After finally getting the chance to leave the wilderness, Ethan naturally followed Kayne's steps without hesitation.
But before that, he had to say goodbye to Bear Bro, with whom he had lived for over a week.
Ethan walked up to the Arzuros, reached out to smooth the slightly messy fur on its forehead, and gently pressed his own forehead against it, his voice drifting like a dream.
"Bear Bro, I'm leaving. You have to take good care of yourself, okay? Be careful not to go into the deep water when fishing, and don't provoke any monsters with a higher ecological niche than you…"
"Roar?"
Although Bear Bro didn't understand the human's murmuring words, it could clearly sense the faint sadness.
It gently rubbed its head against Ethan, comforting its small friend who made delicious food.
"Ha, why am I getting all sentimental? It's not like we won't see each other again. Once I become a Hunter, I'll come back to visit you!"
Ethan quickly adjusted his mood, smiling as he patted Bear Bro's large head. He then took out a whole honeycomb and put it in its paws.
Bear Bro contentedly held the honey and sat there gnawing, just as usual. Ethan smiled, lightly waved at it, turned, and followed Kayne, gradually disappearing into the dense shadows of the jungle.
"Roar?"
Bear Bro looked quizzically in the direction Ethan had disappeared. It initially thought the human was just going out to forage as before, but remembering the strange sadness from a moment ago, its ears suddenly flopped down limply. The honey in its mouth suddenly didn't taste quite as sweet.
…
The Stream area was actually very close to Yukumo Village. Ethan hadn't found it earlier simply because he was unlucky and headed in the wrong direction.
After only two hours, a red village built against the mountains came into view.
The entire village consisted primarily of wooden buildings. The Yukumo wood, known for its toughness, was painted in varying shades of red—bright red, dark red—complemented by the deep brown of the wood itself, creating a picturesque and unique village landscape.
Crimson flags fluttered in the wind. Clear water was visible everywhere, cascading down from high ground, filling the carved channels that added color to the mountainside, accumulating in rough rock pools that formed misty hot springs. Faintly, a long, soothing melody seemed to be carried on the wind.
"This is Yukumo Village…"
Ethan stood at the bottom of the long stone steps, gazing up at the leisurely people coming and going in the village, taking a deep breath. "Ah."
"Hey! How long are you going to stand here and stare?"
Ahead, Kayne turned back, looking at Ethan with an exasperated expression.
Ethan reined in his thoughts and quickly followed. However, his entire "savage attire" stood out too much among the passing crowds. There wasn't a single villager who didn't give him a second look.
Kayne only belatedly noticed this. He bounced the bag in his backpack containing the honey Ethan had generously given him. After a moment's thought, he spoke:
"I'm going back to the Gathering Hall first to settle the quest. Just wait for me a moment. Afterward, I'll grab my money pouch, and we'll go to the village's Smithy to forge you a starter set of gear. You can't go hunting in what you're wearing now."
Ethan opened his mouth, intending to thank the Hunter for his kindness, but constrained by the language barrier, he could only nod and give a thumbs-up.
'Teaching an apprentice, it's only right!'
Kayne chuckled, but didn't voice the thought. What if he said it first and the kid refused? It was better to give some benefits first before asking, as the saying goes: "He who eats your food is indebted, and he who takes your gift is softened."
The Gathering Hall was located at the center of the village, near the peak of the mountain. Watching the Hunter walk away, Ethan retracted his gaze and started wandering around.
It must be said that seeing it in a game was one thing, but seeing it in reality was another. At least in Ethan's perception, Yukumo Village was actually very large, and what he saw in the game was only the tip of the iceberg.
"Hey! You look very suspicious! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Suddenly, from a hot spring stone platform nearby, a young man in cloth clothes—primarily cyan with reddish-orange accents—sat sprawling, now staring sternly at Ethan.
Ethan tilted his head, returning a questioning look.
"Huh? You ask who I am? I am Lord Iwata, the Yukumo Gatekeeper, who is determined to become a Hunter!"
The self-proclaimed Gatekeeper, Iwata, pointed to himself arrogantly, then continued his aggressive questioning with an intimidating presence.
"You haven't told me yet, who exactly are you?"
Oh, so Yukumo Village does have gatekeepers. Seeing Kayne swagger in with him just now, he thought no one was guarding the entrance!
Ethan spread his hands and then pointed to his mouth, making a sound like "ah-ba ah-ba" and completely playing the role of a mute.
"Eh? You can't speak?"
Ethan nodded.
"Hmm… That's too bad… Ahem, never mind. I was just asking as a routine check. Don't worry about it!"
Ethan: …
Forget it, it's fine. At least it saved me some trouble.
"Iwata, you punk, why aren't you tending to your farm? Why are you out here playing gatekeeper again!"
A fist the size of a clay pot landed on Iwata's head, with just enough force to daze him but not cause injury.
Iwata clutched his head and turned to see Kayne's stout, red and blue-clad figure standing behind him, the shadow cast by his tall frame completely engulfing him.
"Uncle Kayne! You hit my head again! What if you knock me silly!"
The young man clawed and flailed, but in front of Kayne, he was lifted and moved aside like a small chick.
"You, you still want to be a Hunter? If you can't handle this much force, how are you going to face the monsters, hmm?"
Saying that, he clapped Ethan hard on the shoulder, making Ethan wince.
"Look at this kid's build. He doesn't look particularly tough, but he's got a lot of strength! He's the makings of a good Hunter!"
Kayne flashed the money pouch at his waist. "Let's go to the Smithy. We'll order your armor first!"
With that, he strode away quickly. Ethan waved to Iwata and hurriedly followed.
The Smithy wasn't far from the village's main road. Soon, a red brick house with a burning, crimson furnace came into view.
The Smithy's owner was a bald old Wyverian, his body shrunken into a small mass. He had only four fingers on his hands, pointy ears, and a topknot tied at the back of his head. He carried a hammer taller than himself on his shoulder and was scowling as he directed a few apprentices to heat the forge.
Seeing Kayne's mixed Rathalos and Shogun Ceanataur armor, the old Wyverian greeted him with a smile, "Isn't that Kayne? How is your holiday trip in Yukumo going?"
Kayne stretched his limbs. The expression on his face clearly showed satisfaction, but his words were:
"Hmm, it's just okay. This place is nice, but it's too peaceful. Two days in the hot springs made my bones itch, and there aren't even any decent hunting quests."
The old Wyverian saw through his insincerity but didn't expose him, changing the subject instead:
"Alright, alright. Then you didn't come to my Smithy because your hands are itchy and you want to switch to a more challenging weapon, did you?"