The wind was cold that morning.
Kai crouched on the edge of a moss-covered cliff, peering down at a shallow basin carved into the forest's heart. Mist coiled between the trees like ghostly vines, and the distant sounds of creatures rustling told him that life was stirring once more.
But none dared to climb this high.
Not after what happened last night.
Kai had marked the forest with a wave of primal aura—territory claimed, threat declared.
He flexed his claws, testing the tension in his muscles. The fight with the forest troll, the encounter with the memory fragment at the shrine, the ancient words still echoing in his bones—it all felt like the beginning of something bigger.
And today, it continued.
[Skill Evolved – Breath Line Shot → Flame Pierce Lv. 1][Skill Gained – Battle Memory Lv. 1 (Active)][Evolution Progress: 36% → 41%]
Kai's lips curled into a grin.
Progress.
Slow, but undeniable.
His wings unfolded behind him, catching the morning light. His scales shimmered faintly, almost like they were starting to reflect heat—was that a sign of another coming change?
He sniffed the air.
There it was again.
The faint scent of burning bark… and blood.
Kai launched from the cliff in a flash of movement, soaring silently toward the disturbance.
The scent led him to a small grove—once peaceful, now torn apart.
Charred ground. Fallen trees. Blood splattered over crushed underbrush.
And in the center, the body of a serpent-beast—coiled and still.
Not dead. Wounded.
Massively.
Kai landed near it and approached slowly.
Its emerald scales were cracked and blackened with fire. Its breathing was shallow, almost fading. One of its wings had been torn clean off.
But what made Kai stop wasn't the damage.
It was the mark on its chest.
Burned in deep… a single glowing glyph.
It wasn't natural.
It wasn't a monster's attack.
It was made.
"Someone did this to you…"
The serpent's eye twitched.
Kai leaned closer.
Its breath escaped like smoke. It was trying to say something.
He caught one whisper before the life faded from its body.
"…Hunter… from the south…"
Then it died.
Kai stared down at it, tail flicking with unease.
The southern lands. He hadn't gone far that way yet. The Tree of Life's core territories were mostly to the north and east, where monsters fought for dominance. But the south… the south was too quiet.
Now he knew why.
Someone was hunting monsters there.
And they were using strange magic.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't just some beast anymore.
And if they came too close…
He'd make sure they knew the difference.
Meanwhile…
Far to the south, past the reach of most monsters, stood a hidden fortress carved from black stone and obsidian.
Inside it, torches lined the walls in eerie silence.
A single cloaked figure knelt before a magical circle—his hand extended toward a floating crystal. Inside the crystal, faint images flickered. A serpentine corpse. A dragon-shaped shadow.
"Target seen again," he whispered. "Too fast to capture. Unknown species. Possibly… incomplete evolution."
Behind him, a robed elder stepped forward.
"A dragon?"
The kneeling man shook his head.
"No such thing exists. But this one… It's changing. It's not bound by beast-class evolution. It's something else."
"…Could it be the one the prophecy spoke of?"
The man turned slowly.
"It doesn't matter. We will find it. And when we do… it will kneel."
Back in the forest…
Kai didn't feel safe.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt like he wasn't just an apex predator.
He was prey.
"I need to evolve faster," he growled.
His claws sparked with frustration.
His only edge was his system—the mysterious evolution force granted by the Dragon God. But evolution wasn't something he could force. It had to be earned. Survived.
And so, he hunted.
That entire day, he moved through the shadows—defeating rock apes, firetoads, and even a stealth-fanged panther that nearly tore into his neck. Every battle earned him something.
[Skill Acquired – Blink Step Lv. 1][Skill Upgraded – Flame Pierce Lv. 1 → Lv. 2][Evolution Progress: 41% → 57%]
He barely paused to rest.
Only when night fell and the stars scattered above the trees like ancient sparks did he allow himself to sit beneath a crooked pine.
His body was bruised. Blood from other monsters clung to his scales. His left wing was sore.
But he was alive.
And stronger.
Then he heard it.
A tiny flutter. A faint whimper.
He turned his head slowly.
And there, by the base of a broken log, was a child.
A human child.
Dirty. Barefoot. Wrapped in torn cloth. Her arms clutched a small rabbit—half-dead, trembling.
She couldn't have been older than six.
She didn't scream when she saw him.
She stared.
Her eyes wide with wonder… and tears.
Kai stared back, frozen.
What was a human doing out here?
He lowered his head.
The child didn't move.
Then she stepped forward, holding out the injured rabbit.
"…P-please help."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Kai blinked.
Then instinct took over.
He bent low and let his claw hover over the rabbit. His flames didn't ignite this time—something gentler emerged from his palm.
A warm orange glow.
The wound on the rabbit began to close.
[Skill Acquired – Lesser Flame Healing Lv. 1]
The child gasped.
The rabbit twitched, blinked, then snuggled into her arms.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
Kai backed away slowly.
He didn't know what to say—what to do.
He wasn't supposed to be seen.
The Dragon God warned him not to get involved.
But something about that child's gaze…
It reminded him of something.
A memory from his human life he couldn't quite remember.
He turned and leapt into the sky, wings flaring.
The girl stared after him in silence.
Farther north…
At the hidden chamber within the Tree of Life, the Dragon God stirred.
His golden eyes opened, watching the forest through ancient mirrors of light.
He had seen everything.
From Kai's victories…
To the serpent's death…
To the moment he healed the rabbit.
He exhaled deeply, the branches of the Tree creaking with each breath.
"You're not ready yet, little one," he murmured.
"But fate never waits, does it?"