Warm sunlight hit Kai's face… but the last thing he remembered was cold asphalt and screeching tires.
His eyes snapped open.
Towering ferns surrounded him. Trees stretched into the clouds. The air was humid… ancient.
"What… where am I?"
A sudden mechanical chime echoed inside his ears.
[Prime Tamer System Booting…]
[Host soul synchronized.]
[Welcome, Kai Renshaw. You are the first Prime Beastmaster.]
"A… a system? Like in a game?"
[Quest Issued: Survive your first hour.]
Bushes rustled behind him.
Kai turned slowly.
A creature stepped out.
Green scales. Curved claws. A long snout dripping with saliva.
A young Allosaurus — but even "young" meant it was the size of a small car.
Kai froze.
The dinosaur limped, one leg bleeding. It had been injured recently.
It growled, but not strongly — it was exhausted.
Another chime.
[Nearby Beast Detected: Juvenile Allosaurus (Level 3)]
Temperament: Aggravated / Weak
Taming Difficulty: Extreme]
Kai swallowed.
"This thing will kill me…"
[Special Condition Detected.]
[Beast is heavily injured. Taming chance increased.]
Then a new message popped up:
[Skill Unlocked: Prime Command (Rank F)]
Issue a single instinct-level command to a weakened dinosaur. Failure = death.]
Kai's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
He took one step forward.
The Allosaurus snarled.
Kai shouted the first thing that came into his mind:
"STOP!"
The air pulsed. A wave of invisible energy shot from Kai's body.
The Allosaurus froze.
Its eyes widened… then slowly, carefully…
It bowed its head.
Kai gasped.
"D-did… did I just tame a dinosaur?"
[Taming Successful!]
[New Partner Acquired: Allosaurus (F) ]
[Bond Level: 1]
[Title Earned: First Dino-Tamer]
Kai stared at the dinosaur, still shaking.
The Allosaurus nudged his shoulder softly, like a dog demanding attention.
Kai laughed breathlessly.
"Alright, buddy… I guess it's you and me now."
But before he could celebrate—
A thunderous roar echoed from deeper in the jungle.
Something far bigger was coming.
And the system whispered:
[Warning: Apex Predator Approaching]
[Host survival probability: 22%]
Kai's smile vanished.
"Great. Chapter one and I'm already about to die…"