Chapter 115: Dino Rider

“Finally, something sensible.”

The three of them started forward together, leaving the battlefield behind. Their footsteps crunched steadily over loose stone and broken vegetation, the massive bodies of the defeated Spinosauruses gradually swallowed up behind the thickening mist.

For a while, the path ahead stayed relatively familiar. Towering prehistoric plants crowded the edges, the ground sloping gently between scattered rocky formations. But the farther they traveled, the more the surrounding environment began visibly shifting.

The vegetation thinned out steadily. Towering ferns gradually gave way to scattered patches of dark moss and low, stubborn shrubs clinging tightly to bare stone. The air turned colder, a faint wind cutting through the passage, carrying the distant sound of rushing air somewhere far above them.

Then the dungeon shifted entirely.

A low vibration rolled through the ground beneath their feet. Mark stopped instantly, shoulders tensing at the now familiar sensation of the environment preparing to transform around them.

“Here we go again,” he muttered.

Derek planted his feet, glancing around sharply.

“Please don’t tell me the entire place is about to change again.”

Before Mark could answer, the rocky terrain ahead seemed to stretch and rearrange itself entirely. The familiar jungle dissolved into drifting mist as enormous mountain slopes rose up in the distance. Jagged cliffs climbed on either side of the path, their upper reaches vanishing into dense banks of fog overhead. Narrow ledges wound their way around the mountainsides, deep ravines cutting through the landscape far below.

The air turned sharply, noticeably colder. A thin sheen of moisture gathered steadily across the surrounding rocks, the wind carrying a sharp, biting chill that cut straight through their clothing.

Mark squared his shoulders, studying the unfamiliar surroundings carefully.

“This place looks completely different from the last stage.”

“That’s because it is completely different,” Derek replied, rubbing his hands together briefly before examining the rocky slope ahead. “And I’m not loving the look of it, personally.”

The mountain range stretched out far beyond what either of them could properly see. Massive stone pillars jutted out from the surrounding cliffs, distant peaks rising above the drifting clouds like the backs of enormous, slumbering creatures buried beneath a thick blanket of mist. The entire landscape carried an ancient, isolated, strangely hostile weight to it.

Mark turned toward Derek.

“Any idea what this place actually is, or what kind of creatures might live here?”

“Absolutely none.” Derek shrugged, though his eyes kept scanning restlessly across the surrounding cliffs. “But I can tell you one thing for certain. The mana concentration here’s way higher than back in the last stage. Feels similar to what we picked up before, just considerably stronger now.”

He paused, pressing one hand against the crystal armor covering his forearm, as though actively trying to judge the energy’s intensity directly through its surface.

“Probably means the difficulty’s climbed another notch. If the dungeon’s following the same pattern as before, we should be bracing for considerably more dangerous opponents up ahead.”

“Yeah, figured as much myself,” Mark admitted. “Problem is I still can’t properly sense the actual difference between levels. I can feel the mana around me well enough, but I genuinely don’t know how to measure its concentration, or judge exactly how powerful something is just from sensing its energy alone.”

He glanced down at his own hand, slowly opening his fingers, watching a faint trace of mana respond to the small movement.

“Really wish I could turn that into a proper measuring skill instead of just vaguely noticing something’s there. Would make all of this considerably easier if I could gauge how dangerous an opponent actually was before it attacked.”

Derek gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

“Not something you pick up overnight, honestly. Takes real experience, proper control, and a genuinely deeper understanding of how mana actually behaves around different kinds of creatures.”

“So you’re saying I’m stuck guessing until I get better at it?”

“Not exactly. You’ll still start picking up on certain warning signs over time. But if you’re asking whether you’ll be measuring everything perfectly right now, then no, not yet.”

Mark sighed.

“Wonderful. Exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“Don’t stress over it too hard. You should see real improvement by the end of this academic year, or at least by the time you hit junior year. You’ll have a lot more training under your belt by then.”

“Assuming I actually survive this dungeon first.”

Derek shot him a sideways glance.

“Try staying a little optimistic, Mark.”

“I’m being realistic.”

“Those aren’t always the same thing, you know.”

Mark opened his mouth to respond, but Penthesilea spoke first.

“I can ascertain what this place is.”

Both boys turned toward her at once.

The Amazon had been quietly studying the mountain range ever since they’d arrived. Her eyes swept steadily across the distant peaks, the rocky ridgelines, the thick banks of mist clinging to the cliffs. Unlike the two students, she showed absolutely no uncertainty regarding the unfamiliar environment surrounding them.

“This is an ancient mountain,” she continued. “One of the tallest standing during the prehistoric ages. Though its height fell short of Everest, it still climbed through several distinct levels of altitude, home to numerous flying predators nesting among its peaks.”

Mark blinked.

