I turned around and saw Daniel shoving Grace aside before bolting away in a desperate sprint. Grace stumbled to her feet, only to find the dinosaur looming right in front of her. She must have given up hope. But as it lunged at her with its massive claw—
Rolling Slash!!
With that attack, I severed its hand clean off. It writhed in agony, roaring in pain. Its skin was so tough that one of my swords shattered completely from the impact.
I shouted at her, "Grace, get out of here as fast as you can! I'll hold it off for now!"
"No, Ryan. I'm not that selfish to leave you in danger," Grace replied.
I yelled back, frustration boiling over, "Grace, please try to understand. We won't both make it out alive. You need to run—now!"
"No, Ryan. I can't. I won't leave you alone like this. If I do, I'll never forgive myself," she said, tears streaming down her face.
Moments later, the creature charged at me again. I barely dodged its assaults, but one strike grazed me, sending me flying across the ground. My condition worsened rapidly. One arm went numb, my head throbbed with intense pain, and I could barely find the strength to stand.
"Ahhhh!" Grace screamed, "Ryan!"
She rushed to my side, kneeling down and sobbing, "Why are you like this, Ryan? You nearly died saving me."
From the side, the dinosaur approached us slowly. Grace stood in front of me, spear in hand. I could see her trembling with fear, yet she held her ground.
All I could manage to say was, "Run... get away from here."
The dinosaur was closing in, its shadow engulfing us.
Suddenly, a soft clink echoed—like a small tin can dropping to the ground. The sound came from near the dinosaur's feet. We looked down and saw a smoke grenade lying there. Within seconds, thick smoke enveloped the creature. Fussss... It blinded the beast, cutting off its view of us.
Mr. Albert appeared before us. We stared in shock. He was missing one arm, and his body was covered in deep gashes.
"Mr. Albert, how are you here? And what happened to you?" Grace asked, her voice trembling.
"Grace, no time for talk," Albert said. "I ran into a few giant spiders. Fighting them left me in this state. I won't last long. I'll keep it busy as much as I can. Use this chance—take Ryan and run!"
Grace froze, unsure what to say. Albert placed a hand on her head gently. "I know what you're thinking. But there's no choice. I've lost too much blood; my chances of surviving are slim. Don't waste time—go!"
My state was so dire I couldn't even speak. I just watched him. He glanced at me with a faint smile and turned toward the dinosaur.
Grace helped me up, and we fled the scene.
As the smoke cleared, the dinosaur spotted Albert standing defiantly. When the special forces had been wiped out earlier, Albert had grabbed one of their AK-47s. Now, he unleashed a barrage. Dam! Dam! Dam! But the small bullets barely scratched its hide. He knew that. After firing for a bit... he started running. The dinosaur pursued him, drawing it far away from us. After a long chase, Albert's body gave out. He collapsed to the ground. The dinosaur reached him and devoured him whole. Grrrrr!
Meanwhile, with my injuries slowing us down, Grace supported me as we moved.
Sounds of various beasts echoed around us. Howwww... Grrrr... We crept through the jungle carefully, avoiding any encounters. After some distance, Grace grew exhausted too, so we rested under a large tree.
Grace leaned her head on my shoulder and murmured, "We knew this mission was dangerous, yet why did we come? If we hadn't, we might not be facing death like this."
"No point in emotional talk now," I said softly.
Grace looked up in surprise. "Hey, Ryan, you're awake?"
"When did I fall asleep? My eyes were hurting, so I kept them closed. Anyway, help me up—grab my hand."
She beamed with joy. "Ryan, you're asking me to hold your hand?"
"No, not hold—help me stand. My leg hurts."
"Oh... sorry, sorry."
She pulled me up by the hand. She seemed unusually happy. I didn't get it—I was injured, leg aching, couldn't stand on my own. So I asked for help. What was there to be so thrilled about? Girls are hard to understand. Anyway, we needed a safe spot to survive, so I used my contact lenses to scan.
"Yes, finally found a place," I said excitedly.
"Where is it?" Grace asked curiously.
"About 700 meters away, there's a hill with a small cave midway up. It's likely empty. That's our best bet."
"Okay, whatever you think is good."
We reached the hill without incident. It wasn't too tall, resembling structures from the world above. We climbed using ropes to the midway point. The Hunter Association's harsh training had prepared us for surviving in such harsh conditions.
Soon, we entered the cave. It was even smaller than I'd thought—enough for 5 or 6 people easily. Feeling secure, I sighed in relief. Ahh...
Suddenly, Grace screamed, "Ahhhh, Ryan! Snake! Snake!"
Her cry startled me at first. Then I saw two small snakes, resembling king cobras.
I glanced at Grace with a creepy smile. "Wow, that's great. Dinner's sorted."
She looked horrified. "What? We're eating these snakes? Impossible. The thought makes me nauseous."
Ignoring her, I swiftly killed them. Outside, night was falling. I still couldn't grasp this world—no sun, just a cloudy expanse. Whether a moon rose here was unknown.
With night approaching, I gathered small branches from nearby trees and lit a fire. Crackle... Pop... By then, it was fully dark. Grace and I sat on opposite sides of the cave, silent. Neither spoke. Suddenly, Grace broke the quiet softly, "Ryan, do you think the others are okay?"
"I'm not sure," I replied calmly, "but if they stuck together, they might still be alive."
Her face fell at my words. Then I remembered something.
"Hey Grace, pass my bag."
She handed it over. I pulled out the item.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Flare gun."
With that, I stepped to the cave entrance and fired one. Boom!
"I hope... if they're alive, they'll see this," I said.
Grace nodded in agreement.
The heat was intense, so I removed my long black coat. Grace stared at my body in awe. "Ryan, how do you have so many scars?"
"Ah, these marks are the badge of a true hunter," I said.
My arm still ached, so I asked, "Grace, can you help cut these snakes and remove the venom?"
"No way, I can't. I'd rather starve than eat snake."
I did it myself—skinning them, removing the venom, slicing the meat, and skewering it on sticks over the fire.
Soon, it fried nicely. I started eating. Grace just watched, silent.
Moments later, her stomach growled. Gurgle... She blushed. "Why are you staring? No matter how hungry I am, I won't eat snake."
"Come on, drop the attitude and try one piece. If you don't like it, stop. In our situation, this is as good as it gets."
I offered her a skewer. She hesitated, then closed her eyes and bit in.
"Hmm. Not bad," she admitted.
I smiled faintly and passed more. She devoured them. Soon, we finished eating. Exhaustion hit me hard, so I curled up on one side to sleep. I glanced at Grace, puzzled why her face was flushed.
Meanwhile, in her mind: "Oh, I forgot—it's just me and Ryan alone in this cave. Spending the night with the guy I like... it feels weird. This is my big chance. Should I propose? Or seduce him? No, he's not that type. I'm overthinking."
I called her, but she didn't hear. I shouted louder, "Grace!"
She jumped. "Yes? What is it, Ryan?"
"I've been calling you forever. What were you thinking about that you didn't hear?"
"Nothing special, just... stuff."
She turned away and lay down. I did the same. Fatigue pulled us into sleep instantly.
Midnight...
I heard whispers. It sounded like someone climbing up with ropes. Whisper... Rustle... I bolted upright and woke Grace.
She readied her spear. I grabbed my sword, prepared for battle.
To be continued...