The morning's Low Rank division matches had drawn to a close, and the High Rank division began immediately in the afternoon.
Following the host's introduction, there were a total of seven hunters participating in this High Rank division.
Flora, Vos, and Ramsey were all among the competitors.
Unfortunately, Leon had missed the registration deadline, so he could only sit in the spectator stands to watch the matches properly.
The gong resonated once more.
"High Rank Division—First Challenge!"
"Entering Hunter—Ramsey!"
As soon as the announcement fell, the heavy iron gate slowly ascended.
A burly, tall man strode slowly into the arena. He was clad in the official Bone Alpha set, and the Great Sword on his back gleamed coldly under the sun. His heavy footsteps landed like the beat of a drum.
The spectator stands erupted in a wave of cheers.
"Ramsey! It's him!"
"That man is finally here!"
"He can shatter an Anjanath's lower jaw with a single swing!"
Leon narrowed his eyes. Having spent an entire month in the Coral Highlands, he wanted to personally witness the growth rate of this 'protagonist.'
"Ramsey... he's using a Great Sword. His fighting style is as steady as a rock, relying on single charged hits to devastate monsters."
"Can he really hunt High Rank monsters, meow?" Dumpling flicked his tail with excitement.
"Let's see how he delivers his first strike."
—The iron gate opened once again.
Accompanied by a sharp, piercing screech, a Pukei-Pukei paced out, its size significantly larger than that of a Low Rank specimen.
It possessed deep green feathers and yellowish eyes, with poisonous saliva dripping from its mouth. Its body was lithe and agile; when its limbs tightened, it looked exactly like a drawn bowstring.
The Pukei-Pukei stared at Ramsey, clacking the tip of its beak and letting out a faint, provocative sound.
The sound of the gong faded.
The battle began.
The Pukei-Pukei struck first, spitting out a cloud of purple mist.
A collective gasp went through the audience.
Dumpling was so startled that he pressed himself against the railing.
However, Ramsey did not budge an inch.
He stood as firm as a mountain with a calm gaze. Only when the poisonous mist drew near did he suddenly dash forward, performing a side roll to dodge while the Great Sword in his hands began to charge!
The Pukei-Pukei landed, attempting a tail sweep.
Ramsey transitioned smoothly into a block—
Boom!
A resonant crash echoed as gravel flew beneath his feet. He was pushed back half a step by the impact, but his Great Sword remained held high, its momentum undiminished.
The second stage of the charge was complete!
Ramsey pivoted with a heavy step!
—True Charged Slash!
The massive blade slammed down, hacking into the Pukei-Pukei's flank.
Bang!!!
The Pukei-Pukei's right wing was practically torn open. Feathers and blood sprayed everywhere as its body stumbled.
"Beautiful!" Leon commented in a low voice. "His timing was perfect, hitting the target right on the mark."
Thunderous applause broke out in the stands.
But the Pukei-Pukei did not retreat. It lunged forward like a mad beast, its claws flailing while its tail and poison attacked in unison.
Ramsey began to retreat and dodge, refusing to overcommit. He constantly sought openings between charging and evading.
"Steady... frighteningly steady, meow..." Dumpling muttered.
Two minutes passed.
The Pukei-Pukei had already been struck several times and was starting to show signs of fatigue. Its rhythm became hurried, and its openings increased.
Ramsey seized a gap during a tail sweep and went directly into a Shoulder Tackle to close the distance.
He immediately raised his Great Sword and began to charge!
—Charged Slash!
—Strong Charged Slash!
—True Charged Slash!
Thud!!!
All three hits of the Charged Slash combo landed cleanly, slamming the Pukei-Pukei into the ground. The floor cracked and dust billowed.
The Pukei-Pukei struggled for a few moments before collapsing and remaining still.
The referee waved the flag and announced:
"Challenge successful!"
"Time: Five minutes and twenty-one seconds!"
The entire audience cheered like thunder.
Leon did not clap, but he nodded slightly.
"Is Flora next, meow? I wonder how she's doing now!" Dumpling cheered while hugging the railing.
