For the first time—even if only for a brief moment—I wasn't running.
Nothing was chasing me.
No footsteps behind me.
No howls closing in.
For a short while, I felt free from the pressure that came with surviving.
But the feeling didn't last.
I understood now.
The scope of this world had grown far larger than I'd ever imagined.
I sat atop a hill, watching the sun sink toward the horizon, casting long shadows across what was apparently my territory now.
I breathed in slowly, steadying myself, forcing my thoughts to settle on what came next.
I moved through the forest with ease, drifting between trees, my speed still carrying echoes of the last fight.
I'd been keeping a watchful eye on the ground—roots, fallen logs, uneven dips—tracking anything that could trip me up.
But I hadn't been watching the sky.
As night fell, the whispers I'd grown used to seemed… muted.
The night feels quieter.
I continued on and eventually found a tall tree—one untouched by the chaos of the previous days.
I climbed.
At the top, a large bird rested on one of the branches.
I froze.
It turned its head and stared at me.
Its eyes were wide, focused with an intensity I hadn't seen before.
Is it going to attack?
Instead, it stood, stretched its wings—
—and pushed off the branch and flew away.
Just like that.
For the first time since arriving in this foreign world…
The monsters were afraid of me.
I stayed there, resting in the tree.
And for once, I slept peacefully—
not from exhaustion,
but from calm.
I woke to the dim light of sunrise.
Yesterday was difficult.
But today… today is something new.
Even if no Monster Lords challenged me today, they would come tomorrow.
I had barely defeated the previous lord.
The others would likely be far stronger.
I slid down the tree and began moving toward where I'd first seen light.
Where my egg had hatched.
A few hours passed.
I stood before the collapsed hill—
the damage left behind by the previous lord's attack.
I moved through the debris and found the small cave I remembered.
Inside, the nest was empty.
My chest tightened.
I forced myself to believe they'd left after hatching—
refusing to dwell on the alternative.
I turned toward the steep cliff nearby.
I took a step back.
Then I ran.
This time, my speed was far greater.
I sprinted, leapt, and used my sticky body to run straight up the cliff.
I didn't lose grip.
I reached the summit, jumped, bounced once, and landed comfortably.
So much has changed.
Things I couldn't do before come easily now.
Monsters that used to hunt me run away.
The night that used to whisper… is silent.
I sighed and continued forward.
Then I reached it.
The nest.
Burn marks scorched into the ground.
Cracked eggshells burned to blackened husks.
I crouched and picked up one of the charred shells.
This could've been me.
The thought lingered—
Then my perception flared.
I heard something.
Familiar.
I moved instantly—
leaping over the burned nest,
climbing into a tree,
then bounding between branches.
I reached a ledge and settled into the foliage overlooking the grassland below.
Something was moving near the forest's edge.
I focused.
Then I heard voices.
"Are you sure it's this way?"
"Yes. I told you—look at the massive marks left by that monster that chased me."
"That's if that even happened."
"I swear it did—"
"Silence."
"I—"
"Kael."
"Yes, sir."
"Scout ahead."
The man nodded.
A spark of light flared from his hand.
A winged creature emerged from nothing.
He mounted it, and they lifted into the air.
Humans.
Why are they here?
And so many of them too.
I shifted deeper into the tree as the creature flew overhead.
I focused Sovereign's Sight on it.
A translucent UI appeared.
Talvyr — Level 19
So it shows names too.
Level 19…
That was higher than me.
The system hadn't been lying—
humans weren't weak.
I wonder how many monsters they have tamed.
The creature circled briefly before descending back toward the group.
As the rider dismounted, light flared from his hand again—
—and the creature vanished.
How does that work?
Can they summon and return monsters at will?
That's a terrifying ability.
The man dropped to one knee.
"Report."
"The mimic larva nest is over that ledge."
"It has burn marks matching the intel."
"I told y—"
"I said silence."
"How long will it take to reach it?"
"Five to six hours, sir."
The leader glanced at the sky.
"We'll set up camp here tonight. Move at first light."
"You want us to stay out here?" the same man protested. "Have you not heard the stor—"
"If you speak again," the leader said coldly, "it won't be the monsters of the night that kill you."
"It will be me."
The man swallowed.
"Youichi. Osevan."
"Yes, sir."
"You two establish a perimeter. First watch."
"Yes, sir."
The leader's gaze lingered on the ledge.
I pulled back into cover before he could spot me.
Why are they interested in the mimic nest?
Are they hunting that monster from before?
Whatever the reason—
This is bad.
I stepped back—
Then glanced again toward the camp.
And saw it.
A fire dragon.
My body reacted instantly.
My stubby fist clenched without me thinking.
A surge of anger pulsed through me—
sharp, sudden,
and not entirely my own.
Do I know this dragon?
The only one I've seen is—
My perception snapped into focus.
I used Sovereign's Sight.
Flarex — Level 12
A man approached the dragon, holding food in his hand.
He fed it casually.
Then walked a short distance away from the camp.
My thoughts stuttered.
Is that—
No.
He should be dead.
My jaw tightened.
That was him.
The one who killed my parents.
There was no mistaking it.
A quiet laugh slipped out.
He lived.
That didn't make me unlucky.
It meant he was.
Something inside me shifted.
My emotions felt… influenced.
Twisted sharper than they should've been.
Once I'm done with you,
you'll wish that monster had killed you.
The man froze.
His head snapped toward the trees.
He felt it.
My bloodlust.
His eyes locked onto the foliage.
A silhouette.
Watching.
Leaves rustled.
He reacted instantly—
light flaring from his hand as he recalled Flarex—
—and sprinted back to camp.
He saw something.
Something he shouldn't have.