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MHD Chapter 59: A Monster Too Great
🕑 Added 2025-07-19 03:26:14 +0000 UTCAs the two Wingdrakes flew into the distance, news of a Rajang sighting nearby quickly spread among the research team.
Unfortunately, the Wyverian Hunter and the Huntsman were each stationed in the Ancient Forest and the Wildspire Waste, overseeing the construction of new camps. Otherwise, given how dangerous a Rajang was, chances were they would’ve sent one of them along as backup.
Meanwhile, Logan and Aki had been flying for three days toward the signal’s direction, and the farther they flew, the more familiar the terrain below began to feel—as if they had been here once before.
Finally, after wrapping up a hunt and resting by a small creek, Logan looked around at the surroundings and suddenly realized—
Their three-day flight path was almost identical to the route they had taken from the Wildspire Waste to the Ancient Forest back then.
So this time, their destination… was somewhere near their old nest?
With that thought in mind, they flew for another day, and sure enough, the vast stretch of wasteland appeared in the distance.
And the forest below, though denser than before, still resembled the same landscape they remembered.
Relying on memory, they easily located a familiar old hunting ground.
Feeling a wave of nostalgia, they dug into a hearty meal. Then, at Logan’s suggestion, they made a detour to revisit their old nest and rest for a bit—once their stamina recovered, they would continue the search for their current target.
Aki didn’t object. She didn’t care much about returning to an old place—anywhere would do, as long as they had somewhere to rest. Since Logan had made the call, that was enough for her.
After eating their fill and resting for a while, it was nearly dusk when they finally saw the cliff once again.
So many years had passed. Vines now blanketed the cliff face like a green waterfall, cascading straight down to the wasteland below.
Logan, who had just landed at the entrance of the cave, didn’t notice anything strange at first. But the moment he stepped inside and saw the nest’s original resting spot replaced by a tent—with two large crates set beside it—and an extinguished campfire in the corner along with several small stools laid out like a dining area, he froze.
It was clear this place had been turned into a campsite.
Except, it seemed like no one had visited in a long time. The scent had almost entirely faded, and thick dust coated both the tent and the crates.
“Uh, what the…”
Logan didn’t know what to say. This nest had been so well hidden—how had the research team found it?
And they even had the nerve to convert it into a camp!
No wonder that vine-covered waterfall outside had looked a bit off… those bastards had cultivated it deliberately to make climbing easier!
While the sight merely surprised Logan, Aki was outright furious.
They had come back, only to find their home transformed!
The air reeked of something unpleasant—likely some kind of repellent made from monster dung.
Annoyed, Aki stormed into the nest. She tore down the tent, knocked over the crates, and flapped her wings furiously to drive out the stench.
After a bout of chaos, she finally gathered the tent and wooden debris into a rough nest-like pile. Only then did she sprawl out on top of it with begrudging satisfaction.
Logan stood there the entire time, silently watching her actions without making the slightest move to stop her.
After Aki was done with everything, Logan trotted over with a cheerful little bounce, folded his wings, and nestled right up against her.
This nest, though once a safe haven, now felt far too small for how much they had grown. Back then, the resting spot had seemed so deep—lying down blocked everything from sight, making it feel secure, a place that could shut out the malice of the outside world.
But now, lying here, they could easily see the distant wasteland. The rising moonlight poured in, casting its glow over half their bodies. It made both Logan and Aki acutely aware of just how much they had changed over the years.
And yet, one thing hadn’t changed—the sense of peace they felt when pressed tightly together, each warmed by the other’s presence.
Logan and Aki gently rested their heads and necks against each other, their scales brushing in delicate friction, conveying unspoken emotions.
Moonlight spilled through the cave’s opening, bathing them in soft white. Crimson and emerald shimmered together, gold and silver interwoven—like the most beautiful hymn in the world.
...
At the Ancient Forest camp, the Admiral sat beside the bonfire, slowly polishing his longspear with a cloth. Across from him, Sita was explaining the Rajang’s combat behavior and key hunting points to Tonkotsu.
Though neither the Admiral nor Sita had ever personally encountered a Rajang in their hunting careers, wasn’t that the benefit of civilization? The wealth of documented knowledge and written experience?
For this investigation, the main combatants were the Admiral and Sita. Tonkotsu’s role was to observe how Palicoes fought, help set up traps, and—when necessary—distract the Rajang to disrupt its rhythm.
That alone would be enough.
Tonkotsu wasn’t entirely satisfied with that, but he didn’t rebel or talk back. He was well aware of his current capabilities—truthfully, he was just here to broaden his horizons. After all, in terms of combat strength, he could barely hold his own against a Jagras.
Humility and a willingness to learn, recognizing one’s true strength rather than chasing glory blindly—these are key traits of a good Hunter. When it came to teaching Tonkotsu these lessons, both the Admiral and Sita held nothing back.
The next morning, as dawn broke, Logan and Aki soared out of their nest, heading toward the hunting grounds they had once roamed.
Along the way, every so often, they passed through devastated areas.
Thanks to his exceptional eyesight, Logan noticed that none of the destruction showed signs of actual battle. Beneath the broken trees and scattered rubble, he could faintly make out countless rotting corpses—Aptonoth, small environment-dwelling creatures, even Jagras.
It all felt... senseless. As if the creature responsible wasn't hunting or defending itself—it was just destroying, indiscriminately. Anything that entered its field of view became a target.
“What kind of brutal creature could this be...? Not even the Deviljho, the so-called ‘The Voracious Devil,’ infamous for its ecosystem-wrecking rampages, would go this far, right?”
In just the short distance between the nest and the hunting grounds, Logan spotted four separate zones of destruction. One ruin deep within the forest stood out—a massive, ancient tree, so thick it would have taken five men to wrap their arms around it, had been smashed repeatedly until it broke under sheer brute force.
Even as he began the hunt, Logan couldn’t stop thinking: What the hell is the target this time?
Somewhere deep down, he had a bad feeling. That this one… might be far more difficult than anything he and Aki could handle alone.
After the hunt was over and his stamina recovered, Logan and Aki began following the trails of destruction. By estimating the age of the damage, they tried to determine a direction and track the beast.
But both the Ancient Forest and the Wildspire Waste were vast. Even with a general direction, the search proved arduous.
They kept at it from dawn till dusk.
Just as Logan was about to call it a day, a monstrous howl echoed from the direction of the Wildspire Waste.
Without a second thought, Logan darted toward it.
From a distance, he could already see clouds of dust billowing into the air—clearly a battle was underway.
Excitement flared in his chest. He pushed harder, accelerating.
But the moment he saw the creatures involved, his heart sank—and the clarity returned to his eyes.
This wasn’t a fight.
It was a massacre.
The Rajang was toying with a helpless Barroth, its sun-dried, mud-caked armor crumbling like soft clay in the monster’s grasp. Each tug ripped off a chunk. Or it would simply smash down with a single punch, taking mud and wyvern both in one brutal blow.
The Barroth tried to flee, but the Rajang slammed it to the ground, then unleashed a savage flurry of punches. By the time it stopped, the Barroth could only whimper in agony, barely clinging to life.
There it is.
At first glance, Logan knew—this was the one. The same power that had reduced those zones to rubble... It matched the Rajang perfectly.
That level of destruction—it was something the Rajang could pull off.
In that instant, Logan froze up.
Did the World Awareness system send me the wrong assignment...?
Fight a Rajang?
Me?
Are you kidding me?
This was Rajang—one of the strongest monsters below Elder Dragon class. Known as the “Super Saiyan Ape.” A unique terror that stood alone beneath the Elder Dragons.
