After finishing the rabbit raw, Yuki let out a loud, satisfied burp.
He licked his lips and slumped on the floor, feeling full and strangely content.
There was no nausea. No disgust. Not even hesitation. The warm blood, the chewy flesh, the crunch of bones—it should have repulsed him.
But it didn't.
Because he was no longer human. He was a predator. A beast, born to hunt and eat.
Now, his small belly looked swollen, almost like it was carrying an egg. He waddled awkwardly, his tiny dragon form bloated and slow.
The little girl looked over and giggled at the sight. "Hehehe.."
"You look like a balloon, Yuki," she said, scooping him up in her arms.
Yuki didn't resist. The warmth of her embrace, combined with his full stomach, made him drowsy.
She carried him over to a thin mattress spread across the wooden floor. The soft sound of night insects buzzed outside the shut door. Darkness had already fallen, and the jungle air had grown cooler.
The girl curled up beside him, her golden hair glowing faintly in the moonlight slipping through the cracks of the hut.
Within moments, she drifted off to sleep.
Only then Yuki opened his eyes slowly.
She was asleep now.
The silence settled in, calm and heavy.
His body felt stronger. Warmer. Denser.
He hadn't seen a notification, but he could tell that eating the magical rabbit had rewarded him somehow
"Hmm. That meat must have carried exp points. Maybe not much, but enough," he thought. "I may not be able to see the numbers, but I can feel the growth."
"So it's clear now. I can level up by eating special creatures," Yuki mused, feeling the lingering warmth of power settling in his belly.
"Or, maybe… it's just a dragon thing."
He glanced toward the sleeping girl beside him. Her breathing was soft and steady, completely unaware of the changes happening beside her.
Yuki's gaze shifted toward the window, where pale moonlight filtered through. The forest outside was alive with distant rustles and strange howls.
'Now… time to find a few test subjects. I need to try out the System's abilities.'
His eyes gleamed faintly as he scanned the surroundings.
But almost immediately, his excitement simmered down.
'No. I can't go too far. Not yet. If I wander out recklessly, I'll get hunted by something stronger.'
He looked at his tiny claws and flexed them slowly.
'I may be a dragon, but right now… I'm still prey to many things.'
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, letting the mana within him circulate.
"Small steps. I need to start small. Observe. Experiment. Adapt."
Just as he was about to slip outside, Yuki's eyes landed on the little girl.
She lay curled beneath the thin blanket, her golden hair spilling across the pillow, her breathing soft and innocent.
For a moment, a dark thought flickered in his mind.
"She's powerful… not ordinary. What if I tested the Codex on her? Even a small skill could—"
He clenched his claws.
Then shook his head.
"No."
The very idea left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Biting the hand that feeds me… That's the lowest of the low. Ungrateful scum like that don't even deserve to breathe."
His gaze lingered on her a little longer.
It wasn't just morality. The conviction ran deeper. Twisted and sharpened by the scars of his past life.
Before he fell terminally ill, he used to be a decent singer. He had earned so generous amount of money as well. And he gave them all to his only family: his father.
That man took everything, and yet refused visit him in final days as if he didn't existed at all.
Sometimes he even wondered if that bastard was really his own biological father.
Not just him. His friends too.
After using him, they discarded him like trash.
"I won't become what I hate," he swore inwardly.
Yuki turned away from her sleeping form and made his way to the door. He pushed it open just a crack and slipped into the night.
Night had just fallen, casting a deep blue shade over the land. There was still some faint light left, and with his improved draconic vision, Yuki could make out shapes in the darkness. Though his sight wasn't perfect, it was far better than any human's.
Each step he took was cautious. The moist grass beneath his paws soaked into his scales. The feeling was strange, but he was beginning to adjust. He still tripped a few times, falling flat on his face, but he learned quickly. The instincts buried in his blood were slowly awakening.
Then came a sound.
Croak. Croak.
It echoed from a nearby pitfall, nearly dried from the summer heat. Yuki approached silently and peeked over the edge.
There it was. A squat, slimy creature crouched near the stagnant water. Its skin shimmered with a faint bluish tint.
As Yuki focused, information flashed before his eyes:
[ Water Toad – Level 3 ]
[ Extractions Available ]
"A level three water-type? That's not bad for my first test," Yuki muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing. "Alright. You'll be the first."
He crouched, and his muscles tensed.
Whoosh!
Then, with a sudden spring, he leapt forward, claws aimed directly at the toad.
Croak!
The toad's eyes snapped wide open. It jumped to the side with unexpected agility, splashing through the muddy water.
Yuki missed by inches, skidding across the dirt. His claws dug into the ground as he spun to face it again.
"You won't get away that easily!"
If he, a descendant of the mighty Ice Dragons, failed to take down a mere toad, he might as well dig a hole and bury himself.
"No way I'm letting this thing escape."
Yuki chased after it, his muscles coiling with every bound. His wings weren't strong enough for true flight yet, but flapping them gave his leaps extra force, allowing him to keep up. Each wingbeat carried him higher, farther, fast enough to close the gap.
But the toad had its own tricks.
Croack!
With a powerful croak, it launched itself again, this time using the shallow water like a springboard. Its watery affinity gave it surprising agility, and it stuck close to the puddles, bouncing from surface to surface with infuriating ease.
Still, Yuki had something it didn't.
His eyes narrowed, and a faint chill gathered in his throat.
[ Skill Activated: Frost Breath (F) ]
He opened his jaws mid-leap, releasing a stream of pale blue mist.