Lucky!

  This time, Jyu was truly fortunate; the mystical creature had not sensed his presence. It chose to leave by flying away, incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had vanished. Jyu was certain that the creature possessed a very high level of power—fighting it would surely mean death.

  Slowly, Jyu sat down and leaned against the rocks. His breathing was still ragged from fear.

  “The aura of that creature was truly terrifying. No wonder those crab monsters ran away immediately.”

  “I must be careful with that interdimensional gate.”

  After his fear subsided, Jyu finally rose and continued his journey. But before that, he observed his surroundings; everything was safe, no mystical creatures roaming about. At st, he sprinted toward the ?????-shaped rocks ahead of him, perhaps one kilometer away.

  But Jyu could not simply run, for mystical creatures could appear at any moment. So he had to camoufge himself as a small rock. Yet this strategy only worked if there was enough distance between him and any creature that emerged.

  If the distance was close, Jyu chose to bury his body in the sand. It was truly torturous—soaking beneath the scorching sand was sheer madness. But this was the only way to keep his existence hidden from mystical beings. At least his body odor would be masked by the burning sand that covered him.

  Jyu had to endure the heat when a Cerberus passed by. The monster truly could not sniff him out; his scent was perfectly concealed.

  “Hurry up and leave, you mad dog,” he grumbled inwardly as the Cerberus walked slowly beside him.

  For ten minutes, Jyu soaked beneath the bzing sand. His effort saved him, though his entire body turned red and he even suffered burns. Jyu kept compining after rising, rubbing his overheated skin.

  Enduring the pain, he ran again toward the rocks in the north. The distance grew closer, but another trial awaited him. Several mystical creatures inhabited the area—this time monsters resembling birds, yet with emaciated bodies.

  Jyu had no desire to fight them or devise a strategy. All he wanted was to rest for a moment. There was a one-meter-high rock not far from where he stood. He decided to shelter there while watching and hoping the bird monsters would leave.

  Jyu sat in the shadow of the rock. He kept rubbing his burned skin, especially his face, hands, and the parts of his body not protected by his robe.

  “I’d better just wait until dark!”

  ---

  As the afternoon deepened, the bird monster awoke from its sleep. It fpped its wings violently, thick dust scattering into the air. The monster looked as if it were about to fly and leave the rocky area.

  This was good news for Jyu. With sparkling eyes, he watched closely. “Come on, hurry up and leave, you damned bird!”

  A second ter, the bird truly departed—but not by flying. Instead, it ran while fpping its wings.

  “You’re a bird, why are you running, idiot!” Jyu said irritably at the creature’s foolishness.

  “Maybe you’re too skinny to have the strength to fly. Perhaps!”

  Now the situation was completely safe. Jyu immediately ran toward the rocks ahead. As before, he scanned the surroundings, and only when it was secure did he continue. He sprinted tirelessly, desperate to obtain his demonic power.

  The day grew ter, the sunlight warmer and more soothing. The atmosphere of Darkent was the same—so silent, filled only with calm. Even the monsters were nearly gone, as if they had vanished altogether.

  Jyu kept running north, but something felt strange. The ground was now slightly uneven, and the distance between the ?????-shaped rocks was much closer. Very different from the previous area he had crossed, where the distance between rocks could reach one kilometer or more. Now it was perhaps only five hundred meters or less.

  Jyu felt fear rising, but he had to ignore it. He continued running through the towering rocks while observing his surroundings. His movement was no longer straight; sometimes he had to turn left or right to pass massive boulders.

  But in truth, Jyu had entered a completely different territory. This region was inhabited by enormous monsters resembling Tyrex—the dinosaur of the ancient world.

  Now, Jyu was being watched by that creature. Its eyes glowed red, ready to attack at any moment.

  “RROOOAAARRR!”

  The roar of the dinosaur-like mystical creature echoed, piercing and painful to Jyu’s ears. Panic struck him as the monster stood before him, ready to pounce. It was enormous—ten meters tall. Resembling Tyrex, but with a goril-like face and long arms like an ape’s.

  “What is this now?” Jyu shouted in panic as the monster began running toward him.

  Without thinking, Jyu dashed to the right, intending to hide behind rocks over ten meters high. But it was not easy; the monster’s strides were longer. It quickly caught up to him, like a helpless ant about to be crushed.

  Jyu did not lose his wits. He ran in zigzags through smaller rocks, attempting to confuse the monster. His effort worked—the creature grew slightly confused by his maneuvers.

  But it did not give up. It kept chasing him faster, now almost leaping as it ran. Each footstep shook the ground violently. This troubled Jyu; his bance faltered, his run no longer straight, and several times he fell, crashing into rocks.

  The Tyrex’s hand swung fiercely, trying to strike Jyu from the right. Jyu noticed and quickly leapt upward, sshing one of its fingers. Unfortunately, it was nothing more than a scratch to the massive creature.

  The monster persisted. This time, it tried to stomp Jyu with its huge foot. Jyu kept dodging, but this drove him farther from the rocky area that had been his original goal. Now he was retreating south instead.

  “Damn it! I’m getting farther from my power!”

  Jyu could only run, gncing in all directions for a cave or a crevice between rocks that might protect him. Yet he found none. Meanwhile, Tyrex continued chasing him with murderous intent.

  Again, Tyrex caught up, unleashing relentless attacks. Its hands struck repeatedly, and its tail shed violently, shattering surrounding rocks into fragments.

  With great difficulty, Jyu avoided them. At that moment, he spotted a small gap beneath a rge rock formation. That would be a safe pce to shelter—at least to rest and devise a strategy.

  Jyu immediately rushed toward it at full speed. “Damn you, stupid Tyrex! When I find my power, I will repay you!” he shouted.

  At st, Jyu slipped into the crevice before Tyrex’s jaws could seize him. He hid there, crawling deeper inside, hoping to be safe!

  But Tyrex did not give up. It kept attacking, now ramming its head and body against the rock. The stone protecting Jyu began to crack; soon it would shatter.

  “A rock this big still can’t protect me!” Jyu shouted in growing panic.