However, just as he assumed a sprinting posture, heavy, muffled footsteps suddenly echoed nearby.
Branches were forced apart. Tall ferns were pushed aside. In this sea of greenery, only the sound could be heard—its owner still hidden from view.
Boom. Boom.
Each step landed like a massive drum beating against Kael's heart.
The three Jagras immediately straightened up, locating the source of the sound. In the next second, they turned tail and fled in the opposite direction without hesitation.
When life was on the line, skipping a meal was perfectly acceptable.
Kael reacted the same way—only faster.
He bolted first, diving straight into the nearby forest.
Before he completely disappeared among the trees, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye: a huge, ferocious head burst through the branches, staring in his direction and letting out a furious roar.
"Holy—Anjanath!!"
This thing was infamous for its terrible temper.
Massive body, thick hide, ridiculously strong territorial instincts—and it could breathe fire.
A full-fledged violent maniac.
Ignoring the pain of branches whipping against his body, Kael ran with everything he had.
If he got caught by an Anjanath, he would probably turn into "crispy Rathalos-flavored bones."
With that monster's bite force and digestion, it definitely wouldn't mind swallowing him whole, skin and bones included.
All he could do now was pray that he wasn't its main target.
After all, he had started running earlier than the Jagras and was farther away from it. Logically, the chance of being targeted should be lower.
Unfortunately…
The Anjanath still chose him.
To it, those Jagras were nothing more than petty thieves that liked scavenging leftovers. They weren't worth paying attention to.
Kael was different.
Even as a hatchling, he was still a Rathalos.
To the Anjanath, his presence was an intrusion.
An intruder that had dared to wander around its marked territory and even show signs of provocation.
Heavy footsteps thundered behind him.
Branches and grass shattered around him.
On top of that, the roaring of the monster behind him rang out from time to time.
All of it combined made Kael's scalp tingle.
The Anjanath behind him was like a heavy tank.
No matter what stood in its way—branches, bushes, or anything else—it smashed through everything brutally, carving a path through the dense forest by sheer force.
Kael, on the other hand, was completely different.
With his small body, he could at best ignore soft ferns. Thick branches and vines were obstacles he had to dodge.
As a result, even though he was running for his life, the distance between them was shrinking rapidly.
"What do I do? What do I do?!"
The shadow of death loomed over him.
And this time, it was literal.
Because of the angle of the sun, the Anjanath's massive shadow had already enveloped him.
If not for the Acceleration trait continuously boosting his speed, he would have been swallowed whole long ago.
Worse yet, Kael realized something.
Acceleration wasn't limitless.
Right now, his speed had stopped increasing.
It seemed to be tied to his physical limits.
And with his current speed, there was no way he could outrun an Anjanath.
"Is this… the end?"
"Even after I stopped being human, I still have limits? Was it all for nothing?"
Despair spread from the depths of his heart.
All he could do now was mechanically move his legs, desperately delaying death.
As for turning around and launching a final counterattack—biting off a chunk of flesh before dying?
Forget it.
Impossible.
With his current bite force, leaving a shallow mark on the Anjanath would already be impressive. Trying to tear off meat would probably shatter his teeth first.
Better to run two more steps.
Maybe there would still be a miracle.
Perhaps his inner plea was heard.
His vision suddenly opened up.
The ground beneath his feet vanished.
He ran straight off a cliff-like platform.
Below was a raging river.
Before plunging into the water, Kael vaguely heard the Anjanath's unwilling roar.
Then, in the next second, he was completely swallowed by the torrent and swept away.
On the high ground, the Anjanath skidded to an abrupt stop.
Cold eyes filled with deep frustration.
It never expected that a mere hatchling—especially a male Rathalos that wasn't even good at running on land—could be this fast.
It had chased him through an entire stretch of forest.
It had almost caught him.
It was already imagining tearing off those annoying wings, crushing those fragile scales bite by bite, and swallowing that scorching hot blood.
And yet…
Just a little more.
Just that little bit.
That was a Rathalos!
Flames flickered from the corners of the Anjanath's mouth.
Its eyes burned red.
Its nostrils flared like a crown, and the heat-dissipating membranes on its back spread open like small wings.
It could no longer suppress the raging fire within its body.
But there was nothing nearby to vent it on.
So it could only stand on the high ground, letting out one furious roar after another, madly releasing its anger.
Meanwhile, Kael was tumbling endlessly in the torrent.
He had lost count of how many times he'd slammed into rocks.
Pain spread through his body until it became numb.
All he could do was struggle to lift his head again and again for a mouthful of air.
After who knew how long, the current gradually weakened.
The terrifying force finally disappeared.
In a quiet pool downstream, the young Rathalos spread his wings, using them to slowly float up to the surface. Almost on instinct, he paddled toward the shore and slammed his body onto the sandy bank.
He spat out mouthful after mouthful of water.
Pain and exhaustion flooded every inch of his body.
They told him one thing clearly.
He was alive.
He had survived the jaws of that violent monster.
He wanted to laugh.
But he had no strength left.
He lay flat on the sand, panting heavily.
It was over.
Completely over.
Not a single drop of stamina remained.
If anything attacked him now, he wouldn't be able to resist at all.
Acceleration did give him incredible speed.
But it didn't reduce his stamina consumption in the slightest.
Many of his scales were shattered, blood seeping out.
He looked utterly miserable.
So… why?
This was his first time getting a "cheat."
His first time successfully hunting real prey.
Shouldn't two happy things stacked together mean double happiness?
Why did it turn out like this?
Kael couldn't understand.
Wasn't he supposed to activate his cheat and enter protagonist mode?
Stand at the top of the food chain in the future, then collect Golden Rathalos, Dreadqueen Rathian, and Pink Rathian into his harem or something?
So how did he almost end up as lunch instead?
Rustling footsteps approached.
Kael's heart tightened.
He forced his eyes open—and then relaxed.
"Ah… herbivores. That's fine, then."
These things weren't aggressive.
Still…
Being watched by herbivores like this was kind of embarrassing.
"Hey! I'm a Rathalos, you know! The fierce kind!"