After four days of monotonous flying, coming back to a show this entertaining was a welcome surprise. Naturally, Logan ended up watching a bit longer than usual.
And since he had never seen a Pink Rathian in person before, his gaze lingered even more on her.
That, however, didn't sit well with Aki.
In the ongoing battle, the Rathian had just been staggered by a powerful fireball from the Pink Rathian—faster and more explosive than usual. Then came a follow-up strike from her venomous tail.
Even with the Rathian's natural resistance to toxins, after taking several hits, she began to falter. Drool slipped uncontrollably from her mouth, carrying a faint purple hue.
The Pink Rathian seemed to have gone into a frenzy. Even when the Rathian whimpered in submission, she continued to press the attack relentlessly.
Seizing the moment, Aki let out a mighty roar.
Before the observing Rathalos could act, she decisively intervened. Using her overwhelming size, she slammed into the Pink Rathian and knocked her several meters back, then stepped forward to shield the weakened Rathian.
The Pink Rathian staggered, clearly irritated, but as she turned to retaliate, her eyes met Aki's—cold and unyielding.
That massive form, wings spread wide, even blocked out much of the sunlight.
Every part of her posture radiated aggression. It was as if the moment the Pink Rathian so much as hinted at another attack, she would be met with a torrential onslaught.
Her scales gleamed with an even more intense metallic sheen than that of an ordinary tempered Rathian.
All tempered Rathians had golden metallic luster to their scales—but not every one of them qualified to evolve toward the form of a Gold Rathian.
Though Aki was still technically in the tempered Rathian stage, she already exuded the imposing aura of a higher ecological rank. That presence alone made the Pink Rathian freeze.
Thanks to Aki's intervention, it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on the Pink Rathian's head. Her murderous intent rapidly faded, and she finally came to her senses.
Folding her wings, she licked the wounds on them, then shot a cold glance at the Rathian behind Aki—before finally fixing her gaze on Aki herself.
In the next moment, the Pink Rathian turned away and walked to the edge of the platform, gazing at the two wyverns still locked in aerial combat.
She didn't quite understand. After she had calmed down and shown no further signs of aggression, why did that massive Rathian's eyes carry a hint of… regret?
And under Aki's steady gaze, the Pink Rathian felt a chill settle over her heart—one that only faded after Aki finally looked away.
The battle in the sky dragged on for quite some time. Both the Azure Rathalos and the tempered Rathalos had ample combat experience and impressive endurance. Even in such high-risk aerial combat, they managed to maintain solid form.
Eventually, though, even Logan began to lose interest. Not long after, the Rathalos's stamina finally gave out. He began to falter.
There was no desperate last stand or suicidal charge—just a clean, decisive retreat. The Rathalos admitted defeat and relinquished his nest.
As for whether he and his mate would leave the area? Logan doubted it.
Why? Their previous nest wasn't far from the canopy layer—close enough to enjoy the services of the Grimalkynes.
And with their strength, they had no trouble establishing a new nest at the same elevation.
Besides, the number of Fire Wyverns living in the Ancient Tree hadn't reached a saturation point yet, so there was no need for any of the lower-tier wyvern couples to be forced out.
Having enjoyed the spectacle, Logan returned to his own nest in high spirits.
By the time he arrived, Aki was already sprawled out in the den, letting the Grimalkynes clean the blood stuck to her from her clash with the Pink Rathian.
Seeing Logan return, the Grimalkynes showed visible joy. Their vigilance even became more enthusiastic than before.
Logan also noticed that the Grimalkynes stationed near the nest had all donned Zinogre gear, drawing looks of envy from the Grimalkynes of the Ancient Tree's Fire Wyvern tribes who occasionally passed by outside the den.
There was no denying it—despite only being Palico-grade set, once the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne put it on, they really looked the part.
And now that these armored felines had also undergone initial Palico training, their combat capabilities had become noticeably more organized. Their discipline had also improved considerably, making them appear far more professional and imposing compared to the other Grimalkyne.
Simply put, it was the difference between a standing army and a bandit gang.
All creatures admire strength—it's an instinct carved deep into the genetic code of every living being.
The transformation of the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne sparked envy among the others in the Ancient Forest's Fire Wyvern tribe. Even though that tribe had been built around the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne as its core, the rest of the Grimalkyne couldn't sit still anymore.
It was fine if the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne got to eat meat first—after all, in a semi-primitive Lynians-like society such as the Grimalkyne's, internal hierarchies were well established.
But the rest of the cats wanted to drink soup too!
And so, over time, those other Grimalkyne eventually approached the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne's chieftain, hoping to find a way for their own clans to receive equipment as well.
At first, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne's chieftain had refused.
After all, when they had first come into contact with the Research Commission and decided to ally with them, the Ancient Forest's Fire Wyvern tribe hadn't even been established yet.
And even now, though the tribe had taken form, its internal management still followed the lines of the original clans.
The broader group might be a new tribe, but internally, it was still governed along the lines of the old clans.
So the chieftain's original plan had been to fully equip the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne first, and only then consider outfitting members from other clans.
