There appears to be some kind of unlawful activity taking on.

It was their second day of hunting, and it seemed they would have a tough time finding the rare edible monsters that only came out at night. After searching for these creatures for about four hours, they decided to take a break. They rested at the top of a tree, allowing themselves to observe their surroundings while staying safe from the wild animals below.

While they were relaxing, they were caught off guard when a large bird landed on a nearby tree. The trio was stunned and speechless as the environment darkened from the enormous wings of the bird and the strong wind it created upon landing. After a few minutes, the bird took off, and they returned to their perch, gazing in the direction where the dragon-like bird had flown. Roxy identified it as a Minokawa, a rare dragon-shaped bird cherished by demi-monsters for its incredibly delicious meat.

Roxy suggested, "Let's follow its tracks to find its nesting area. There are probably more Minokawas there." Joyce then used her skills to command some small birds to follow the Minokawa. After about an hour, they confirmed that the Minokawa was resting at the top of a mountain, which would take them about six hours to reach if they started immediately. Determined to catch the big bird, they set off.

By the time they arrived at the Minokawa's resting place, it was already afternoon. Shaji activated his detection skills but found nothing unusual—only strong animals in the area. Joyce then ordered a bat-like bird to scout the cave where the Minokawa was located. After some time, they discovered that the Minokawa was indeed inside a cave. However, it was still dark, and they sensed many wild animals nearby. Deciding to observe the situation, they noted that the area was eerily quiet as if no one was around.

Shaji felt uneasy; he did not like the silence and sensed that danger lurked nearby. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept through as another Minokawa entered the cave. This one was large and resembled their Alpha—a powerful dragon-like bird. Moments later, about five more Minokawas entered the cave, and they realized that these were females, with the strong Minokawa outside acting as their leader, guarding the cave from threats. The trio concluded that they needed to catch the leader.

They formulated a strategic plan. As they watched, they noticed a creature wandering toward the cave, which the Minokawa quickly seized and devoured whole. This happened again when another monster approached. Shaji then came up with a clever idea, and they discussed their next move.

Shaji planned to distract the Minokawa to distract its attention from the cave. Roxy would hide at the cave entrance while Joyce attempted to utilize her skills on the Minokawa. However, after discovering she couldn't make the large bird obey during her first encounter, they revised their strategy.

Once a creature entered the cave, the Minokawa would likely attack. Their new plan involved a surprise assault: Roxy would strike from the front, while Shaji would attack from behind, with Joyce positioned as backup, as usual. They intended to execute a coordinated attack similar to the one they had used against a Bison and a Graboid. This time, Roxy would utilize her bow while Shaji managed the rest of the operation.

Everyone took their positions; Joyce was concealed in a large tree, Roxy crouched behind a big rock at the front of the cave, and Shaji hid beneath the large leaves at the cave's entrance. They all waited without moving.

At that moment, they spotted a massive snake with blue horns approaching the cave. The Minokawa swooped in and grabbed the snake by its back, but the snake fought back fiercely. It wrapped its body around the Minokawa and unleashed a powerful electric current from its horn. Although the snake eventually disappeared, it was still caught by the Minokawa's claws. Injured, the Minokawa attempted to fly, unfolding its wings as it lifted off the ground.

Shaji signaled to Roxy, who quickly emerged from her hiding place. She swiftly fired a hundred arrows at Minokawa with her bow, but Minokawa was quick; with a flap of his wings, he deflected the arrows. However, because he was holding a snake, he couldn't rush at Roxy. Instead, Minokawa maneuvered back to his hiding spot.

At that moment, Shaji climbed to the top of a tree and waited. There, he encountered Minokawa in mid-air while using his Boneless Chupapa ability, which slowed down the environment. Joyce had granted Shaji the Alacritas spell again. Meanwhile, Roxy watched the aerial scene intently, eager to witness Shaji's skill. After that, the Alacritas spell was absorbed into Shaji's body.

Shaji suddenly vanished from his location, and the next thing Roxy knew, she was witnessing the enemy's meat falling in perfect slices before him—within ten seconds. No words escaped Roxy's lips; she was both shocked and amazed.

Quickly, Shaji gathered the falling meat and placed it into the Meat Portal, along with the large snake stored in his item box. The two of them assisted as well. Roxy asked what kind of ability Shaji possessed. He responded, laughing, "I'm suited for this job."

Joyce then inquired if they should enter the cave. Using the Meat Tracker, Shaji checked to see if there were any Male Minokawas inside. He confirmed, No more. eggs are being incubated inside, and some already have babies being fed." They are all female.

They mentally expressed their apologies for being hunted alongside their partner. "Let's not go in; let them multiply. Since they were already at the top of the mountain, they could see the vast hunting field, the path they had traveled, Then, they headed down on the other side.

As they went down, they noticed a group of men and decided to hide for a while, unsure if these men were hunters or bandits. From their hiding spot, they saw several women sitting not far away.

Moments later, a large black dragon with a cage attached to the body, and the women were quickly brought inside the cage. Soon after, the black dragon left, and the men dispersed—five heading in one direction and five in another. Shaji quickly ordered Joyce to have his birds follow the black dragon until the groups vanished from view. They walked towards where the dragon flew.

"I have a strong feeling that those women are the ones the guild reported missing," Shaji remarked as they walked. A few hours later, the bird returned and delivered its message to Joyce. It reported that the dragon was located at the entrance of the first line of defense, which is the territory barrier, about two days away from their current position.

"If you proceed, you'll be in great danger, as beyond that lies the hunting ground of the demi-monsters," the bird warned. The three of them discussed their options and ultimately agreed to follow the dragon. They then resumed their journey toward their destination.