Yuno's inner cries were, of course, completely lost on the surrounding herbivores.
They had only wandered over out of pure curiosity. After all, it wasn't every day that a nearly-dead juvenile dragon suddenly floated out of a peaceful lake.
But after watching him for a while and confirming he wasn't moving, they lost interest and wandered off, lazily grazing nearby.
As for whether Yuno was dangerous? They couldn't care less.
These types of herbivores were famously laid-back. Calm temperament, gentle nature, their whole philosophy was: it's fine if I live, and if I die, oh well. When predators come, they run. When predators leave, they eat. Pure Buddhist-style minimalism.
The reason they hadn't been eaten to extinction? They relied on two things: rapid reproduction, and sheer body mass. Even larger fanged wyverns could only eat about half of one at a time.
Add in their habit of cyclical migration, and these creatures could even form new subgroups if predator populations dropped in a region due to territorial conflicts.
Yuno, unsurprised by their reaction, simply closed his eyes again to continue recovering.
Though he looked miserable, his injuries weren't fatal. Most of the damage came from exhaustion.
Still, whether due to his uniqueness or because all dragons in this world were like this, when Yuno focused with his eyes closed, he could sense the life-force flowing through the earth, deep within the planet's ley lines.
When he consciously guided that energy, wisps of it would break through layers of rock and seep into his body, speeding up his healing and stamina recovery.
Right now, his body was like a dried-out sponge, and this leyline energy was water, quickly absorbed the moment it touched him.
And mixed in with that energy were faint silver particles, quietly entering his body alongside the flow.
The lake was surrounded by a vast green plain, thick with lush grasses, juicy berries, and fluid-rich plants, basically an all-you-can-eat buffet for herbivores.
But for flying wyverns, it was a prime hunting ground.
High in the sky, a sleek green shadow soared between clouds, using the white cover to cloak her descent. Her overlapping scales caught the sunlight, refracting into a dazzling kaleidoscope of color.
Her eyes, sharp as an eagle's, scanned the plains below, until they locked onto a target.
With a subtle twitch of her patterned wings, she felt the wind howling past her. Then, without hesitation, she dove.
Before any of the grazing herbivores could react, the dragon slammed down at breakneck speed, her claws seizing her target by the neck. With the momentum of her descent, she effortlessly smashed the prey into the ground.
BOOM!
The impact shook the earth.
Her claws dug deep, and blood gushed like a fountain.
The crack of snapping bones echoed across the plains like a shrieking violin solo.
The entire scene was violence incarnate, brutal, efficient, and devastatingly beautiful.
Every move was clean, precise, and without waste. There was a terrifying grace in her raw power, something so awe-inspiring it made one want to kneel in reverence.
Only after this display did the surrounding herbivores snap out of their daze. They squealed in panic and scattered toward the nearest forest.
The victorious predator paid them no mind. She had already secured her prey.
Raising her proud head, she scanned the area. Her long, spiny tail swayed ominously behind her. She was checking for challengers, any fool dumb enough to try and challenge the dominance of the Queen of the Land.
And that's when she spotted Yuno.
Still lying by the lake, his eyes wide open, staring directly at her.
The proud queen flinched in surprise. Wait, what? That little Rathalos was alive?
She could've sworn he was dead when she flew past earlier.
From Yuno's perspective, this young Rathian was nothing short of majestic.
Her body was sleek and elegant, muscle lines smooth and defined. Every scale gleamed like polished gemstone, shimmering beneath the sun.
The toxic barbs along her back looked like ceremonial armor draped across her shoulders. The symmetrical patterns on her wings drew the eye, and even after that high-speed dive, her movements remained graceful and perfectly balanced.
As she stood atop the corpse of her prey, head held high, her poised figure exuded unmatched dominance.
Even though she wasn't yet an adult, the aura she gave off... was pure queen.
That's right. She wasn't fully grown, only about eight meters long. From a human perspective, she was like a tall, athletic, incredibly confident beauty.
But more than that, based on her clean, flawless hunt, this wasn't some decorative showpiece. She was the real deal.
A powerful and capable apex predator.
Every single detail about her… ticked every box in Yuno's aesthetic preferences.
If he had to choose a future mate, he wouldn't even hesitate.
"Wait! What the hell am I thinking?!"
Yuno panicked.
He had to be starving! Why else would a female Rathian suddenly look so graceful and delicate to him?!
How long had it been since he transmigrated?! Why had his aesthetic preferences shifted so much already?!
He was still a hatchling, damn it!
Do you know what a hatchling is? It's a dragon that hasn't even finished developing!
How dare he think impure thoughts at his age?!
He refused to admit he was becoming a little pervert!
Meanwhile, the young Rathian tilted her head in confusion.
This injured little fire wyvern kept shaking his head and occasionally looking at her with strange expressions. What... was he doing?
Still, the fact that he was alive raised another question.
Where was his mother?
At this age, juvenile dragons were never allowed to leave the nest, especially not to the point of ending up this badly injured.
A baby getting hurt like this would normally drive its mother insane.
She glanced around again but didn't see any other Rathalos nearby.
Driven by curiosity, she let go of her prey, tucked her wings in, and strode toward Yuno. After examining him for a bit, she leaned in and sniffed.
"...Huh? No other scent?"
She was stunned.
This hatchling had no trace of an adult fire wyvern's scent.
Could it be... that he was like her?
Back when she was young, her mother had disappeared too, and she'd been forced to survive alone.
But even then, she hadn't been the only one in her clutch. There had been other siblings. Yet this hatchling…
Only carried his own scent.
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400 P.S = 2 Extra Chapters