It was four or five days later when Gordon regained consciousness.
He was lying on his own bed, covered in bandages and splints, looking half-dead and miserable.
This was indeed the most severe injury he had sustained since becoming a Hunter.
After a thorough examination by the village doctor, he had more than ten bone fractures all over his body, and the lacerations on his back were healing extremely slowly due to residual toxins.
He also had multiple burns on his back, a lung infection from inhaling river water, and some internal organ displacement due to the violent impact.
It could be said that his survival was no small miracle.
After falling into the river that day, he and Zhu Pa were swept nearly two kilometers downstream, and most of his bruises and fractures were sustained then.
If it weren't for a relatively calm river bend not far downstream that washed him and Zhu Pa ashore, they might have drowned on the spot.
When they were washed ashore, Gordon had already fallen into a deep coma, but fortunately, Zhu Pa remained conscious.
He promptly sent out a distress signal, attracting a nearby Airou tribe who then transported them out of the deep mountains.
When the severely injured Gordon was brought back to Kokoto Village, Instructor Ernest and the others were all terrified.
Even the Dragon People old village chief, who always looked somewhat senile, personally came to examine his injuries.
The only fortunate thing was that this guy's body was tough enough; although his injuries were severe, they didn't leave any irreversible damage.
However, to ensure perfect bone healing, he had to stay in bed for a full month.
While recovery medicine could greatly accelerate this process, excessive use of recovery medicine could lead to bone overgrowth and displacement during healing.
Therefore, proper rest was still necessary.
During his time recuperating in bed, Gordon became somewhat silent.
The failed mission, the crushing defeat by Rathalos, and the near-death experience if not for his partner Zhu Pa's desperate rescue, all dealt him a significant blow.
It was quite common among Hunters for their personalities to change drastically after a failed mission; not everyone could successfully emerge from the shadow of the fear of death.
Too many Hunters subsequently put down their weapons or lost the Courage to continue challenging powerful monsters, becoming lifelong "gathering Hunters" who achieved little.
As Gordon's Instructor, Ernest naturally had similar concerns, but after some hesitation, he chose not to interfere too much.
Even if the former decided to give up being a Hunter, he wouldn't be angry; someone without the proper resolve entering the Hunting Field was seeking death, and this kind of "resolve" couldn't be instilled by merely spouting a few motivational phrases.
Whether he could regain his Courage depended solely on the individual himself.
However, facts proved that Ernest's worries were completely unnecessary.
On the first day he could get out of bed, Gordon hobbled on crutches to Zhu Pa and solemnly apologized for his previous recklessness.
Afterward, he went to Instructor Ernest's house, seriously reflecting on and examining his mistakes.
He knew very well that if Instructor Ernest hadn't repeatedly urged him to bring antidote and Flash Bomb before the mission, he didn't know how many times he would have died.
As for giving up being a Hunter, Gordon never even considered it.
On the contrary, at this moment, his desire to become stronger was unprecedentedly high.
"Rathalos, just you wait, that day won't be too far off."
More than a month passed quickly.
Gordon, having completed his recovery training for the day, returned home with Zhu Pa.
Cool well water poured over his body, flowing over the highly engorged muscles, carrying away sweat and rising heat.
Gordon stretched comfortably, while Zhu Pa shook his body, spraying water droplets everywhere.
The injuries sustained in the battle with Rathalos had fully recovered, and Gordon could even feel that his physical fitness had improved significantly compared to a month ago.
Could this be what they called 'breaking through to build anew'?
After a cool shower, Gordon returned to his room.
A brand new set of armor hung on the mannequin beside the storage chest.
He walked over, touched the shiny alloy plates, and then put on the armor piece by piece.
His original Blue Velocidrome Set had been severely damaged by Rathalos's breath Attack Up and was beyond repair.
So, at Instructor Ernest's suggestion, he placed an order with the workshop to forge this new equipment called the Refined Ore Set.
The new set's materials were mainly ore-based, such as Earth Crystal, Iron Ore, and lark stone, combined with a small amount of Blue Velocidrome hide.
Its overall defense was on par with the Blue Velocidrome Set.
However, due to the extensive use of metal materials, the Refined Ore Set was also heavier than the Blue Velocidrome Set.
Fortunately, with Gordon's current physical condition, this weight was not much of a burden.
He was already very satisfied that such excellent equipment could be crafted from existing stock materials.
As for why he was wearing armor now, it was because Instructor Ernest had told him very seriously this morning to go to the village chief's house after training, as there seemed to be something very important to discuss.
Just like important people in the city always wore new robes when gathering, Gordon felt that to show his respect, he should also wear his new armor.
Well, to be frank, he just wanted an excuse to try out his new equipment.
Fully armed, he arrived at the village chief's house, and indeed, Instructor Ernest was also there.
Instructor Ernest and the village chief looked somewhat speechless at Gordon, who was fully armored at the door, but they didn't say much.
Too many Hunters were accustomed to wearing their armor as everyday clothing.
"Come in quickly, oh, and put your Burst Blade by the door, don't stomp through the village chief's floor," Ernest said with a teasing laugh.
Gordon scratched his head, put down his weapon, and walked into the village chief's house, the floorboards creaking under his feet.
Two burly men and a scrawny old man sat around a small low table less than half a meter high, a somewhat comical sight.
Instructor Ernest glanced at the wobbling village chief, who looked as if he was about to doze off, sighed, and took the initiative to speak, "Gordon, you're almost an adult, aren't you?"
Gordon was startled by the question but still nodded in response, "Yes, I'll be eighteen the month after next."
Instructor Ernest was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Right, that little brat who used to clamor to be a Hunter is now a big young man who's even taller than me."
Gordon blinked, somewhat unsure of what Instructor Ernest and the others meant.
"It's my fault. I always felt you weren't mature enough, like a fledgling bird not ready to fly solo, so I kept you tied to the nest," Instructor Ernest continued to murmur.
"Instructor Ernest?" Gordon asked cautiously, sensing the strange atmosphere.
As if finally having made up his mind, Instructor Ernest suddenly looked up.
He stared into Gordon's eyes and said, "Gordon, you are a very talented guy, and you're willing to work hard.
I firmly believe that your future achievements will surpass mine."
Gordon was a bit flustered, having never heard Instructor Ernest praise him so directly.
Before he could say anything, Instructor Ernest continued, "But Kokoto Village is too small and too remote.
There aren't many missions assigned here to begin with, and more than half of them are either gathering Mushroom or hunting raw meat.
It's hard to even find a few reliable Two-Star missions, and Three-Star missions might not even appear once a month.
Looking back now, what you said back then about 'wanting to see what a Rathalos looks like' must have just been an excuse, right?
If you had more suitable options back then, you wouldn't have chosen that mission to steal Rathalos eggs."
Gordon twitched his mouth; he had genuinely gone for the thrill back then.
If he told the truth now, would Instructor Ernest beat him?
It's better not to say too much right now.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.