"It should be her," Leon replied.
The results were not as expected. The next two were not Flora; it wasn't until the fourth match that she stepped onto the field.
The hunting times of the previous two hunters were both over six minutes. Although they were successful, they were not fast enough.
"High Rank Division—Fourth Challenge!"
"Entering Hunter—Flora!"
The iron gate on the other side of the arena slowly opened.
A lithe female hunter walked quickly into the field, her movements crisp and decisive.
She wore the official Bone Alpha set. In her left hand, she held a shield, and in her right, a sharp Sword and Shield. Her steps were as light as the wind, her expression calm.
A stir went through the audience.
"It's her! That Sword and Shield user who's great at crowd control!"
"I teamed up with her last time. She almost completely locked down a High Rank Kulu-Ya-Ku!"
Leon remained silent, his gaze fixed on the field.
"Flora is here, meow!" Dumpling shouted.
Flora stopped and stood in the center of the arena. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly looked up.
Her gaze passed through the heavy iron gates toward the prey that was about to appear.
—Click!
The iron gate opened again, and a scent of rot mixed with poisonous mist wafted out.
A massive Pukei-Pukei with faded feathers stumbled out. Its eyes glowed with a sickly yellow light, its mouth slightly agape, churning with bubbles of poison. It was clearly in a state of high alertness and agitation.
—Challenge, begin!
The Pukei-Pukei tilted its head back and screeched before initiating a charge.
Flora shifted her feet, quickly side-stepping while her Sword and Shield flashed with cold light.
At that exact moment.
The Pukei-Pukei actually stopped and suddenly spat out a poison glob.
Splat!
The poison glob exploded!
But this sudden change of tactics clearly did not startle Flora. She immediately rolled to dodge.
At the same time, she followed up with a slide to get close to the Pukei-Pukei.
Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink!
Five consecutive slashes accurately struck the Pukei-Pukei's leg joints, forcing its center of gravity to shift as it stumbled backward.
"What a beautiful counter, meow!" Dumpling shrieked.
In pain, the Pukei-Pukei retaliated with a tail sweep.
Flora took a step back and raised her shield—
Block!
The impact came, and Flora's feet slid back half a meter.
But the Sword and Shield in her hand did not hesitate to strike, cutting accurately into the Pukei-Pukei's chest.
The Pukei-Pukei roared in pain, and poison suddenly sprayed out!
This time, Flora did not dodge.
She lowered her body, tapped the ground with her shield, and pivoted it in the instant she bounced up, redirecting most of the poison to the side.
Leon was slightly startled and murmured, "She's using a combination of sliding and shield-turning techniques... she's quite skilled."
He hadn't expected that while he was away hunting, not only Ramsey but Flora had also made significant progress.
"So strong, meow!"
At this point, the Pukei-Pukei entered a rage state. Its eyes were bloodshot, the poison bubbles at its mouth churned faster, and it began a frenzied series of lunging attacks.
Flora did not dodge. Instead, she chose to stay close to the Pukei-Pukei—evading, positioning, and disrupting its moves!
Before every poison spray, Flora could lower herself and sidestep a moment in advance. With every claw lunge, she blocked with her shield and followed up with a counter-slash.
The Pukei-Pukei's offensive rhythm was completely disrupted!
The fourth minute.
Bang!
The Pukei-Pukei was knocked to the ground.
Flora took a quick step, jumped, and delivered a charged downward strike.
Squelch—!
The shield slammed into the Pukei-Pukei's head!
The Pukei-Pukei was immediately stunned.
Flora did not waste time, delivering consecutive thrusts, each hit accurately striking the Pukei-Pukei's head.
Finally, after a few spasms, the Pukei-Pukei collapsed and remained still.
The referee waved the flag and announced:
"Challenge successful!"
"Time: Five minutes and forty-seven seconds!"
The audience erupted in applause.
Flora slowly sheathed her sword and gave a slight nod toward the audience, her gaze steady and calm.
Leon looked at Flora and sighed, "Clean and efficient. It's just a pity she was a few seconds slower than Ramsey..."