He pulled an Antidote from his pouch, but just as the rim reached his lips, the Rathalos lunged!
"Damn it!" Leon didn't have time to drink. He stomped the ground and rolled to the side.
An instant later, massive claws slammed down.
Wood splinters sprayed from where he had just been standing!
Leon tumbled across the ground, and the Antidote bottle flew from his hand, vanishing deep into the vines where he couldn't reach it.
Dropping to one knee, his face grew pale. He could feel the toxin coursing through him, searing his nerves.
The potent venom continued to spread. Time was running out.
'I can't die... I can't fall here...' Leon grit his teeth. With no other choice—
System, allocate points!
[ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH 25, AGILITY 23, CONSTITUTION 17, PERCEPTION 15. (UNASSIGNED POINTS: 11)]
[CONSTITUTION +1, CURRENT CONSTITUTION: 18]
[UNASSIGNED POINTS: 10]
In an instant, a familiar warmth erupted from his chest and surged through his veins. It was like sunlight piercing a dark abyss, dispelling the chill and numbness brought by the poison.
"Hah—!" Leon slowly stood up, his eyes regaining their clarity.
The Rathalos's eyes flared with murderous intent. It hadn't expected this tiny human to stand back up.
It roared, spreading its wings as flames churned in its throat.
Leon's gaze sharpened. Gripping his Pulsar Hatchets, he leaned forward like a wolf ready to pounce.
BOOM!!
The Rathalos unleashed a blast of searing dragonfire, instantly engulfing the vine forest in flames.
Leon leaped, vaulting off a nearby withered tree and using the momentum to jump again. He traced an arc through the air, diving down from above to bypass the flames.
—Mid-air Spinning Blade Dance!
His dual blades crossed as they slashed down, aiming straight for the Rathalos's head.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The Pulsar Hatchets struck the thick scales, erupting in sparks of electricity, before the Rathalos violently whipped its tail.
Leon was knocked back. He tumbled through the air and landed, sliding several meters on one knee to dissipate the force.
He spun around and fired his Clutch Claw, the hook latching firmly onto the Rathalos's left leg.
The moment he pulled himself in, he delivered a sweeping slash!
Spurt—!
The blades bit into the soft flesh on the inside of the Rathalos's left foreleg.
Watching the blood spray, Leon muttered, "The scales are too tough to cut... so I'll just carve the legs, slice the belly, and pierce the joints!"
Pained, the Rathalos swung its talons in a wide sweep.
Leon reacted instantly, releasing his Clutch Claw and using the vines to cushion his landing.
Having missed its mark, the Rathalos swung its tail around.
Unable to dodge in time, Leon was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, slamming into a massive tree trunk before stopping.
'Damn it...'
Leon forced himself up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Rathalos already pouncing toward him!
"Dammit, it's not giving me an inch!" Leon grit his teeth and scrambled into the dense vines, trying to use the terrain to break line of sight and catch his breath.
But just as he leaped onto a thick vine, a thunderous crash shook the area!
The Rathalos had charged straight through, shattering the entire vine trellis and sending Leon flying several meters from the shockwave.
He rolled across the ground, a scratch opening on his cheek.
"This beast is insane!" Leon barely got to his feet before the Rathalos was on him again, refusing to give him any breathing room.
CRACK!!
The Rathalos's talons snatched Leon off the ground with the precision of an eagle catching a rabbit.
"Cough—!" Leon felt like his ribs were being crushed as he was hoisted into the air!
A moment later, the Rathalos threw him with terrifying force—
FLUNG!!
Leon was tossed into the air like a ragdoll. He spun several times before slamming heavily against a cliff wall.
THUD!!!
The rock cracked, sending stone fragments flying.
Leon slid to the ground like a corpse, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His presence weakened instantly, and his Pulsar Hatchets clattered to the side.
The Rathalos's heavy footsteps slowly approached.
It held its head high, puffing out clouds of scorching mist as if toying with a dying plaything.
Leon lay on the ground, his vision a blurred, bloody red. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.
'Too strong...'
The relentless assault left the prey no room to maneuver...
'Is this... the King of the Skies?'
After many hunts, Leon had reached a conclusion.
If he relied too much on the system, his stats might increase, but he would still lack the practical experience needed to face these monsters.
He had wanted to save his points as much as possible, but hunting was a life-or-death struggle. There was no room for hesitation!
System, allocate points!
[ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH 25, AGILITY 23, CONSTITUTION 19, PERCEPTION 15. (UNASSIGNED POINTS: 10)]
[CONSTITUTION +1, CURRENT CONSTITUTION: 19]
[UNASSIGNED POINTS: 9]
Leon's body mended once again. At the same time, data from the Chief Ecologist's archives flashed through his mind.
