This rain, which seemed to be pouring down from the ends of the sky, seemed to have completely forgotten what “stopping” meant.
In this vast area of the Shrine Ruins, the mountain forest where Lore’s family resided was still shrouded in an endless curtain of rain.
If it were just a normal rainy season, raining for several days and nights in a row, Lore wouldn’t be surprised; after all, in an ecosystem with dense vegetation, abundant precipitation is the norm.
But this current rain exuded a heart-palpitating eeriness.
It was almost tireless; except for a brief weakening into a drizzle at noon every day, as if the sky were barely catching its breath, the rest of the time it was a torrential downpour.
Raindrops as big as beans slammed onto leaves, rocks, and mud, emitting a continuous, irritating roar.
This extreme and persistent state had already lasted for a full half-month.
Even in the rainy season with the highest annual precipitation, there should always be intervals where the clouds clear, the mist disperses, and the sun briefly shows its face.
But this rain was as if the sky had torn an unfillable hole, stubbornly pouring an endless ocean into the world.
This thorough “unnaturalness” made even Mother Zinogre, who had lived here for generations, feel intense unease.
Inside the cave, the light was dim, with only the gray, hazy daylight filtering in from the entrance.
Mother Zinogre paced anxiously near the entrance, looking at the curtain of rain falling like a waterfall outside.
Her strong, powerful tail was unconsciously slamming against the ground, again and again, making a dull “thud, thud” sound and splashing up tiny water droplets.
This was her way of venting the confusion and growing anxiety in her heart.
The air was filled with the damp smell of earth, the scent of the Zinogre themselves, and an indescribable sense of oppression.
Lore naturally took in Mother Zinogre’s unease; a similar, and perhaps even more profound, unnatural restlessness also quietly sprouted and entwined from the bottom of his heart like vines.
This rain was too unusual.
At noon that day, taking advantage of the rare easing of the rain, although the sky was still terrifyingly gloomy, Lore went out as usual, trying to find food.
He stepped on the muddy ground and came to the once-familiar stream, but the sight before him made his heart sink.
The once clear and cheerful stream was long gone, replaced by a turbid, turbulent, and rushing river!
The yellow, muddy water, carrying broken branches and fallen leaves, emitted a rumbling roar as it rushed frantically downstream.
The river surface had widened significantly, and the water was constantly eroding the banks.
Judging by the momentum, it probably wouldn’t be long before a fragile part of the riverbank upstream would breach, and the surging flood would ruthlessly rush downward.
Their current nest was located on a not-very-high slope downstream and was highly likely to be affected!
Lore looked at this roaring “yellow dragon” with a headache; trying to find sashimi fish in such a torrent was tantamount to a pipe dream.
The source of food was being cut off bit by bit by this natural disaster.
Just as he was worried, the sky suddenly changed!
The originally low, dark clouds seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, and ominous purple-white electric light flashed within them.
Immediately afterward, deafening Thunder exploded in a series of crashes!
This was not the [Thunder] skill triggered by Lore, but a kind of supernatural thunderous power.
However, the scale and frequency of this Thunder far exceeded the scope of an ordinary thunderstorm, carrying a destructive, almost insane aura.
Lore looked up abruptly at the sky, where lightning snakes danced wildly and seemed ready to crush down at any moment.
A heavy word exploded in his mind like a thunderclap—Elder Dragon.
That was an existence that transcended worldly logic, a walking natural disaster, a “god” that even humans needed to revere and worship.
“This bizarre, half-month-long rainstorm…
could it have been caused by an Elder Dragon?”
Lore’s heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.
“If it really is an Elder Dragon, which one could it be?
The Thunder Serpent Narwa entrenched in the Shrine Ruins?
Or her partner, Ibushi?”
But he quickly dismissed his own guess.
“No, if it were really them, what they brought would likely not just be a rainstorm, but ‘The Rampage’ that sweeps away everything…”
“Then is it Kushala Daora?
It can control storms and bring rain and snow, but to influence the weather for such a long time and over such a large area seems a bit of a stretch…”
Lore’s thoughts raced.
Combining the rich knowledge he had accumulated as a “monster hunter” in his past life, a more elegant and terrifying name that fit the current signs gradually surfaced.
“In that case, there is probably only one answer…”
Lore’s gaze became grave, and he whispered almost with certainty:
“Amatsu!
Yes, there is a very high probability that it is it!
However, judging from current signs, its true body must still be very far away from here.
Otherwise, with the Zinogre’s keen instinct for Elder Dragon pressure, we would have long been driven away from this place by that fear originating from the depths of our bloodline.”
Yet, the more he realized that Amatsu had not personally arrived, the more Lore felt an invisible, immense pressure.
What kind of terrifying power was that?
The true body was hundreds or even thousands of miles away, yet just the “aura” or emotional fluctuations it unconsciously emitted could stir the local weather into such a violent state, continuing for half a month without rest!
This was a “walking natural disaster” in the true sense, and its strength was truly terrifying!
Following that, another doubt surfaced in Lore’s heart:
“Since Amatsu has already shown its tracks, which point in the history of the monster hunter does this currently take place in?”
According to what he knew, in the stories set in Kamura Village, Amatsu had two major recorded appearances.
The first was in the backstory, where Amatsu destroyed the hometown of a certain NPC—the mysterious Moon Rabbit Capital.
The second was when the legendary hunter of Kamura Village—”Flame” (the player character)—successfully defeated Amatsu in the Infernal Springs.
Just as Lore was immersed in his speculation about the timeline, the Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox, who had been quietly following him, suddenly let out a sharp and terrified whimper.
Lore looked in the direction of the sound and saw countless black dots beneath the gloomy sky, fleeing in a panic toward the higher mountains in the distance.
Those were various kinds of Flying Wyverns and Bird Wyverns, even including the Rathalos groups that were usually arrogant and constantly rubbing against the Zinogre clan!
They flocked together, ignoring the territorial disputes between them, and migrated together toward the highlands considered to be a safe area.
This scene of thousands of wyverns fleeing was like a final alarm bell, shattering Lore’s last hesitation.
Regardless of which timeline this was, he had to act immediately!
Migration was urgent!
Otherwise, once the flash flood truly broke out, or Amatsu’s power further affected this area, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This time, Lore returned to the nest empty-handed, which was rare.
His return immediately caught the attention of Mother Zinogre and Luna; they keenly sensed the unusual, anxious aura emanating from Lore.
At first, they thought Lore was just frustrated because he had returned without food, so they stepped forward, gently rubbing their warm bodies against Lore, licking his cheeks and neck with their rough but gentle tongues, and letting out comforting low growls.
Luna even playfully glanced at the Jade-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox hiding behind Lore, licked her own sharp teeth, and let out a light growl with a teasing tone, as if saying:
“Look, when it comes to the critical moment, isn’t this ’emergency food’ finally coming in handy?”
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”