Great Jagras! A Desperate Escape!

Just as he crouched into a sprinting stance, a heavy set of footsteps sounded.

Branches were forced apart, towering ferns shoved aside. Amid the lush greenery, the creature could be heard but not seen.

The thudding footsteps beat against his heart like giant drums. The three Jagras all reared upright to pinpoint the sound's source, then, in the next second, fled in the opposite direction without looking back. Faced with a threat to their lives, going hungry for one meal was acceptable.

Luo Yun did the same. He moved even before the Jagras did, plunging headfirst into the nearby woods. Before he had fully entered the forest, he caught sight of a huge, savage head bursting through the branches from the corner of his eye. It watched the direction Luo Yun was fleeing in and let out a roar.

"Damn! Great Jagras!!"

This thing was infamous for its terrible temper. It was huge, thick-skinned, fiercely territorial, and could breathe fire. It was an out-and-out thug!

Ignoring the stinging pain of branches whipping against him, Luo Yun could only run forward with everything he had. If Great Jagras caught him, he would probably become crunchy Fire Dragon-flavored bones. With Great Jagras's bite force and digestive ability, it definitely would not mind swallowing him whole, skin and bones included.

All he could do now was pray that Great Jagras was not targeting him. After all, he had run before the three Jagras and was farther away from it than they were, so the odds of Great Jagras choosing him should have been lower.

But unfortunately, Great Jagras ultimately set its sights on him. To Great Jagras, those Jagras were merely little thieves that liked scavenging its leftovers. They were not worth its attention at all.

Luo Yun, however, was different. Even if he was only a Hatchling Dragon, he was still a Male Fire Dragon. To this Great Jagras, his very existence made him an intruder—an intruder bold enough to linger around the place where it had left its mark, openly provoking it!

Heavy footsteps pounded behind him. Branches and grass shattered around him, while the huge creature at his back occasionally bellowed. All of it made Luo Yun's scalp tingle.

The Great Jagras behind him was like a heavy tank. Whether branches or anything else stood in its way, everything was violently smashed aside, forcibly clearing a path through the dense forest.

But Luo Yun was different. His small body could at most ignore soft ferns; branches and vines were obstacles he had to avoid. Thus, even though Great Jagras was charging ahead through brute force alone, the distance between them was rapidly shrinking.

"What do I do? What do I do?!"

The shadow of death loomed over his head. Don't get it wrong—it was literally true!

Because of the angle of the sun, the distance between Great Jagras and Luo Yun had become close enough for Great Jagras's shadow to envelop him. If not for Speed Boost constantly increasing his speed, he would have been swallowed in one bite long ago.

And Luo Yun had discovered something else. Speed Boost did not increase his speed without limit. Just like now, his speed had stopped rising. This seemed to be related to his physical capabilities, and relying on his current speed alone, he simply could not outrun Great Jagras.

"Is this the end? I never thought there would still be limits after I stopped being human. Did I stop being human for nothing?"

Despair spread from the depths of his heart. Luo Yun could now only move his legs mechanically, doing everything he could to delay death's arrival.

As for turning around for one last desperate counterattack, biting off a piece of flesh even if he died—forget it! It was impossible. With his current bite force, leaving even a tiny mark on Great Jagras would already be impressive. As for biting off a chunk of meat, even breaking all his teeth might not accomplish it.

Rather than entertain that idea, he might as well run a few more steps. Maybe there would still be a chance.

Perhaps Luo Yun's inner plea had been heard. His vision suddenly opened up, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he fell straight off a high ledge. Below it rushed a turbulent river.

Before plunging into the river, Luo Yun seemed to hear Great Jagras's unwilling roar. But in the next instant, the current completely swept him away and carried him into the distance.

On the ledge, Great Jagras had come to an emergency stop. Its cold eyes were filled with deep unwillingness. It had never expected a mere Hatchling Dragon—especially a Male Fire Dragon not suited for running on land—to be so fast!

It had chased him through an entire stretch of forest. It was about to catch up, and it had already begun imagining itself viciously tearing off those annoying wings, biting those still-fragile scales to pieces, and swallowing that scorching hot blood.

Yet it had missed by just a little. Just a little! That was a Fire Dragon!

Flames spilled from the corners of Great Jagras's mouth. Its eyes turned red, its nostrils flared like a crown, and the heat-dissipating membranes on its back spread open like a pair of small wings. It could no longer suppress the fire raging within its body, yet there was nothing nearby for it to vent on.

So it could only roar again and again from atop the ledge, wildly unleashing its fury!

Luo Yun rolled endlessly in the raging current. He had lost count of how many times he had been slammed around. The pain throughout his body had already begun to go numb, yet he could only struggle with all his strength to lift his head above the water for a breath.

After an unknown amount of time, the current gradually slowed, and the terrifying impacts vanished.

In a pool of water, the young Male Fire Dragon spread his wings and slowly lifted himself to the surface. Almost on instinct, he swam to shore and threw his body onto the sandy beach.

Mouthful after mouthful of water spilled from him. The pain and exhaustion coursing through every part of his body told Luo Yun that he had survived. He had survived that thug's jaws!

He wanted to laugh, but he did not have the strength. He could only lie sprawled on the beach, gasping heavily.

Nothing left. Not a single drop left!

His stamina had been completely drained. Even if something attacked him now, he probably would not be able to resist.

Speed Boost truly gave him an enormous increase in speed, but it had not reduced the stamina consumption by even a bit. Many of the scales on his body were shattered, blood seeping out. He looked utterly miserable.

So why had this happened?

For the first time, he had gained a cheat ability. For the first time, he had successfully hunted real prey.

Shouldn't those two happy things combined have brought double the happiness?

Why had things turned out like this?

Luo Yun could not understand it. Shouldn't activating his cheat ability have started his path to becoming an overpowered dragon? Then, after reaching the top of the Ecological Chain someday, he would gather Gold Rathian, Pink Rathian, and Azure Rathalos all into his grasp?

So how had he nearly become food instead?

Rustling footsteps approached. Luo Yun's heart tightened. He barely forced his eyelids open to take a look, then immediately relaxed.

"A Herbivore Dragon? Then it's fine."

This thing was not aggressive, but being watched by a group of Herbivore Dragons still seemed rather humiliating!

"Hey! I'm a Fire Dragon! The really fierce kind!"