Song Ren was visibly tense.
Since starting the game, he had never once been carted. The only time he'd come close to it was during the Tobi-Kadachi fight.
Back then, the Tobi-Kadachi's attack frequency was simply too high, and he had also gotten a little greedy with his attacks.
Instead of disengaging to drink a Potion, he had pushed onânearly getting carted. Fortunately, his Palico had just handed him a honey fruit at that moment, saving his life.
But now, Song Ren had a strong premonition: facing this Anjanath before him, he might actually get carted!
Because this Huge in Size Anjanath felt completely different from any monster he'd encountered before.
Its attack power reminded him of Dark Souls.
It wasn't quite as brutal as the Dark Souls experienceâwhere two hits left you crippled and three ended youâbut compared to previous bosses, this was far more fierce.
"Maybe it's just this one move that hits especially hard?"
Song Ren created distance, then swung his Long Sword and charged forward again.
But the moment he approached, the Anjanath in front of him let out a roar.
His Hunter instinctively clutched his ears.
Then, in an instant, the Anjanath lunged forward, slamming into him and knocking a full quarter off his health bar.
"This Anjanath is seriously strong!"
Dodging frantically while attacking, Song Ren felt, for the first time, a sensation known as a Sense of Oppression.
Up until now, he'd always relied on the Long Sword's Spirit Blade to chain combo attacks and enter the Spirit Gauge State.
But against this Anjanath, there simply wasn't time to build up.
He had tried once mid-fight, only to be kicked aside by the Anjanath in a single blow.
As the battle wore on, Song Ren realized he was in an awkward situationâhis Potions were completely gone.
At that moment, the Anjanath happened to move toward the large platform shown in the promotional video.
"Rathalos isn't here anymore!"
Looking at the platform and recalling the scene from the promo where the Anjanath battled the Rathalos, Song Ren had briefly hoped for a chance to play the "fisherman who profits from the clam and the heron's struggle."
But clearly, Rathalos was out and about.
Meanwhile, the Anjanath, having just arrived at Rathalos's old nest, noticed Song Ren chasing after it.
This instantly enraged the beast.
I didn't want to fight earlierâI even stepped back and retreated! Now you actually dare to follow me!?
In that instant, the Anjanath roared furiously. Its hind legs exploded with power as it leapt into the air and lunged straight at Song Ren.
A chaotic melee ensued.
Four words flashed across Song Ren's screen:
EXHAUSTED AND COLLAPSED!
As the words appeared, the screen went black.
When the image returned, two small cats were seen pushing him back to camp on a cart, then unceremoniously dumping him on the ground.
Back at camp thanks to a free cart ride, Song Ren replayed the brutal beating he'd just taken from the Anjanath, still a little dazed.
The Anjanath's attack power was just... unreasonable!
Sure, his armor was a bit outdatedâhe'd only upgraded his weaponâbut even so, this was excessive!
He'd even eaten a Felyne Canteen meal that boosted his stamina at the start! How could the damage be this high!?
It was completely unreasonable!
"But at least, being carted back to camp only reduces rewards. The monster's health should still be the same as before. That means I get several more chances. If I'm more careful this time, I'll definitely win!" Back in his tent, Song Ren refilled his Potions to ten. Unfortunately, he was out of honey, so he couldn't make any Mega Potions.
Taking a deep breath, Song Ren set out once more on his path to battle the Anjanath.
................
................
In truth, it wasn't just Song Ren who felt the difficulty had ramped up.
Many players were having the same sensation.
Some particularly perceptive ones had started to notice during the Tobi-Kadachi encounter.
By the time they faced the Anjanath, the feeling was confirmed.
After all, the "Newbie Killer" moniker wasn't just for show.
That said, the Anjanath was actually quite manageable. Its tail and head were breakable.
Its attacks were repetitive: Terrifying Roar, Head Swing Bite, Hind Leg Ground Scratch, Standing Long Jump, Dragon Charge, and Fiery Bad Breath.
The moves had very clear wind-ups, making them easy to dodge.
The fire breath dealt high damage, but its long wind-up meant it was easy to avoid if you paid attention.
Moreover, you could lure the Anjanath into Rathalos's territory at the summit and happily play the role of Finisher Hunter.
The Anjanath also had many weaknesses, especially to water-element weapons. You could easily craft one using materials gathered earlier.
