Finding a water source crucial for my survival was a great relief, and I welcomed it without hesitation. Now, my next priority was securing food.

  I roamed the vast forest, searching for edible pnts or mushrooms if they were avaible. If I couldn’t find any, I would have to rely on hunting creatures instead.

  “Hmm… all I see is grass. Are there no mushrooms here?” I mumbled to myself. “As far as I know, mushrooms grow in forests, yet I haven’t found a single one… That’s strange.”

  It didn’t make sense. Mushrooms typically thrive in forests due to the damp, shaded environment and the presence of decaying organic matter that provides them with nutrients.

  “Could it be that this world has different environmental conditions?” I muttered. “If it’s truly impossible to find mushrooms or edible pnts, then I’ll have to rely on hunting creatures instead.”

  Since my search for edible pnts had proven fruitless, I decided to take a different approach. I wasn’t too concerned for now, as hunger had yet to set in. Still, it was always wise to be prepared—having a food supply ready would be beneficial.

  With that in mind, I continued my exploration.

  ?

  Three hours passed.

  ?

  Despite spending hours searching through the forest, I had found nothing. No food, no creatures—it was as if I were cursed to wander endlessly without any success.

  “how strange.. i cant even sense any presence around me, are there no creatures here? no that's impossible”

  Finding my situation increasingly bizarre, I began to wonder if any creatures actually lived in this forest. The thought seemed absurd, yet my ck of success made me question it.

  Despite wandering for hours, I could still sense presences nearby. However, whenever I tried to approach them, they would disappear without a trace.

  I began to contempte the bizarre nature of my situation and soon came up with a simple idea—I just had to hide.

  Without hesitation, I executed my pn, slipping into a nearby bush and remaining still.

  Moments ter, I sensed movement. A shadowy silhouette slowly emerged, revealing itself.

  It was a deer-like creature, its body covered in vibrant red fur, with antlers resembling twisted branches growing from its head.

  "I see… Now you've shown yourself. So my presence must have been intimidating to most of the creatures here, huh?"

  With that, the puzzle was finally solved. The reason I hadn’t encountered any creatures was clear—they had been hiding from me or fleeing the moment they sensed my approach.

  To a weak creature, encountering a dragon is nothing short of terrifying. Their instincts drive them to flee reflexively, with no sense of direction—only the overwhelming urge to escape from a predator to survive. Even a newborn dragon like me is enough to send them into a panic.

  I may see myself as cute and majestic, but to other creatures, my presence is nothing but a threat to their life.

  Now that prey had appeared before me, the only thought in a predator’s mind was to hunt. As I shifted my body, the bush rustled slightly, and then—

  Whoosh!

  The creature instantly took off—not by running, but by soaring into the sky.

  I stared in shock and disbelief.

  “Eh…?”

  The red deer sprinted through the sky, its hooves glowing with a smoky, almost magical aura.

  "It’s… running through the sky? Wow."

  I stood there, dumbfounded. Its actions were completely absurd—who wouldn’t be shocked? This was the first time I had ever seen a deer capable of running mid-air. It reminded me of Santa’s reindeer from my world.

  It seemed this ability allowed the deer to maneuver through the sky as a means of escaping predators. In my previous world, deer were usually seen as prey, constantly hunted for food. But here, they had evolved in an entirely different way.

  "I could chase it since I can fly as well, but my flight skills are still untested. I have the knowledge, yet without practice, I can’t be sure of my abilities. For now, I should hold back—food is my priority."

  With that thought in mind, I hid once more, hoping to spot another potential prey.

  It didn’t take long before I sensed another presence—but this time, it wasn’t just one. Multiple creatures had arrived.

  The first was a massive, boulder-like beast, its body packed with thick, powerful muscles. Parts of its skin were covered in hardened rock-like ptes, and rge, curved tusks jutted from its mouth as it grazed on the grass.

  Beside it was a slightly smaller but simir-looking creature, also feeding, while several smaller ones followed closely at their sides.

  A wild boar family appeared—how lucky. Those two massive beasts would be more than enough to sustain me. As for the piglets, I could let them escape and grow, hoping they’d one day become just as rge as their parents.

  I sneered in my mind.

  From a human perspective, hunting an entire family seemed extreme. But that sentiment quickly faded when faced with the harsh reality of survival. In a battlefield like this, the w of the wild dictated survival of the fittest. No doubt, these creatures had also hunted and killed others to sustain themselves.

  No matter how I looked at it, my actions were justified. This wasn’t about cruelty—it was instinct, a necessity for survival. In this world, killing wasn’t a choice; it was a requirement. No one could survive where only the strong endured.