For Altaïr and his companions, this period passed peacefully and productively.
Ayame was every bit as forthright and warmhearted as she seemed. After accepting Altaïr's gift of wine, she pulled the cork on the spot, took several hearty swigs, then slung an arm around his shoulders and headed for the Training Area.
The Sacred Sheathe Combo was a highly advanced sword technique worthy of being called a "Secret Art," and the training it demanded was anything but ordinary.
Even with Altaïr's foundation in swordsmanship and Ayame's meticulous guidance, it took him nearly a week just to grasp the fundamentals. To make the technique truly effective in combat, he would have to hone it gradually through real battles.
The modifications to Isis's Gunlance, on the other hand, were completed much faster.
Unlike the earlier Glavenus Gunlance, the Workshop's customization options were relatively limited by the strength of the available materials.
After carefully examining Demon King Tyrant's performance and confirming that Isis possessed the necessary strength and technique, Hibasa proposed a far more radical modification plan. He called it the "Super Full Burst."
A Full Burst discharged every shell loaded in the chamber at once.
The Super Full Burst required relatively few changes. Hibasa mainly removed several built-in safety limiters from the Gunlance, allowing the wielder to fire every standard shell, a Wyrmstake Cannon, and even Wyvern's Fire simultaneously.
Just hearing how it worked was enough to understand how terrifying the recoil would be. Even if Isis's arms and body could withstand the force, her weight alone could never absorb it. Firing while stationary would send her flying backward.
The technique therefore had to be paired with a charging move such as Blast Dash. Only by using the charge's momentum to offset some of the recoil could the wielder hope to remain upright.
The strain this placed on the wielder's body was astonishing. A less capable Gunlance user who recklessly attempted the technique could even suffer shattered bones.
When Isis first received the modified Gunlance, she escaped injury during the test shot, but the weapon was torn from her hands the instant she triggered the Super Full Burst. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before.
Isis found this extraordinarily exciting!
Enormous recoil meant even greater power. If she could not control it, the fault lay neither with the weapon nor the technique, but with her!
Once she truly mastered the move, any Monster charge that Blast Dash failed to interrupt would get a Super Full Burst instead!
During those few days, Morgan Hunted a Pyre Rakna-Kadaki alone.
As a Subspecies of Rakna-Kadaki, Pyre Rakna-Kadaki was formidable even by 6★ standards. Its high-speed mobility and ability to coordinate with its Pyrantula offspring to trigger explosions across a wide area caused Morgan a great deal of trouble.
Even so, he overcame every danger and completed the Hunt alone, proving his strength.
His equipment and hunting techniques now fully met the standards of a High Rank Hunter. He had finally caught up with his companions.
Once Morgan's Rank-Up Quest was formally completed, Guild Master Hojo wrote his application for promotion to High Rank and sent it by carrier pigeon to the Hunter's Guild headquarters in Dundorma.
No one knew whether His Immenseness had foreseen the situation or whether the timing was pure coincidence, but the promotion documents from Guild headquarters arrived in Kamura Village the very next day.
At that point, the application Guild Master Hojo had written was still on its way to Dundorma.
Beaming, Guild Master Hojo handed Morgan the promotion documents, then personally stamped a new star-shaped seal onto the cover of his Hunter's Notes.
From that moment on, Morgan's promotion was official. He was now a 6★ Hunter.
—--
For Nymera, this period had been rather difficult to endure.
Although she spent half of every day in the Training Area, her results looked rather unimpressive beside those of the other three animals.
At another dinner after a busy day, the companions gathered around the table to eat and talk.
One talked about the swordsmanship Secret Art he had practiced that day. Another boasted about how incredibly powerful her modified weapon had become. Then the expressionless one casually announced, "I've been promoted to High Rank." At last, it was Nymera's turn.
Nymera opened her mouth, mumbled for ages, and finally managed to say that her proficiency with Silkbind techniques had improved slightly...
Altaïr and the others thought nothing of it, but Yomogi's disdainful gaze and Iori's attempt at encouragement stung Nymera's pride and finally jolted her out of her laziness.
She devoured the remaining food in her bowls and plates, declared, "I'm not doing the dishes tonight! I'm going to train some more!" and bolted out of the house under everyone's astonished stares.
—--
That night, at the Training Area in the hills behind Kamura Village, Nymera asked a Felyne mechanic to activate the Mechanical Toad and began her own special training.
Since forming a team with Altaïr and Isis, she had spent most of her time using the Light Bowgun, leading everyone to think of her as a Light Bowgun user.
In truth, she was equally adept with the Heavy Bowgun. She rarely used a Bow, but she could handle one as well.
As a result, her repertoire of Silkbind techniques was quite varied. If she did not occasionally practice the techniques she seldom used, her movements would grow rusty.
Focused on her training, she did not notice a pair of eyes watching her from afar.
Master Utsushi was somewhat surprised.
Standing atop the great chimney in the village center and gazing out over Kamura from dusk into the night was a habit he had kept for years. The commotion from the Training Area in the back hills had drawn his attention.
He had assumed it would be Altaïr or Isis.
Those two youngsters trained so hard that it worried everyone. If Yomogi did not keep them in check, they would probably train late into the night every single day.
Tonight, however, someone else had appeared in the Training Area, and the sight took him by surprise.
Nymera's talent as a Hunter was beyond question. She had reached 6★ while still in her twenties, but she was usually rather... laid-back, not the especially hardworking type.
In truth, most young people born and raised in the village after the Rampage had ended were much the same. Without the pressure of life and death, few fought as desperately as the people of Maki's generation.
That outcome both reassured their elders and gave them headaches.
But tonight brought a surprise! Master Utsushi did not know why this young woman had suddenly begun working so hard, but the sight of her sweating through diligent practice beneath the night sky set the Instructor in him ablaze!
He watched Nymera train for a long time.
Her shooting skill went without saying. As an independent High Rank Gunner, she had reached a level that even Master Utsushi would struggle to surpass.
Her various Silkbind techniques and tactical maneuvers were all performed to a high standard, making her a remarkably well-rounded and balanced student. There seemed to be little he could teach her.
Wait. If he remembered correctly...
Master Utsushi's figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot.
Inside the Training Area, Nymera suddenly paused in the middle of an evasion drill around the Mechanical Toad. She lowered her muzzle and turned to look.
A figure landed at the Training Area gate.
"Master Utsushi?" Surprised, Nymera immediately stowed her weapon and bowed politely. "Good evening, Instructor."
Master Utsushi smiled. "Would you mind if I offered some advice on your training?"
Nymera froze for a moment, then hastily replied, "Of course not. Please, teach me."
As the Instructor who had taught Nymera since her apprenticeship, Master Utsushi knew exactly what she excelled at and where she struggled.
"Your shooting skill has always been excellent, and you apply your various tactical and Silkbind techniques with flexibility and precision. These are skills worth practicing for a lifetime, so of course there is nothing wrong with training them.
"But this is special training, right? If you want more obvious results in a shorter time, why not work on one of your weaknesses?"
Nymera blinked. "One of my weaknesses?"
"Exactly. Something you've never been especially good at. How about putting some serious effort into mastering the Mounted Punisher?"
P.S. This is not a last-minute addition. Francesca's original recommendation letter already noted that Nymera was proficient with both Light and Heavy Bowguns. The two weapon types have much in common, and many Gunners, including Ansel, Gael, and Nadia, are skilled with both.