Chapter 256: Something Feels Off! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Pass)

As a lone Longsword Hero, Song Ren was currently hunting solo.

He really loved the Long Sword as a weapon.

In terms of strength, he personally felt it was quite solid.

The only major downside was that whenever Zhang Yi and Wang Han and the other companions weren't around, he had to transform into a solitary Longsword wanderer, roaming across the New World.

Occasionally, he'd respond to someone's distress signal, only to find the moment he entered, the other player had already died instantly.

This seriously damaged his fragile heart.

While gathering materials from the Tobi-Kadachi's body, Song Ren sighed with emotion—what had Long Sword players ever done to deserve this?

It's not like they were that cool!

"Though the difficulty does feel a bit higher now. For an average player facing this Tobi-Kadachi, it'd probably be pretty tough."

"But although it's got some tricks, there aren't many of them."

Looking at the Tobi-Kadachi lying on the ground, Song Ren silently mused.

Compared to previous monsters, this Tobi-Kadachi was definitely harder to deal with.

Earlier monsters hadn't posed much of a threat.

But this Tobi-Kadachi was different.

Its speed was exceptionally high—just as its name, Flying Thunder, suggested.

Moreover, compared to previous monsters, its aggressive intent was far stronger.

Double bite attacks, various lunges, the ability to climb trees, and when you attacked its tail, it'd leap into the air and use its tail to release electrical shocks.

The damage output was significantly higher. Also, despite the Tobi-Kadachi's relatively small size, it acted like it had ADHD. Fortunately, his weapon was the Long Sword, which wasn't too sluggish in comparison.

"If Old Zhang were using his Great Sword against this guy, he'd probably get tormented into a fool," Song Ren chuckled, imagining the Great Sword's slow movements clashing with the Tobi-Kadachi's agility.

"Long Sword really is number one!" Song Ren once again boasted about his beloved Long Sword.

After gathering the materials, Song Ren returned to Astera Base and headed to the workshop on the second floor.

There wasn't much to upgrade—mainly just the weapon.

He could also upgrade the helmet on his head.

As for the rest, he hadn't really ground materials yet, focusing instead on advancing the main quest.

Besides, he felt equipment didn't seem that important—just maxing out weapon attack power was enough. After all, dying in this game was extremely difficult.

Mixing honey and healing potions to make Mega Potions—the game's crafting system—was something he still didn't fully understand.

But he figured it probably wasn't that impactful anyway. As long as he could get Mega Potions, he'd study the details when he got beaten up later.

With full confidence, Song Ren strode toward the Research Team Leader to accept his next quest.

This confidence came from deep within.

Especially after just defeating the difficult Tobi-Kadachi in their first encounter.

His confidence was now overflowing!

And this confidence wasn't the same as when he first defeated Gundyr the Ash in Dark Souls.

This time, his confidence was built upon the countless bosses he'd already overcome.

Great Jagras, Kulu-Ya-Ku, Pukei-Pukei, Barroth, Jyuratodus, Tobi-Kadachi—so many bosses had already fallen beneath his Longsword Hero.

He'd mastered the three-hit Spirit Gauge State, learned Helm Breaker, and though Foresight Slash wasn't quite perfected yet, it was only a matter of time.

Moreover, he'd discovered a small trick with the Long Sword—by using a slope, he could quickly activate Spirit Gauge State via a jumping slash.

Having learned even such a subtle technique, Song Ren felt only three words could describe him now.

Strong. Invincible!

"Forest Brute Anjanath? Isn't that the Tyrannosaurus Rex-like monster that swallowed the Great Jagras earlier?"

Looking at the newly accepted quest objective, Song Ren suddenly remembered.

At the beginning, the receptionist and he had been attacked by a Great Jagras.

Then the Anjanath suddenly appeared and swallowed the Great Jagras whole.

Fortunately, the Research Team Leader arrived in time and drove the Anjanath away.

"Well, what a coincidence. Though you did help me out by swallowing that Great Jagras, I'm sorry—I'm a Hunter, the future Azure Star. So you'll have to fall beneath my blade. But I'll make sure to give you a quick death," Song Ren declared confidently.

