“...Wake up...”

“Wake up... Blue...”

“...Wake up... Canglan Star...”

The intermittent shouts and the inexplicable nudges gradually brought Xie Wen, who was lost in dreams, back to consciousness. Still a bit groggy, he instinctively tried to sit up...

Huh?

Why can’t I move?

Clearly, he was awake, but Xie Wen found that he couldn’t even open his eyelids.

Damn! Sleep paralysis!

This wasn’t the first time he’d encountered something like this, so Xie Wen wasn’t too panicked. What he was curious about now was, living alone at home, where did the voice calling him to get up come from?

At the same time, that voice rang out again—

“Wake up, meow! Canglan Star!”

“!!!”

With that shout, the “force” that had been restricting Xie Wen’s actions suddenly vanished, and he shot upright from the soft sand, looking at the peculiar creature that had been pushing him and trying to wake him up—

A small cat standing on two legs, dressed in a white coat and wearing a chef's hat, with light yellow fur.

Well, calling it a small cat seems a bit inappropriate, because from Xie Wen’s perspective, it was actually a bit taller than him after he sat up...

What the hell! I actually woke up to an Ailou Cat calling me!

As a seasoned Monster Hunter player, Xie Wen naturally recognized where this “Furry” was from, but the problem was...

That’s a character from the game!

Thinking he might still be half-asleep or dreaming, Xie Wen decisively lay back down on the still slightly damp sand, planning to take a nap to clear his head.

“Why did you fall back asleep again, meow?!”

The chef cat roared while raising its fluffy little paw, landing a flurry of cat punches on Xie Wen’s face.

“What the hell! This isn’t a dream?!”

The cat's soft pads hitting his face didn’t hurt much, but the reality of the blows, combined with the cold, damp sensation on his back, constantly reminded Xie Wen that this was not a dream.

“Are you confused because of the seawater, meow? Of course, this isn’t a dream!”

The Ailou Cat crossed its arms and looked at Xie Wen, who was sitting up again, with a sideways glance. Its fluffy little face vividly displayed a complex expression of three parts disdain, three parts helplessness, and three parts worry.

Could it be that I...

Have crossed over?

As a rational guy who has read plenty of novels and watched a lot of anime about crossing over, it was reasonable for Xie Wen to have such speculation.

After all, anyone who wakes up to find himself suddenly at the seaside, with a talking Ailou Cat beside him, would likely think the same.

Xie Wen, always a bit carefree, stood up, brushing the sand off his body while glancing around...

He was on a beach, and aside from the dense jungle behind him, all that surrounded him was an endless sea.

So, am I on an island now?

Xie Wen scratched his head. Did I somehow end up in the world of MH3?

In his memory, it seemed that only the third generation (including the subsequent 3G) had the main background set at sea.

No, wait...

Quickly, Xie Wen dismissed that thought.

Because if he remembered correctly, the followers in the third game weren’t Ailou Cats but rather a magical creature called the Odd Face Tribe, which had previously appeared as small monsters.

Besides, he remembered this Ailou Cat calling him Canglan Star, which was a title from “Monster Hunter: World.”

Could it be a compilation version?

Xie Wen didn’t find that strange at all; if he hadn’t crossed into a purely game world but rather a real world under the game’s worldview, then the connections between these several works would be quite normal.

The primary issue now was to figure out where they currently were.

“Do you know where we are? How can we get to the nearest village?” Xie Wen asked the Ailou Cat after sorting out his thoughts.

“I don’t know, meow.” The small cat shook its head. “When I regained consciousness, I only saw you, Canglan Star, lying here with me... Meow? Strange...”

The Ailou Cat shook its ears and tilted its head, muttering, “Why do I think you’re Canglan Star, meow? We’re clearly meeting for the first time, and you don’t look like Canglan Star at all, meow.”

“Uh...” Xie Wen’s expression stiffened, then he awkwardly explained with a smile, “Maybe it’s because I really did earn the title of Canglan Star?”

Even if it was just in the game.

The Ailou Cat looked him up and down with a doubtful expression. “You? How old are you, meow?”

Hearing that, Xie Wen finally noticed something. Although he had stood up, from his perspective, he didn’t seem much taller than the Ailou Cat.

He quickly looked down at his body and felt around with his hands.

His stubbly chin had become smooth, his arms and legs had shrunk considerably, and as for his height, he was just a little over a head taller than the Ailou Cat. If the Ailou Cat was about one meter tall, then he was probably only around 130 cm.

“What the hell! How did I turn into a kid?!!”

He didn’t know if it was due to some "world settings" not being adjusted, but Xie Wen felt like his reactions were a bit slow... Hmm... maybe not just a bit slow.

