The forest grounds were silent as I studied the patrol patterns from the mouth of my cave.
For weeks, I had been observing the boundries separating safe outer forest region environment by deadly foreat zone under constant watch of juvenile Tyrannosaurs patrol guard , their movements, their routines carefully noting every gap in their rotations.
Tonight would be my first attempt to enter the deeper forest.
"I need to find a lone path to slip inside without being detected," I whispered, mentally reviewing the map of the boundary zone.
The eastern boundary offered the best opportunity a narrow section where patrol rotations created a fifteen-minute gap. If I timed it perfectly, I could pass unnoticed and reach the inner forest before the next sweep.
"If my timing's right, the patrol won't even realize one student's missing," I muttered, glancing at the moon's position.
I waited until the eastern guards completed their round, then crept forward each step deliberate, each breath controlled.
The fence loomed ahead exactly as I'd mapped it, and the patrol gap was holding true. I began climbing, heart thudding, when sudden footsteps echoed from the north.
Additional patrols.
My stomach tightened. They must've changed the schedule!
The rhythmic thuds of heavy feet grew nearer, along with the muffled voices of guards. I froze mid-climb, half-exposed and with nowhere to retreat.
"Did you hear something from the eastern boundary?" one guard asked, suspicion sharp in his tone.
"Probably a night creature," the other replied. "Still, let's check it out."
Flames flickered from between their teeth, casting orange torchlight that swept dangerously close to my position.
I pressed myself flat against the fence post, trying to minimize even my shadow. My pulse pounded so loudly I feared it would give me away.
"There! Movement by the boundary marker!"
The beam of firelight passed inches from my snout. Instinct took over I dropped, rolled, and dove behind a cluster of rocks as the guards advanced.
They examined the area for several long minutes.
"No signs of disturbance or crossing attempt," one finally said.
"Students are all accounted for," the other confirmed. "Probably just some forest vermin."
They lingered a bit longer, then moved on.
I stayed motionless until the last echo of their steps vanished into the distance.
Too close.
Relief hit me hard. My first expedition almost ended before it began. I'd need to refine my timing next time.
Ten minutes later, when the night felt safe again, I vaulted the fence and crossed into the mid-region forest.
The difference was instant thicker air, heavier scent, a pulse of life that felt… dangerous. The night forest was alive with movement. Shadows crawled through the trees, strange cries echoed, and predatory scents mingled in the oxygen-rich mist.
Then I saw it perched atop a fallen tree trunk.
A massive Lantern Omatid, its crystalline eyes glowing like molten glass.
"That's perfect," I whispered. "Large enough to hold a decent energy core, but not too strong for a first hunt."
Its wings shimmered with iridescent colors, spanning nearly eight feet mesmerizing, shifting, hypnotic.
I crouched low, crawling under the bushes, using the trees for cover.
But as I inched closer, unease crawled up my spine. The wing colors weren't just reflecting light they were moving, swirling in patterns that tugged at my attention.
"My thoughts feel strange…" I muttered. "The eyes… they're controlling me."
The fascination deepened. My focus narrowed. Rational thought blurred.
Move closer.
The command felt like my own thought but it wasn't.
I stepped from the shadows.
Closer.
The voice purred inside my skull. Admire the beauty. Come closer.
The dragonfly's eyes gleamed brighter, pulling at my mind like threads of silk. My body obeyed against my will.
Then came another whisper. Lie down.
My head lowered toward a bed of jagged rocks. Distantly, I realized the danger but my body didn't care.
I struck my head once.
Twice.
Blood spattered across stone. Pain flared yet I couldn't stop.
Unknowingly, I was smashing my skull against the rocks, blood running down my snout as the compulsion deepened. My thoughts frayed. My body trembled.
This is how I die?
Just as I raised my head for what could've been a fatal blow fire erupted through my veins.
"Break free!" Ragnarok's voice thundered within me. "That creature's hypnosis is forcing self-destruction! I'm igniting your nerves to burn it away!"
The surge was like lightning. Heat stormed through every pathway in my body, burning out the alien fog clouding my mind.
With a scream, I stumbled back, free. Blood dripped from my forehead, pain hammering behind my eyes but my mind was my own again.
The shimmering dragonfly hissed, realizing its control had shattered.
"Brain-Eater Dragonfly," I growled. "I should've recognized those wings… the most dangerous kind of its species."
It rose into the air, furiously proplsed in my direction . My fear flipped instantly to rage.
"Enough."
I inhaled deeply, my chest swelling with raw fire.
"Dragon Breath!" I roared.
A torrent of dense purple flames burst from my jaws, lighting the forest like dawn. The blast hit the dragonfly mid-air, engulfing it completely.
It shrieked once then vanished in ash.
I blinked in awe, staring at the destruction.
"Was… that really my flame?"
Cautiously, I approached the smoldering corpse. The body was charred, but within the thorax glowed a brilliant crescent energy core, pulsing with condensed life force.
Following Ragnarok's instruction, I extended a claw, split the chest open, and extracted the crystal coin-sized, translucent, shimmering with power.
Without hesitation, I placed it on my tongue and swallowed.
The taste was awful metallic and bitter. Inside my stomach, Ragnarok's flame threads ignited, wrapping the core in searing light.
Creak… creak… crack!
The crystalline surface shattered under the pressure. Violent energy erupted, slamming against my stomach walls.
"Absorb it!" Ragnarok commanded.
His flames danced, intertwining with the unleashed essence, neutralizing its rage and converting it into strength.
A surge of power roared through my veins my muscles tightened, bones vibrated, flame glands burned hotter than ever before.
"I can feel it… changing me," I whispered, trembling as my evolution surged.
Breakthrough.
"Three-Star Whirling!" I shouted triumphantly.
One successful hunt had achieved what a month of training could not.
But as I began my trek back toward the outer boundary, the thrill faded into sober reflection.
"I was reckless," I admitted. "Poor research, careless timing… almost got caught, almost died.thanks for Ragnarok save or .."
"Dragon boy, that's why I had warn you before begin with smal hunt first and you still act as insolent child not listening to this grandfather " Ragnrok leave no chance to mock on me .
"Totally parasite , instead of motivating me he More making fun of mine. But yes next i will no longer careless , I need more understanding of their behavioural pattern before second hunt "
By the time I reached the outer boundary, the night was quiet again. I slipped back into my cave unnoticed.
As I lay down, exhaustion finally caught up with me but so did realization.