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 Ryan emerged from the cave and began their 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 their feet, as if the mountain itself was testing them.
"Be careful, Ayaka. One wrong step, and you could tumble down," Ryan warned, his voice laced with caution.
Ayaka walked beside him, 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," Ryan said. He activated his lenses and started scanning the surroundings. These lenses were fitted right into his eyes—capable of zooming, thermal vision, and mapping. An invaluable part of his hunter training.
They continued climbing. Along the way, they spotted a few small caves, but they decided not to enter them. Who knows what might be lurking inside?
Before long, they reached the summit.
From up there, the view in all directions was even clearer. The supernatural beauty of this world captivated Ryan—it felt like they'd time-traveled back to the dinosaur era. Anyway, Ryan activated the zooming skill on his 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. He started to feel a bit worried. Ayaka noticed.
So, she grabbed his 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."
Ryan looked at her and smiled faintly. But inside, the tension lingered. This was their last option for survival.
He gazed up at the sky, lost in thought. That's when his eyes caught something. A bird, heading south. He zoomed in on it and was stunned.
"Whoa, that's an Ichthyornis bird!" Ryan 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," Ryan explained.
Curious, Ayaka asked, "Master, how do you know so much?"
Ryan 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.
Ryan 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 him tightly and said joyfully, "Okay, Brother!"
Ryan smiled softly.
After that, they carefully descended the mountain. A little way down, Ryan spotted those small caves again. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on one cave where he sensed some presence. He started walking toward it.
From beside him, Ayaka asked, "Why are you heading to this cave?"
"I feel something's presence in this one."
Ryan entered the cave, with Ayaka following right behind. It was a bit larger than their shelter cave. A short way in, they 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?"
Ryan 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.
Ryan said quietly, "This nest isn't empty... just vacant right now."
Ayaka's voice trembled, "You mean... the mother bird is out?"
Ryan didn't answer her question. Instead, he said, "Ayaka, give me your bag?"
Without thinking, she immediately handed it over.
Ryan 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," Ryan 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.
Ryan strained his 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." They quickened their pace.
..But what awaited them?
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 Ryan and Ayaka, as they were about to exit the cave, flap flap flap! — Heavy wingbeats echoed inside, tearing through the air. Ryan froze. From ahead, a pair of glowing eyes slowly emerged.
"Ayaka.. stay behind me," Ryan said in a low voice, gripping his sword tightly.
In an instant, a massive shadow loomed before them—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 Ryan.
Ryan dodged to the side and swung his sword under its wing—clang! A metallic ring shook the cave walls. It recoiled, flapping its wings and kicking up a dust storm.
Ryan caught his breath. "This isn't a creature to kill... The fault is ours for invading its nest." The thought flashed through his mind. It was getting angrier, but he had no desire to end it.
Suddenly, it dove down again. Ryan leaped forward, positioning himself right beneath it. Then, gripping the sword's scabbard firmly, he 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, Ryan lowered his sword.
"It's just knocked out.." Ryan said quietly.
Ayaka approached slowly and asked, "Why didn't you kill it?"
Ryan 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.
They exited the cave and soon returned to their shelter. The others were already there.
Kaito asked, "Hey, what took you so long?"
The same question burned in everyone's minds. So Ryan told them about the giant bird he'd knocked out.
Then, Ryan pulled the egg from the bag and showed it to everyone. They were all amazed by its massive size.
After that, Ryan said, "Come on, let's boil this egg and eat it."
Everyone agreed. But suddenly, the egg in Ryan's hand started to move. It felt like some hidden power was breathing from within.
Crack... crack....
To be continued