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"ROOOOAAARRR!!"
"HISSSSSS!!"
Two deafening roars split the air, echoing like thunder across the wasteland.The shockwaves alone were enough to topple mountains——or at least, they would've, if their target wasn't Harry.
For him, the gust was little more than a refreshing breeze."Ugh. You guys ever heard of breath mints?" Harry pinched his nose with exaggerated disgust. "Seriously, that stinks."
Well, what did he expect? These things were like prehistoric beasts, massive carnivores who tore into raw flesh as part of their daily routine. Of course they reeked. Every breath out of their mouths carried that putrid scent of blood and decay.
The giant serpent stared, its massive eyes narrowing. The tiny creature that had dared to defy it hadn't even flinched. That alone seemed to throw it off.
With a furious hiss, it swung its enormous tail.The shadow of it blotted out the sun—enough to crush cities.
But Harry didn't even bother to block.He simply sidestepped. Smooth. Effortless.The tail smashed into the ground where he'd just stood, leaving a crater the size of a lake.
On the other side, the giant beast—something like a mutated dinosaur—saw its chance and lunged, jaws wide, teeth gleaming like blades.
But Harry didn't dodge this time.
He raised one hand and stopped the monster cold.Fingers braced against its upper fangs, feet planted on its lower jaw.
No matter how hard it bit down, he didn't move an inch.
"So being big doesn't automatically mean being strong," he said casually, his tone almost amused. "Good to know."
He lifted his free hand—light flared in his palm.
Pop!
A glowing orb of energy shot straight down the creature's throat.
A split second later, the monster's eyes bulged. It convulsed, shrieking in agony. Then—
BOOOOM!
Its body exploded from the inside out.
Chunks of flesh rained down like a grotesque storm, splattering across the ground. The air reeked of blood and burnt meat.
The serpent froze, eyes wide with something that looked a lot like fear.
Its ally—the towering beast that had guarded this place beside it—was gone, blown apart by a single blast.
Harry turned to face it. Calm. Waiting.
He hadn't planned on killing them. But they'd attacked first.And in the wild, you only get one rule: eat or be eaten.
The serpent hissed again, its voice thick with fury and bloodlust.It circled him warily this time, its massive body coiling around and around.When it finally struck, its tail lashed out sideways like a whip.
Smarter than the other one, maybe. But still primitive.
"That's two chances you've wasted," Harry growled. "Guess it's my turn!"
He clenched his right fist, energy crackling around it.As the tail swept toward him, he met it head-on.
BANG!
The impact shattered the serpent's tail into a cloud of red mist. Flesh and bone scattered like debris.
The serpent screamed, thrashing wildly in pain. Its enormous body slammed into the ground, crushing corpses beneath it as it writhed.
It was about to crash into the blood-red fruit tree——but Harry raised his hand and fired one last energy blast.
The serpent went still.
As its body fell, the tree's crimson fruits pulsed faintly, drinking in the blood that soaked the soil. The scene was almost… unnatural.
But before the silence could settle, a rumble rose again.More beasts. Drawn by the scent of blood.
Without the serpent and the other guardian beast to keep them in check, the rest of the creatures lost what little reason they had. Driven by greed, they charged all at once.
Harry sighed."So my guess was right. Those two were guarding this tree… and now that they're gone, everything else wants a bite."
He dropped down beside the massive, blood-colored fruit tree.
It stood maybe twenty meters tall—not huge by comparison, but still imposing, with its roots twisted deep into the crimson soil.
Hovering near one of the glowing fruits, Harry steadied his breathing. The aroma was intoxicating, and his instincts screamed at him to take it—to eat.But he resisted.
"Power or not, I'm not eating something I don't understand."
He'd seen too many fools die from "mystical" fruits and "ancient elixirs."If it was poisonous—or worse, mind-controlling—he could end up nothing more than a puppet.
Better to take a sample back and let the ship's scanners analyze it.The Frieza Force—once known as the Cold Army—had been conquering the galaxy for generations. Their databases were overflowing with alien flora and fauna records.
Even if this star system, the Oyun Sector, wasn't fully mapped, similarities between worlds might give him a clue.
"Still…" Harry frowned, looking up at the tree. "These fruits are huge. How the hell am I supposed to carry them all back? Uproot the whole tree?"
He rubbed his chin, thinking.
Before he could decide, the ground started shaking again—thud, thud, THUD!—followed by ear-splitting roars.
But this time, he didn't move. He didn't have to.
From above, two figures dropped down—Gine and Celari.They unleashed blasts of energy, wiping out three of the incoming beasts in an instant.
"Didn't I tell you not to come down here?" Harry snapped. "It's dangerous!"
Gine crossed her arms. "We were worried about you."
"I'm fine," he said flatly. "You should've stayed back."
Celari puffed up her chest. "Don't underestimate me, Harry! I'm strong too! I can handle myself—and I won't slow you or Aunt Gine down!"
Her voice shook just a little, but there was determination there. Harry could tell she'd changed—fear turned into courage.
Maybe seeing him obliterate two giant beasts had something to do with that.
He smirked. "Heh. Guess Saiyans really do adapt fast."
Then Gine squinted at the tree, tilting her head. "Wait a minute…"Her eyes widened slightly.
"Ohhh… That's what it is! No wonder it looked so familiar."
Her words made Harry raise a brow. "You recognize it?"
"..."
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