Under a large tree not far away, a Pukei-Pukei was buried deep in its meal.
This is a rather peculiar Bird Wyvern. Usually measuring around thirteen meters in length, it bears the word "Bird" in its classification but looks more like a giant lizard. Its body is covered in dark green scales, and it possesses a large, chameleon-like head with a pair of bristly eyebrow-horns standing above its yellow eyes. Its membraned wings end in claws that resemble frog palms, and it drags a thick, gecko-like tail behind it.
At this moment, it was extending its long, versatile tongue to sweep up fallen Scatternuts from the ground. The powerful muscles of its tongue exerted just enough pressure to crush the hard outer shells, allowing it to gulp down the starchy pulp inside.
The sudden explosions in the distance caught its attention. The Pukei-Pukei snapped its head up and, driven by its fierce territorial instincts, charged toward the source on its powerful legs.
The forest was filled with Scatternuts, making it unlikely for typical herbivores to forage here. Consequently, Logan decided to take Zhu Peiniang elsewhere to find a meal.
Just then, a flurry of rapid footsteps echoed from the dense woods ahead. A dark green shadow rounded a tree trunk and lunged out.
With its unique appearance and "eyes full of wisdom" (or lack thereof), Logan recognized it instantly as a Pukei-Pukei. It is a primarily herbivorous wyvern that reportedly lived in the canopy of the Ancient Forest originally. However, after the Rathalos arrived and gave it a thorough thrashing, it was forced to eke out a living in the lower forest layers.
Since the Pukei-Pukei wasn't a particularly dangerous creature, didn't compete with him for ecological resources, and likely didn't taste very good, Logan didn't plan on paying it any mind.
To his surprise, the Pukei-Pukei gave its body a vigorous shake. The scales on its head and upper body bristled, and through a marvelous structural trick of light reflection, they turned a vibrant, aggressive orange-red.
Creatures like the Pukei-Pukei judge an opponent's combat capability based purely on size. Even if a Rajang appeared before it, the bird wyvern would dare to challenge it simply because the Rajang looked smaller. Although Logan was fourteen meters long—roughly the same as the Pukei-Pukei—two-thirds of that length was tail. This led the Pukei-Pukei to conclude that Logan was a weakling. Its "bully the weak, fear the strong" nature flared up, and it charged Logan with a loud squawk.
Logan watched the clumsy lizard with a look of pure speechlessness. In the games, this behavior seemed "derpy-cute," but seeing it in reality, he couldn't help but be amazed that this species hadn't gone extinct yet.
Regardless of his thoughts, his movements were not slow. He raised a thick forepaw and delivered a brutal slap to the pouncing Pukei-Pukei.
His heavy paw pad, backed by dozens of tons of force, slammed squarely into that ridiculous lizard head. The Pukei-Pukei's forward momentum was instantly redirected; it lost its balance and plowed face-first into the dirt.
One had to admit, the life force of creatures in this world is incredibly tenacious. Its skeletal structure possessed unbelievable strength. The Pukei-Pukei rolled over and scrambled back up, merely shaking its head as if it hadn't sustained any actual injury.
As expected of a creature that can survive a beating from a Rajang and still escape; its scales might not look thick, but they were remarkably "tanky."
By now, the slap seemed to have triggered its ferocity. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and it snapped its jaws open, whipping its head forward.
A pink whip of a tongue shot out, striking Logan's shoulder at a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye. Even through his thick scales, Logan felt a dull ache. Immediately after, a powerful surge of electricity erupted from his body, turning into a web of jumping arcs that danced across his scales.
Just then, the pink tongue whipped around for a second strike. After the loud crack of the impact, a series of fine, popping explosions followed—like firecrackers.
The high-temperature electrical arcs scorched the tongue, instantly evaporating the mucus on its surface and carbonizing the skin. Accompanied by wisps of blue smoke, a sharp, intense pain surged through the Pukei-Pukei.
Its tongue was paralyzed by the current, and before it could retract it, Logan snatched it in his claws. He then exerted his powerful forelimb strength and yanked backward. The intense pain turned the Pukei-Pukei into a beast led by a nose ring; it was forced to stumble toward him.
Waiting for it was a high-raised claw that slammed down on its head. The massive impact forced its entire body downward, pinning its jaw directly against the ground.
Even so, the damage wasn't severe. The sensation beneath Logan's claws was elastic, making him feel as though he were slapping a reinforced rubber tire.
In that moment, the Pukei-Pukei arched its tail, which instantly swelled into an oval bulb. The tip of the tail pointed directly at Logan, and a glob of purple liquid erupted.
At such close range, there was no time to dodge. Logan instinctively raised a forepaw to shield his face. The moment the liquid hit his scales, it exploded with a boom, turning into a cloud of purple mist.
Instantly, his vision was obscured by a violet haze. His nostrils were filled with a pungent, acrid odor, and Logan immediately held his breath. He felt the tongue in his grip rapidly "shrink," slipping out of his palm.
Once the wind cleared the lingering mist, the orange-red scales on the Pukei-Pukei's head had flattened back down, returning to an inconspicuous dark green. Its wide wings were tucked tight against its sides, and with its tail drooping, it was fleeing into the depths of the forest with all its might.
Clearly, that brief exchange had helped it recognize the situation. Its survival instinct had taken over, and it was now in full retreat.
Logan held back Zhu Peiniang, who wanted to give chase. This Pukei-Pukei didn't compete with him, it didn't look delicious, and he hadn't lost anything in the fight. There was no need to waste energy on it.
It was better to fill their stomachs while it was still early.
They changed direction and continued deeper into the forest. The trees around them grew taller, and the wind carried a biting chill—along with a faint scent of blood.
This discovery instantly energized Logan. He picked up his pace and began sprinting toward the source of the smell.
He cleared hundreds of meters in a flash. As he drew closer, the sound of a rushing stream reached his ears.
In a rare clearing surrounded by giant trees, sunlight spilled down onto a pebble-strewn riverbed. There, a massive, pink, tyrannosaur-like beast was violently tearing at the throat of an Aptonoth.
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