirit renewed. "Then let's kill another one!"
"This time, it's my turn." Leon suddenly looked up, offering Ramsey a rare smile.
"Huh?" Ramsey blinked in surprise.
Leon unfastened the Clutch Claw launcher from his waist and pressed it against Ramsey's chest. "You don't really know how to use this yet, do you? I'll teach you."
"Ha..." Ramsey gave an embarrassed laugh. "I really haven't seen this thing in the Old World. It's been making me feel all clumsy..."
"Don't worry, actual combat is the fastest way to learn." The curve of Leon's lips relaxed slightly. He scrambled up a thick vine like a monkey and looked back at Ramsey. "Watch me closely. You can't just use this thing blindly."
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed through the woods once more. From the bushes nearby, a Great Jagras—slightly smaller but seemingly more agile—slowly crawled out.