The people within the Dungeon Meal party had no idea what the monster before them was.
It resembled a bear, yet its limbs were far too developed. Instead of fur, its limbs and face were covered in thick keratin, forming deep grooves—grooves that secured the massive sword-shaped ice chunk affixed to its right hand.
The Goss Harag, standing upright and wielding an ice greatsword, looked like a shaggy, feral demon. Its fearsome appearance alone sent chills down the onlookers' spines.
In a single clash, it had already cleaved through the bodies of several adventurers, dyeing its ice blade crimson with blood.
"What is that monster?!"
Even the elves, who boasted the most knowledge and experience, were thrown into panic by this unfamiliar creature.
A chimera, perhaps? But it didn't resemble one at all…
If Kairo Retsu were present, he'd no doubt be delighted to explain the Goss Harag's origins.
A Fanged Beast endemic to frozen tundras and snowy plains, it first appeared in Monster Hunter Rise, filling a vital mid-tier ecological niche within the Fanged Beast category.
Its threat level rivals that of Flying Wyverns. It can assume three distinct weapon styles: one-handed sword, dual swords, or a sword-and-hammer dual-wield combo…
Frankly, it was more versatile than Kairo Retsu himself with Long Sword, Dual Blades, or Sword & Shield…
Now enraged, this particular Goss Harag had also learned to wield Water Breathing, a technique familiar to Tanjiro—thanks to the Winged Lion.
With just a single engagement, it had shattered the loose formation of the adventurers.
"Don't let it keep moving around!!"
The elves quickly issued orders while launching spells to restrain and attack the beast.
Its movements were unexpectedly agile. If allowed to continue rampaging among the ranks, the entire formation would collapse in no time.
Patadollu immediately took command, rallying what combat power they had to neutralize the unknown monster.
But just as the adventurers began to regroup, healing the dead and reorganizing the defense—
Patadollu suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
She looked up—and realized the Goss Harag had set its sights on her.
She was in a relatively safe location, issuing commands via familiars…
Yet somehow, it had zeroed in on her precisely.
For some reason, Patadollu suddenly recalled legends of man-eating bears from certain regions—
Bears, creatures intelligent enough to stand in the mist and wave like humans to lure prey.
Or stories of bears that would slip into villages while hunters were away, slaughtering all the women and children.
Yes… bears were smart.
And the Goss Harag was very bear-like.
Patadollu had the terrible feeling she'd been marked.
Then, in the blink of an eye—
The Goss Harag, whose ice sword arm had been restrained, suddenly opened its jagged maw.
A breath of freezing cold mist billowed from its mouth.
The elves and adventurers braced for an ice-element attack, preparing to dodge…
But instead, the beast spewed a supercooled liquid onto its other arm—
Instantly freezing it into a second sharp ice blade.
Patadollu's pupils dilated.
She instinctively snatched a pixie used for communication, trying to give orders—
But the Goss Harag moved first.
Dual frost greatswords, powered by Breath Techniques, burst forth with explosive speed—
Crashing straight through the adventurers' defensive lines.
The sheer brutality of its assault surpassed even what they expected from dragons.
Breaking through elven and adventurer ranks, the Goss Harag charged directly at Patadollu.
"Deploy barriers! Attack spells—!"
Patadollu reacted as quickly as she could. She even managed to cast half of a spell—
But it was too late.
One of the Goss Harag's ice blades came hurtling through the air—
A massive chunk of ice slammed into the elves beside her, instantly killing several.
Even Patadollu herself was pierced by ice shrapnel that tore into her lungs.
She collapsed in pain, kneeling, unable to muster the strength for another spell.
With her lungs punctured, Patadollu could do nothing but watch.
The towering figure of the Goss Harag—
Now confident in its kill—slowed its steps, approaching her at a deliberate pace.
She could see it.
She knew it was coming for her.
And yet, she couldn't move.
The fear of that moment was magnified tenfold by the beast's slow, deliberate approach.
Patadollu could only watch the massive blade fall toward her—
Bringing death with it.
As if satisfied with eliminating the Guildmaster, the Goss Harag's expression almost seemed pleased.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Just as the adventurers suffered heavy casualties from the surprise assault,
a shrill voice rang out from the edge of the battlefield—
Kazuma's.
"Why the hell does this look like an R-rated gorefest?!"
Kazuma screamed.
"Wasn't Tanjiro supposed to be the new dungeon master?!
Why the hell is it so bloody here?!"
His shouting caught the attention of the Goss Harag.
The beast's eyes immediately locked onto the four newcomers—
Three Hunters in armor, and one frail-looking Elf…
Gifted with significant intelligence by the Winged Lion, the Goss Harag instantly assessed them as a threat.
It turned without hesitation and charged toward them.
"I've seen this one before! It's a Fanged Beast—Kairo Retsu told us about it!"
Naofumi Iwatani raised his Heavy Bowgun.
"Wait a minute—
Didn't he give each of us a different dragon species under the pretense of 'educational briefings'…?"
"So this whole thing was part of his damn plan!! That scheming bastard Guildmaster!!"
Joseph Joestar snarled in rage.
Then he turned to Misrun, who had temporarily joined their party.
"Hey! You know teleportation, right?! Get me on top of that Goss Harag's head!"
"…Understood."
Misrun's eyes now carried a spark they hadn't before.
That was why he chose to cooperate with the Hunters—
Earlier, he'd drunk just a bit of a Potion, enough to rekindle fragments of his emotions and desires.
Misrun grabbed Joseph's wrist and prepared the spell.
"One meter above its head. Get ready."
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