“Flying predators?”

He glanced upward instinctively, trying to peer through the fog concealing the higher cliffs.

“So, I’m guessing we’re about to run into something like a pterodactyl next?”

Derek, meanwhile, had barely moved at all.

He was staring at Penthesilea with an expression of open, genuine astonishment. Until this exact moment, he’d grown so accustomed to watching her fight that he’d nearly forgotten she was equally capable of holding an entirely ordinary conversation.

Of course, summons capable of speech weren’t completely unheard of. Some carried enough intelligence to communicate directly with their summoners, others expressing thoughts through words or some kind of mental link entirely. Still, it remained genuinely unusual encountering a summon whose speech carried this much natural fluency, awareness, and clear personality behind it.

Derek’s own summon hadn’t reached anywhere close to that level yet.

What surprised him even more was that Penthesilea looked absolutely nothing like the kind of creature he’d have expected to speak this naturally. Her powerful build, imposing stature, and genuinely intimidating presence made her look like a warrior built purely for combat, nothing else.

And yet here she stood, calmly explaining the surrounding environment’s history as though she’d walked through it countless times before.

Mark noticed Derek’s expression and chuckled.

“What’s wrong? Forget summons could actually talk?”

“I didn’t forget anything,” Derek replied, finally recovering enough to respond properly. “I’m just genuinely surprised. I knew powerful summons could carry real intelligence, sure, but hearing her talk this naturally is something else entirely.”

He glanced toward Penthesilea again.

“And you’re telling me she’s been able to speak like this the whole time?”

Mark shrugged.

“Pretty much.”

“Why didn’t you mention that before now?”

“You never asked.”

Derek just stared at him.

“That’s not a reasonable answer.”

“It’s the only one I’ve got.”

Penthesilea regarded Derek with mild curiosity before giving a small shrug of her own.

“Humans and their sudden bursts of emotion,” she remarked.

Derek blinked.

Mark immediately burst out laughing.

“See? She gets you perfectly.”

“I’m starting to understand exactly why you two get along so well,” Derek muttered. “Neither of you ever lets me have the last word.”

“That’s because you keep handing us the opportunities.”

Penthesilea ignored their exchange entirely, returning her full attention toward the mountains ahead.

For a few quiet moments, only the cold wind and the distant rumble of shifting stone disturbed the surrounding silence.

Then she stiffened sharply.

Mark noticed the shift almost instantly. The Amazon’s shoulders squared, her grip tightening visibly around her battle axe as she turned toward a large passage carved directly into the mountainside.

At first, Mark heard nothing unusual at all. Then a deep, heavy thud rolled through the fog.

Another followed right behind it.

These footsteps carried far more weight than anything the Spinosauruses had produced. Each impact reverberated through the ground, sending faint tremors rippling beneath their feet. Somewhere beyond the drifting mist, something genuinely enormous was closing in on the passage.

Derek slowly turned toward Mark.

“Um, are flying predators supposed to have footsteps this heavy, or am I just losing it right now?”

Mark didn’t answer immediately.

He stared fixedly at the entrance of the mountain passage, where a massive silhouette had begun forming behind the swirling mist. The shape looked broad and genuinely imposing, a massive head rising noticeably above the rocky ground.

A second silhouette appeared beside it.

Then a third.

Mark’s expression shifted gradually as the creatures finally emerged from the fog.

Two Tyrannosaurus rex stepped out first, each standing roughly fifteen feet tall. Their massive bodies rode on powerful hind legs, thick tails trailing behind them for balance. Their small forelimbs looked almost comically insignificant against their enormous torsos, but their broad jaws and heavily muscled necks more than made up for that apparent weakness.

Their scaled hides carried dark, mottled patterns blending seamlessly with the surrounding mountain shadows. Their eyes stayed locked firmly on the three intruders, heavy breaths rolling out through the cold air in visible, bursting clouds of mist.

Then the largest creature emerged from between them.

It stood roughly twenty feet tall, towering easily over its two companions, a body that genuinely looked as though it had been carved directly from living stone. Its thick neck supported an enormous skull, broad jaws lined with teeth clearly built for crushing and tearing through anything unlucky enough to be caught. Every single step it took sent a dull, heavy vibration rolling through the ground.

All three predators advanced together, their combined presence making the already narrow mountain passage feel even smaller by comparison.

Mark felt his stomach tighten hard.

“Those are Tyrannosaurus rex,” he said quietly.

Derek scratched the side of his head, unable to tear his eyes away from the creatures.

“Yeah, figured that much out myself. What I actually want to know is why the biggest one looks like it could swallow an entire car whole.”

“Because it’s huge?”

“Thanks, Mark. Truly groundbreaking scientific insight there.”

“Hey, I’m trying to help.”

