Monster Hunter Grand Assembly

"One thing is certain: from now on, we'll be working together, and supporting each other as comrades."

Kairo Retsu clapped the table as he spoke. "But what I'm more curious about is… since we're hunters, then what exactly are we supposed to be hunting?"

He looked at the three before him. "Let me start with a quick explanation…"

Over the next few minutes, Kairo Retsu did his best to give the trio a brief rundown of the world of [Monster Hunter].

The Felynes helped as well, bringing out illustrated references of various [Elder Dragons] from the series.

"So this assembly functions similarly to a game?" Naofumi Iwatani nodded. "My shield too—those other Four Cardinal Heroes were always talking about games as well."

"So we hunt monsters, collect materials, and then craft new equipment…" Joseph Joestar said. "Our targets are those dragons or whatever? We're supposed to hunt them in this world?"

"You expect just the four of us to fight those monsters?! You're overestimating us!" Kazuma Satou protested. "And why should we even fight those things in the first place?!"

"Hunter Lords, you do not need to battle dragons."

At that moment, Granny Felyne stepped forward, speaking gently to the group. "The Felynes are fully capable of handling those monsters. The duty of the Hunter Lords is…"

"To [hunt extraordinary monsters and protect the balance of the ecosystem]," Granny Felyne said with utmost seriousness. "Your task is to hunt those creatures born of nature… yet bring destruction to the natural order. They are the true [monsters]."

"No matter the world, no matter what form nature takes, we ask you, Hunters, to be nature's purifying force and hunt those that upset its balance."

As she finished speaking, the system interfaces of all four individuals popped open, accompanied by a notification: the quest board had been unlocked.

"This gathering base exists to support you, Hunter Lords. No matter what happens, the Felynes will always be your unwavering allies," Granny Felyne said. "No matter what kind of monster, no matter what world it comes from, we Felynes will always be the hunters' strongest backup. We've been waiting for this moment."

"Looks like… the monsters aren't limited to this world," Kairo Retsu muttered as he scratched his head after reading the quest board description. "So what about gear? Do we need to hunt dragons here first to get materials?"

"The Felynes will provide full support to the hunters."

Granny Felyne smiled. "Of course we wouldn't let trivial matters trouble the Hunter Lords."

After she left, Joseph stared at the quest interface. "Investigation quests, gathering missions, hunts, events, exploration… Hey hey! I don't have time to run errands! You saw earlier—I've still got that poisoned death ring inside me!"

He added, "And helping resolve missions in other worlds? I haven't even fixed my own problems yet! Besides… if anything, Kars should qualify as one of those ecology-wrecking monsters! Why isn't there a quest to hunt him?!"

"Maybe it's because Kars hasn't become the Ultimate Lifeform yet," Naofumi Iwatani offered calmly. "I don't really mind. Time here doesn't affect my own world. If I can gain EXP, I'm fine with taking quests."

"I've got no combat power at all!" Kazuma shook his head like a rattle drum. "And doing quests or whatever…"

"Meow, Hunter Joestar."

Just then, a black-and-white Felyne walked over to Joseph, carrying a tray, and addressed him. "These are the herbal remedy and Ancient Potion Granny Felyne asked us to bring you."

[Herbal Remedy: Detox pill, fast-acting.]

[Ancient Potion: Increases maximum health to full and fully restores HP.]

On the tray were two pills—one blue, one yellow.

"Granny said your body still contains toxins. It would be best to treat it first," said the cow-patterned Felyne.

"What use are pills like these?!" Joseph grumbled. "If medicine worked, I would have long ago—"

Before he could finish, the cow-patterned Felyne shoved both pills into his mouth in one motion, lodging them firmly in his throat.

"MMMPH!!"

The next second, Joseph flailed like a fish tossed into hot oil. His face turned crimson—

And then, from his mouth, he suddenly coughed up two rings.

Once he recovered, Joseph stared blankly at the now-resolved death ring issue, falling into deep thought.

Kairo Retsu spoke up. "Well, looks like there's no more urgent life-or-death issues for now."

"And as you all saw for yourselves—stop judging this base with common sense. Honestly, I'm starting to believe that even if I got eaten by an Elder Dragon, these cats would beat it up, drag me out of its stomach, and revive me…"

"Since so much is still unclear, let's just wait for the first quest to appear and see what kind of monster we're dealing with—"

As Kairo spoke, all four of their interfaces flashed simultaneously, as if responding to his words—

A new [Slaying Quest] from another world appeared before them:

[Slaying Quest: Slay the Demon—Muzan Kibutsuji!]

Objective: Slay Muzan Kibutsuji (0/1)

Quest Details:

Alive since the distant Heian era, and bearing blood ties to the Ubuyashiki clan, he is the progenitor of all demons! Currently attacking the Ubuyashiki family—if not stopped soon, major casualties may occur! Time to demonstrate your hunter prowess!

Reward: Unlock the Demon Series gear; Hunter Rank unlocked

Quest Activation: Begins upon the departure of the first hunter.

"Muzan Kibutsuji? Who's that supposed to be?" Naofumi frowned. "Is this… a beginner quest?"

"The quest has arrived, so…" Kairo Retsu scanned the group and said, "Why don't we try completing this one together first, then decide our course from there?"

"We've come all this way—it'd be a waste not to make use of this base!" Kairo gave a thumbs-up. "I'm actually quite familiar with this place!"

"I'm the White Wind of the New World! The All-Purpose Mute Sapphire Star! The Borderlands' Invincible Hunter! The Village's One and Only Hope! No one understands Monster Hunter better than me!" Kairo declared.

"So anyway…"

"We're already here! Let's enjoy this to the fullest!!!"