During the strategy meeting in the mess hall with all six reunited, Kairo Retsu and Laois recounted their encounter with an Elder Dragon out in the wild.
Taking the opportunity, Kairo Retsu gave a brief explanation to the hunters about what exactly an Elder Dragon is, even pulling out several reference illustrations to show their appearances.
"Elder Dragons are generally quadrupedal with wings. Their sizes vary greatly… Some are so massive they form their own ecosystems."
He pointed to the illustrations: "Like Lao-Shan Lung, Dalamadur, and Shen Gaoren… These are super-sized Elder Dragons."
"And naturally, gear made from Elder Dragon materials—those are unimaginably powerful."
"Elder Dragons can't be captured, but they can be repelled or slain. That's part of a hunter's job, though regular hunters typically don't provoke Elder Dragons… regular hunters, that is." Kairo Retsu shrugged, clearly indicating their group wasn't exactly "regular."
He continued the explanation: "There's actually another class of dragons beyond that, but… we're not ready to deal with those yet. That's a story for later."
"So... you two went out to steal eggs and got ambushed by an Elder Dragon?" Naofumi Iwatani asked, frowning. "And Laois, you said you had some new ideas about demons?"
"That's right! The ecological explanation about Elder Dragons the Captain shared with me gave me an idea!"
Laois stood up excitedly and unrolled a giant scroll, covered in handwritten names of dragons and lines mapping out their relationships and ecosystems.
"The Captain said Elder Dragons don't interact much with other ecosystems because they stand at the very top—they are the apex. They don't rely on anything else to exist." Laois pointed as he spoke. "Demons are similar in that sense—but we have to separate them from mana a bit."
"In our world, it's mana that forms the ecosystem. And the demons are the Elder Dragons of that system."
"There are some rare ecological cases among Elder Dragons—like predation or territorial battles—but unfortunately, when it comes to demons… nothing exists that can do that to them."
Laois shook his head. "From an ecological perspective, that's an extreme imbalance. Even Elder Dragons have limits to their energy intake—if something oversteps those limits, a species like the Nergigante exists to regulate them."
"When it comes to demons, we already know what their bait is." Laois paused, then added, "But I've been thinking a lot lately about what the point of capturing a demon actually is."
"Captain, when hunters capture a living creature, what do they usually do with it?"
"Hmm… Eat it?" Kairo Retsu pondered. "Hunters like us would take some of the useful parts as materials. Then there's research and documentation… Like Muzan—he's being made into gear as we speak."
"Exactly!"
Laois slapped his drawing paper. "I thought of this yesterday and went to ask the Felynes about it."
"Demons aren't living creatures. They don't have physical bodies, so we can't get materials from them to make equipment."
He patted his stomach. "Mana doesn't fill your belly. You can eat monsters, though… and those we can hunt inside dungeons."
"If the quest mentions capturing them, then it must mean there's some form of benefit to us hunters in doing so." Laois said seriously. "But I haven't figured out what kind of benefit that might be."
"..."
Everyone fell silent for a while as they pondered the idea.
"In the end," Laois continued, "what we need is a way to enable the demon to be captured. If killing a demon is the equivalent of consuming it to satisfy hunger, then doesn't 'capturing' mean we make it willingly walk into our trap?"
"Like… making it closer to a living creature?" Laois proposed.
"..."
Kairo Retsu knocked the table with his knuckles. "In that case, we've got a direction to discuss."
"Let's begin the strategy meeting."
"Once we've finalized a plan… it'll be time to head out."
—[STRATEGY MEETING TIME!]—
Confirming the direction of the operation took quite some time.
Everyone prepared their respective gear, trained in weapon proficiency, practiced team coordination, and synced their combat roles.
They also settled the unfinished business in their home worlds so they could travel without regrets.
"The day has finally come," Kairo Retsu sighed with emotion. "Time to head into the Dungeon Feast… or in other words, Laois's world!"
"Everyone ready?" he asked while checking his own equipment and backpack. "You all ate your special Felyne meals, right?"
"Ready. Didn't forget anything," said Naofumi, holding his newly upgraded Heavy Bowgun. "I've got enough ammo and materials to make more mid-battle…"
"I've been practicing with my new weapon too!" Joseph Joestar said confidently. "These Dual Blades are perfect for me! Especially that spinning attack on the monster's back or whatever it's called…"
"Uh… this is my first time using such a huge weapon," Laois said, happily running his hand over his Sword and Shield made from monster materials. "A transforming weapon, too!"
"Tanjiro, you really aren't going to use a Long Sword?" Kazuma asked, glancing at him while adjusting the bow strapped to his back.
"No, I haven't mastered channeling Sun Breathing through the Long Sword yet…" Tanjiro replied earnestly, carrying a large hammer on his back. "But for some reason, the hammer works really well with my breathing techniques! The rotational momentum and the forms… they line up! I'll do my best not to drag everyone down!"
"Looks like we're all ready!"
Kairo Retsu patted his Switch Axe strapped to his back. "Guess we're going in overkill mode. Hunters usually go in teams of four—we've got six."
"Probably because the enemy we're up against is just that unimaginable," Naofumi sighed. "Hope it gives decent EXP."
"Hah! Don't forget to say goodbye to Granny Felyne!"
"Dungeon—we're coming for you!!!"
Poll: What should replace Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT)?
Hey everyone,
I've decided to put Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT) on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to run a poll to see what you'd like me to work on next. Can't wait to see what you all pick!
Options:
A brand new fanfic (picked by me)
Continue a recommended fanfic (suggested by Readers and will be voted on Again)
Two chapters a day for Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World
Two chapters a day for My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!
Two chapters a day for Monster Hunter Grand Assembly
📅 Voting will be open on Patreon for one week!
patreon.com/BestElysium