"Wakey, wakey, Ryu. Ti to get up!"
Runa’s cheerful voice rang out as she gently shook Ryu’s soft, scaled body.
Ryu groaned in mild annoyance and gave his body a good shake, trying to rouse the rest of his lazy cells.
That’s when Runa’s eyes caught sothing surprising.
"Ehehehe.. Ryu. You’ve grown bigger, haven’t you?"
Ryu turned his face away, refusing to make eye contact. He didn’t want to explain anything.
"Looks like what my mom said was right. So dragons really do grow faster," Runa mumbled softly to herself.
"Grrr..."
Suddenly, Runa’s stomach growled. A second later, Ryu’s followed suit with an even louder rumble.
"So, you’re hungry too? Then let’s go hunt so at."
She giggled and scooped Ryu into her arms, but this ti she instantly felt the change. He was heavier.
"Sigh... Ryu, if you keep growing at this rate, I won’t be able to carry you much longer. And when that day cos, you might leave behind. I’ll be alone all over again..."
Her voice drifted into a whisper, mixed with a trace of sadness she couldn’t hide.
Ryu remained quiet in her arms, but inside, his heart stirred.
’Leave her?’
’Is that what she’s afraid of?’
He stared up at her childish yet determined face, those big eyes still full of warmth despite everything.
’Maybe she’s just a little girl, but she’s stronger than most adults I knew. And... she feels more human than anyone else I’ve ever t. Just like Maya.’
As Runa was walking with her golden hair fluttering in the wind, she suddenly noticed the sudden change in Ryu’s deanour. He no longer felt unfamiliar to her.
Feeling the acceptance, She hugged him even more tighter nearly suffocating Ryu to death.
The sun had only begun peeking through the treetops when Runa stepped out of the small wooden hut, holding Ryu close against her chest. The cool morning breeze carried the scent of dew and distant beasts.
"Let’s go sowhere deeper today. The big ones hide out there," Runa whispered with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Ryu perked his ears. ’Uh? deeper? Doesn’t that sounds dangerous? Sigh, I hope this little girl doesn’t get killed.’
She began walking through the dense foliage, barefoot but steady, as if she knew every root and stone by mory. Her golden hair shimred faintly in the soft sunlight, and her tattered dress fluttered behind her like a faded flag of defiance.
Not long after, Runa suddenly crouched behind a tree and held a finger to her lips.
"Shhh," she breathed. "Look there, Ryu."
Ryu followed her gaze. Up ahead, in a clearing beyond a ridge of rocks, a large boar-like creature with bristled black fur and massive tusks was drinking from a muddy pool.
[ Thornhide Boar – Level 7 ]
[ Extractions: Available ]
Ryu’s eyes glead. ’Oh. A level 7 beast? If I can help her bring that down, I’ll gain a lot from it.’
He felt his muscles tense with instinct. This wasn’t a toad or a bug. This would be a real fight.
"You stay here, Ryu." Runa whispered as she summoned her tal harpoon out of thin air again, her grip tightening. "Let bring ho a feast for us."
Ryu growled lowly in response, his wings stretching slightly behind her arm.
Runa adjusted her grip on the harpoon, narrowing her eyes on the boar. The creature was massive, easily the size of a small wagon, with curved tusks stained from past hunts.
It snorted and stomped around the muddy pool, clearly restless.
Swish!
In the next mont, the tal harpoon hurtled through the air, slicing the wind.
The boar tried to dodge, but with its massive body and weight, it was far too slow.
It had no choice but to rely on its thick hide for defense.
Squelch!
But reality quickly taught it a harsh lesson.
The tal harpoon pierced its hide cleanly, as if skewering through muscle and flesh.
"Guuur."
The boar let out a guttural cry, writhing in agony, then began to flee, instinctively realizing it was no match for that seemingly harmless little human girl.
Just then, Ryu gathered his courage and sprang into action.
With a low growl in his throat, he leapt onto the air using [Windleap Dash], his wings fluttering slightly to boost his jump. Mid-air, he sucked in a breath of chilling air and released [Frost Breath] in rapid bursts.
A stream of icy mist shot from his mouth, striking the boar’s legs dead-on.
The frost spread instantly, locking the creature’s limbs in place with crystalline ice.
But—
"Roar!"
Crack! Crack! Shatter!
With a guttural roar, the Thornhide Boar shattered the ice with raw brute strength, muscles rippling beneath its tough, scarred hide.
Grrrrr!
It launched itself at Ryu with terrifying force. Its eyes were burning with rage and pain.
Ryu’s eyes widened. "Seriously?!" he cursed, flapping his wings in panic. He activated [Windleap Dash] again, his body disappearing in a blur just as the boar’s tusks ramd the earth where he had stood.
A tremor ran through the ground as the large beast missed and struck only dirt.
Then—
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
With sharp whistles cutting through the air, several tal spears rained down from above, stabbing into the boar’s thick back one after another.
Blood splattered across the ground. The beast let out a final scream of pain and collapsed to the forest floor with a thunderous thud, twitching as the light faded from its red eyes.
Ryu landed lightly ahead of Runa, breathing heavily. His body was trembling from the thrill and fear of battle.
Runa jogged up beside him with a wide grin, sweat glistening on her brow, and gave him a proud thumbs-up.
"Way to go, Ryu. Only because of you, I was able to land the hit. You’re a hero," she said as if proud, her voice filled with encouragent.
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