Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. "The Legacy of a Hunter" is copyright Keichi Hikami.

"Hmm. You look better, now."

The village chief stood before the entrance of the only public bar in Cocotte village. Obviously not human, the wyvernian leaned against a gnarled staff and raised his deep-set eyes, which were usually buried beneath wrinkles, to peer at Kio. "So you managed to defeat the pack of Velociprey."

"Yeah." Rubbing his nose, Kio held out the claw of a Velcoprey as proof of the mission's completion. The chief took it with thin fingers then examined it - turning it back and forth.

"It ain't fake you know."

"It's not that I distrust you. It's just an old habit."

"From when you were a hunter, right?" Kio laughed. From what Kio heard, he had once been a hunter, but it couldn't be true. In some ridiculous rumors it was said that he was the hero Cocotte who slew the Monoblos single- handed but no one believed it.

A merchant suited his demeanor more than a hunter. Surprisingly, he had the nerve to name the village after himself and even displayed his hero's blade, which he was supposed to have used, in the village square.

Because of these rumors, the village was thriving even in it's remote location. Most of the people who came were hunters, like his parents, so the atmosphere was far from calm. Fights were a daily thing and the smell of alcohol and tobacco always hung in the air from the people who gathered at the bar during the day.

But Kio didn't mind the sordid air. It wasn't that he had taken the place of his father, who went out on a quest and never returned, but he had become a hunter the day he turned fifteen.

Until then people had mocked him saying "What can a kid like you do?" "You're gonna shame all the other hunters!" "You'll die at such a young age." However, he had been doing well up till now. In truth, his last mission had been pretty close, but it wasn't such a big deal now that he had won.

"So what's next?"

"No need to hurry." The village chief grinned after putting the claw away and tapped Kio with his finger. "Kio, you hungry?"

"Well, yeah."

"Ok. Good, good." He turned around and walked into the bar so Kio sighed and followed him. The low-lit bar was cloudy with smoke and the ceiling blackened from soot. The smell of tobacco, beer, and sweat mixed together to make a unique odor, but no one cared about it.

Kio had gotten used to the stench. Besides, he didn't smell all that nice himself at the moment. When the hunters noticed the village chief, they nodded or greeted him and went back to their meal and drink. They saw Kio too, but they didn't pay him any heed.

Kio looked away in chagrin. It couldn't be helped. His achievements still marked him a rookie. He couldn't wait to take on one of the large monsters.

"Let's sit here." The village chief chose an open table and sat down. Kio sat opposite him. A middle-aged waitress appeared to take their orders and the village chief got their usual: two Aptonoth steak sandwiches, beer for himself and milk for Kio.

Soon two tankards filled with beer and milk were brought and dropped on the table, spilling a good portion of the drinks.

"Hey! Watch it!" The village chief leaned over and slurped at the spilt beer.

"Haven't you heard, 'don't cry over spilt milk?' "

The village chief ignored him and kept lapping like a dog. It was things like these that made Kio sure all the more that the rumors weren't true. He acted more like an old man with no more ambitions in life and content to enjoy the rest of his life in peace.

"Mmm, delicious."

"Is that so?" Kio frowned and put his elbows on the table. Try as he might, he couldn't learn to like beer. He didn't understand why adults liked the taste; personally, it tasted like pee to him. "I don't care if they make fun of me, but if it tastes bad, it tastes bad!"

"Here you are." Two Aptonoth sandwiches were placed before them. Kio already started to feel full from looking at it. The thick Aptonoth steak was fried and covered in special sauce with fresh vegetables and sandwiched between a sort-of-rye bread. It was so big you couldn't take a bite out of it normally. There was a knack to eating it, and it had taken some time for Kio to get it – but there was nothing that tasted better.

He decided to discuss what was on his mind later and focus on eating for now, taking a bite out of the sandwich. The village chief was eating with such ravenous speed, it made Kio wonder how he kept from having a heart attack.

"Hey, old man." Halfway through the sandwich, Kio asked the village chief, "Don't you think I'm ready?"

"For what?" said the village chief, licking the sticky sauce that covered his mouth. Of course you know, Kio thought, I've only been asking for months!

"You know, the large monsters!"

Laughter erupted all around them. Some people banged their tables as others rolled on the floor. Several guys shouted at him, "Who do you think you are, brat?" "This is no place for you to be, kid."

Shirai looked up and glared at the people. Too young? Brat? So what! I've made it so far without a problem. You guys have no right to make fun of me!

"Oh, well." The village chief licked his fingers and scratched his face. "You want to go to the city that bad?"

"Sure!" Kio gripped his mug. "Of course I want to go to the city! If I go I can join the guild. There are many monsters you can't hunt unless you're a guild approved hunter. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this dump!"

"Young, so very young…" The village chief smiled. "But that doesn't matter. The outside world is very attractive while you're young. And you have completed all the quests I've given you. Definitely not a Yian Kut-Ku, but you might be able to take on the Bulldrome."

"Then..."

"Not so fast." The village chief held up his hand to Kio who was leaning over the table. He curled his hand and pointed at Kio. "Do you intend to go in that junk?"

Kio looked down at himself. He was wearing Chain armor. The two short swords on the chair beside him were the Gradios Ultimus, a type of dual-sword. "What's wrong?

"Your armor's too weak," the village chief sighed. "You'll be shredded to pieces if you go in that. You're weapon is fine, but at the very least upgrade your armor to the Battle or Bone armor."

"I don't have enough materials." Kio leaned back on his chair. "Don't they both need several Anteka Pelts and Earth Crystals? I only have one of each and I don't have enough money to make it anyway."

"That's because you're lazy. You don't take the time to gather the materials. And the reason you don't have any money is because you're buying things from merchants instead of compounding and mixing them yourself. The Healing Potions you need can be made by mixing herbs and blue mushrooms. Both can be found out in the wild relatively easily."

"Ha! I don't have time to do everything bit by bit. And there's only so much I can carry in my bag. Instead of filling it with mushrooms, it's much better to fill it with things like Velociprey claws and scales."

"You're hopeless." The village chief shook his head in frustration. But Kio wasn't going to change his opinion. Old people are too wimpy, he thought.

"Well? Will you let me do it?" Kio leaned over and looked into the village chief's eyes. Then...

"Let him do it, chief!" One of the hunters shouted out over the din. "You're being a bit overprotective! Even if he's a rookie, he is a hunter after all! Why not let him have a chance!"

"Thanks!" Kio called out to the man, but he really didn't mean it. He knew it wasn't because the guy believed he could do it, nor because the guy was thinking of him.

Rather, it was quite the opposite. The guy was probably thinking that if Kio failed he'd be a bit more humble and learn some respect for the other hunters. Other people around them shouted their approval, but he knew most of them just wanted him to fail.

But Kio didn't mind. Whatever the circumstances, as long as he could challenge one of the bigger monsters, he'd be able to prove that he was good enough.

"Humph! You guy's don't know what you're asking for…" The village chief sighed one more time, then turned and beckoned to Miranda, the Guild representative who stood behind the counter. She was the attendant who was in charge of the quests, missions and requests that were sent to the village.

"Wasn't there one mission?"

"Yes." She leafed through papers and documents, then pulled out one and handed it to the village chief. He quickly scanned it, nodded and placed it in front of Shirai.

"A Bulldrome slaying quest. It's not far from here, so it should be mainly in the jungle. I'll entrust this mission to you."

Kio felt his heart leap. Finally! How many months have I waited for this! He reached for the paper, and signed his name on it.

Thank you for reading! I am a novice writer/translator going to a school in Japan. This is my first story so I would be very happy if you would review and point out any mistakes I have made.