I draw skills in Monster Hunter World

Chapter 15 When the Stars Die

After traveling for a day and a night, the sand boat arrived at a mountain range in the evening.

In the wind-eroded holes that are riddled with holes on the surface of the mountain, faint lights danced and flashed.

The fence gate made of logs at the stronghold was quickly opened from the inside.

Several craftsmen and Elcats wearing blacksmith aprons came to help.

However, the target of the response was not the team, but the body of the Earth Sand Dragon.

While the busy unloading work was underway, the team disembarked from the sand boat and entered the stronghold through the open door.

There was a loud noise.

Tavern, workshop, prop shop, hotel, chamber of commerce station.
A bustling market street appears in front of you.

Everyone here is dressed differently, and there seems to be no style at all.

A large boar headband paired with a swimsuit, a cotton woolen jacket on the upper body, and trousers on the lower body are all available here.

In terms of the degree of alternativeness, Li Ming's bear pajamas are slightly conservative in comparison.

At the end of the street, the team walked into the largest three-story building in the stronghold.

In the spacious hall, there are seven round tables.

The El cats held their plates high and quickly handed the meat dishes and wine to the table.

The people sitting here in twos and threes are basically hunters wearing armor.

"Welcome to the Sandstone Cave branch!"

At the counter, the receptionist in green uniform waved and greeted the team who had just entered the door warmly.

"Hello Miss Shirin, we are here to collect the reward, and by the way, submit a report on the sighting of the ceratopsian."

Wood placed the hunting contract and sighting report of the Sand Dragon on the counter.

"Ceratopsian! Is it really confirmed?"

Shirin covered her mouth and exclaimed, picking up the witness report and observing it carefully.

"That's right, and it's quite small."

"On behalf of the guild, I would like to thank you for submitting the sighting report. The reward for witnessing a five-star monster is 1500z. The reward for completing the hunting contract of the Earth Sand Dragon is 5400z. Since the team accepted a rescue from the wild Melu Cat Tribe, 1800z will be deducted, so we must pay The amount is 5100z.”

wow~ wow~
There was a sound of coins colliding.

Not long after, receptionist Shirin picked up a money bag from the counter.

"Please keep it. The material share will be collected after the monster corpse is decomposed in the workshop. Are the other two members of the contract, Vasiu Lindsay, also there?"

"Yes, in addition to the remuneration, they also need a certificate of appraisal from Samsung Emergency Contract."

"Okay, you two please come over here."

Shireen greeted.

After Li Ming watched the reward collection process for the hunting contract, he and Midoduo looked at the poster on the wall.

As I walked around, I saw posters with the theme of prohibiting poaching and abiding by hunters’ rules.

In front of the bulletin board made of wooden frames, several hunters were watching, constantly evaluating the posted contract.

Li Ming went over to take a look and found that there were one-star and two-star contracts on it.

As for contracts with three stars and above, the instructions on the display board say that you have to go to the guild counter and you can only pick them up after authentication and confirmation.

"Please make way, everyone."

The voice of Shirin, who was carrying a small wooden bucket, sounded from behind, and the hunters in front of the bulletin board immediately retreated to both sides.

After watching for a moment, several contracts were revealed.

Then Shireen dipped the brush tip in glue and pasted a red-edged announcement on it.

The information at the top of the announcement is simple and clear. The Ceratopsaurus was sighted and confirmed in the Sand Plains area.

Below is detailed information such as the area where the sighting occurred, general information about the individual, and the estimated scope of activities of the guild.

If you have accepted a contract that overlaps with the horned dragon's activity range, you can cancel it directly at the counter, and all contract fees paid will be refunded.

The hall suddenly became lively. Many hunters either came to the bulletin board to discuss the appearance of the ceratopsian, or rushed to the counter to cancel the contracts they had picked up.

After the people at the counter had dispersed, Li Ming asked, "Is there any hunter exam in the branch recently?"

Shirin, who was sorting out the contract, raised her eyes and her eyes rested on the bear pajamas.

"What a cute pattern. Oh! Sorry, yes! It will be in about four days. Do I need to sign up?"

Shirin realized that there was something wrong with her focus and quickly corrected it.

"Do you want money?"

Li Ming asked carefully.

"No need, just tell me the name and type of weapon."

Shireen said, opening a heavy book.

"Li Ming, the weapon is a shield and axe."

"Shield axes are quite rare. Registration is complete! Just remember to gather at the branch in the early morning in four days."

After Shirin finished speaking, she closed the heavy book.

