By the brook, a few Looping Hares grazed nervously, their long ears twitching as they scanned the undergrowth. Even while eating, they were ready to bolt at the faintest stir of wind.
That was their law of survival. At the very bottom of the food chain, the only chance they had was to run,whether the danger was real or imagined.
Hidden in the grass, Luo Yun crouched low, drool dripping from his jaws as he stared hungrily at the rabbits, creeping closer inch by inch.
He had no choice. He was a young male Rathalos who still couldn't fly. Unlike the females, built with strong legs for running, his long talons made him clumsy on the ground,forcing him to curl his claws just to move at all. The closer he got, the better his chances of actually catching prey.
Sure enough, when a twig snapped beneath his foot, the rabbits froze, ears stiff and eyes wide, scanning every shadow.
Luo Yun knew he couldn't wait any longer. His body coiled like a bowstring, and then he launched himself forward, bursting from the grass with wings spread wide.
The startled hares scattered in every direction. Luo Yun locked onto the plump one he had chosen earlier and charged.
With his innate [Speed Boost] kicking in, his pace grew faster and faster until,snap,his jaws clamped down on the hare. Momentum carried him tumbling forward, sliding across the dirt before he finally skidded to a halt.
The rabbit thrashed violently in his mouth, legs kicking with strength far greater than any lizard, but Luo Yun's bite never wavered. Soon, its struggles ceased.
Without a second thought, he tore in, not even bothering to shake off the dirt still clinging to its fur.
Warm flesh was so much better than the cold, rubbery meat of lizards. Soft, chewy, with just a hint of gamey tang,it was irresistible.
He devoured it greedily, gulping faster and faster, even rumbling with pleasure as he ate.
"Graaww~"
But just as Luo Yun was enjoying his feast, a deep, muffled roar echoed nearby. He froze, swallowed his last mouthful, licked his lips, and looked up.
His pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he lowered his body and growled back in warning.
From behind a massive boulder emerged three adult Pachyrhinos, with two calves in tow. The largest adult glared at him, pawing the ground as though it might charge at any second. To the towering herbivore, this weak young Rathalos was nothing more than a dangerous pest.
Faced with such sudden hostility, Luo Yun refused to back down. He bristled and let out a defiant roar,still raw and immature, but fierce nonetheless.
He was a carnivorous wyvern, a future apex predator! If he cowered before a herd of grasseaters, how would he ever live it down?
…Big mistake.
"Help, help, HELP!!"
Moments later, Luo Yun was tearing through the jungle in a blind panic, wings flapping uselessly as he scrambled clumsily over roots and rocks, shrieking like a panicked chicken.
Behind him thundered two furious Pachyrhinos, nostrils flaring, eyes bloodshot, heads lowered to smash him into the ground.
Now he regrets it. I regretted it so much.
Why,why,had he roared at them?
All the Pachyrhinos had wanted was to drink from the stream in peace. But his posturing had enraged them, turning it into a deadly chase.
Fortunately, the moment he was pursued, [Speed Boost] had triggered again. Using the dense terrain of the Ancient Forest to his advantage, he survived those first, most dangerous moments. With every stride his speed grew, while the bulky herbivores gradually lagged behind. Eventually, they had no choice but to stop, watching helplessly as the little wyvern disappeared into the trees.
The two Pachyrhinos glanced at each other, bewildered. How could a grounded hatchling Rathalos run that fast?
Meanwhile, Luo Yun staggered to a stop, gasping for breath.
Exhaustion wasn't the worst part. It was the sudden weight pressing down on his body as the Speed Boost faded,like someone had forced heavy armor onto him after he'd been running light and free.
"Good thing I finished that rabbit first… otherwise I'd be dead by now."
He muttered to himself, remembering the fat hare that had filled his belly. For the first time in ages, he didn't feel hollow inside.
Then, a foul, musky stench pricked his nose. Earlier he'd been too frantic to notice, but now his senses were returning.
Following the smell, he spotted a patch of slime gleaming on a stone wall in the sunlight.
"…A territory marker?"
In this world, large beasts often marked their domains,with slime, claw marks, or shed scales.
Through his sharp wyvern eyes, Luo Yun noticed two deep gouges carved into the rock nearby. Just from their depth, he could tell,this was no small creature.
Which meant he had stumbled right into someone else's territory.
His heart, which had only just settled, leapt back into his throat. He scanned the shadows nervously, half,expecting some monstrous jaw to come crashing down on him.
With his tiny body, outrunning the Pachyrhinos had already been pushing his limits. Against a true giant? Impossible. One step from them would cover ten of his.
As he glanced around warily, a chill spread down his spine. The familiar lightness of [Speed Boost] surged back into his limbs.
Something was watching him.
From the undergrowth emerged a predator,its scales yellow,green, black streaks beneath its eyes like shadows, jagged spines running down its back. Its jaws parted slightly, revealing rows of serrated teeth like a saw. Its cold, expressionless eyes locked on him.
Jagras.
Among carnivores, they were bottomtier. Weak, cowardly, only dangerous to small prey. At the sight of larger beasts, they often scuttled up trees to hide.
Compared to the Pachyrhinos, this one posed even less threat,and it wasn't even bigger than Luo Yun himself.
But Luo Yun's gut twisted. Because Jagras were pack hunters.
Sure enough, two more slinked out from the jungle, joining the first to form a pincer around him. Their eyes flicked skyward, checking if an adult Rathalos might be nearby to protect the hatchling.
"…Why me? Why always me?!"
This world was far too cruel to an unprotected wyvern hatchling.
Cursing his luck, Luo Yun turned, ready to run yet again.
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