Henry looked in all directions but nothing seemed to stick out, figuratively and literally speaking as he was on a vast plain. The terrains around him were completely unfamiliar to him. The only sight he recognised were the mountains but those were something he could see from practically and nearly anywhere. He was far away from home, he knew that much.

That fucking Wyvern… I’ll kill him twice if I can.

Henry cursed pointlessly in his heart at the cause of his current quandary. All was said and done. The Wyvern was already dead. Unless he could rewind time, there was no point in mulling over it.

Well, I can see a river from here. That’s a silver lining.

A shimmering stream of blue could be seen in the distance. It was scattering glitters as the blue flowed down the preordained path of the river. It hadn’t been an hour since his last gulp of water but after the fight with the Wyvern, his thirst returned quickly.

As the terrains were flat and the undulations were mild, Henry reached the river in just minutes. He didn’t need to tread slowly as he could easily perceive any hostiles from miles away. The river was shallow and clear. The fishes were swimming vividly in the water. Seeing that the river was safe for consumption, Henry plopped his entire head right into the river, sending the fishes scattering. Ethereal-like gills instantly appeared around the sides of his neck. When he surfaced, the gills disappeared.

Okay, that’s a little unnerving.

Once he had refreshed himself with the water from the river, he took a gander at his surroundings again. The closest gathering of trees was more than a mile away from the river. There was a strange assembly of boulders and rocks atop a hillock in the distance. Ruins, he gathered.

Maybe that place will suffice as a temporary resting ground.

As the sun was still high up in the sky, Henry wasn’t pressed for time. He took this opportunity to clean himself up in the river. He was literally covered in dirt from all the tumbling he did. In a surreal fashion, he did not suffer a single wound at all. His body was still aching all over but it wasn’t too cumbersome to bear. It only truly stung when he performed some wide movements.

In the middle of his washing and scrubbing, he glanced at his back. He sighed disappointingly at the absence of wings on his back. He wondered if it just wasn’t possible for him to grow wings at all. He had consumed the Wyvern’s Murux Heart but he had yet to see or feel any changes to his body. The feature that he desired the most had yet to show any sign of sprouting. It was truly disheartening.

No no no, don’t think like that, Henry. There are plenty of wingless Dragons who are capable of flight in all those fiction you have read. Moreover, wings don’t necessarily denote a being’s ability to fly in a fantasy world of magic.

Once he was done cleaning himself up, he dried himself simply by shaking his whole body rapidly and vigorously much as a dog would. It had been extremely embarrassing the first few times he had done it but after having done it repeatedly and there was no one else around, he had lost all sense of shame and reserve when it came to drying himself like a dog.

With the sun staring brazenly at him without any shade in the way, he was completely dry not five minutes after he left the river.

He went up and over the nearest and tallest hillock, to try and get the best bearings of the area. The plains turned out to be bigger than he had realised. The plains spanned beyond the horizon but she did see an end to the east, which was a steep slope that descended into a large valley.

Wait… are those… No way.

As he was glancing at the fantastic landscape view of another world, he caught sight of something that was more interesting and important than the view. Normally, such a thing wouldn’t be worth his attention or notice but his current circumstances were significantly different to normal.

What he caught sight of were herds of cows, goats, and many other animals whose flesh and meat would be an absolute delicacy without a shred of doubt. In simpler words, he found a large group of animals that wouldn’t look out of place on a farm, though there were no farms in sight.

Henry’s mouth began to water incessantly. He immediately slid down the hillock and prowled across the field, creeping up on the animals. Thanks to the ability he most likely got from the Demon, the animals did not notice his presence. He would use his camouflage ability whenever the animals turned their heads his way. When they resumed grazing the field, Henry resumed approaching them.

When the winds blew against him, the scent of the animals was carried along. His patience shrunk at the smell and he wanted to just charge straight into the herd, ripping and tearing at the closest animal he could get his claws on.

But before he could, the animals reared their heads and started to run. At first, Henry thought they had noticed him but it didn’t take him long to find out the real reason. The winds shifted and brought the predator’s scent to him. 

Henry spun around, just in time to see some sort of feline beast pouncing straight at him. He easily struck that beast down and pulverised its head with a stomp. However, the beast wasn’t alone. Three more of these feline beasts emerged from the tall grass.

What the hell are these beasts?

Henry asked no one in particular. They simply looked like beasts that belonged in the feline breed but other than that, Henry couldn’t tell what they were. Not that it mattered. Henry was surprised by their presence but he wasn’t frightened nor was he afraid. Maybe he would be if this was a week ago and further back. 

These feline beasts were only the size of the average tiger while Henry was the size of a large horse, and that was not counting the broadness of his body and muscles.

Henry didn’t need to roar. He just opened his mouth slightly and growled. That was enough to make the feline beasts flinch and yelp. This was also routine. He needed to assert his dominance and status. As much as he wanted to just kill these feline beasts and be done with it, he knew that was not wise to do, especially after what happened with the Wyvern. 