"Are the books on the bookcase available for borrowing?"

Li Ming asked, looking at the large bookcase inside the counter.

"No, these are all for sale. What do you want to see?"

"History. The kind that records important events."

"I have a copy of the Chronicles of Darkness that I can lend to you. Wait a moment."

Shirin said, bending down and rummaging through the counter.

Why is the history book of the Monster Hunting World called the Age of Darkness?
Li Ming couldn't understand it when he heard the title of the book.

"Remember to return it to me after reading it."

"Thank you."

The noisy hall was obviously not a place for reading. Li Ming put the Gray Book away and went to the round table where the other three people were sitting.

"Any plans?"

Wood asked.

"The Sandstone Cave Hunter exam starts in four days, and I want to participate."

Li Ming informed.

"This is indeed an opportunity. I'll give you the Skeleton Shield Ax. Come on."

"I will work hard."

Not long after, a sumptuous barbecue dinner and beer in wooden barrel cups were brought to the table.

Although Lindsay and Wasiu have completed all the requirements for promotion to three stars, the local branch does not have sufficient authority and qualifications.

The two decided to travel away tomorrow to complete promotions in other branches.

The team of hunters who came together by chance will soon be separated.

Late at night, two people and two cats walked out of the guild branch.

Lindsay and Wasiu are hunters and can live in the lounge provided by the guild.

Seeing that Li Ming and Mido Duo had nowhere to rest, Wood invited them to his residence in his stronghold.

Far away from the street, in a small wooden house next to the rock wall, the drunk Wood just opened the door and lay down on the ground.

Ah Ju and Li Ming worked together to lift him onto the wooden bed.

"Only the straw mat is left, meow. I can only feel aggrieved first."

Ah Ju said helplessly.

"It's okay. I'm glad I have a place to sleep. Can you light the candle? I want to read a book before going to sleep."

Li Ming asked.

Cha~cha~hu~
Ah Ju found flint and steel and quickly lit the candle.Li Ming lay down on the straw mat, Midoduo's head rested on his shoulder, and the pages of the gray book were opened in his hands.

The reason for reading history books is also very simple, that is to confirm the current time first.

Li Ming watched with interest for a while, then his eyes gradually became confused. Then he sat up from the straw mat and looked closely at the candlelight.

"Did you read something strange?"

After a long time, after seeing Li Ming put down the book, Mido Duo asked.

"The Great Sea Dragon plunged Mojia Village into the bottom of the sea. After Benglong left the snow mountain and met the Tyrant Dragon, he has continued to fight until now, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of villages. The Lanlong not only occupied Lingfeng, but also destroyed Jieyun Village. "

"Well, everyone knows this, meow."

Ah Ju heard Li Ming's description and informed.

"The Tianyu Dragon periodically spreads the Mad Dragon Virus in Sinard Village all year round. Is it common knowledge that Styracosaurus captured East Doruma?"

Li Ming asked in disbelief.

"Yes, meow. It is said that the guild made a lot of plans at that time, and many top hunters participated, but it still failed."

Ah Ju nodded seriously.

"After the failure of Ryūryūin's crusade against the Sky Comet Dragon, the Sky Comet Dragon changed its habits and began to cross the continent at low altitude, constantly fighting the ancient dragons, causing various natural disasters. In order to build the ancient city's lair, the Mantis dismantled and cannibalized the East Doruma city-state as materials , are they all facts?"

"That's right meow."

"Then the book records that the New World encountered a volcanic eruption, leading to a total ecological collapse, that the entire investigation team evacuated from the New World, and that the Abyssal Dragon in the Elgard Crater returned to the surface, are they all true?"

"Yes, meow. In fact, humans may just lack a little luck. When it comes to these things, Wood often says this."

Ah Ju sighed helplessly.

Li Ming put down the Gray Age. Among the major events recorded on it, except for the Wind God Dragon Thunder God Dragon in the Yanhuo Village area, which was successfully killed by the Yanwang Dragon, Steel Dragon, and Jueyin Dragon, humans have never won.

The detailed process is recorded in the book. If you summarize it, it is actually very similar to Wood's statement.

In the fight against powerful monsters, human beings just lack a little luck, or in other words, they lack a key figure who can turn the situation around.

"Maybe there is no protagonist who can save everything, that is the real reality"

Li Ming's sigh was not understood by Ah Ju and Mido Duo.

But it can be clearly noticed that the other party is in a very low mood.

The next morning, when he saw Wood looking decadent, Li Ming could understand why he valued the talented novice hunter so much.

