Pursuit in Another World: It’s Hard to Hold a Thigh

Xie Cheng is a high-ranking commander of Earth's special forces, equipped with a brain implant that allows him to understand animal language and a wrist terminal that tracks energy signatures. During a mission to retrieve a high-purity crystal stone, an experimental wormhole accident transports him to a prehistoric-like world inhabited by beastmen. He lands in the Misty Forest, a dangerous region filled with giant ferocious beasts. His immediate goal is to retrieve the crystal, which has fallen into an active volcano in the heart of the forest, to exchange it for advanced technology that could save humanity on Earth.

While surrounded by a pack of giant golden retriever-like beasts, Xie Cheng is rescued by the Angel Tribe, a race of small, human-insect hybrids with butterfly wings and poisonous stingers. Their leader, Ada, mistakes Xie Cheng for a female due to his smooth skin and handsome features. Despite Xie Cheng's protests, the Angel Tribe adheres to strict customs where females cannot reveal their names to unrelated males. Xie Cheng is paralyzed by Ada's stinger, which induces a ten-day sleep, but his innate ice powers slow the toxin's spread. After recovering, he learns that the depths of the Misty Forest are forbidden due to a demon, but he insists on proceeding to retrieve the crystal.

Xie Cheng attempts to force his way past the Angel Tribe but freezes them in an ice dome to clear his path. He reaches the volcano and descends into the crater, but the intense heat overwhelms his ice abilities. As his safety vine burns and he begins to fall to his death, he is caught by a massive shadow. He is rescued by Geno, a towering, muscular beastman from the powerful Wyvern Tribe. Geno is aloof and initially dismissive, also mistaking Xie Cheng for a female because he cannot transform into a beast form, a trait Geno assumes is exclusive to males.

Geno takes Xie Cheng to his secluded home, a cave connected to a grassy meadow. Xie Cheng, recognizing Geno's strength and value as a protector, decides to stay and gather information. He learns that the "demon" of the forest is a wyvern beastman exiled to the Misty Forest for a serious crime, unable to leave until redeemed. Xie Cheng realizes this demon is likely Geno's rival or a significant threat. Despite the cultural misunderstandings and Geno's cold demeanor, Xie Cheng manages to establish a tentative alliance, offering to hunt and share his advanced food supplies, such as chocolate and beef jerky, in exchange for guidance and protection.

As they spend time together, Geno finds himself increasingly drawn to Xie Cheng's unique behavior and appearance, interpreting Xie Cheng's friendliness as romantic interest. Xie Cheng, meanwhile, remains focused on his mission, planning to obtain Geno's shed scales or genes to bring back to Earth. The story follows their developing relationship as they navigate the dangers of the Misty Forest, with Xie Cheng determined to retrieve the crystal despite the volcanic hazards and the looming presence of the exiled wyvern demon.