The soft morning light spilled over the mountain peaks, casting a gentle glow, but the air carried a strange, pungent scent—like the mark of some unknown beast's presence. Ayaka and I emerged from the cave and began our ascent up the mountain. The path was steep and slippery, littered with tree roots and small rock fragments. With every step, the soil shifted beneath our feet, as if the mountain itself was testing us.
"Be careful, Ayaka. One wrong step, and you could tumble down," I warned, my voice laced with caution.
Ayaka walked beside me, replying steadily, "Master, I'm fine. With you here, I don't feel any fear. But how high is this mountain? When will we reach the top?"
"I don't know exactly, but according to my contact lens scan, it's about 500 meters tall. From the top, we'll get a better view of the distance," I said. I activated my lenses and started scanning the surroundings. These lenses were fitted right into my eyes—capable of zooming, thermal vision, and mapping. An invaluable part of my hunter training.
We continued climbing. Along the way, we spotted a few small caves, but we decided not to enter them. Who knows what might be lurking inside?
Before long, we reached the summit.
From up there, the view in all directions was even clearer. The supernatural beauty of this world captivated me—it felt like we'd time-traveled back to the dinosaur era. Anyway, I activated the zooming skill on my lenses and focused into the distance. But there was no sign of the ocean. The zoom limit was only 1 kilometer, so anything beyond that was out of reach. I started to feel a bit worried. Ayaka noticed.
So, she grabbed my hand and said, "Ryan, it's okay if we don't spot the ocean. I know you'll find a way to save us. I have complete faith in you."
I looked at her and smiled faintly. But inside, the tension lingered. This was our last option for survival.
I gazed up at the sky, lost in thought. That's when my eyes caught something. A bird, heading south. I zoomed in on it and was stunned.
"Whoa, that's an Ichthyornis bird!" I exclaimed with excitement.
"Ichthyornis? What kind of bird is that? I've never heard the name," Ayaka asked in wonder.
"It's a bird from the dinosaur era, extinct about 80 million years ago along with the dinosaurs. They usually live near the ocean and hunt fish from the sea. Since it's flying south, that means the ocean must be in that direction," I explained.
Curious, Ayaka asked, "Master, how do you know so much?"
I told her, "When I was a kid, I watched a movie called Jurassic World. I was fascinated by all the types of dinosaurs in it. From then on, I started learning about various dinosaurs and reading related books."
"Wow, Master, you're truly amazing!" she said with tons of excitement.
I thought for a moment and asked her, "Ayaka, how old are you?"
She replied calmly, "I'm just 15."
"Hmm, just as I thought. Hey, Ayaka, instead of calling me Master, why not call me Big Brother?"
She looked surprised. "What! Really? I can call you Brother?"
"Yes. Actually, I had a little sister; she'd probably be around your age now. I see her in you, so I want you to call me Brother."
Hearing this, Ayaka hugged me tightly and said joyfully, "Okay, Brother!"
I smiled softly.
After that, we carefully descended the mountain. A little way down, I spotted those small caves again. Suddenly, my gaze fixed on one cave where I sensed some presence. I started walking toward it.
From beside me, Ayaka asked, "Why are you heading to this cave?"
"I feel something's presence in this one."
I entered the cave, with Ayaka following right behind. It was a bit larger than our shelter cave. A short way in, we saw a massive nest in the center. Built from dry branches, thick vines, and bones of unknown creatures, it looked like the lair of some ancient monster. And in the middle of the nest lay three eggs... but they weren't ordinary eggs. Each was about the size of a large chicken, with strange golden spots scattered across their surfaces.
Ayaka whispered breathlessly, "These... are they really eggs?"
I nodded slowly. Her eyes remained fixed on them. In the cave's cold air, her breathing grew heavier.
"I've never read about anything like this in books..."
Scattered around were enormous feathers—each longer than a human arm. Scratch marks on the cave walls, the pungent air—all signs that something had been here... and it could return.
I said quietly, "This nest isn't empty... just vacant right now."
Ayaka's voice trembled, "You mean... the mother bird is out?"
I didn't answer her question. Instead, I said, "Ayaka, give me your bag?"
Without thinking, she immediately handed it over.
I started putting one of the eggs into the bag.
"Brother, what are you doing?" Ayaka asked.
"Hey, if we can't find any other food, we can eat this," I replied.
Ayaka then said, "Ryan, listen... I hear something."
Flap... flap... — From afar came the heavy whoosh of wings, as if the air was tearing apart.