Because one day in the future, maybe one of the people he helped can reverse humanity's current disadvantage.

After rummaging around the room for a while, several dusty books were held in front of Li Ming.

"The contents in these books may be very basic, but they will pass the written test. If you have nothing else to do, read more. I'm going to make breakfast."

After Wood finished speaking, he walked to the stove and started to light a fire.

"I will not let you down, Senior Wood."

Li Ming said solemnly.

"Well, don't put too much pressure on yourself. The selection rate of hunters is not very high. Even if you fail, it is normal."

Wood was somewhat surprised to see the other party being so serious.

Analysis of the weaknesses of small monsters, hunters' rules, the essence of tracking, why cats can't be allowed to reconcile bomb barrels alone.
After reading the names of several books, Li Ming chose Hunter's Code to read.

At noon, in order to maintain daily strength training, Li Ming must eat a lot.

Now there is nothing left to eat except some dried shark meat.

In terms of hunting, even if there were monsters that dared to venture around the stronghold, they would have been cleared away long ago.

There are many stores if you want to buy, but due to the harsh natural environment of Sarawak, it is difficult to transport supplies.

Various items in the stronghold are relatively expensive. A leg of a carapace-eating herbivorous dragon can be sold for around 60z.

Li Ming, who has personally participated in hunting, feels that the price is barely acceptable, but the problem is that he can't even spend a penny.

Wood has helped him too much, and now he can't afford to borrow money.

After thinking for a moment, Li Ming looked at Midoduo.

"Midoduo, do you have any special talents?"

"No, meow."

Midoduo said with certainty.

"What should I do?"

While thinking about it, the gate of the stronghold opened, and a sand boat loaded with a Qianshuosaurus was parked at the door waiting to be loaded and unloaded.

Looking at the sad-looking craftsmen, Li Ming stepped forward and said he could help with loading and unloading.

The craftsmen saw that the other party was carrying a shield ax with the most complicated craftsmanship, so it seemed to be reliable, so they agreed.

A few minutes later, Li Ming came to the butcher shop with a wallet containing 90z.

After lunch, Li Ming and Mido Duo came to the gate and continued to guard.

However, the sand boat carrying the corpse did not wait. Instead, many hunting teams returned due to abandoning the hunting contract.

Li Ming really didn't expect that the appearance of a horned dragon would have such a big impact on the local area.

Fortunately, the entry and exit of cargo sand boats is still relatively frequent.

Although the salary for transporting cargo boxes is not much, Li Ming feels quite good because he can do strength training and make money.

Time flies, and the day of the hunter exam soon comes.

Although the bear pajamas were a little faded, Li Ming still cleaned them carefully last night.

After washing out several basins of black muddy water, the blue background was fully revealed.

With Midoduo's help, Li Ming put on the harness and loaded the shield and axe, and Li Ming officially set off.

At the entrance of the Sandstone Cave Guild, boys and girls carrying various hunting weapons were gathering here.

"I'm going to the cat, meow."

Midoduo pointed to the Maomao Academy next to the guild and informed softly.

Not only does becoming a hunter require assessment, but becoming a hunting cat also has a strict assessment system.

"work hard together!"

After Li Ming finished encouraging him, he fist-bumped farewell with Midoduo.

"Hello everyone, the first thing to do is the basic knowledge test. If your name is called, please enter the hall. Remember to unload your hunting weapons before entering and store them with me."

The receptionist Shirin came to the door and announced loudly, followed by a long list of names being read out.

"Wood didn't know where he was early in the morning. I thought he would come to help me."

As Li Ming muttered, a white-haired girl carrying a folding heavy ballista came into view.

The reason why the other party was able to attract Li Ming's attention was mainly because the girl's petite figure set off against the size of the heavy crossbow gave people a strong visual contrast.

According to common sense, it is definitely more appropriate to use double swords with this kind of body type.

"Li Ming!"

When his name was called, Li Ming walked into the guild hall.

At this time, the round table has been replaced by small square tables.

Seeing Wood standing in the corner with his arms folded, Li Ming was slightly startled.

"Senior Wood?"

"Who are you? Hurry up and find a table with a sign with your name and sit down. The exam is about to start."

Wood pointed to a square table next to him and responded indifferently.

"Why do you know this table belongs to me?"

Li Ming speculated that Wood was deliberately alienated because of his status as an examiner.

Shirin came to the hall, explained some test rules, and then unpacked the basic knowledge test papers and handed them out.

(End of this chapter)