On the Ancient Tree.
Although Logan felt it was unlikely that the Frenzy Virus was involved, the New World was vast, full of strange and unpredictable things. In the original game, what hunters saw was only the tip of the iceberg.
That tiny scope of investigation was a mere drop in the ocean compared to the true breadth of the New World. Countless unknowns still remained hidden.
Because of this, Logan grew somewhat wary. He even considered that, when he had the time, he might go personally to investigate that direction.
After all, it was something that could affect large monsters.
If it somehow spread to the Fire Wyvern flock, that would be troublesome.
As for why he wasn't going right now—
These past days, Aki had been a little clingy, even insisting on going out hunting herself.
Well… those who understood would understand. Those who didn't could fill in the blanks themselves.
Logan simply couldn't summon the energy. His wings and legs felt weak, his whole body hollow.
He really wished he had some tool—or even a wyvern—to handle this matter for him.
"Yo, old friend, I'm here to bother you again!"
Hearing that familiar greeting, Logan let out a sigh inwardly. This troublesome fellow was back again!
Sure enough, the Admiral came in with Tonkotsu trailing behind. The moment he saw Logan's current state, his eyes lit up. Right then he felt that taking on this investigation mission by force had been the most correct decision he could have made.
Now that he thought about it, it had been quite some time since the Admiral had last seen Logan.
The last time was back in the Wildspire Waste—and even then, they had barely met before the news of Nergigante drew him away.
It had been over a year, nearly two.
He hadn't expected Logan to change so much in such a short span of time!
He could practically be seen as a subspecies of Rathalos now.
And truth be told, with his ferocious appearance at this moment, Logan truly carried the aura of a "King of Fire Wyverns."
"Though… why do you look a little drained?"
Logan, sunk in a state of laziness and sloth, with no desire to move, was just about to think of a way to deal with this bothersome golden-maned human lion and send him away quickly—
When Tonkotsu suddenly spoke up, saying the Admiral had come seeking his help, to ask about the two Tobi-Kadachi that the Rathian had encountered.
At those words, Logan's eyes gleamed.
Of course!
The Admiral was a hunter!
Investigating ecosystems and anomalies in creatures was his very profession!
His wish had come true!
And there it was—the perfect tool had appeared!
...
In the Ancient Forest, the Admiral crouched silently on a tree branch, waiting.
He had originally come to observe the Fire Wyverns, but somehow, after talking with Logan, he ended up investigating the strange phenomena in the northern reaches of the Ancient Tree.
Still, the abnormal behavior of the Tobi-Kadachi that Logan mentioned was indeed troubling.
For a creature at a low ecological tier to recklessly assault a higher-tier monster—especially cautious ones like Tobi-Kadachi—was truly baffling.
The Admiral's sharp instincts told him there was a problem. If this was just an isolated incident, it could be ignored, but if it wasn't, the consequences could severely disrupt the ecosystem.
So, when arranging for the scholars to return to Astera with the cats, he also wrote a letter to Carlos, hoping the outpost could send more hands to help.
Not combat strength—what he needed most was manpower. The forest was far too vast for the Admiral alone to observe in any meaningful range.
It had already been three days since he arrived in this sector. For three full days, using Scoutflies and tracing various signs, he finally managed to track down something unusual.
At that moment, the Scoutflies that had been flitting around him suddenly turned red, instantly putting the Admiral on guard.
Sweeping his gaze across the foliage, he spotted movement behind the grass and leaves—
A Kulu-Ya-Ku.
That's right. The "abnormal trace" he'd found was just from a Kulu-Ya-Ku.
But this one was different. Its beak hung slightly open, purple saliva dripping down. Its bloodshot eyes, glimmering with pain, locked onto the Admiral perched on the branch. The once-vibrant feathers on its body were now a tangled mess, and its entire being radiated killing intent.
The Admiral, unfazed under its glare, grinned and tossed down a stone as provocation, watching as the Kulu-Ya-Ku shrieked and charged at him in a frenzy.
He turned and leapt gracefully through the jungle, weaving and sliding among trees.
Branches and vines kept hindering the monster's pursuit. The Kulu-Ya-Ku could only remain on his trail, never truly closing the gap.
Following the route he had planned over the past few days, the Admiral navigated the terrain with ease. Soon, he reached a cliffside and leapt across. Though it looked risky, he had already measured the distance. The Kulu-Ya-Ku's claw swipe missed him, and he landed safely on the opposite ledge.
Turning back, he made a mocking gesture toward the frenzied monster.
Without hesitation, the Kulu-Ya-Ku's hind legs tensed, and it leapt over ten meters in one bound, aiming to crush the Admiral beneath its talons.
