Luo Yun had never expected his survival mode to suddenly switch from "hard" to "easy." If there was one thing still giving him a headache, it was that he seemed to have lost his freedom.
Creatures with high ecological status in the Monster Hunter world generally possessed notable intelligence, and those at the top of the chain,the Elder Dragons,often had wisdom surpassing that of humans. A Rathian wasn't on that level yet, but even so, her kind had ways of distinguishing between individuals.
The female Rathian who had carried Luo Yun away naturally had her own name. Translated into human speech, it should be "Yaji."
Ever since Yaji brought him back to her nest, Luo Yun had been watched over like a true hatchling, with her overflowing motherly instincts making sure he wanted for nothing,food delivered right to his mouth, water ready at a nearby stream.
Fortunately, Luo Yun was no longer in the fragile state of a newly hatched wyvern. Otherwise, Yaji might have gone so far as to chew food into paste and feed it to him, as some females did for their young.
In short, under the care of this still,young but beautiful Rathian, Luo Yun truly experienced the treatment a hatchling of this world would receive.
The downside was that Yaji never allowed him near the cave mouth. As far as she was concerned, he was still a flightless hatchling who could fall and die,or be killed by other flying wyverns.
And so his days were filled with monotony. He either lay still, drawing in energy from the land's ley lines, or gnawed at the meat Yaji brought back. At times, under her stern gaze, he was even forced to choke down the poisonous mushrooms she collected just for him.
Rathian venom was generated in their glands, but eating a controlled amount of the rare poisonous mushrooms of the Ancient Forest helped further increase the potency of their toxins.
Luo Yun could tell,Yaji was genuinely treating him according to the strict standards of a mother wyvern, and she did so wholeheartedly.
But to him, it was unbearably awkward. I see you as my future mate, but you see yourself as my mom? That's kind of awkward.
Days slipped by like this, and before he realized it, a whole month had passed.
With the steady supply of food, Luo Yun not only healed completely from his injuries but grew stronger in every way. His bones were sturdier, broken scales shed and replaced with tougher, shinier ones. His claws lengthened and sharpened, his wings strengthened, wing membranes developing faint markings, and even his dormant flame sac finally began to mature. At last, he could exhale smoke laced with sparks.
The only regret was that his body had already passed its initial explosive growth stage. Back when he first hatched, even undernourished, he had shot up from eighty centimeters to over two meters in just ten days.
Now, despite his abundant diet, his body length still hadn't broken past three meters. Next to Yaji, he remained a little shrimp,one she could still grab by the scruff and carry off without effort.
Recently, his wings had been itching constantly. Yaji's nest was spacious enough, but not for full flight,he could only flap awkwardly in circles. Still, he had a hunch: soon, very soon, he would fly. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe even the next second.
And it wasn't just his body evolving. His "system" wasn't idle either. Progress on the mysterious loading bar continued,though this time much slower. After a month, however, it was finally about to complete.
Taking a drink from the stream, Luo Yun munched on the "snack" Yaji had left him,a poor Felyne,sized Aptonoth chick,before curling up in the nest of leaves and branches. There, while calmly absorbing ley,line energy, he waited for Yaji's return.
But something was off. By this time, she should have been back.
Playing her "mother" role to perfection, Yaji usually hunted on a strict schedule. She would hunt quickly, gorge herself in the wild, then drag back an extra kill for Luo Yun. Sometimes, pressed for time, she brought food straight back to him first before heading out again.
Never once had she been this late. Luo Yun felt unease stirring in his chest.
But what could he do? He couldn't fly yet, much less search for her. All he could do was wait,wait for the loading bar to finish, and wait for Yaji to return.
Time ticked by. The progress bar finally completed, but still no sign of Yaji. At this point, panic took hold. Could something really have happened to her?
[Trait Acquired: Strong Arm!]
Strong Arm!?
Luo Yun jolted upright in shock. Of all traits, he had never expected this one!
This ability,for him, no, for almost any wyvern in this world,was nothing short of divine.
Physical attacks, doubled in power.
What did that even mean? In this world, aside from a small handful of exceptions, the vast majority of battles were fought with tooth, claw, and tail,pure melee. Even the few that weren't still relied heavily on physical strikes.
With this trait, Luo Yun's combat power in any fight would be far beyond expectations.
Speed Boost, paired with Strong Arm,together, he was terrifying.
As the new trait integrated into him, waves of heat surged through his body. His physique strengthened rapidly. That itching in his wings flared up once again, sharper than ever.
Instinctively, Luo Yun spread his wings and gave them a tentative flap.
And then,his feet lifted off the ground. His curled talons stretched out naturally. With another flap, he was hovering in midair.
He was flying.
A powerful beat of his wings,and he shot out of the nest, through the clouds, into the open sky!
He twisted, rolled, dove, and soared, performing every aerial maneuver with effortless grace. Flying felt like it had always been a part of him,an instinct etched into his very being.
At that moment, Luo Yun had finally grown into a true Rathalos.
When at last he stopped, the air still rushing past his wings, he realized something astonishing: despite all that movement, he wasn't tired in the slightest.
Of course not. Rathalos were masters of the skies, and those of the New World even more so compared to their Old World kin.
A wave of longing rose within him. He wanted to share this joy with Yaji.
But he didn't know where she was.
So, calming himself, Luo Yun decided to start by circling the area around the nest.
Now that he could fly, the dense forest and the barren wastelands were no longer forbidden zones. At last, he had gained the true capital of survival.
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