Though Henry did not feel guilty about killing the Wyvern, it didn’t change the fact that he had a hand in causing the Wyvern to trespass on his turf. Moreover, the feline beasts did not look like they would taste good. Not to say he wouldn’t kill these feline beasts if they refused to back down.

The feline beasts eventually relented to their fears when Henry poured strength into his limbs and made the tattoos glow. The queer mystic sight drew out long yelps from the feline beasts. When Henry growled again, the feline beasts squealed and recoiled. They then turned on their heels and scampered out of Henry’s sight. One of them even shat itself and Henry had to cover his nose with his palm.

When Henry turned his attention back to the delectable animals, they had all but ran off. Thankfully, he could still see the animals, running into the distance.

At least they didn’t run far.

Henry muttered in his heart and gave chase. Augmented by what he could only describe as magic, he sped through the plains and caught up to the running herds in no time at all. The animals cried upon taking notice of Henry’s quickly approaching presence.

Beef, mutton, chevon, or venison?

Henry mulled when he was within range for a kill. As the herds were quite scattered, he could only take down one at a time. He could easily kill all of them with his jetstream breath but that would completely topple the balance of the food chain.

Why am I even thinking about this? Beef, of course.

Henry never liked the taste of mutton and chevon, He much preferred beef, pork, and chicken. Without the latter two in the selection, of course, he would go for beef without question. He pounced at the nearest cow and sunk his fangs into the cow’s throat, snapping its neck as they went tumbling to the ground.

Oh, delicious…

Henry gasped inwardly in delight just from that single bite and he had yet to even drain the blood. He briskly slung the slaughtered cow over the nearest large boulder he could find and let the blood seep out by itself. The process would take around ten to twenty minutes, give or take. Henry didn’t have a watch or a clock, so he could only estimate.

Usually, he would go about his other chores while he let his game bleed but as there was nothing else to do, he plopped right down beside his game and waited, passing the time by enjoying the landscape around him. 

Beautiful…

It truly was. Unlike the view he was used to when he was still a human, the absence of man-made constructs and the assembly of metal and steel truly make for a sight to behold. The air was fresh too, untainted by the waste matter that human’s complex machinery expelled and churned out. If anyone asked if he still wished to return to Earth, he wouldn’t say no but neither would he nod his head without hesitation.

 The luxuries of his past life had come with too much baggage, he came to realise. And that baggage was too mentally taxing. Unlike this current life of his, the burdens were all physical and they could be easily resolved with his overwhelming strength. There was no law or any bureaucratic shit to stop him from doing so. 

He didn’t need to worry about money. He didn’t need to worry about the perspective of society. He didn’t need to pay taxes. He didn’t need to be afraid of getting left behind on some current trend. There was no expectation to be had of him. There was no shackle. He could do whatever he wanted.

Life’s good.

Henry sighed pleasantly in his heart. It was peaceful too. Nothing but the sounds of bees buzzing and the bustling of the gentle winds permeated the surroundings. Gradually, the tranquillity was beckoning him to his dreams. With the temperature being colder than he was used to, the allure of sleep was even stronger. His eyes were already half-closed. It was the delectable scent of the cow that was keeping him awake.

By a twist of the ever so whimsical lady of fate, the serenity was shattered by a loud squall as a large expanding shadow was cast over him. The shadow portrayed the appearance of an avian beast. He could feel the hostility emanating from the avian beast but his sense of danger wasn’t reacting to it. When the avian beast’s silhouette became clearer, he realised the goddamn bird was not after him but his game.

“Oh, no, you don’t, you fucking vulture!” Henry screamed out loud at the avian beast that looked just like the vulture from Earth with the glaring differences being its gigantic size and the ominous markings on its body. Not wanting to spoil or mar the meat, Henry did not use any of his breath attacks and lunged at the vulture instead.

The vulture was half the size the Wyvern was but twice as agile. It easily spun away from Henry’s attack and soared into the air. It turned around quick and swooped back down on Henry as it straightened its body into the shape of an arrow.

Henry used his jetstream breath but the vulture rolled to the side, avoiding the breath as it continued its rapid charging descent. It was way faster than the Wyvern, way faster than Henry could steer his aim. He stopped his breath attack and switched to his claws, but the vulture dodged his swipe at the last moment. It streaked past Henry and went for the game.

Son of a bitch!

Henry tried stopping the vulture but it was far too nimble and volant. Yet, it was strong. It gripped the carcass tight with its talent and took to the air, all the while evading Henry’s attempt at catching it. 

An unprecedented rage surged through Henry’s body. A bloody vulture had taken his hunt from him, his meal and indulgence. He had never felt so angry. He was even more furious than the time he faced the onslaught of the haggard man’s harassment, even more so than any other time.

Facing the sky, staring at the vulture, Henry unleashed a roar that shook the air and ground. The vulture was carrying its prize off without looking back but when the roar swept through the sky, it was forced by his instincts to glance back. The vulture’s eyes widened as it saw a pair of ethereal Wyvern-like wings sprouting from the back of the creature it had just stolen from.