The main reason most players got carted here was because the earlier monsters were far too easy.
When faced with the Anjanath's sudden spike in attack power, many players simply couldn't keep up.
Still, at this stage, players mostly just sensed that something was off.
After all, the game supported multiplayer team-up. Facing the Anjanath alone was tough.
But in a group, against a monster with so many weaknesses and such a slow, clumsy build, the fight became manageable.
The most important point: after defeating the Anjanath, the monsters that followed actually felt easier by comparison.
..............
..............
"Old Song, this is what you meant by a big difficulty spike? That was it? I cleared it in one try," Zhang Yi chuckled over the voice channel. He, Wang Han, Song Ren, and Joey had just taken down the Odogaron in the Rotten Vale.
"Stop bragging! Try soloing that Odogaron yourself," Song Ren shot back, rolling his eyes.
"Why would I solo when I can team up? Great Swords are in high demand in multiplayer!" Zhang Yi grinned.
"It's probably a game mechanismâstart simple, insert a Hardened monster, then ease back into easier ones until the final boss," Song Ren said, changing the subject.
He had indeed been carted three times by the Odogaron.
The creature looked Small and Thin, even smaller than the early-game Jagras.
But it was like a fusion of Tobi-Kadachi, Anjanath, and Pukei-Pukei.
Getting hit put you into a continuous bleeding state.
The monster itself seemed to have ADHD, darting around like the Tobi-Kadachi with incredible speed.
While its individual attacks weren't as powerful as the Anjanath's, the high frequency meant relentless punishment when it caught you.
And with the game's AI performance, Song Ren couldn't shake the feelingâperhaps an illusionâthat this thing was also exceptionally cunning.
It often lured fights into its preferred home turf, surrounded by obstacles and Miasma, making the hunt extremely difficult.
After three cartings, Song Renćć chose the Call-for-Help Tactic.
"True enough. The Zorah Magdaros operation, Legiana, and Radobaan were actually pretty weak," Zhang Yi nodded in agreement.
Zorah Magdaros was the mountain-sized creature from the story's beginning, covered in hard rock.
And you didn't even fight it head-onâjust fly to its back and destroy its heat-dissipating organs. The Nergigante would show up mid-fight, but it was just a minor character (gaming slang) causing a brief distraction.
Legiana's ice spray was slightly annoying, and it was agile, but once your gear was upgraded, its attacks weren't too dangerous.
"So, should we keep teaming up for quests going forward?" Joey asked.
"How about we part ways for now, and team up again only when we hit a monster we can't beat? I think the rest should be pretty easy," Song Ren suggested based on his experience. After the Anjanath's difficulty spike, the following bosses had been easier, and now the Odogaron clearly raised the difficulty again. By that logic, the monsters after Odogaron should be simpler.
"Yeah, I'm going to grind the Anjanath one more time. I'm just one material short of an upgrade."
"Then we'll leave the team for now!"
They chatted back and forth, quickly reaching a decision.
Meanwhile, Song Ren returned to the Hunter's Astera Settlement.
First, he headed to the Hunter's workshop to check which materials he still needed to upgrade his gear.
After fully preparing, he went to speak with the Investigator.
"Huh! This time it's not a single quest? Two appeared at once!" Song Ren was surprised to find two quests available this time.
According to the story, the Hunter asks the Ancient Dragon People about Zorah Magdaros's movements, but they say only those who have defeated both Rathalos and Diablos are worthy of knowing the secret.
Thus, two new quests were added: one to hunt the fire dragon, another the horned dragon. Only after completing both would the story advance.
Rathalos: Peak of the Forest
Diablos: Bottom of the Sandy Land
The fire dragon was likely the one from the promotional videoâthe place where the Anjanath climbed the Ancient Tree and got schooled by the fire dragon.
Unfortunately, Song Ren hadn't encountered the Rathalos during the Anjanath hunt, so he had no idea about its Combat Prowess.
But what intrigued him more was the other oneâDiablos.
After all, he'd already seen the fire dragon in the promo, but he'd never seen Diablos at all!
He'd leave the fire dragon for later.
Judging by feel, the fire dragon flew in the sky and would probably be hard to hit.
In comparison, this Diablos seemed more manageable.
After all, Diablos was vegetarian. Its personality should be gentle, just like the Herbivore.
<