The forest did not welcome dawn.
There was no birdsong, no rustle of small creatures greeting the light. Even the wind moved cautiously, as if afraid to disturb something far larger than itself. John noticed it the moment he woke.
His cave—once alive with faint echoes of insects and distant howls—felt muted. Wrong.
John slowly lifted his head from the stone floor, massive neck muscles tightening as his golden slit pupils narrowed. His body, now far larger than when he had first claimed this territory, reacted before his mind fully caught up. Scales along his spine subtly rose, instinct screaming danger.
The tremor came again.
Not violent. Not sudden.
A deep, rolling vibration that passed through the stone beneath his claws and into his bones.
John inhaled slowly, drawing mana into his core. The air tasted… heavy. Thick with pressure. This wasn't just another powerful monster wandering too close. This was something else entirely.
Something *old*.
He stepped out of the cave entrance, his massive shadow stretching across the forest floor. The southern forest lay ahead of him—dense, ancient, and now unnervingly still. Trees towered like silent sentinels, their leaves barely moving despite the breeze that should have been there.
John raised his head and focused.
The presence hit him like a hammer.
His heart skipped a beat.
**[Warning: High-Level Entity Detected]**
**[Threat Assessment: Extreme]**
John's eyes widened slightly.
He had seen dangerous enemies before. Tier 7 monsters that ruled their territories like tyrants. Creatures that forced him to fight smart, bleed, and adapt. But this…
This was different.
Far in the distance, beyond the overlapping canopies and ancient roots, something massive moved. John couldn't see it clearly yet, but he *felt* it—an overwhelming pressure that made the mana in the air tremble.
And then his system updated.
**[Target Identified: ???]**
**[Species: Abyssal Verdant Colossus]**
**[Level: 10]**
For the first time since his rebirth, John didn't move.
A level 10 monster.
His jaw tightened.
So this is it… the thing that's been looming in the background.
John slowly lowered his body, keeping his silhouette hidden among the trees. His pride—the instinctual arrogance that came with being a dragon—flared violently within him. A part of him wanted to roar, to announce his presence, to challenge this intruder who dared approach his territory.
But another part of him, colder and sharper, crushed that impulse instantly.
*I'll die.*
The realization came without hesitation.
There was no bravado here. No false confidence. The gap between them wasn't something skill or luck could bridge in a direct fight. John had faced tier 7 monsters and won through planning, timing, and exploiting weaknesses. But this?
This thing radiated power so dense it distorted the forest around it. Trees bent subtly toward its path. The ground cracked under each distant step. Even other high-tier monsters were fleeing, their presence vanishing one by one as they abandoned territory without a fight.
John clenched his claws into the soil.
*I can't fight it head-on.*
He stared through the trees, watching shadows shift as the massive shape moved closer. Every instinct told him to retreat deeper into the forest, to hide and survive. But that wasn't an option either.
This monster wasn't just passing through.
It was coming *toward him*.
John's territory sat directly in its path.
Why?
Was he being hunted? Or was this simply the natural collision of two apex beings existing too close to one another?
Either way, the outcome would be the same if he made a single mistake.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his racing thoughts to slow. Panic would kill him faster than claws ever could.
*Think.*
He reviewed everything he knew.
The Abyssal Verdant Colossus—just from the name alone—suggested a creature tied to both abyssal mana and nature. A walking catastrophe, likely possessing regeneration, overwhelming strength, and environmental control. Fighting it directly would be suicide.
But monsters, no matter how strong, weren't invincible.
They had habits. Weaknesses. Limits.
And John had one advantage that most monsters lacked.
*Intelligence.*
He backed deeper into the forest, careful not to alert anything nearby. His mind worked rapidly, analyzing possibilities.
Traps? Maybe—but building something capable of affecting a level 10 monster would take time he didn't have.
Poison? Unlikely. Creatures at that level probably had absurd resistances.
Terrain manipulation? That… had potential.
The southern forest wasn't uniform. Beneath its ancient beauty lay sinkholes, unstable mana veins, ravines filled with corrosive mist, and regions where the land itself rejected life. John had avoided those places before—not out of fear, but caution.
Now, they might be his only chance.
He glanced toward the deeper south, where the forest grew darker and denser. Where even tier 7 monsters rarely tread.
*If I can't overpower it… I'll have to outthink it.*
Another tremor rolled through the earth, stronger this time.
John felt it in his chest.
The Colossus was closer now.
He climbed a rocky outcrop and finally saw it through a break in the trees.
His breath caught.
The Abyssal Verdant Colossus was colossal even by monster standards. Its body resembled a fusion of ancient tree and abyssal stone, towering above the forest canopy. Massive root-like limbs crushed the earth with each step, while dark green and black energy pulsed beneath bark-thick armor. Glowing veins of corrupted mana ran across its form, and its eyes—deep, abyssal emeralds—scanned the land with slow, deliberate intelligence.
This wasn't a mindless beast.
It was aware.
John slowly lowered himself, heart pounding.
*If it notices me now, it's over.*
He retreated silently, every movement controlled. His cave—his territory—was no longer a fortress. It was a liability. A predictable location.
His mind shifted gears.
*Step one: don't let it find me.*
*Step two: thin the board.*
If a battle was inevitable, then the forest itself would become the battlefield. Other high-tier monsters could be distractions—or weapons—if manipulated correctly. He had already done it once, swooping in when two tier 7 monsters exhausted each other.
But this time, the stakes were far higher.
John returned to his cave only long enough to gather what mattered—mana crystals, hardened monster cores, anything that could help him recover quickly if injured. His treasure pile glittered faintly behind him, but he didn't linger.
Gold meant nothing if he was dead.
As he left, another tremor shook loose dust from the cave ceiling.
The Colossus was advancing steadily.
John vanished into the deeper forest, wings folded tight, mind razor-focused.
This wasn't a fight yet.
It was a hunt.
And for the first time since his rebirth, John wasn't sure whether he was the predator… or the prey.