The veins on the forehead of the middle-aged Hunter, addressed as Instructor by the two, throbbed violently.
With the migration of Val Habar about to begin, the appearance of a high-threat-level Monster like a Tigrex in the grasslands, the migration destination, was something that absolutely had to be reported immediately. It was even a significant merit.
The Val Habar Guild did not lack capable Hunters. Any hunting group with Tigrex experience or a high-rank Hunter sent there could resolve the matter quickly and reliably.
The problem was, why did only the Airship pilot return? Why hadn't a single person from the Hunter small team that discovered the Tigrex come back?
The first reaction of Guildmarm Sophia upon receiving the news early this morning was that an accident had occurred. When she learned that the team included Isis and Altaïr, the Guildmarm's face turned deathly pale.
Fortunately, the Airship pilot hurriedly told her that the four young Hunters were unharmed. But when she asked why they hadn't returned, the pilot could only say he didn't know.
The Guildmarm, whose mood had slightly improved, felt her vision go dark again.
One could guess with their knees that since those young Hunters hadn't followed him back, they definitely had some reckless ulterior motives regarding the Tigrex.
Terrified, she immediately called for Musa, the Instructor from the local Hunter Training Camp. After a brief explanation, she dispatched him.
Experienced and familiar with the local hunting grounds, Instructors were the best candidates for emergency rescues, and Musa, who had been a high-rank Hunter for many years, was the strongest among them.
After learning of the situation from the Guildmarm, he boarded the Airship in a frantic rush and headed for the Ancestral Steppe.
He wasn't familiar with Isis and Altaïr, but Jara and Naziya were both former students he had taught. He had been worrying the entire way.
What if he didn't make it in time? What if something happened to those youngsters? How would he face their families?
After landing, he didn't even leave himself time to catch his breath. He was sprinting toward the hunting grounds when he looked up and ran straight into these brats, who were returning all smiles while carrying Tigrex materials.
"Explain yourselves?" His concern replaced by a burning rage, Musa kneaded his knuckles, staring at Jara's chubby face with a menacing grin.
This fat guy had the highest Hunter rank and was the leader of this temporary team. Who else would he ask?
Cold sweat poured out. Jara stammered; he hadn't been this scared even while being chased by the Tigrex all day. But at that moment, his brain whirled, and he suddenly thought of a good excuse.
"No... it wasn't us! That Tigrex fell to its death on its own!"
Musa laughed from extreme anger, "Ha, you think I'll believe your nonsense?!"
"It's true, Instructor Musa! I can take you to see the carcass!" Jara dropped the armful of materials and swore to the heavens.
"..." After two seconds of silence, Musa looked at the others with a dark face and said: "You lot, stay in the camp and behave!"
As he finished, he delivered a hard kick to Jara's backside, "Lead the way!"
—--
Following Jara to the Tigrex carcass, Musa was somewhat dazed.
Did it really fall to its death?
Ignoring Jara's chubby face which was filled with sycophancy and grievance, Musa stepped forward and inspected it carefully. He soon discovered the clues.
The torn wing membranes, the wounds on the hind legs, and the obvious symptoms of poisoning...
He glanced at Jara, whose eyes were darting around, "Fell to its death? Heheh... I think this Tigrex was 'fallen' to its death, wasn't it?"
—--
Val Habar Guild, Guildmarm's Office.
"How dare you, how dare you, how dare you..."
Sophia held a tightly rolled-up tube of paper and thumped Isis on the head, again and again.
Unlike the time she was injured hunting the Barroth, the Barroth was a 3★ Monster, and Isis was a 3★ Hunter. Hunting it alone was risky, but it was still within the realm of reasonable behavior.
So, at that time, Sophia was more distressed than angry.
This time was different. Up until the encounter with the Tigrex and the retreat to camp, there were no issues. However, the second half was pure, active suicidal behavior.
A successful hunt was lucky; what if an accident happened? Being swallowed in one bite by the Tigrex was the far more likely outcome, okay?
She and Isis's mother weren't just ordinary friends. Not only had they traveled together, but during those years in the New World, she had been the former's Handler partner, through life and death.
Isis was someone she had watched grow up. To Sophia, who was unmarried, she was no different from her own biological daughter.
Sophia didn't dare imagine how she would feel if such an accident really occurred. In her fury, her strikes were exceptionally heavy.
Altaïr and the other two, along with Sajji the cat, were all scolded together. Though she didn't hit them, the three humans and one cat, seeing the Guildmarm so enraged for the first time, were too terrified to even breathe loudly.
