His equipment had also been significantly updated.
It was only after ascending to High Rank that Leon truly experienced the hell of set building. Materials from each monster could be crafted into either alpha or beta gear; while alpha sets provided more skills, beta sets featured slots for inserting Jewels.
Jewels added equipment skills, making the possibilities for various builds much more diverse.
However, Leon had too few resources at the moment, so he had to settle for alpha sets for now.
[NAME: Leon]
[LEVEL: Lv.25]
[EXPERIENCE: 95,000 / 125,000]
[TRAIT: Lone Wolf]
Description: When hunting alone, experience gain and material drop rates are increased by 100%.
[ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH 51, AGILITY 38, VITALITY 36, PERCEPTION 35. (UNASSIGNED POINTS: 21)]
[EQUIPMENT: Arcanum Twinblades Lv.3, Kadachi Helm alpha, Barroth Mail alpha, Leather Belt alpha, Kadachi Vambraces alpha, Kadachi Greaves alpha]
[EQUIPMENT SKILLS: Evade Extender +2, Constitution +3, Stamina Thief +2, Stamina Surge +1, Thunder Resistance +2]
[QUEST LIST]
[MAIN QUEST: ???]
[PREREQUISITE QUEST: DEFEAT NERGIGANTE]
REWARD: UNLOCK MAIN QUEST
***
"Still no sign..." Leon sat at a temporary camp in the Coral Highlands, his map already marked with numerous red Xs.
His ultimate goal remained Nergigante.
But before that, Leon had heard from hunters in Schrade Village that a rare Elder Dragon had appeared in the Coral Highlands. It was horse-like, possessed a single spiral horn, and crackled with electricity.
He immediately realized what it was—Kirin!
After several months of research, Leon knew that Nergigante was weak against the thunder element. He had originally planned to use gear made from High Rank Tobi-Kadachi materials, but he changed his mind the moment he heard the news.
Using Kirin materials would undoubtedly allow him to craft equipment better suited for dealing with Nergigante.
And so, he had come to the Coral Highlands.
The Coral Highlands were located in the center of the New World, directly above the Rotten Vale.
Due to the activity of Zorah Magdaros, the route between this region and Astera had been officially opened.
Long, long ago, a Zorah Magdaros had perished in the New World. The energy released was equivalent to a massive explosion, causing the seabed to thrust upward and form these highlands.
During this process, coral died off on a massive scale, but some species proved resilient enough to adapt to the terrestrial environment.
The Coral Highlands were undoubtedly the most beautiful and resource-rich area of the New World, standing in stark contrast to the Rotten Vale situated below.
It was like an ocean on land.
Leon looked up, gazing at the distant, marvelous sight of the Coral Highlands, which seemed to float amidst the clouds.
Gigantic coral trees shimmered with a soft blue-white luster under the sunlight. Surrounded by swirling mist, it felt as if he were standing in a dream.
He crouched on a patch of soft coral moss and picked up a feather near his feet.
It had just fallen.
"Legiana," Leon whispered.
While Legiana was a Flying Wyvern and not as dangerous as an Elder Dragon, it was by no means an easy opponent, especially in the complex, vertical terrain of the Coral Highlands.
He looked up at a high-hanging coral tower and caught sight of a familiar figure gliding across the sky, its long wings vibrating and whipping up a gale.
The air currents surged, making the coral branches rustle loudly.
"Looks like luck is on my side today." Leon smirked, drawing his Arcanum Twinblades.
He leaped up, climbing the highland vines with practiced speed, then used his Glider Mantle to glide down onto a high-altitude platform.
Legiana was currently stooping over its food, completely unaware of its surroundings.
Leon took a deep breath, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
[DEMON MODE!]
In the next second.
He lunged forward with sudden power, rising from the coral like a phantom, his dual blades aimed straight for the Legiana's neck!
[HEAVENLY BLADE DANCE!]
"ROAARRR!!"
Legiana whipped its head around, its wings beating fiercely to stir up a gale that instantly tore through the air on the platform.
Leon, however, had already dashed away. His footsteps were as swift as the wind, bolstered by the bonus from Evade Extender.
He moved like a ghost weaving through the storm, avoiding almost every hit.
Leon used the terrain to strike at the Legiana's tail and wings, repeatedly staggering the beast and forcing it to the ground.
In less than ten minutes, the Legiana was faltering, struggling to take flight and escape.
Predicting the move, Leon tossed a Flash Pod ahead of time.
Before it could even gain altitude, the Legiana crashed back to the earth.
Blade Dance! Blade Dance! Blade Dance!!
Following a relentless flurry of slashes, the tail was severed, and every other part of the Legiana's body was broken.
It was a near-perfect hunt.
After a few final twitches, the Legiana fell completely still.
HUNT SUCCESS.
[TARGET SLAIN: LEGIANA (HIGH RANK)]
[DING! TRAIT ACTIVATED — LONE WOLF]
[EXP GAINED: 3000]
[LEVEL: Lv.25]
[EXPERIENCE: 98,200 / 125,000]
[BONUS MATERIALS: FREEZER SAC X2, LEGIANA GEM X1, LEGIANA PLATE X2, LEGIANA WING X2, HARD MONSTER BONE X6, LEGIANA SCALE+ X4, LEGIANA CLAW+ X4, LEGIANA TAIL WEBBING X4, LEGIANA HIDE+ X6]
"Not bad... these are worth a decent amount even if I don't need them right now." Leon let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.
He knelt down to begin carving, though his eyes continued to scan the surroundings. "Next... it's your turn, isn't it? Kirin."
Just then, a soft voice chirped in Leon's ear. "Personally, this cat thinks the meat of this dragon would be delicious! I'm taking plenty back with me, meow!"
Leon looked down to see Dumpling shouldering a shovel that was even larger than itself.
A mini-backpack hung from its body, and its cap was tilted high as it spoke with a serious expression. "Newbie! I just found a ton of materials over there, meow!"
With that, it hopped onto the Legiana's corpse and began 'carving' materials with its little shovel—
The efficiency was questionable, but it certainly had the right spirit.
"Feathers, membranes, claws... wow, these wings are sturdy, meow..."
Dumpling grumbled and muttered while it worked.
Leon's lips curled into a slight smile. "Why don't you do the hunting instead? I'll head back and handle the cooking."
"Wait, no! Don't do that!" Dumpling jumped up and patted its chest. "This cat may be brave and invincible, but we still need a division of labor, meow! I'm in charge of being cute, and you're in charge of slaying monsters—it's a perfect match!"
"Is that so?" Leon stood up, packing the carved materials into his storage pouch. "Then in a bit, you'll be responsible for drawing the Kirin's attention while I flank it."
Dumpling froze on the spot, its ears twitching as its voice went up an octave. "You're joking, right, meow?! That's an Elder Dragon! Do you have any idea what happens to cat fur when it hits electricity? It'll poof, meow!"
Leon chuckled but said nothing.
He gazed into the distance. Beneath the clouds where lightning constantly churned, he could see faint char marks on tree trunks and a trail of hoof prints embedded in the coral mud—shallow, but extending straight into the depths of the highlands.
The wind suddenly changed.
Dumpling sensed the anomaly as well, shrinking back and muttering, "I have a bad feeling about this... How about we drink some felvine and calm down first, meow?"
Leon, however, had already started walking forward.
"Let's go, Dumpling."
"Oh boy..."
The wind picked up, and lightning flickered in the distance.
Kirin had yet to show itself...
But its presence was already closing in.