Glancing at the bullet comments, Song Ren smiled.

Filled with strong confidence, Song Ren headed to the dining area, approaching the bun-haired receptionist.

"Why does this bun-haired girl never join me on missions? She just sits here eating all the time. Could it be the story hasn't reached that point yet? I still haven't gotten any NPC Teammates."

Looking at the receptionist holding a chicken leg, Song Ren felt a bit strange.

But he didn't dwell on it.

Being alone wasn't a problem—he could handle it.

One man, one Long Sword, becoming the legendary Azure Star!

"Though honestly, these companion Hunters are always slacking off!" After eating a Felyne Canteen meal, Song Ren scratched his head.

The First Fleet's Investigators—those scholars studying ecology and plants—well, they were intellectuals, so that was understandable.

But what about the others?

The fierce-looking Palico cooking in the cafeteria, the Commander-in-Chief who was always in meetings and never seen fighting, and the clearly powerful Big Bro of the First Fleet who spent all day on the third-floor cafeteria eating with the receptionist, his mouth never stopping.

The Second Fleet were all craftsmen, the Fourth Fleet handled logistics, always bringing subpar items while claiming they were good.

Song Ren felt the stuff he took from Astera Base was worth far more than what they brought in.

As for the Third Fleet, he'd only heard rumors—never seen them, didn't even know where they were.

And the Fifth Fleet? Aside from himself and the receptionist, he'd only seen the Mohawk-haired guy and his female teammate twice. Never during actual missions.

After a bit of inward grumbling, Song Ren confidently began his new quest.

Entering the wilderness map, it was similar to before.

Players had to search for Anjanath's traces themselves and pinpoint its location.

Soon, following clues on the map, Song Ren, guided by Scoutflies, arrived near the Anjanath.

Then the story triggered.

The Anjanath, resembling a Tyrannosaurus Rex, was feeding on a dead Great Jagras. Its powerful limbs, though not covered in scales like the earlier Barroth, exuded a unique sense of impact.

As the Anjanath fed, the Hunter cautiously approached, used an item to create noise and attract it, then, while the Anjanath was distracted, shot the vine tethering a giant boulder above its head with a crossbow, severing it.

With a roar, stones scattered. The Anjanath emerged unscathed from the rubble and fixed its gaze intensely on the Hunter.

At the same time, the game's UI interface appeared—now the player could control the character.

"Wow, it's huge! Even bigger than the Barroth before!"

Song Ren couldn't help but exclaim.

Visually, this Anjanath was incredibly imposing.

Its thick legs alone were larger than the Hunter in-game.

"Come on! When paths cross, only the brave prevail—whoever runs is a coward!" Song Ren swung his Long Sword and charged.

Hunt dragons by finding weaknesses—that was a small trick he'd figured out through playing.

'-8, -11'

Two consecutive strikes landed on the Anjanath's big toe, yielding two meager white damage numbers.

Then a slash to the tail produced an orange -24.

"As expected, large-volume bosses always have weak butts! Let's start by attacking the tail from behind!" Song Ren said, creeping toward the Anjanath's rear.

But the next moment, he saw the Anjanath's thick tail suddenly lift and slam down toward him.

The tail attack carried a wind pressure effect, striking Song Ren hard.

His health bar dropped by roughly one-sixth. Then the Anjanath spun around, its head smashing into him.

Song Ren, who had just gotten up, was knocked flying before he could react.

"Damn it! This health bar!"

Song Ren's eyes widened in shock.

He saw his health bar in the top-left corner—now reduced to half.

One tail slam and one bite—his health halved!?

Song Ren immediately executed two rolling maneuvers to create distance. Fortunately, at that moment, the Palico's skill triggered, and some honey bugs appeared out of nowhere, replenishing his health.

"Something's wrong! This Anjanath is acting strange—how the hell is its attack power so high!?"

Thinking back to his health bar being halved in an instant, a sense of dread crept into Song Ren's heart.

This kind of bleeding state—hadn't he experienced it before in another game?

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