After all, a noticeable change like this in his body should have been apparent to him much earlier, no matter how oblivious he was.

Not to mention his clothes had changed from the SpongeBob pajamas he wore to bed to a set of rustic, Monster Hunter-style linen clothing... which was probably what he wore when creating a character in the game.

If it were any other time, Xie Wen would be delighted to see his body shrink; living a few more years was a gain in any case.

But given the current situation, he was more than likely in the Monster Hunter world, and apart from the jungle nearby, where he had no idea what monsters might be lurking, he couldn’t find any traces of other humans. In this child’s body, let alone a pair of Elder Dragons, even a Blue Rapid Dragon would spell doom for him...

Though even if he were in his adult form, he probably wouldn’t fare much better...

Xie Wen was quite aware of his poor physical condition.

So he turned his gaze back to the Ailou Cat...

“Well, um... you should be able to fight too, right?”

In the early Monster Hunter games, chef cats and battle cats could mutually “switch roles.”

“Aren’t you the one who said you’re Canglan Star, meow?!” The light yellow Ailou Cat glared at Xie Wen adorably yet fiercely, but it nodded and said, “If it’s just for gathering ingredients, I’m fine with that. But if we encounter those large monsters and dragon types, don’t expect me to help, meow.”

“Phew...” Xie Wen finally relaxed. “That’s enough. Anyway, with these little arms and legs of mine, I didn’t plan to go looking for trouble with those monsters.”

“So how does that look anything like Canglan Star, meow!” The Ailou Cat shot Xie Wen a disdainful glance.

“It’s not like I chose to be small... and I don’t even have a weapon or anything...” Xie Wen protested weakly, feeling the cat’s disdain while internally lamenting.

Given his current situation, if he didn’t find a “beginner village” soon, he’d probably be eaten by a monster that happened to pass by in a few days.

However, at that moment, a flood of memories related to being a hunter suddenly surged into his mind, including knowledge of outdoor survival, skills for using various weapons and items to fight monsters, and basic "common sense" as a hunter.

It felt like a long time had passed, or perhaps it was just the blink of an eye, before Xie Wen snapped back to reality. He instinctively looked down at his waist, where there was a quaint-looking item resembling a waist pouch. It seemed that every character created in the game had one of those pouches.

And according to the "common sense" he just received, this hunter’s little pouch at his waist could indeed hold a lot of things, just like in the game.

However, unlike in the game, he couldn’t see a panel displaying various items in a grid; instead, it was more like spatial equipment from a cultivation novel, relying entirely on his consciousness to sense what was inside the pouch.

So, have I crossed into the game, or obtained a game character template, or do the rules of the hunter’s world work like this?

In any case, starting off with a spatial pouch and an Ailou Cat, Xie Wen was already luckier than many crossers. But...

Since I’ve got one cat, where’s the dog I can ride, fight, and climb walls with?!

After calming down from his frustration, Xie Wen redirected his attention and reached into his dimensional hunter pouch, intending to check what useful items he had inside...

Just like with the knowledge he had just received, as soon as his hand reached in, he instinctively sensed the various items stored within.

First, two bottles of healing potions—definitely lifesavers, he needed to conserve them until he found a village.

Then, three pieces of portable grilled meat... With a chef cat by his side, Xie Wen felt they wouldn’t be very useful, but better than nothing.

Next, Xie Wen sensed a hunter's manual, which might record some useful information, but he didn’t have time to look at it right now.

In addition, he found a fishing rod, a portable grill, a small knife for gathering materials, a whetstone that could be used infinitely, a paralysis trap, five dye balls, a sound bomb, two raw meats, a fire sack, and a large hide from a Yellow Rapid Dragon...

Why does it feel like the stuff in this pouch is a bit of a mess?

Xie Wen scratched his head in confusion. The items didn’t seem like the basic configuration of a "new character," nor did they resemble a "Canglan Star" who would have packed various high-level items. Instead, they looked more like the belongings of a character who had just started playing not long ago.

Moreover, this really is a compilation version! The latest Monster Hunter doesn’t require dye balls, and early versions of the whetstone weren’t infinite but decreased with use.

These items can’t be said to be useless, but for Xie Wen’s current situation, besides the healing potions, most of the items wouldn’t be very helpful.

So, where did my all-purpose Wirebug go?! They even gave me a grill! And the combat skills I just received included the Wirebug technique!

Even if I don’t have a Wirebug, a slinger would do!!!

With a sense of frustration as he scanned through the assorted items, Xie Wen finally found the weapon he needed most in the pouch.

Only...

“Why is it a Fresh Knife: White Calm?!”