I strained my ears. A distant roar-like sound echoed, like that of a massive beast. "This isn't a dinosaur; it seems like a giant bird or flying creature. Come on, let's get out of this cave fast." We quickened our pace.
...But what awaited us?
Meanwhile, down below, Mr. Jackson, Kaito, Nora, and Grace headed to the mountain's base in search of food. They cautiously entered the jungle. Kaito said, "I have my sword; if we find fruit or small animals, I'll hunt them."
Mr. Jackson led the way, saying, "Everyone stay close. Ryan said there are beasts around, so keep your eyes and ears open." They reached a small pond edged with strange fruit trees. The fruits were red and large, but they didn't know if they were edible. Nora picked one and said, "This looks like an apple from our world, but bigger. Should we try it?"
Grace said nervously, "What if it's poisonous?"
"Okay, fine, let's just put these fruits in my bag for now."
They drank from the pond to quench their thirst. Then Grace said, "I'll fill my bottle with some water for Ryan; he hasn't had any since yesterday's meal."
Nora teased with a grin, "Aww, such love for each other. It makes me jealous just watching."
Kaito and Mr. Jackson chuckled from the side.
Grace blushed deeply, embarrassed. "Hey, it's not what you think."
After hearing that, Nora whispered in Grace's ear, "Oh really? Last night, I saw Ryan shirtless, and he looked pretty happy. Did something happen between you two? I mean..."
She trailed off. Grace blushed even more intensely.
Kaito, though he hadn't heard the words, seemed to guess. So he said to Grace, "Come on, Grace, you had a huge opportunity last night to make Ryan yours."
She was so embarrassed she couldn't respond and swung a stick at Kaito.
"Ow, Grace, why'd you hit me? That hurts," Kaito complained.
As they laughed and joked among themselves, Jackson suddenly said, "Everyone, quiet. I hear a groaning sound."
They all focused, trying to pinpoint the direction of the noise.
Kaito spoke up, "That groaning is coming from the bushes to the left of the pond."
Everyone felt a bit uneasy. They weren't sure if approaching was wise. Still, gathering courage, they decided to check it out. The fear lessened somewhat because the groaning suggested whatever beast it was, it was injured.
Soon, they pushed through the bushes. The groaning grew louder in their ears. Kaito readied his sword. Mr. Jackson slipped on his metal gloves. When they arrived and prepared to attack, they were stunned. There lay a bear, flattened and crushed. It looked like some larger beast had stepped on it, leaving it in this state. It couldn't move, just writhing in pain. Quickly, Kaito slashed it once, putting it out of its misery.
They then carved up the bear's body, extracting the meat and stuffing it into their bags.
After packing the meat, Kaito sighed, "Ahh, finally some food. Let's get out of here, everyone."
They headed back toward the mountain.
Back with us, as we were about to exit the cave, flap flap flap! — Heavy wingbeats echoed inside, tearing through the air. I froze. From ahead, a pair of glowing eyes slowly emerged.
"Ayaka... stay behind me," I said in a low voice, gripping my sword tightly.
In an instant, a massive shadow loomed before us—a giant bird! Its feathers were as hard as stone, eyes blazing blood-red. Half the cave seemed shrouded under its enormous wings.
Screech! — It let out a piercing cry and lunged at me.
I dodged to the side and swung my sword under its wing—clang! A metallic ring shook the cave walls. It recoiled, flapping its wings and kicking up a dust storm.
I caught my breath. "This isn't a creature to kill... The fault is ours for invading its nest." The thought flashed through my mind. It was getting angrier, but I had no desire to end it.
Suddenly, it dove down again. I leaped forward, positioning myself right beneath it. Then, gripping the sword's scabbard firmly, I struck its head with full force. Thud! — The heavy blow made its eyes roll back, body shudder—and in moments, it collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Its massive form trembled once more, then thud! It hit the floor with a heavy sound. Panting, I lowered my sword.
"It's just knocked out..." I said quietly.
Ayaka approached slowly and asked, "Why didn't you kill it?"
I looked at her and replied, "It was just protecting its territory... The blame isn't on it."
A light breeze blew through the cave entrance. The giant bird lay unconscious.
We exited the cave and soon returned to our shelter. The others were already there.
Kaito asked, "Hey, what took you so long?"
The same question burned in everyone's minds. So I told them about the giant bird I'd knocked out.
Then, I pulled the egg from the bag and showed it to everyone. They were all amazed by its massive size.
After that, I said, "Come on, let's boil this egg and eat it."
Everyone agreed. But suddenly, the egg in my hand started to move. It felt like some hidden power was breathing from within.
Crack... crack...
To be continued...