Waving his hand, Ethan tossed a piece of wood onto the campfire. He shoved the last piece of honey-glazed grilled fish into Bear Bro's mouth, who then wiped his mouth with satisfaction and happily splashed around in the lake, seemingly in good spirits.
Ethan quietly sighed with relief. Phew. It was a good thing this guy was easygoing and had forgotten the conflict that almost erupted now that he'd had a satisfying meal, otherwise the Hunter would surely have hammered him flat.
Turning around, Kayne was patting his belly, letting out a satisfied sigh. The fresh, warm honey-grilled fish was truly delicious. This strange guy who could befriend an Arzuros was simply too good at grilling.
Kayne was rubbing his stomach when a thick notebook suddenly fell from his waist. It rolled a few times on the ground and came to rest right at Ethan's feet.
Ethan picked it up and handed it back, but he noticed that Kayne's expression as he looked at the notebook was a little strange. Ethan tilted his head in confusion.
Kayne awkwardly opened his mouth, then silently opened the notebook to a specific page and showed it to Ethan.
The text was still not in Chinese characters, yet Ethan was able to subconsciously grasp its meaning.
—
Gathering Quest: Set Forth! Hunting for Honey! (★)
Quest Objective: Deliver 5 Honey
Reward: 500z
Quest Location: Stream
Time Limit: 3 Days
Client: Drink Shop Owner
Client Request:Meow, good sir! Our honey reserves are critically low, meow! If this continues, we won't be able to offer our popular Honey Yuzu Tea, meow! So, we hope you can help us gather some honey in an emergency, meow! We will prioritize serving you a drink once it's made, meow!
—
That's the Felyne at the Drink Shop in the Yukumo Village Gathering Hall, isn't it?
Hmm… The first time I saw him in the game must have been more than ten years ago, right?
At that time, I was just a little kid, constantly flailing with my PSP, and now I've personally arrived in this world.
Ethan blinked. Looking at the quest details, he felt a strange emotion. The sense of unreality that had persisted like a dream since his transmigration seemed to vanish completely at this moment.
"Cough, cough."
Kayne cleared his throat, pulling Ethan's attention back. He saw the Hunter grinning sheepishly at him, a posture that made him feel like he was hallucinating a large housefly rubbing its hands together.
Ethan blinked. He picked up the half-used honeycomb from the grilling earlier and offered it to Kayne.
"Ah, how can I accept this? I've already gotten a free meal, I can't take this for nothing!"
If he hadn't spent the previous two days purely sightseeing in the Stream area, resulting in insufficient time, Kayne definitely wouldn't have completed the quest in such a cunning manner. But for the honor of a High-Rank Hunter, and to avoid leaving behind the "glorious achievement" of failing a gathering quest, Kayne felt that sometimes Hunters needed to be flexible.
Kayne initially wanted to pay with cash, as a High-Rank Hunter wasn't short on money. However, after fumbling at his waist, he realized that no Hunter carries money into a hunting ground; his money pouch was still deposited at the Yukumo Village Gathering Hall!
"Ah-ha-ha, well, I didn't bring any money to the hunting ground. I'll definitely give it to you when I get back. I won't take it for nothing, truly I won't!"
Ethan waved his hand nonchalantly. It was just money. Once he became a Hunter, he wouldn't be short of cash either. His current focus was actually more on the Hunter profession itself and how different it was from the game.
For example, his gaze was now intensely fixed on the Tyrant's Shield, which Kayne had leaned against a rock nearby, his face full of eagerness.
"Hmm, are you curious about my weapon?"
Ethan nodded.
"You want to be a Hunter too?"
He nodded rapidly.
"Then do you want to try it? Her name is the Tyrant's Shield."
He nodded very emphatically and quickly.
Kayne was somewhat surprised. Such a strange person who could peacefully coexist with an Arzuros actually wanted to become a Hunter?
Regardless, someone willing to become a Hunter was a great thing. It meant that the strength protecting humanity's survival wouldn't suffer a gap after their generation grew old. The new generation of Hunters would take up the heavy responsibilities on their shoulders and continue to defend humanity's existence in this dangerous world.
Kayne decided to try and see if he could unearth a potential Hunter seed. So, he picked up his beloved Tyrant's Shield and first demonstrated the standard Charge Blade sword stance and sheathing movement for Ethan in slow motion.
"Come on, give it a try. The Tyrant's Shield is not light. If you can't even hold it, the Charge Blade is clearly not for you."
"Oh, right. The Charge Blade's shield is special; it requires a specific rail on the right armguard to ensure flexible switching between sword and axe modes… Ugh, why am I telling you this now? Just put on my armguard first and see if you can handle the weight of the Charge Blade."
Kayne glanced at the Arzuros, who had fallen asleep while bathing in the lake, and removed his right armguard for Ethan to put on.
Kayne's physique fit the stereotypical Hunter image—his arms were stout enough to "stable a horse," and his forearm was nearly as thick as Ethan's thigh. During the process of putting on the gear, Kayne already didn't have much hope that Ethan would be able to use the Charge Blade.
However, to Kayne's surprise, and to Ethan's own surprise, when he took the sword and shield and adopted the standard stance, his arms trembled, but he genuinely managed to support the heavy weight completely.
Hmm. It seems that living with Bear Bro and having a sufficiently nutritious diet has subtly increased his strength a lot during this time.
"Yo! Not bad! You don't look like you have any muscle, but you actually have some strength! This Charge Blade of mine has been reinforced multiple times, and its weight has increased significantly. If it were a basic bone weapon or an Ore Charge Blade, you should have the strength to handle it."
"Come on, now try sheathing it… Oh, right, you don't have a body armor, so the rail can't attach. But aside from that, you did pretty well; you have a lot of natural talent!"
"Try swinging the sword. Use the power that feels most natural to you… Up-swing, down-chop, then follow up with a Roundslash. Hiss! Have you seen a Hunter use a Charge Blade before? This is the most common move sequence in the sword mode…"
"I've definitely seen it! That scared me, I thought for a moment you were some kind of prodigy… Here, let me explain the technique for the Charged Double Slash. It's not as simple as a visible up-swing and down-chop…"
…
If Kayne initially started teaching out of a Hunter's sense of duty, then after witnessing Ethan demonstrate a high affinity for the Charge Blade, he began to seriously consider taking him on as an apprentice.
If Bear Bro hadn't woken up and made some noise, Kayne might have been so immersed in teaching that he would have forgotten the time.
"Oh no, the sky is starting to get dark. If I don't head back now, my quest will time out!"
"Hmm, do you want to come back with me? I'm staying in the little house at the Yukumo Village Gathering Hall for a few days. There's a training area there, so teaching will be much easier."