Arthur stood there, quietly watching the six newborns. Their combined chirping practically blasted his eardrums.
All of a sudden, a small fireball landed right at his feet.
Poof!
It fizzled upon impact, dissolving into a wisp of white smoke. The next moment, five more little fireballs followed, popping one after another around him. Arthur, whose body was now roughly the size of a fully grown wolf, found himself momentarily shrouded in light smoke.
His pupils went razor-thin as he whipped his gaze toward the nest.
Sure enough, those six hatchlings—whose downy fluff hadn't even dried yet—were spitting bursts of flame everywhere. The fire looked small, but if it landed on dried leaves on the ground, it might've sparked a forest blaze.
Still, something about it made Arthur frown. It seemed intentional, like these baby birds actually wanted to burn everything in sight. He took two more tiny fireballs to his side before deciding enough was enough. Planting all four limbs, he lunged forward, flicking out his tongue. In two quick strikes, all six hatchlings were devoured.
He'd recently finished digesting a meal, yet the hatchlings gave him an extra 50 points of satiety. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Because of his enhanced digestion, those 50 points dropped like crazy before hitting zero again.
Right then, Arthur felt an unexpected heat surging in his throat. Instinctively, he opened his mouth—and a small fireball shot out, splashing over the nest in front of him.
Fwoom!
In the blink of an eye, the nest blazed with crimson flames, disintegrating into ashes that fluttered to the ground. Oddly enough, the fire stayed contained—burning everything inside to charcoal, then vanishing without leaving so much as a scorch mark on the surrounding branches.
Arthur gaped at the scene, stunned, before pulling up his status window. Sure enough, he'd gained a new skill: "Dragon Flame (F)."
"F-grade? And it's called Dragon Flame?" he muttered. "How does that even make sense? 'Dragon' sounds so badass, yet it's only F-tier?"
He chalked it up to the hatchlings' tiny size. At least he'd met his goal. Even if it was just a baby version of some real dragon fire, it could still come in handy for hunting—and for cooking.
He leaped down from the tree into the grass, slinking around in search of new prey. With his bigger body nowadays, he didn't sweat the smaller threats, but he still had to watch out for predators a notch larger than him—like leopards.
A rustle in the treetops gave a split-second warning. Without a sound, a giant shape dropped toward him, jaws wide for a lethal crunch on the back of Arthur's neck.
But Arthur was already on high alert. The instant the creature sprang, he darted forward and spun around, spewing a bright-red fireball straight into its path.
The leopard—nearly half again Arthur's size—suddenly found its face engulfed by scorching flames.
Whoosh!
Its fur caught fire in a heartbeat, flames spreading at an alarming speed. Within two seconds, it was practically a fireball itself, yowling and rolling frantically on the ground.
Being bigger than Arthur, it had enough bulk to smother most of the flames after a few thrashes. Before long, it stood back up, patches of its once sleek fur now charred and hideous.
Arthur seized that moment, gliding in close and latching his jaws onto the leopard's neck. His teeth weren't super sharp, but once he clamped down, he refused to let go.
Caught off guard, the leopard jerked its head, trying to fling Arthur off. Arthur wrapped himself across the big cat's back, gripping tight with all four limbs and biting down harder. When fresh blood gushed into Arthur's mouth, he felt his satiety ticking upward.
The more the leopard struggled, the more blood it lost. By the time it went limp, barely breathing, Arthur still held on. Only after its heart finally stilled did he release his grip.
Exhaling, he tore off a hunk of flesh and jumped aside. Opening his jaws, he breathed a small blast of Dragon Flame.
Fire swirled around the meat, filling the air with an incredible aroma. Arthur realized he could sense and control the flame's intensity even once it left his body. With just a subtle mental nudge, he could adjust the size and timing of the flames.
Within five minutes, he had a perfectly medium-cooked piece of leopard steak. Arthur took a huge bite, marveling at the flavor. Cooked meat just had that extra something raw flesh lacked. More importantly, he noticed it gave him even more satiety than the same amount of raw meat.
After scarfing it down, he eyed the leopard's half-intact carcass, practically drooling at all those precious evolution points.
An hour later, Arthur eyed the half-eaten remains. He gave a satisfied belch and started the digestion process right away. Thanks to his special physiology, he burned through meals at lightning pace. In barely five minutes, his satiety fell back to zero.
A faint golden glow rippled across his skin, and once again, he visibly grew larger.
Checking his stats:
[Mutant Gecko · SSS]
[Strength: 97]
[Agility: 33]
[Defense: 24]
[Evolution Points: 56/100]
[Status: Hungry (0/100)]
[Description: You remain extremely weak, and 70% of this forest's creatures can still kill you easily.]
Arthur glanced over his attributes and gave a satisfied nod. He'd climbed past another 30% of forest life forms, no longer stuck at the bottom of the food chain.
He was also amazed how cooking his prey boosted his evolution results. Before, 100/100 satiety usually translated to a maximum of +10 evolution points; this time, he'd scored +12. A 20% gain might not seem like much, but as he grew stronger, those numbers would start adding up in a big way.
Eyes gleaming, Arthur focused on the other half of the leopard's body. Without missing a beat, he set to work roasting it as well. This time, playing with fire felt even smoother—he could tell his Dragon Flame was getting stronger the more he used it.
"Could it be that practicing helps me level up the skill?" he mused.
If so, every bit of cooking was like a training session.
Another hour later, Arthur—now roughly as big as a grown leopard—bounded up a tree, deftly weaving from trunk to trunk.
He was on his way to another part of the forest, one known for its herds of large herbivores. That meant more targets…and more power.