After a long bout of berating, Sophia's anger finally subsided a little, and she sat back in her seat, taking several deep breaths.
Carefully gauging Sophia's expression, Isis rubbed her aching head and asked in a tiny voice: "Aunt Sophia, those Tigrex materials, can we still..."
"Don't even think about it!" Sophia glared and barked.
She didn't care about a bit of material; her main concern was that she must not encourage this trend of reckless adventuring and exploiting loopholes.
Besides, the loophole they thought they had found was only "flawless" in their own minds. Strictly speaking, the moment they sent the Airship pilot back to report, the scouting mission had ended.
From this perspective, their act of hunting the Tigrex on their own was a textbook case of poaching.
Returning the confiscated Tigrex materials wasn't an act of kindness; it was hurting them.
Jara's Hunter rank was 4★, which was barely justifiable. But these other three were either 2★ or 3★. Wouldn't equipment forged from Tigrex materials be an eyesore?
If any Hunter or Guild staff member felt something was wrong and reported it to the Guild Headquarters, and the Guild Knights, the Guild's inspection and execution department, sent someone to investigate and confirmed the crime of poaching, their lives would be over.
As for "finding loopholes," those stone-faced Guild Knights didn't buy that at all.
Hearing Ms. Sophia's cold explanation, the group completely abandoned the idea of getting the Tigrex materials back.
Seeing Isis looking all pale and dejected, Sophia's heart softened slightly. She snorted and said: "Forget about the materials, but those two rolls of Tigrex hide, I might be able to get those back for you."
The Guild's restrictions and supervision on equipment materials were very strict, but they were much more lenient regarding Monster by-products that couldn't be used as equipment materials.
If a Hunter accidentally found a Flying Wyvern carcass in the wild and gathered scales or talons to make equipment, it would be a serious crime if discovered by the Guild. After all, who can tell if you poached it or it was truly a gift of nature?
But if you carved a roll of dragon hide to make a sofa, it was fine. After all, Monster leather products were goods allowed for normal trade, no different from Aptonoth hide in essence, just rarer.
Hearing Sophia's words, Isis immediately perked up.
She hadn't intended to use Tigrex materials for equipment anyway; she was a very self-disciplined person. Otherwise, she wouldn't have left a perfectly good Kut-Ku Armor Set unused and pieced together a "Pig-Dog Set" from scratch.
What she wanted was that roll of Tigrex hide. Back then, her older sister had hunted an Anjanath in the New World and made leather clothes and hats for their elders, which made everyone very happy.
She had resolved then that once she was capable, she would do the same.
Jara and Naziya were filled with regret. Had they known the materials would be confiscated, they should have carved more hide; then they wouldn't have faced such risk and effort for nothing.
Waving away the two "old hands" who were full of regret, Guildmarm Sophia looked at Isis. "I'll be writing a letter to your home about this incident, lest you fail to learn your lesson."
"Eeee!" Isis clutched her head and whined, looking terrified.
Next, Sophia turned her gaze toward Altaïr, making him feel a bit confused.
What's this? You're going to write a letter to my house too?
"How many months ago did you promote to 2★?"
Unexpectedly asked this question, Altaïr was stunned for a moment before replying: "Five months ago."
"Do you want to promote to 3★?"
Altaïr's eyes immediately lit up, "Of course I do!"
"Then why haven't you done a single proper 2★ quest until now? If you want to promote, hurry up and fill your 2★ quest quota for me!"
"..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)
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TL NOTES: LORE SECTION
Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
CONCEPTS
Poaching — Hunting a monster without an official Guild quest is classified as poaching, a serious offense under Guild law. The Guild enforces strict oversight on monster hunting to maintain ecological balance and prevent over-harvesting of rare materials. Penalties range from rank suspension to permanent delisting. The distinction between equipment materials (tightly regulated) and by-products like leather (freely tradeable) is a real legal nuance within the setting.
Guild Knights — The enforcement arm of the Hunter's Guild, responsible for investigating violations of Guild law, including poaching, unauthorized territory access, and improper material handling. They are distinct from regular hunters and operate with broad investigative authority. Their reputation for rigidity and lack of leniency makes them a source of genuine dread even among experienced hunters.
Handler — A non-combat support role paired with a hunter, responsible for logistics, intel gathering, quest management, and in-field coordination. The Handler relationship is considered a close professional and personal bond; in Monster Hunter: World, the Handler is the player character's dedicated partner throughout the main story. Sophia and Isis's mother having shared this role speaks to the depth of their friendship.