John lay sprawled across the warm stone of his cave, wings half-folded, tail lazily coiled around a pile of gathered spoils. Shards of crystal, hardened monster cores, chunks of rare ore torn from deep veins—nothing refined, nothing pretty, but all of it *his*. Proof of survival. Proof of dominance.
The cave smelled faintly of scorched stone and old blood. Familiar. Safe.
For once, he allowed himself to rest.
He rolled onto his side, exhaling a slow plume of smoke. His body still ached from the clash in the southern basin. Cracked scales had already hardened again, darker and tougher than before. The pain was dull now, distant—almost comforting.
"I really am starting to live like a dragon," he muttered, half-amused.
Greedy. Territorial. Violent.
Alive.
Just as he was drifting into a shallow rest, something changed.
It was subtle—so subtle that a lesser creature wouldn't have noticed. A faint vibration passed through the stone beneath him, not sharp enough to be an earthquake, not rhythmic enough to be natural.
John's eyes snapped open.
The tremor came again.
His **Predator's Instinct** surged, far more violently than it had against the Tier 7s. His heart thudded once, hard.
"…That's not normal."
He rose slowly, claws scraping against stone as he stood. The cave fell silent, the air heavy. He pressed his palm to the ground, feeling.
Another tremor.
Far away.
Very far.
But unmistakable.
Something massive was moving.
John swallowed. He had felt dangerous presences before—Tier 7 territory lords, ancient predators—but this was different. This wasn't just strength. It was *weight*. Authority so heavy it bent the land with every step.
"A monster…" he whispered. "Stronger than anything I've fought."
The realization settled deep in his chest, cold and sharp.
It wasn't here yet.
But it was coming.
And for reasons he didn't understand, John was certain of one thing—it was moving *toward his domain*.
---
#### **No Time for Comfort**
John didn't panic.
He also didn't relax.
He stepped out of the cave and lifted into the air, climbing high enough to see the forest stretching endlessly beneath him. Everything looked the same—trees, shadows, ridges—but his senses told a different story. Monsters were uneasy. Movements were erratic. Even Tier 6 predators were pulling back, avoiding certain paths as if guided by instinct.
"They feel it too," John murmured.
Whatever was coming wasn't just strong—it was disruptive. A force that bent the balance of the forest simply by existing.
John clenched his claws.
"I don't know what you are," he growled softly, eyes narrowing toward the distant west, "but if you're coming here… I won't be waiting helplessly."
If he couldn't stop it now, he could at least prepare.
And preparation meant one thing.
Blood.
---
#### **A Ruthless Decision**
John descended like a falling star.
The next days blurred into relentless violence.
He hunted without rest, without mercy. Tier 5 monsters that once challenged him were annihilated in moments. Tier 6 predators fought harder—some even coordinated—but none could stand against him alone.
Dark flames turned forests into ash-strewn clearings. His claws shattered armor. His wings battered the ground flat.
[EXP Gained: 6,800]
[EXP Gained: 9,200]
[Dark Flame Breath Proficiency Increased]
[Scale Hardening Proficiency Increased]
He didn't linger. Didn't claim trophies. He moved constantly, pushing deeper, faster, striking harder.
His mana control sharpened under pressure. His movements grew tighter, deadlier. Every fight fed into the same goal.
*Grow. Now.*
The forest recoiled.
---
#### **A Rare Opportunity**
On the fifth day of slaughter, John sensed something unusual.
Two massive auras clashing violently near the southern ridgeline.
Tier 7.
Both of them.
John slowed mid-flight, circling high above the treetops. Below, a clearing had been utterly destroyed—trees crushed, ground split open like shattered glass.
At the center of it stood two titans locked in combat.
The first was a towering, flame-maned beast with a leonine frame and molten veins glowing beneath its obsidian hide.
**Pyroclast Dreadlion** — Tier 7.
Each roar sent waves of heat rolling outward, igniting the air itself.
Its opponent was no less terrifying.
A serpentine horror coiled around broken stone pillars, its body plated in pale, frost-veined scales, breath spilling out as white mist.
**Glaciverm the Pale Coil** — Tier 7.
Fire and ice clashed in violent bursts. The ground alternately melted and froze. Both monsters were wounded—badly. Scorched flesh, shattered scales, movements slowing with exhaustion.
John watched.
Waited.
This wasn't honor. This wasn't pride.
This was survival.
Minutes passed. Then one more massive collision sent both monsters crashing apart, barely able to stand.
"That's it," John whispered.
He folded his wings.
And dropped.
---
#### **Dragon's Interruption**
John hit the clearing like a meteor.
Dark flames exploded outward, slamming into both Tier 7 monsters before either could react. The Dreadlion roared in shock as black fire consumed its already-damaged mane. The Glaciverm hissed, ice cracking as the flames burned through its defenses.
They turned on him instantly—but too late.
John was already moving.
He slammed into the Dreadlion first, claws ripping through molten hide weakened by battle. He drove the beast into the ground, jaws clamping around its throat.
The Dreadlion struggled weakly.
John didn't hesitate.
He unleashed everything.
Dark Flame Breath poured directly into its core.
The roar cut off mid-scream.
The massive body went limp.
[EXP Gained: 38,000]
[Level Up]
John didn't stop.
He spun mid-air as the Glaciverm lunged desperately, jaws snapping. John took the hit across his shoulder—pain flared—but he used the momentum, wrapping his tail around the serpent's body and slamming it down.
"Die," he snarled.
He tore through its neck, dark fire flooding the wound. Ice shattered, steam exploded upward, and the Pale Coil convulsed violently before collapsing.
Silence fell over the clearing.
John stood amidst the devastation, chest heaving, scales smoking. Two Tier 7 monsters lay dead at his feet.
He stared at them for a long moment.
Then slowly exhaled.
"…I never planned to fight Tier 7s like this," he muttered. "But I won't waste the chance."
[EXP Gained: 41,500]
[Level Approaching Threshold]
---
#### **The Shadow Draws Closer**
John didn't celebrate.
He didn't linger.
He tore what he could from the corpses—cores, hardened scales—and took to the air immediately. Even as he flew, he felt it again.
That distant presence.
Closer now.
The ground trembled faintly beneath the forest canopy.
Whatever was coming had felt it too.
John returned to his cave as night fell, exhaustion finally crashing into him. He dropped his spoils into the growing hoard and collapsed onto the stone.
His body burned with fatigue, but his mind was sharp.
"I'm still not ready," he admitted quietly.
He stared toward the cave entrance, listening to the distant, rhythmic tremors that only he seemed able to hear.
"But I will be."
Outside, far beyond his domain, something colossal continued its slow advance—unhurried, unstoppable.
And for the first time since awakening in this world, John felt something that wasn't fear… but urgency.
The hunt was no longer his alone.
Something far stronger was coming for him.
---
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