While Logan was hunting, far from Logan and Aki's nest, deep within the Ancient Forest, a powerful brute was savagely beating a Tobi-Kadachi.
The Tobi-Kadachi's electric strikes left only faint scorch marks on the brute's body, and its normally deadly claws managed only shallow scratches.
That level of damage was completely negligible to the Anjanath—whose size and strength far surpassed those of its kin. In contrast, its attacks could deal significant damage to the Tobi-Kadachi with ease.
This was a completely one-sided battle. After being bitten and violently flung into the air once again, the Tobi-Kadachi finally realized it was hopeless. Whimpering, it scrambled up a tree and fled as fast as it could.
Snorting disdainfully at its retreating figure, the Anjanath exhaled a puff of hot air from its nostrils.
It hadn't even forced him to activate his heat sacs—these weaklings on the forest's edge were getting more and more pathetic!
Devouring the herbivore it had stolen from the Tobi-Kadachi, the Anjanath finally felt satisfied and resumed its search for a new nesting ground.
It wasn't a native of this area—it had migrated from the deeper regions of the Ancient Forest.
Back in those depths, life had been fairly comfortable. But ever since the day it encountered that hatchling Rathalos trespassing in its territory during a routine patrol, everything had changed.
As a standout among its kind, this Anjanath was much larger than most of its kin—yet somehow, that little Rathalos hatchling, unable to even fly, had managed to escape its jaws just by running.
What a disgrace—an unbearable humiliation!
The Anjanath, already known for its explosive temper, was now utterly consumed by rage.
Blinded by fury, it spent several days rampaging not only through its own territory but even—whether by carelessness or defiance—trespassing into the lands of other wyverns, stirring chaos wherever it went.
As a result, it made enemies of its neighbors and triggered several territorial disputes.
The monsters who could claim territory in the depths of the Ancient Forest were no pushovers. Ganged up on by multiple powerful beasts, the Anjanath had no choice but to swallow its pride, abandon its original domain, and migrate to this unfamiliar region.
While wandering about in search of a resting place, it came across a clearing—scarred and broken from a fierce battle. The sight immediately caught its attention.
Finding a new territory was no easy feat. One had to get familiar with the surrounding terrain, know where prey moved, and stay alert for any hidden threats.
This particular clearing had clearly been carved out by a clash between two large beasts. The Anjanath approached cautiously to investigate.
Its nostrils flared as it sniffed the air. The stench of Pukei-Pukei's venom lingered here… as did the acrid, smoky scent of fire. Judging from the intensity of both the poison and flames, it had probably been a Rathian.
As it pressed deeper into the clearing, the Anjanath suddenly caught a scent—one it would never forget.
It was that hatchling Rathalos. The one that had escaped from its jaws. Still alive!?
Excellent. The fury returned at once.
And that scent wasn't alone. It was mixed with that of a female—could it be his mother?
For a brief moment, the Anjanath hesitated.
It wasn't particularly intelligent, but it did understand one thing very clearly: a furious Rathian was not to be provoked lightly. Her fire and venom could easily bring her enemies down with her in a blaze of mutual destruction.
If it was going to pursue that hatchling again, it would have to be ready—ready to fight a wrathful Rathian to the death.
...
At midday, when Logan returned to the nest with a Kelbi in his claws, a sudden chill ran down his spine—only to vanish just as quickly, leaving behind a trace of unease.
But when he saw Aki calmly eating the prey he had brought back, all his doubts faded away.
Carefully inching forward, he extended one leg into the nest. Seeing that Aki didn't react and was still focused entirely on her meal, he slowly slid his whole body into the nest and curled up tightly against her.
Aki, in the middle of tearing into the meat, cast him a brief glance. She said nothing, didn't lash out or object—instead, she subtly shifted her body, creating a bit more space so he could lie more comfortably.
Nestled close beside Aki, Logan naturally noticed her small movements. Without a word, he shifted slightly within the nest. His eyes fell on the cracked scales along Aki's side—traces of blood faintly visible beneath. Instinctively, Logan extended his tongue and gently licked her wounds.
Aki froze mid-bite, an unfamiliar sensation rising from deep within her. This was the first time another wyvern had ever tended to her injuries.
In the past, whenever she was wounded, she would do whatever she could to treat herself. If the wounds were in hard-to-reach spots, she simply endured them with her own strength.
The act of licking each other's wounds—this was a first for her. But so far, it didn't feel bad at all.
Once Logan had finished tending to her side, he suddenly realized what he had done. He cautiously glanced at Aki, only to see that she had finished eating and was now resting with her eyes closed. Sensing no unusual reaction from her, he finally let out a breath of relief.
Curled beside her, Logan allowed himself to relax. With his body at ease, he began to examine himself.
He hadn't noticed it yesterday, but during today's hunt, he finally became aware—unlike the Acceleration Trait, the Powerhouse Trait was always active.
In other words, it was a permanent passive ability.
What's more, he could control this extra strength perfectly. There were no issues with sudden power surges throwing his body out of balance.
Thinking about it carefully, with both the Acceleration Trait and the Powerhouse Trait—and factoring in the naturally powerful physique he would develop as a future Rathalos—his baseline potential was already guaranteed to be exceptionally high.
"Wait… does this mean I'm starting to have the makings of a Troll Monster?"
What was a Troll Monster? High skill damage, rapid attack frequency, disgusting mechanics, and terrible hitzones. Combined, that was what qualified something as a troll-tier monster in his past life.
An infinitely accelerating wyvern charge—what's not to love? A tail sweep that hits with double damage—satisfied yet? After a fiery backward leap into flight, not only was his speed insane, but the venom claw strikes came out lightning fast. Exciting, isn't it?
Logan could vividly imagine: if a Rathalos in his past life had possessed these two traits, every Hunter would've been crying tears of despair.
As the thought crossed his mind, a grin actually appeared on his still-youthful wyvern face.
Aki cracked open one eye and glanced at him. That shady little smile on Logan's face—she didn't quite get it. Was he really that happy just lying next to her?
But for some reason… that smile felt a little off.
Over the next few days, Logan took full responsibility for their daily survival.
He went out hunting twice a day—once in the morning and once in the afternoon. At noon and night, he quietly laid on the ground, absorbing energy from the earth's ley lines. Occasionally, he would snuggle up to Aki and help her lick the wounds that were nearly healed.
Ever since the Powerhouse Trait had been extracted, the progress bar for his next trait had been moving at a snail's pace. Even after several days, it looked as if it hadn't moved at all.
It was likely that each new trait extraction required significantly more time than the last.
Still, the frequent hunts of the past few days had greatly improved Logan's skills. He no longer limited himself to Kelbi. Herbivores, Mernos, and Kestodon had all become his new prey.
However, he did have a setback with the Kestodon. As soon as they spotted Logan, they immediately shielded all their young beneath their bellies, forming a tight defensive formation with their heads inward. Only their long tails with clubbed ends and thick armor were left exposed. No matter how hard Logan looked, he couldn't find a good opening to attack and had to retreat unwillingly.
On a side note, he somehow managed to catch a Mosswine by pure chance.
And you know what? You really have to try it—this boar that marinated itself with mushrooms had an unexpectedly amazing flavor!
Unfortunately, their stealth capabilities were top-notch. Even after several days, he had only managed to catch the one.
Because Logan had been hunting all over the area, his scent was left in many places—which led a certain hot-tempered wyvern to finally track down the hunting grounds he had claimed.