Monster Hunter: This Dragon's Built Different

"Ugh… this tastes awful."

Logan bit into the thick hide of the Anjanath, chewed on a piece of meat, and then gave up.

If the meat of an herbivore could be considered Grade A—tender, delicious, and glistening—then Anjanath meat would barely make Grade C. It was stringy and dry, like gnawing on an overcooked steak. Not only did it taste bad, but it was tough to chew—edible at best, but just barely.

Aki also took a single bite before losing interest. Fortunately, the spot they had stopped at was next to a good water source. Normally, Aptonoth or Kestodon would come to drink here. Since food wasn't a concern and neither of them were particularly hungry, waiting a while longer didn't matter.

Logan spread his wings and took to the skies, while Aki strolled into the nearby woods and settled into a stealthy crouch.

Just as the two had departed, a pack of Jagras swarmed in, tearing voraciously at the Anjanath's corpse.

In no time, the choicest cuts—the areas with the best meat and most volume—were ripped off and carried away by the Jagras. What remained was half a carcass and exposed bones, left behind to await the arrival of the Great Jagras.

In roughly a day's time, there would no longer be a trace of this Anjanath left on the continent.

No creature would remember it—not even Logan and Aki, who had slain it.

That Anjanath was nothing more than a minor episode on this migratory journey. Neither Logan nor Aki gave it a second thought. That night, they casually found a high perch, nestled close together, and fell into deep sleep. The next morning, they continued their journey.

This rhythm repeated for five days. On the sixth day, Logan and Aki were forced to ascend to greater altitudes as they flew. The closer they drew to the Ancient Tree, the taller the trees and more rugged the terrain became.

It was nothing like Logan's past life. Back then, sunlight and fertile soil were the lifeblood of plants—wherever great trees grew, the surrounding vegetation would shrink, starved of light and nutrients.

But in this Ancient Forest, the opposite held true: the nearer one got to the Ancient Tree, the denser the vegetation became.

All of this stemmed from a unique energy found in this world—Leyline Energy, or more precisely, the Life Energy carried within the flow of the leylines themselves.

The origin of this life energy remains unknown. Most scholars believe it to be nature's gift. And the creatures most imbued with this energy—its living embodiments—are the ones known as Elder Dragons.

The Ancient Tree itself took root at the largest leyline nexus in the entire forest. It is where the energy flows most abundantly. As a result, the vegetation here is more vibrant, and the creatures that inhabit it are stronger as well.

The Rathalos clans, relying on their strength and numbers, have claimed the upper reaches of the Ancient Tree. Thanks to their geographic advantage, they enjoy broader hunting grounds and a safer environment to raise their young.

The only drawback is the absence of streams or rivers atop the tree. Most Rathalos families therefore dig reservoirs near their nests, collecting and storing rainwater to meet their needs.

As Logan and Aki were newcomers to this territory—and not in their breeding season—they were considered outsiders even among their own kind. As such, they too faced rejection. If they wanted to nest on the Ancient Tree, they had only two options.

Fight. Win, and not only would they seize another's nest, but no one else would dare challenge them.

Or submit. Back down and find a new nesting site in a less contested area near the tree.

In the world of monsters, strength is everything. The strong take all.

...

Logan and Aki didn't rush straight into the Ancient Forest to find a nesting spot. Instead, they first paused at its outskirts to rest and recover their strength.

Perhaps it was because Rathalos often appeared near the Ancient Tree, but many endemic lifeforms here had grown adept at hiding in the underbrush the moment they sensed a shadow overhead.

Smaller carnivorous wyverns like Jagras quietly lurked in the forest's shadows, waiting patiently to scavenge leftovers once a Rathalos finished its hunt. Above, a flock of Revolture circled in hatred, searching for the scraps of prey soon to come.

Over the years, Logan's ability to sense leyline energy had grown sharper. The moment he landed, he felt the thick life force in the air envelop him. If the timing had been better, he would've loved to test how efficiently he could actively absorb leyline energy in such an environment.

Through years of observing Aki, he'd discovered something else—Aki couldn't actively absorb leyline energy. Hers was a passive, unconscious process.

The New World was the ideal location for Elder Dragons to undergo their migration. When an Elder Dragon died, the massive life force within its body would be absorbed into the leyline, which would then distribute that energy across the land.

Over years of accumulation, the leyline energy in the New World had become extremely dense. Monsters living in this environment for long periods were generally stronger than their Old World counterparts.

Long-term exposure to leyline influence led to gradual physical enhancement. For those with strong natural talent, the changes could be more drastic, occurring faster and with greater intensity the closer they were to dense leyline zones.

Aki belonged to that rare group blessed with extraordinary talent, while Logan was essentially a 'cheater'—someone who could actively absorb leyline energy. And yet, despite that advantage, his absorption efficiency was about the same as Aki's.

For the longest time, Logan suspected Aki was secretly cheating too. That she could passively absorb leyline energy and still keep up with his pace seemed unfair. If he hadn't tried—and failed—to teach her how to absorb it actively, her growth rate might have been even faster.

As they were drinking water, a Kulu-Ya-Ku ambled out leisurely from the side, holding an egg in its arms. But the moment its gaze landed on Aki, it let out a startled squawk, flailing its limbs in panic. It didn't even try to catch the egg as it dropped and shattered. Instead, it spun around and bolted, shrieking in terror.

"This egg isn't yours! I didn't steal it! I swear!!"

That's the line Logan imagined in his head as he listened to the bird's cries.

Okay, maybe that wasn't what the Kulu-Ya-Ku actually meant. But judging by the way it panicked at the sight of a Rathian, it had probably tried stealing Rathian eggs more than once—and paid the price each time. That would explain its exaggerated response.

As the Kulu-Ya-Ku vanished in a flash, Aki tilted her head, puzzled. Then she turned toward Logan, who looked lost in thought, and gave his neck a slow lick before shifting her gaze to the towering Ancient Tree. Her eyes sparkled with fighting spirit.

In contrast to the Old World, male Rathalos were much less common than females in the New World. As a result, male Rathalos here no longer practiced monogamy—but instead adopted a harem system.

Even so, among all the females in a Rathalos's harem, only the strongest could remain with him in the Ancient Forest as his mate. The others—mere concubines—would return alone to the Wildspire Waste after mating, raising their offspring in solitude.

Therefore, the Rathalos found living in the Ancient Tree were either mated pairs or unmated individuals still awaiting a mate.

If Logan hadn't existed, if he hadn't been strong enough, Aki wouldn't have come to the Ancient Tree at this age. Like other Rathians living in the Wildspire Waste, she would've waited until the right time, traveled here to find a suitable mate, and then fought off the competition to claim her place.

But now, with their rest complete, the two wyverns exchanged a glance. They both let out a high-pitched roar, then shot into the sky like arrows loosed from a bow, circling the Ancient Tree in flight.

They weren't just scouting for a nesting site—they were also announcing their arrival to the Rathalos already residing in the tree.

And as if they'd received a formal challenge, many male Rathalos emerged from their nests, wings spread wide. In their cold, vertical pupils, the reflections of two new wyverns burned with the promise of battle.

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