All Flying Wyverns have one weakness: their legs. This was especially true for the Rathalos. As long as he didn't stay directly in front of it, he wouldn't get hit by its fireballs.
If it took to the skies, he could use a Flash Pod.
With that thought, Leon took a deep breath. He flicked his dual blades, entering Demon Mode instantly.
—Demon Flurry Rush!
Staying low to the ground, he stuck to the Rathalos's left leg like a shadow, his blades never stopping their assault.
Demon Fangs!
Two-Fold Demon Slash!
Six-Fold Demon Slash!
The Rathalos raised its leg to kick. Leon slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the talons before pivoting on his heel—
Demon Fangs!
Gripping the blades in a reverse hold, he carved a semi-circle into the soft flesh behind the Rathalos's knee, drawing a spray of blood.
The Rathalos spread its wings and lurched backward.
Leon had already anticipated the move, following with a low slide.
Demon Flurry Rush!
The left blade cut horizontally followed immediately by the right, both strikes precision-cutting the tendons below the ankle.
He was determined to play the pedicurist. Even if the individual damage of the dual blades was low, he could rack up massive damage through rapid combos.
Especially since he was wielding the Thunder-element Pulsar Hatchets.
Two-Fold Demon Slash!
Six-Fold Demon Slash!
Swish— Swish— Swish—!
Striking from both sides, his blades were like flashes of lightning.
The flashes of steel shredded the dragon's leg, tearing through scales and flesh. Every strike precisely bypassed the armor to hit the soft tissue.
The Rathalos roared in pain and suddenly leaped into the air, intending to stomp the human beneath its feet into a pulp.
However...
Leon was ready. Demon Flurry Rush!
Stepping forward, his crossed blades slashed upward as he zipped between the Rathalos's legs, forcing a position swap.
"Left leg's done, time for the right!" Leon circled around to the Rathalos's other leg, his momentum unyielding.
Left Spinning Slash!
An elegant half-moon slash swept out, hitting the right leg's tendon with the explosive power of Demon Mode.
The dual blades spun like a windmill, widening the wound and drawing a geyser of hot blood.
Like a bloodthirsty wolf, Leon wove through the Rathalos's massive frame, never straying from the vital points on its legs.
One foot crippled, one leg bleeding out!
Finally.
The Rathalos faltered, its massive body swaying. Its wings drooped, and while the fire in its throat hadn't died, its breath was fading.
Leon panted heavily, his hands numb.
But he didn't stop.
He knew this was the moment to finish it!
The Rathalos propped itself up on its forelimbs, arching its back as fire gathered in its mouth once more for a final desperate stand.
"Still trying to breathe fire? Not happening!" Leon fired the Clutch Claw again, hooking it onto the Rathalos's dorsal fin.
Hook retracted!
Leon shot forward like an arrow. Using the momentum to mount the Rathalos's back, he held his blades in a reverse grip—
It's over.
—Spinning Blade Dance Finisher!
The blades blurred into a silver vortex, delivering a rapid-fire barrage to the back of the Rathalos's neck.
Swish swish swish swish swish!
Thunder energy surged into the Pulsar Hatchets, exploding inside the wounds as blood mist and steam rose instantly.
The Rathalos tried to shake Leon off, but it no longer had the strength, leaving only a powerless roar...
The dual blades slammed deep into the Rathalos's nape!
SQUELCH—!!
Accompanied by the sound of bone snapping, the blades pierced through flesh and struck the spine!
BOOM!!
The Rathalos's massive body shuddered violently before collapsing, the impact shaking the vine forest and cracking the earth!
The searing fire of life slowly flickered out.
—Hunt Successful.
[TARGET KILLED: RATHALOS]
[DING! CHARACTERISTIC TRIGGERED—LONE WOLF]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1200]
[LEVEL: LV.7 (13300/18000)]
[ADDITIONAL MATERIALS OBTAINED: FLAME SAC X2, WYVERN TEAR X2, MONSTER BONE+ X2, RATHALOS TAIL X2, RATHALOS SCALE X4, RATHALOS MARROW X4, RATHALOS WEBBING X4, RATHALOS SHELL X6, RATHALOS WINGTALON X6]
'No Plate...?' Leon had thought that with his characteristic, he'd be able to craft the full Rathalos set in one hunt. Without a Plate, he couldn't make the mail.
He leaned down and carved as many materials as he could, but still, no Rathalos Plate appeared.
I guess I'll have to kill another one...