“Then help by telling me how exactly we’re supposed to fight those things.”

Mark swallowed hard, studying the three predators again.

“Honestly was hoping you’d have some kind of idea.”

“Wonderful. We’re doomed.”

Penthesilea stepped forward, positioning herself slightly ahead of both boys. Her expression stayed composed throughout, though her eyes narrowed sharply as she studied the three creatures closely. She paid particularly close attention to the largest one, studying its movements and the unusual, heavy presence radiating steadily off it.

“These are the apex predators of this particular age,” she said. “Their strength lies not just in the bite, but in their powerful legs, massive frames, and their ability to run down prey with genuinely surprising speed over short distances. Do not allow yourselves to be caught directly in front of them.”

Mark nodded slowly.

“Understood.”

He’d read about Tyrannosaurus rex before, though mostly through books, documentaries, and Hermione’s constant habit of sharing random facts whenever something new caught her interest. Seeing the actual creatures in person turned out to be an entirely different experience altogether. Their sheer size, the weight behind every single movement, the raw intensity of their presence, all of it made whatever descriptions he remembered feel genuinely inadequate by comparison.

He glanced toward Derek.

“I think we can safely call this the boss stage.”

Derek let out a nervous laugh.

“Three of them? One basically a walking mountain? Yeah, I’d say that tracks.”

The largest Tyrannosaurus rex released a deep, rolling growl that echoed clean through the passage. The two smaller predators shifted beside it, heads tilting slightly as they studied the intruders standing before them.

Mark tightened his fists.

He’d assumed clearing the Spinosauruses would lead them straight toward the dungeon’s final challenge, but he genuinely hadn’t expected to run into three Tyrannosaurus rex all at once like this. If these creatures really were the dungeon’s final guardians, they’d need to work together carefully, rather than simply leaning on raw brute force alone.

Before either boy could settle on how exactly to approach the coming fight, though, Derek noticed something unusual perched atop the largest predator.

Someone was sitting on its back.

He blinked hard, leaning forward slightly, staring at the figure as though he genuinely couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

“Wait a second. Is that an actual person?”

Mark followed his gaze.

Sure enough, a man sat perched atop the largest Tyrannosaurus rex as casually as though it were nothing more than an ordinary riding animal. He carried a lean build, dressed in a long purple robe cinched tight with a black belt. A skull shaped mask concealed his face entirely, leaving the rest of his appearance wrapped in an unsettling veil of mystery.

In one hand, he held an apple.

The sheer contrast between the casually held fruit and the genuinely terrifying creature beneath him proved so bizarre that Mark momentarily forgot the real danger standing right in front of them.

The rider took a slow, leisurely bite of his apple, chewing thoughtfully as he surveyed the two students and the towering Amazon beside them. His posture suggested he’d been fully expecting their arrival, the eerie stillness surrounding him only making the entire scene feel even more unsettling.

Derek stared at him in open disbelief.

“Okay. Taking back what I said about the walking mountain. Apparently the mountain comes with its own rider.”

Mark could barely manage words.

“Who seriously rides a Tyrannosaurus rex?”

“Someone with absolutely zero sense of self preservation?”

“Look at him! He doesn’t even look remotely worried!”

“Maybe he knows something we genuinely don’t.”

The rider finished chewing, lowering the apple slightly. His masked face tilted toward them, and a quiet, unsettling chuckle slipped out from behind it.

Penthesilea didn’t join their exchange at all. Instead, she watched the stranger with the narrowed, calculating gaze of a seasoned warrior. Her stance stayed firm throughout, weapon held ready, clearly unwilling to dismiss the possibility that this rider might prove considerably more dangerous than the creatures he currently commanded.

Mark noticed her reaction, growing noticeably more cautious himself.

The man riding the Tyrannosaurus rex was clearly no ordinary traveler. The simple fact that he’d appeared leading three enormous predators, wearing a skull mask, displaying absolutely zero fear whatsoever, strongly suggested there was considerably more to him than his strange appearance alone let on.

For all they currently knew, he might be directly responsible for this entire stage.

The rider tilted his head slightly, as though genuinely amused by their visible unease. Then he let out another low chuckle, shaking his head slowly.

“Boys and girl,” he began, voice carrying clearly through the cold mountain air, “you’ve arrived at exactly the right time, and exactly the right place.”

He raised the apple in a casual, mocking greeting.

“Genuinely glad to see you here myself.”

Mark and Derek traded a wary glance.

Neither of them had the faintest idea who this masked man actually was, why he’d apparently been waiting for them, or what connection he carried to the three Tyrannosaurus rex standing at his command. But one thing had already become painfully, unmistakably clear.

Their next real challenge wasn’t going to be some simple, straightforward fight against a handful of prehistoric creatures.

It was going to be something far stranger.