That's good to hear. I don't know why I thought that way, I have played other monster hunter games with similar concepts (such as Magic Castle RePureAria), and I guess I just somehow really got into those mob characters. I loved your models and animations.
If the lore was that they are de-materialized, then I guess it's much more easy to swallow.
I'd defiantly look into Patreon and am looking forward to the future full release.