Snuggled up beside Aki, Yuno naturally caught her subtle movements. Without saying a word, he shifted closer in the nest. His gaze landed on the cracked scales at her side, where a faint trace of blood shimmered. Acting on instinct, Yuno extended his tongue and began to gently lick her wound.
Aki's movements froze mid-bite. A strange, unfamiliar emotion surged within her, it was the first time another dragon had ever tended to her injuries.
In the past, even when wounded, she always found ways to treat herself if she could reach the wound. If not, she simply endured it in silence, relying on her body's natural resilience.
This kind of mutual grooming... it was something entirely new.
But as far as firsts go, it wasn't unpleasant.
Once Yuno finished licking the wound on her side, he suddenly realized what he had done. He glanced cautiously at Aki, only to see that she had already finished eating and was resting with her eyes closed, seemingly unbothered. That made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Leaning against her side, Yuno finally allowed himself to relax and reflect on his own situation.
Yesterday, he hadn't noticed it. But during today's hunt, he finally realized, unlike the [Acceleration] trait, the [Herculean Strength] trait was constantly active.
In other words, it was a permanent passive ability.
Even more impressive, Yuno could fully control the extra strength without losing control or becoming unstable. His body handled the power with complete precision.
Thinking about it more deeply, with [Acceleration] and [Herculean Strength], plus the powerful physique he would eventually develop as a mature Rathalos, Yuno's future baseline was already set incredibly high.
"Wait... does this mean I have the potential to become one of those broken monsters?"
In the Monster Hunter world, a "broken monster" was one with ridiculous damage output, rapid attack frequency, annoying mechanics, and absurd hitboxes, earning them the nickname "Dung Beasts" among frustrated hunters.
Special shout-out to that white pile of trouble and the tailless golden ape!
Now, it seemed like Yuno could compete with those infamous legends.
A dragon cart with infinite acceleration, how's that for fun?
Double-damage tail sweeps, satisfying enough?
Aerial backflips into fire divebombs that are insanely fast, and claws that strike before you can blink, how exciting is that?
Yuno could already imagine it: if a Rathalos in his previous life had these two traits stacked, every hunter would be crying and laughing at the same time.
Lost in thought, a sly smile crept onto Yuno's young dragon face.
Aki peeked at him with one eye open, catching sight of that strange, shadowy grin. She tilted her head in confusion.
Is being curled up next to her really that enjoyable?
But… why did that smile feel so oddly unsettling?
Over the next few days, Yuno fully took charge of their daily life.
He went out hunting twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. At noon and in the evening, he would quietly lie beside Aki, absorbing the energy of the leylines. From time to time, he'd even lean in and gently lick at her wounds, which were nearly healed by now.
Since drawing [Herculean Strength], progress on extracting a new trait had become excruciatingly slow. After several days, it barely looked like it had moved at all.
Apparently, each new trait extraction took significantly more time.
His frequent hunting also made his skills improve rapidly. He no longer targeted only Kelbi. Herbivores like Aptonoth, Mernos, and Mosswine soon became his new prey.
That said, the Mosswine didn't go down so easily. When they noticed Yuno approaching, they immediately herded all their young beneath them and formed a tight, head-to-head defensive formation. Only their armored backs and heavy clubbed tails were exposed, leaving Yuno no opening to strike. Frustrated, he was forced to retreat empty-handed.
On the bright side, he managed to catch a Mushroom Pig by sheer luck.
And honestly?
You know what? A pig that's seasoned itself by eating mushrooms tastes surprisingly flavorful!
Sadly, the creature was ridiculously good at hiding. After days of trying, that was the only one Yuno had managed to catch.
Because of his wide-ranging hunts, Yuno's scent now lingered across many regions, leading a certain short-tempered dragon to finally track down one of his hunting grounds.
Paying no mind to the fleeing herbivores who bolted upon spotting him, the Anjanath scanned the area with narrowed eyes and soon discovered a particularly secluded forest.
He stepped carefully into the underbrush, letting the foliage mask his presence, then turned his gaze toward a clearing with two shallow pools in the distance. He fixed his eyes there and waited, waiting to give that hatchling a huge surprise the next time he came to hunt!
A long-awaited reunion would be so delightful, wouldn't it?
Just picturing that little brat scrambling to escape again made Anjanath gnash his teeth. Hot steam hissed from his nostrils.
Anjanath's hunch was right, this area was one of Yuno's hunting grounds.
But only one of them.
Still, Anjanath squatted in the tall grass and waited for two full days. He even suppressed the blood-boiling rage that came naturally to his species, all to ambush Yuno.
Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is for a beast his size to squat in a little patch of ferns?
Fortunately, the long wait finally paid off.
Yuno burst out from the woods, chasing after another Mushroom Pig. With a powerful flap of his wings, he leapt forward and slammed the pig underfoot. His sharp talons dug deep into its flesh, and before the pig's terrified squeals could echo, he sank his teeth into its neck and snapped it clean.
Luck really was on his side today. He had only planned to hunt a simple herbivore, but by chance had spotted the pig munching mushrooms nearby. The pig was sharp and dodged his first dive, but in its panic, it had run straight into an open clearing.
With no trees in the way, Yuno had grabbed it effortlessly. Looked like today's meal just got upgraded!
Rustle… rustle...
Just as Yuno was about to lift off with his prize, he suddenly felt his [Acceleration] trait activate.
His eyes sharpened. Something was wrong.
Releasing the dead pig, he gently fanned his wings, ready to take off at a moment's notice.
Still unaware he'd been spotted, Anjanath tiptoed closer, inch by inch. He knew full well how fast Yuno could move. If he didn't get close enough, that brat might slip away again.
Yuno slowly backed up. Focusing his senses, he roughly pinpointed the direction of the threat, across the clearing, somewhere in the forest. But it was impossible to tell which direction the attack would come from.
Taking flight without knowing the enemy's type would be too risky, it could play right into their trap.
Closer… closer...
Anjanath could already smell the sweet scent of blood.
Snap!
A sharp crack echoed underfoot. A branch broke beneath Anjanath's weight just as he poked his head through the leaves.
The noise shattered his stealth.
At that very moment, Yuno's eyes snapped to the exact spot and locked onto him.