"Hehe~"
The Admiral rolled nimbly aside, and the Kulu-Ya-Ku's stomp struck nothing.
The very next instant, its footing gave way, and it plunged into a carefully dug pit. The woven vine trap snapped shut around its body, binding it tight no matter how wildly it struggled.
As the crazed roars of the Kulu-Ya-Ku echoed, Tonkotsu and two Grimalkyne companions rushed over with Barrel Bombs in their paws, setting them right beside the creature's head.
They lit the fuses and bolted back.
[BOOM!]
After the blast, the Kulu-Ya-Ku slumped weakly, head drooping.
The three Barrel Bombs had done their job well—enough damage to knock it out cold, but not kill.
With the Admiral's strength, let alone this frenzied Kulu-Ya-Ku—even if an extreme specimen appeared, he could handle it alone.
This time, the goal was to capture the frenzied Kulu-Ya-Ku as intact as possible, without causing it serious harm. That was why, even though the Admiral had already found its trail three days earlier, he deliberately waited. He spent those three days familiarizing himself with the terrain and setting traps—all in preparation for this very moment.
The Admiral pulled out a pair of tranquilizer bombs, covered his nose and mouth with one hand, and tossed them onto the unconscious Kulu-Ya-Ku's face.
Before long, the sound of steady, slumbering breaths rose from the monster.
Crouching before it, the Admiral drew a shallow cut with his hunter's dagger, then examined the blade. The blackish-purple stain on the steel made him nod.
"Looks like the same virus that infected the Tobi-Kadachi. I'll leave the rest to you, Grimalkynes."
"Meow~!"
The two Palicoes leapt up, raising their paws to signal no problem. They took the pouch of tranquilizer bombs from the Admiral, pushed a cart over, and with effort hauled the Kulu-Ya-Ku onto it. After securing the creature tightly with ropes, they noticed it stir. Immediately, they hurled another tranquilizer bomb to ensure it stayed under. Once certain it was safe, they pushed the cart toward the temporary camp, guarded by the Admiral and Tonkotsu.
There, the Fire Wyvern Grimalkynes the Admiral had hired would take charge of the frenzied Kulu-Ya-Ku and transport it back to the Ancient Tree encampment, where it would await transfer to hunters sent from Astera.
"Looks like this forest really is in trouble. Even timid monsters like Kulu-Ya-Ku are showing this kind of extreme aggression. Until we know what's causing it, you'd all better be careful," the Admiral said, chewing on his rations as he glanced at Tonkotsu.
Tonkotsu gave a steady nod. "I understand, meow. The Fire Wyvern boss already ordered us Grimalkynes and the Fire Wyverns themselves to avoid hunting near here for now, meow. He said he would—huh? What's this, meow?"
As he spoke, Tonkotsu noticed a faint haze of blackish-purple scale dust drifting their way. But as it passed through the campfire's glow, it suddenly ignited and vaporized into nothing.
Smelling the strange scent, the Admiral sneezed.
His brows furrowed as he quickly pulled out a cloth and covered his nose and mouth. Tonkotsu, noticing his reaction, immediately followed suit, copying the gesture to protect himself.
They exchanged a glance, then both stood up at once. The Admiral ordered the Grimalkyne companions in the camp to take proper protective measures, and man and cat rushed out together. Following the drifting trail of scale dust in the air, they moved toward its source.
Meanwhile, in the same region, high above, Logan and Aki were flying low through the sky.
Originally, after entrusting the investigation to the Admiral, Logan had planned to leave the matter entirely in his hands.
But with several days passing without a word, and after the two abnormal Tobi-Kadachi, the Fire Wyverns had now brought back the corpse of a Great Jagras showing similar symptoms. Logan could no longer sit still.
He kept telling himself that since the New World had neither Gore Magala nor Shagaru Magala, this strange condition among the monsters must simply be coincidence.
Yet the more he tried to dismiss it, the more likely it seemed.
In the end, he found it impossible to stay calm. Even at night, his unease made Aki visibly dissatisfied. Finally, Logan ordered the Fire Wyvern flock to avoid hunting in this area for the time being.
Then he set off with Aki, flying toward this region, hoping to test his luck and see with his own eyes whether there were indeed more frenzied monsters.
The unknown was the most terrifying of all—only by witnessing it personally could he find any peace of mind.
"Roar~ Roar~"
The cry of a Anjanath echoed, but the sound was nothing like the full-throated, thunderous roar Logan remembered. Instead, it was hurried, weak, and laced with frustration.
It carried the pitiful air of a tiger brought low, bullied by dogs.
Tilting his wings, Logan steered toward the direction of the sound.
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