One more sm and these rocks would truly shatter. Jyu grew more frantic, for in mere seconds, he would be caught by the disgusting Tyrex monster before him. He had to think quickly if he wanted to escape.
As panic rose, Jyu scanned his surroundings. The rocky area stretched long, with a narrow crevice splitting it down the middle. Jyu realized that this very gap was his only path to freedom.
Without another thought, he immediately crawled backward, slipping into the narrow crack. Meanwhile, the Tyrex monster kept hurling its massive body against the rock formation. Perhaps in just a few more seconds, the rocks would colpse entirely.
As Jyu neared the end of the rocky passage, he spotted a hidden cave within the stone wall, enormous in size. Its height was perhaps twenty meters or more.
“Finally, I’ve found a safe pce to hide.”
Jyu quickly slipped out from the fragile rocks. No sooner had he taken a few steps than the rocks behind him completely shattered from Tyrex’s final blow. The monster roared thunderously, searching for Jyu among the rubble. Its search yielded nothing—its prey was gone! The creature snorted in frustration, its eyes scanning relentlessly for any sign of him.
After a few moments, it finally saw Jyu running toward the massive rocky area ahead. Tyrex grew even more enraged and immediately gave chase. Who would have thought Tyrex was quite intelligent—not a foolish monster like the ones Jyu had faced before.
Tyrex expanded its mouth like a frog croaking during mating season. A second ter, the monster began firing its saliva repeatedly toward Jyu.
“Why are you spitting at me? How rude!” Jyu shouted angrily as he continued dodging Tyrex’s saliva, which fell like meteors from the sky.
The moment Tyrex’s spit struck the ground, it transformed into a powerful wave of water. Though Jyu managed to evade the direct hits, the surging waves still swept his body away. He was tossed about like a man lost at sea, directionless, crashing into the surrounding rocks.
Though he managed to rise and run again, the terror of Tyrex’s spit seemed endless. His condition did not improve; he remained overwhelmed by the monster’s disgusting barrage. Meanwhile, the distance between them grew ever shorter.
As Jyu struggled to stand from the rolling waves of saliva, Tyrex was suddenly above him. The bck-bodied monster with thick skin seized Jyu, squeezed him tightly, then hurled him into the air. Its mouth opened wide, ready to devour him alive.
Jyu groaned in pain as he was thrown skyward. Fortunately, his mind was still clear, and a brilliant idea struck him. Quickly, he tore off his upper robe, rolled it up, and hurled it straight into Tyrex’s gaping mouth. He hoped the strategy would deceive the beast.
His robe slid down Tyrex’s throat. The monster promptly shut its mouth, appearing utterly satisfied after swallowing its prey. A loud rumble of pleasure echoed out.
“RROOOAAARRR!”
But it was nothing more than a trick. Jyu, still airborne, nded directly on Tyrex’s nose. With a swift motion, he sshed its left eye with his sword. Bluish blood gushed out in torrents.
“RROOOAAARRR!”
“RROOOAAARRR!”
“RROOOAAARRR!”
Tyrex writhed in agony, its body thrashing without direction, crashing into the surrounding rocks. Jyu quickly leapt down and avoided the monster’s erratic stomps. Without hesitation, he dashed toward the hidden cave behind the rocks. There, he would hide and recover—if only for a while.
Meanwhile, Tyrex continued roaring in pain. But before long, it regained control of itself and began scrutinizing the area once more, searching for Jyu. It found nothing—only silence.
---
The day grew darker, and the cold air pierced straight to the bone. Jyu, who had briefly fallen asleep from exhaustion, awoke shivering from the cold. His upper body was uncovered, the freezing air stabbing him like needles.
In the nd of Darkent, there was no wood to build a campfire. If this continued, Jyu might succumb to hypothermia. His stomach had begun to ache with hunger, and thirst burned painfully down his throat. He had no choice but to search for food.
The cave where Jyu now stood resembled a long tunnel, and he was positioned near its entrance. Interestingly, the cave’s contours were remarkably precise, as though intentionally dug. Because of this, he assumed a monster—perhaps rats or other rodents—might be hiding deeper within.
This assumption pushed him to venture further inside. He walked slowly, arms folded across his chest, his body trembling from the cold.
The cave was pitch dark, with only faint light filtering through a small opening in the ceiling. Jyu continued deeper, seeking food and hoping not to encounter too many mystical creatures.
But that hope proved empty. In truth, this cave served as the hiding pce of a group of mystical beings. Jyu faintly heard growls of anger echoing within. As he advanced further, he discovered a group of rabbit monsters lurking inside.
They were truly rabbits in form, yet with sharp fangs protruding from their mouths and cws on each of their feet. Five of them stood in one corner of the cave, gring at Jyu for disturbing them. They were ready to attack.
“So this is where you are. Come at me!”
Now Jyu had no choice but to fight, to defeat them all and eat one of them. The sword at his waist was drawn forward, ready to ssh those deceptively adorable monsters.
The battle began.
The rabbit monsters charged together, sprinting swiftly with fangs bared to tear their enemy apart. Jyu was no less ferocious; he rushed forward, prepared to cut them down.
When the distance closed, Jyu leapt, pushing off the cave wall. He soared briefly through the air, twisting his body downward, and in one clean strike severed the head of one rabbit monster. It died instantly.
The moment Jyu nded, he attacked another, aiming to slice its back. The strike connected. The monster howled in pain and fled.
The remaining three grew even more furious. They spread out, then lunged together like arrows released from a bow—so fast!
Jyu dodged as one tried to ram him. While airborne, he was suddenly attacked by another rabbit monster that leapt at him. Though he managed to avoid a fatal strike, his arm was torn by its bite. Still, he retaliated swiftly—his sword swing sliced open the creature’s belly.
It died.
Now only two remained, but fear had repced their anger. The fury that had once burned in their eyes began to fade. The two monsters slowly stepped back. Jyu stared at them sharply and advanced. But they fled, abandoning the bodies of their fallen companions.
Jyu had indeed defeated them all, yet the risks of battle remained. His torn arm throbbed painfully, blood dripping steadily to the ground.
The wounds he had suffered earlier now seemed to accumute. The pain throughout his body intensified. His strength drained away, leaving him weak and powerless—even as two rabbit carcasses y before him, ready to be eaten.
