I was definitely at least a head taller than my previous body, as the large leaves that had once covered my body were now below my face. While that was nice for my vision, it also meant I could no longer conceal myself as easily.

Maybe the Baby Turco would’ve been a good choice, after all…

The ground shook as I neared the forest, causing me to stumble and collide shoulder-first with a tree.

It wasn’t an earthquake. The shaking was too rhythmic. Footsteps.

Heavy ones.

Trees were torn from the ground, the sound of snapping roots blasting through the woods as I dove for cover in a large bush, the meat I’d been holding spilling everywhere.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

I turned to see the monster that had arrived at the least possible convenient time for me.

Two ravenous yellow eyes scanned the clearing I’d just been standing in, the diamond-headed beast giving off a ferocious aura. Muscles rippled under a taut white body dotted with red scales of various thicknesses that gave the impression of blood spatters.

The dark red sail that erupted from the creature’s back seemed to absorb the moonlight, as though fueling the bright glow of the demonic gaze.

It stood on two legs, its front arms hanging forward like a bulldog, and roared, shaking the trees nearby, my heart quivering.

You are [Terrified]. Your reactions are now slower.

Sailboat himself stood before the massive corpse, prodding it with one of his muscular arms. A cry sounded out from the woods nearby, seven Deotrexaptors sprinting out from the undergrowth.

“Skraaaw!” they screamed, crowding around the titanic spinosaurus. They hooted and clicked their teeth together as they ran around the massive lizard.

Oh no, I thought as I lay there in the brush, they’re gonna face off!

Those poor xaptors were going to be destroyed by the apex predator before them. Sailboat could simply swing his tail towards them and they probably couldn’t jump high enough to avoid it. I remembered what he did to the armored dinosaur the day I’d first hatched. He’d crush these idiots with little effort.

Well, I guess that means I won’t have to worry about the xaptors hunting me down.

Neither of the dinosaurs immediately attacked, Sailboat merely standing before them with his head held high. I squinted at him, trying to see what information I could glean.

Djanak, Jungle God [Lvl ???]

Sailboat is a jungle god?!

His head had been tilting up to roar again before suddenly, it snapped down in my direction, looking straight at the bush I hid within. Raging golden orbs burned a hole through my soul.

“GYAAAAOOOOOOHHHHH!!”

His howl shook the ground again, sending me rolling backward as branches broke off of nearby trees, crashing down around me. The bushes around me, which I’d been using for cover, were torn from the ground, flying in the wind that emanated from the titan. I felt my Instinct try once more to scan him, reading data from the ability as I rolled across the jungle floor.

Sorry. Your [Observe] Instinct isn’t a high enough level to obtain any details.

Great... I think he noticed me.

The xaptors that had been circling the monster paused as he roared, their heads all turning towards the terrified meat-juice covered sack of scales that had dared to interrupt whatever it was they were doing.

The ground around me was mysteriously and suddenly wet.

My legs scrambled for purchase on the clean forest floor, collapsing as fear wracked my body. I couldn’t even blame the leaves for ruining my grip because Sailboat’s roar had completely eradicated their presence.

Managing to get to my feet, I sprinted into the woods, hopping over the branches that had gotten caught between two trees, and the bushes they trapped. I burst through a bush, running in the opposite direction of the Jungle God.

When I heard their calls I realized the xaptors were not going to face off against Sailboat. Instead, it appeared as though they were perhaps working together. Must be nice to have a clan.

Crap, crap, crap, crap!

Your [Fearful Flight] Instinct has leveled up. It is now level 2. Your [Fearful Flight] Instinct has leveled up. It is now level 3. Your [Fearful Flight] Instinct has leveled up. It is now level 4.

Screw you, Sailboat! I shouted in my mind as tears flowed down my face, blurring my vision. Their existence only served to make me angrier. The damn [Terrified] status was pissing me off!

I dodged low branches as I fled, jumping over large rocks and moss-covered roots, avoiding anywhere I heard the sounds of dinos. I realized only then just what being larger really meant. Previously, I’d stood at probably three feet, and I’d been able to run about in the woods without any restrictions. Now, I think I stood at roughly five. I was actually able to touch the branches on the trees without jumping, and I had to avoid many of them.

I was actually pretty close to the Deotrexaptors now in height, which meant I should have been able to outrun them, but when I glanced behind me, I could see them gaining ground.

Your [Sprint] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 2.

Oh, right. They probably had higher levels than me.

Clicking echoed out behind me as I ran, the xaptors calling for my blood.

I only ran faster.

Your [Fearful Flight] Instinct has leveled up. It is now level 5. You are no longer [Terrified]. Your [Sprint] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 3.

I felt myself pick up speed a little bit at those messages, but whether it was hope or an actual improvement, I couldn’t tell.

Snapping teeth bit near my tail and I could feel the hot breath of one of the xaptors as I vaulted over a boulder.

How did Sailboat know where I was?

Your [Sprint] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 4.

I used my speed to slide underneath a tangle of branches, vines, and bushes, barely escaping the snapping maw of a xaptor that had managed to catch up to me. If I tried to fight one of them, I’d probably have lost. They weren’t babies, and they certainly weren’t level one.

Observe was firing off like crazy as I ran, but I mostly ignored the messages until one caught my eye as I slid through the brambles toward the message’s target.

Blessed Glade

A small clearing the size of the other glades I’d encountered, with dark fertile ground and an earthy scent, appeared before me. Not a single tree or blade of grass grew upon this dirt, however, and I knew what lurked within.

Sailboat’s roar had done more than simply tear up the plants around me, though. A huge dead tree had fallen across the glade, landing on the strong branches of trees on the other side. The fallen tree was basically a spar. Its branches were broken off where they’d grown too heavy, and none of them touched the glade.

An idea sparked within my mind as the xaptors crashed through the tangle of branches and brambles behind me.

With no time to reconsider, I stepped out onto the fallen log.