Chapter 46 Your Weakness is That You Don't Value Your Life

Orang sat up abruptly.

His head hurt terribly, his thoughts were chaotic, and the oppressive tightness in his chest made him want to beat his own body a few times. These were all symptoms of a severe shock.

Orang tapped his head with the back of his fist. It seemed he was in an infirmary, still wrapped in bandages. Had he been injured and knocked unconscious? No, before that...

His mind gradually cleared.

The Great Desert's Grand Banquet, the Dragon-Riding operation, the unexpected counterattack of the Jhen Mohran, the overturned Dragon-ship, the prematurely detonated barrel bomb, and Sel standing in front of him with a shield raised...

Thinking of all this, Orang eagerly tried to climb out of bed, only to knock over the bedside table in his carelessness. Hearing the commotion, someone hurried over from the next room.

"Hey man, you're finally awake? You slept long enough, you missed the whole banquet!"

The person who entered was Asa. He looked a bit comical, with thick bandages wrapped around his head, one arm in a sling, and walking with a distinct limp.

But Orang could not laugh at this moment. He asked in an impatient tone, "Where is senior Sel? Is he alright? What about everyone in the fleet? Was the operation a success?"

Asa had originally wanted to tease Orang, but before some untimely joke could slip out, he finally used his brain. He rubbed his mouth and changed his tune:

"Ahem, Brother Sel's injuries aren't light either, but the performance of that Rathian armor of his is simply top-notch. He woke up a day earlier than you and is pretty much fine."

"As for the fleet... the losses aren't small. The Mohran Maru needs major repairs." At this, Asa's expression turned somewhat heavy.

"Still, thanks to your efforts, the Jhen Mohran was heavily damaged and finally driven away at the critical moment. Otherwise, casualties would have easily doubled. The Fleet Master said he wants to properly thank you guys."

Just then, the physician who heard the noise also hurried over. He shooed away the chatty Asa and carefully checked Orang's condition again.

Fractures, burns, concussion, internal bleeding...

Hearing these, Orang understood that he would probably need to recuperate for quite a while.

During his days recovering in the infirmary, many people came to visit.

Madam Maridan patted his shoulder, repeatedly praising him for a job well done, and brought him plenty of meat. Mr. Lamarck left behind several thick books.

Because of this, Madam Maridan scolded her husband and took those books away before leaving.

Joda also came to visit with his comrades from the Fortress Guerrilla Unit. Since the guerrilla unit had a busy daily routine, they couldn't come often, so Joda left Saji behind, entrusting it to take care of Orang and Asa while they recovered.

The Fleet Master personally paid a visit as well, expressing his gratitude to them while bringing a large amount of care packages, and stated that the Sand Fleet would always welcome them.

There was also an unexpected visitor: the mustachioed Guild Master of Loc Lac came along with the Fleet Master.

He brought the reward for this mission, which, aside from the basic monetary prize, included a piece of ore harvested from the back of the Jhen Mohran, as well as a polished scale that had its rocky outer layer removed, revealing a magnificent, deep azure color.

This material was far from enough to forge equipment, and served more as a commendation for his courageous combat.

If sold to a merchant, it would undoubtedly fetch a substantial sum of money, but Orang was not in need of money at the moment, so he planned to keep it as a souvenir.

It wasn't until he was allowed to get out of bed and walk around freely that Orang finally saw Sel, who had also been forced to lie in bed for several days.

The latter seemed to be in high spirits, and as soon as they met, he teased him, "I heard this is your first time carting? How is it, how does it feel?"

The so-called "carting" was a piece of jargon among hunters, used to refer to losing the ability to fight during a hunt.

Under normal circumstances, that was no different from being dead, but sometimes, if luck permitted, things could take a turn.

The guild had signed an agreement with the wild Felyne tribes. If the Felynes could rescue a severely injured hunter from the jaws of a monster, one-third of the hunter's reward would belong to them.

Over time, hunters grew fond of using "carting" as a substitute for being heavily wounded, knocked unconscious, or losing combat capability.

Faced with Sel's joke, Orang merely nodded.

