Ryker chuckled at his wife's concern. "This is actually going to make it smell incredible, Cora. The sharpness completely cooks off once it boils, and it'll taste amazing. Trust me."Ryker then tossed a few chunks of turkey fat into the hot stone pot until it melted into a clear, rich oil, and threw in the crushed herbs to sauté. Instantly, a savory aroma—the likes of which had never existed in this primal world—wafted through the air. He also added a touch of the wild honey he had found the day before to balance out the flavors.As the water came to a rolling boil, mixing with the rendered fat and the aromatic herbs, it formed a massive batch of rich, savory broth. The scent of the sautéed spices and melted fat drifted across every corner of the camp.Cora and the three Orcs immediately started salivating. They stared at the stone pot, transfixed. Cora's sensitive nose twitched constantly, while the Orcs' stomachs growled loudly with hunger, completely stimulated by Ryker's remarkabl

"Gorg!" Ryker shouted in concern.Thrum and Brok, who were near the furnace, leaped forward immediately, trying to grab the monster's legs to save their comrade, but they couldn't jump high enough. They crashed back to the ground uselessly, staring up at the sky in sheer desperation. The Orc race had absolutely no aerial combat capabilities.Up above, Gorg thrashed violently, slamming his massive fists against the monster's gripping talons, making the lizard-headed creature's flight unstable.Ryker turned sharply toward a panicked Cora. "Cora, get inside the cave and hide right now!""But, Ryker! I want to help you—""Just get inside! Don't argue!"Cora was forced to obey. She turned and sprinted back into the safety of the stone cave, pulling the thick leather curtain shut.In the sky, Gorg's heavy thrashing finally paid off. The monster's grip slipped, sending the Orc plunging down into a dense patch of trees on the slope just outside the camp. The lizard-headed monster screeched in

Even after her body was laid back down on the leather bedding, Aria still tried to fight with whatever strength she had left. Her breathing was heavy, and her golden-brown eyes glared at Ryker with pure rage."Bastard! Get away from me, mud rabbit! The Eagle Race would never accept pity from a weak species like you!"Ryker didn't answer her insults with anger. With perfectly calm movements, he gently settled Aria back onto the pile of bearskin. He reached out his hand, softly brushing his palm against her forehead, which still felt slightly warm from the lingering fever."Just sleep, you'll be fine here," Ryker said. "Even if you force your way back right now, you'll never make it to your tribe. You'd die on the road long before you reached the sky mountains. You can't even fly with a broken wing like that. Think about it with that smart brain of yours."Aria fell silent instantly. She gnashed her teeth, her eyes welling with tears of frustration and suppressed rage. In this ancient w

Inside the pitch-black stone cave, the atmosphere was suffocating. Nobody knew how Ryker was holding up.Cora paced back and forth, her hand tightly gripping her bone dagger while her silver eyes locked onto the sealed cave entrance."This creature seems a lot harder to handle," Cora muttered. For the first time, she felt completely helpless as a wife. Usually, she was right by Ryker's side, but this time her husband had explicitly forbidden her from joining him.Sitting against the corner of the stone bed, Aria watched Cora's anxiety. The eagle woman folded her wings, trying to hide her own trembling body. "Is your husband an idiot or just overconfident? An Elite-Class Iron-Wing Lizard isn't something a single wingless land creature can face. My race needs an entire platoon of eagle warriors just to bring one down.""Shut your mouth!" Gorg barked from the corner of the room, prompting low growls from Thrum and Brok. "Our master is the most powerful being alive! He'll slaughter that l

Inside the highest cliff hall, hundreds of tribe members had gathered, their faces tight with anxiety.Just minutes ago, three aerial scouts had landed, reporting that a massive flock of Iron-Wing Lizards had breached the lower forest boundary. Their positions were now dangerously close to the clan's territorial borders."Listen, children of the sky rulers!" Leonidas bellowed. "The death flock of the Iron-Wing Lizards is moving toward us. The wind carries the scent of our blood. In my dying physical condition, I am no longer capable of leading you into battle. The Eagle Tribe is facing its greatest emergency!"A suffocating silence immediately gripped the hall. Leonidas took a deep breath, fighting the sharp pain in his chest before continuing. "Our tribe must not lose its way in the middle of the storm. Therefore, as of this very day, I ask Aria, our crown princess and the holder of our last pure bloodline, to choose a replacement leader through marriage! Whichever male is chosen as