Gordon did not immediately pursue.
From the Great Izuchi's left wing, which hung limply at its side, it was clear that it would be impossible for this creature to fly again anytime soon. Given that, there was no need to worry about losing track of the prey, especially since it had just been marked with a paintball before the battle began.
After this period of intense fighting, the Giant Scissors' sharpness had also decreased significantly. Otherwise, that Strong Charged Slash might have directly severed the Great Izuchi's left wing.
Watching the Great Izuchi stumble away, Gordon smiled, took out a whetstone, and sharpened his blade.
Another reason he didn't pursue directly was that he wanted to capture the Great Izuchi, and setting a trap for capture takes time. He couldn't very well set a trap right in front of the Great Izuchi, could he?
According to the habits of most monsters, returning to their nest to rest and recover from severe injuries is the most normal choice, and the Great Izuchi was undoubtedly no exception.
Fortunately, he also knew where the Great Izuchi's nest was.
After restoring the Giant Scissors' sharpness, drinking some water, and eating some portable food to fill his stomach, Gordon, feeling well-prepared, got ready to set off again to end this hunt.
Zhu Pa, however, cried out at this moment, "Tail! Tail meow! The Great Izuchi's tail hasn't been carved yet meow!"
"Ah, ah, I almost forgot."
Gordon, who had been looking proud and confident, shrunk his neck and walked back with an embarrassed smile.
The Great Izuchi's tail, which had fallen on the river valley's gravel beach, was about two meters long. From it, Gordon carved some of the Great Izuchi's scales and carapace.
Juggling the orange-red materials in his hand, Gordon exclaimed with some surprise, "It's lighter than metal, but it feels much sturdier!"
Zhu Pa also came over, extended its paw, and scraped the surface of a scale, making a grating, harsh sound. "Indeed meow, it feels like it should be good material for making equipment meow!"
Gordon pinched his chin at the words.
"My Refined Ore Set has been used for so long now, perhaps it's time to get a new set of armor."
To avoid any complications, Gordon and Zhu Pa trailed several hundred meters behind the Great Izuchi, keeping their distance to prevent the Great Izuchi from becoming alarmed and unwilling to return to its nest.
This journey, with its stops and starts, took over an hour, and the Great Izuchi finally returned to the huge bird's nest in the forest clearing.
It did not immediately fall asleep but stretched its neck and spread its ear-flaps, vigilantly observing and listening to its surroundings. It remained like this for several minutes until, assured of its safety, it slowly lay down and fell asleep.
After some more time, not until the Great Izuchi began to emit low snores, did two figures, one large and one small, emerge from the shadows of the trees.
"Zhu Pa, you keep watch around us, don't let any small monsters come and cause trouble." Gordon took out a special mechanism slightly larger than a plate from the satchel at his waist. As he walked towards the sleeping Great Izuchi in the nest, he quietly instructed Zhu Pa.
"Okay meow!"
This mechanism is called a "Paralysis Trap," and along with the "Pitfall Trap," they are the two most commonly used and reliable trap mechanisms, highly praised by Hunters.
The structure and principle of this trap mechanism are actually very simple.
A unique insect called a "Thunderlight Bug" is used when making a Paralysis Trap. When this insect dies or is severely stimulated, it instantly releases a powerful electric current, strong enough to paralyze large monsters.
The Paralysis Trap utilizes this characteristic of the Thunderlight Bug.
Once the trap is set, if a monster steps on it, it will immediately enter a paralyzed state, which usually lasts for several to more than ten seconds.
During this time, Hunters use a smoke bomb called a "Capture Anesthetic Bomb," throwing it at the monster. If the monster's own condition is weak enough, it will be completely anesthetized and thus captured by the Hunter.
Gordon, having undergone complete Hunter training, naturally knew how to use both Paralysis Traps and Capture Anesthetic Bombs and had practiced them repeatedly.
But this was his first time actually using them to capture a large monster in a real battle.
He couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
He tiptoed to the Great Izuchi's side, carefully secured the Paralysis Trap to the ground, then pulled out the safety pin and activated it.
Tiny crackling currents then appeared on the casing of the Paralysis Trap.
"Next are the anesthetic bombs," Gordon muttered to himself.
Covering his nose with one hand, he took out several anesthetic bombs from his satchel with the other and threw them at the Great Izuchi's face.
The anesthetic bombs, made by combining "Sleep Herb" and "Paralysis Mushroom," exploded in a puff of pink smoke, which the Great Izuchi inhaled as it breathed.
Then Gordon froze.
Huh? If the Great Izuchi was already asleep, did using anesthetic bombs count as anesthetizing it? But it hadn't stepped on the Paralysis Trap yet, and that thing was still crackling over there...
Gordon, lacking practical capture experience, was full of questions.
After hesitating for several seconds, Gordon decided to give the Great Izuchi a Sleep Cut first to wake it up.
He chose the relatively vulnerable chest and abdomen of the Great Izuchi as his target, hoping this would be the final blow of this hunt.
First segment, second segment, third segment!
The Charged Slash struck downwards, leaving a huge wound on the Great Izuchi's chest.
The Great Izuchi, suffering a heavy blow in its sleep, shrieked, flapped its wings, and struggled to leap up, only to step on the Paralysis Trap.
Golden-yellow electricity instantly enveloped the Great Izuchi's entire body, and its scream, which had just begun, abruptly ceased.
The Great Izuchi collapsed back onto the ground, its breathing and heartbeat becoming faint.
Gordon bit his finger in indecision.
"This should count as a successful capture, right?"
On the way back to Minagarde City, Gordon and Zhu Pa were quite a sight.
The reason was simple: trailing behind them was a giant cart pulled by two robust Herbivore Dragons, and on the cart bed was the Great Izuchi they had successfully captured.
The Great Izuchi was currently in a deep state of anesthesia and theoretically could not awaken. However, to be safe, Gordon had still bound it tightly with a large number of sturdy iron chains and ropes.
This way, even if it woke up midway, there was no fear; there were plenty of ways to knock it out again.
As the cart passed through villages along the way, most passersby and villagers showed genuine fear of the monster, even one that was immobile.
Though they couldn't help but watch out of curiosity, they all kept their distance, and their gazes towards Gordon were filled with awe. Only some young children, who knew no fear, came closer, chattering incessantly and asking Gordon questions.
In their eyes, the Great Izuchi was a Flying Wyvern!
Red carapace and scales, broad wings, a massive body tens of meters long—what else could it be but a Flying Wyvern?
A huge monster, the awestruck gazes of the crowd, children chasing and playing—
All of this, which seemed so familiar, made Gordon recall when he was very young, when his parents were still alive, taking him to watch Hunters passing through Kokoto Village with a captured "Giant Flying Wyvern."
Looking back now, that seemed to have been a Great Izuchi.
Gordon chuckled foolishly and scratched his neck.
So, I have also become the kind of monster Hunter I admired as a child?
P.S. This is my personal experience again. The first Monster Hunter game I played was MH2, and the first monster I captured with a trap was the Great Izuchi.
At the time, I didn't quite understand. When I saw the Great Izuchi return to its nest weak and asleep, I threw a few anesthetic bombs. After waiting for a while and seeing that the mission hadn't ended, I remembered that I hadn't placed a trap. Then, the trap I placed was a bit too far away and didn't directly shock the monster. I was stumped, and finally remembered to cut the monster once to make it wake up and step on the trap.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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