Instead, Saji tilted its head, looked at the young hunter in front of it, and asked with some curiosity, "Then what about you, meow? Have you ever ridden the cart, meow?"

Back when it lived in the wild with its tribe, it had also helped push carts and transport half-dead hunters.

"Ahem, I've had a few times myself. Let's just say I was lucky and didn't leave my life in the hunting grounds," Sel said with a dry laugh.

Shortly after, his expression turned somewhat serious.

"My injuries are almost healed, and I'll be leaving Loc Lac in the next couple of days. Before that, there's something I need to tell you."

Hearing this, Orang straightened up a bit. "Please go ahead."

"There must have been more than one person who told you that you aren't suited for the sword and shield, right?"

"......That's correct."

"I know you possess a special talent, and I've also heard about your teacher. Combined with what I've observed over this period, I can only say your teacher's approach was entirely correct. Of course, what I want to tell you isn't just about this. I came here specifically today to remind you that you have a rather glaring weakness."

Sel had no intention of beating around the bushes. He looked straight into Orang's eyes and said, almost word for word: "You have a severe lack of self-preservation awareness."

"Lack of self-preservation awareness..." Orang repeated the phrase.

"Yes. It has nothing to do with your innate talent; it belongs to the realm of your personal character. In your mind, there seems to be only attack."

"Uh..." Orang choked. This was something he found a bit difficult to refute.

"It's normal for people to have focal points, but your offensive mindset is too pure. For you, whether it's defense or evasion, they only exist as a 'transition' to the next attack. With your current rank and strength, this doesn't seem to be a problem. Monsters like the Great Velocidrey can be easily suppressed through sheer offense alone.

However, as you continue forward, when you reach three-star or four-star ranks and have to face stronger and more cunning monsters, this fatal weakness will be exposed. By then, you might not even have a chance to make up for it before losing your life in the hunting grounds.

To give you the most direct example: right before the end of the Dragon-Riding operation, you discarded your shield and drew your dagger to use dual blades, didn't you?"

"That was to..."

"I know." Orang's subconscious retort was interrupted by Sel. "There's nothing wrong with using dual blades to execute Demon Flurry and widen the wound; if anything, your quick thinking should be praised. Your problem is... after that, did you ever consider picking your shield back up?"

Orang was left speechless. Sel continued, "When I was preparing to ignite the barrel bomb, that shield was right by your feet, yet you didn't even glance at it, nor did you consider retreating beforehand. You seem... not to value your own life very much."

"I think so too, meow," Saji chimed in from the side. "You're quite cautious when formulating tactics, meow, but once the fighting starts, you suddenly throw your life away, meow."

Orang was rendered somewhat speechless by the duo of man and cat.

After a brief silence, he said in a muffled voice, "I will practice more defensive techniques."

"No, you misunderstood my meaning."

Sel's tone softened slightly. "I'm telling you these things not to make you split your focus away from 'attacking.' Extreme aggressiveness is your advantage and shouldn't be covered up. It's like a sharp, slender blade—it's not meant to be used as a shield. The same logic applies.

I'm reminding you because I hope you'll pay more attention to staying alive, and there are many ways to do that.

For instance, continuing to use shield-bearing weapons like the sword and shield, forging sturdier heavy armor, preparing more life-saving items, teaming up with heavy defenders skilled in defense, or finding a Palico to watch your back, and so on and so forth."

At the mention of the last sentence, he looked at Saji with mild curiosity. "By the way, is this little one your hunting partner? How come I haven't seen it before?"

Saji blinked in surprise, shook its head, and replied, "I'm just entrusted by the boss to come and take care of Orang, meow."

Orang also explained for it, "Saji is a member of the Fortress Guerrilla Unit, not my Palico partner."

"Is that so? You two seemed so close, I thought you were already partners," Sel said with a smile, before steering away from the subject and returning to the original topic.

"You told me before that after your teacher allowed you to change weapons, you instead didn't know when you should change weapons, nor what weapons to change to. So, as a senior, I'll give you a piece of advice: wait until you can calmly put down the shield in your hand before seriously considering this matter."