However, after a long discussion with a certain wise Grimalkyne who spoke on behalf of the other clans, the chieftain came up with a new idea.
"Meow! What we mean is, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne should start recruiting some of the strongest warriors from the other Ancient Forest clans—so that the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne always remain the most elite unit in the tribe, meow!"
The Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne chieftain leaned on his fire-scaled staff as he explained the idea to Logan.
Logan blinked. So they were actually planning to establish a formal class system?
In the progression of civilization, the emergence of a class system at a certain stage is a crucial milestone.
By concentrating the strongest and most exceptional members and giving them higher status—while using strict, fair selection to maintain the vitality and edge of that group—a society could consolidate its combat strength and bolster internal cohesion. It gave everyone in the civilization a goal to strive for.
Over time, this would gradually elevate the strength of the entire civilization.
In fact, as long as civilization advanced, the formation of social classes was inevitable.
Logan had already anticipated this moment ever since the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne chieftain first proposed creating a new species grouping centered around his own kind.
He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
But it made sense—once the pressure from the environment outside began to ease, and with a budding civilization long suppressed within starting to stir, this kind of explosive acceleration was only natural.
Especially considering the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne had come into contact with the Research Commission—a society with a fully developed civilization.
Even without deliberately studying, constant exposure was enough for them to pick up on certain things.
This was the progression of civilization—something Logan naturally wouldn't interfere with.
What's more, the rapid development of the Ancient Forest's Fire Wyvern tribe also benefited the overall Fire Wyvern population in the Ancient Forest. And among those who stood to gain the most... was Logan himself.
So, with Logan's approval, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne chieftain went ahead and made the announcement.
The news stirred mixed reactions within the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne ranks. Some approved, while others opposed it—after all, every new warrior added to the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne meant one more competitor for a spot in Logan's personal guard.
And since the recruits were all elites from the broader Fire Wyvern tribe, weaker Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne weren't necessarily guaranteed to outperform them.
Still, the decision had been made with the Fire Wyvern boss's blessing. So while the cats were displeased, they still had to abide by it.
One clan's joy was another's frustration.
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the Grimalkyne clans from the Fire Wyvern tribe were thrilled by the news.
After all, what kind of treatment did the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne receive compared to them?
Sure, all of them served the Fire Wyverns of the Ancient Tree, but on one side, it was like being a temp worker, while the other enjoyed full benefits as a tenured employee.
Was there even a choice?
Of course, some of the cats did feel a twinge of guilt—wondering if they were betraying their original clan.
But fortunately, while they belonged to their original clans, they were also all part of the larger Fire Wyvern tribe of the Ancient Forest. Since that broader identity hadn't changed, they were able to accept it in their hearts.
And just like that, a lively selection process began.
It wasn't done in secret either—so naturally, the Fire Wyverns atop the Ancient Tree took notice.
They sensed a dip in the cats' service quality over the past few days, and curiosity soon drove them into full-on spectator mode.
When they finally realized the drop in service was because the cats were all busy trying to join the group serving Logan and his mate, the Fire Wyverns felt a bit disgruntled—but in the end, they accepted it.
It wasn't that the Fire Wyverns had no objections simply because this current symbiotic relationship had been initiated by Logan, or because the cats were centered around the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne.
That kind of thinking simply didn't exist among the Fire Wyvern species at this stage.
Fire Wyverns had a strong sense of family and kinship—remarkably so, even among the monsters of this world.
But their sense of tribal unity was extremely weak.
If not for the unique nature of the Ancient Tree in the New World, the Fire Wyverns here would be just like those in the Old World—forming connections only within their immediate family units.
Whatever happened to other Fire Wyvern families had nothing to do with them.
Even in the New World, despite the fact that the Fire Wyverns all lived together atop the Ancient Tree, and had developed a system over the years that emphasized strength above all else, this still hadn't changed the weak ties between families.
The only two times Fire Wyverns had acted together as a collective were both triggered by overwhelming external pressure.
Now, it was the Grimalkyne of the Fire Wyvern tribe acting as a bridge that had begun to foster the faintest sense of tribal cohesion.
But the real reason the other Fire Wyverns had no objections—was strength.
Only with sufficient strength could one silence all dissent among Fire Wyverns.
In this world, no matter the time or place, strength always reigns supreme.
The selection process was swift, wrapping up in just two days.
The main reason was simply that the Fire Wyvern tribe of the Ancient Tree didn't have many Grimalkyne to begin with. This massive tree had enough space to house over a hundred Fire Wyvern couples and their hatchlings, yet there were only just over seventy Grimalkyne—and that count included the kittens.
Even if all Lynians matured into warriors by default, the selection sought elite warriors. So the actual number of candidates was quite limited, and the process went quickly as a result.
In the end, only three Grimalkyne warriors from the Fire Wyvern tribe of the Ancient Tree were successfully chosen. But that didn't mean they had officially joined the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne ranks just yet.
They would next head to the Astera base alongside the Fire Wyvern Grimalkyne warriors, and only after completing the initial Palico training would they be considered officially selected.
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