My battle with the two adult monster boars was fierce, pushing me to the edge of danger.

  Yet, in the end, I triumphed.

  Now, I stand at the entrance of my dwelling, having dragged their massive bodies here. Naturally, I took some time to rest before bringing them back. They are my food source, and leaving them unattended isn’t an option—who knows what other creatures might try to snatch my hard-earned kill?

  It’s only natural to protect one’s food from scavengers.

  Dragging them into my cave is no easy task, but I use the slope as leverage. The effort is considerable, yet I manage to push through. Every movement sends pain coursing through my body as my wounds throb with each exertion.

  After securing them in my dwelling, I realized my body desperately needed rest. I was utterly drained—both physically and mentally. Even my magical power was nearly depleted after relentlessly using my dragon’s breath.

  >

  three days passed

  >

  Waking up refreshed after the battle that had completely drained my energy, I felt surprisingly good. My injuries had healed, my bones were restored, and even my once-broken wings had miraculously mended.

  “Ughh…” I stretched my entire body, preparing to start a new day.

  "I'm hungry," I muttered, as if on cue—

  Rumble!

  My stomach growled, a stark reminder of my hunger. Having slept for three whole days to recover from my injuries without eating, it was only natural to feel famished.

  However, my restored magical power had also been depleted in the process, having been used to heal my wounds.

  Turning toward where I had left my food, I sliced off a piece of the monster boar’s meat. I considered taking a bite but hesitated.

  “Eating like this feels uncivilized,” I murmured.

  The thought of consuming raw meat like a beast unsettled me. Most creatures wouldn’t think twice about it, but having come from a civilized society, the idea left a bad taste in my mind.

  I decided to head outside and gather some wood to use as fuel for a campfire. I also collected dried leaves to help ignite the fmes.

  Once everything was prepared, I picked up a dried leaf and carefully breathed out a small fme, controlling the heat to avoid incinerating it completely. As the fire caught, I tossed the burning leaf onto a pile of other dried leaves, allowing the fmes to spread before adding the chunks of wood I had gathered.

  With the fire now burning, I took the chunk of meat and brought it close to the fmes. Since I had no seasonings at the moment, I wasn't sure how it would taste, but that wasn’t a concern for now. Whether seasoned or not, as long as the meat was cooked, it was good enough for me.

  After a while, the aroma of roasting meat drifted into my nose.

  “Mhm… this should do for now,” I murmured.

  I took a bite of the cooked meat.

  “Hmm… too bnd. Maybe I should search for some rock salt as seasoning? But for now, filling my stomach comes first.”

  The meal cked fvor, and as someone from a civilized society, eating unseasoned food felt unsatisfying. Still, I had no choice at the moment. I had thought that, given my dragon physique, my sense of taste might be different—but I was wrong.

  If I were a dragon driven purely by instinct or blessed with naturally strong taste buds, I might have enjoyed the rich, smoky fvor of cooked meat even without seasoning.

  Before I even realized it, I had already devoured all the cooked meat in my hands—yet my hunger remained unsatisfied.

  "The meat I cooked still isn't enough? Even with my small body?" I gasped in astonishment.

  But rather than dwell on it, I decided to eat as much as I wanted—after all, in a situation like this, a celebration wasn’t just indulgence, it was necessary for my survival.

  "Doesn't matter... for now, celebrating my great victory is a must."

  Yet, as I ate, a pang of loneliness crept in. Celebrations were meant to be shared—with family, with friends. But here, in this unfamiliar world, I had no one. My thoughts drifted to the past, to the faces of my family, my friends, and Cherrie.

  If the chance to return ever presented itself, I wouldn’t hesitate to take it. But reality is often cruel. While I still held on to who I was, I could feel another version of me slowly taking shape, adapting, changing. Without even realizing it, I had already begun accepting my new existence.

  A deep unease gnawed at me—the fear that one day, I might completely lose myself and fully embrace being a dragon. But for now, I was still me, and that was something to be grateful for.

  Just like during my battle with the two monster boars, my dragon instincts had taken over without me realizing it. Now, after reflecting on everything, I understood—I was changing, adapting to this new reality.

  After some thought, I chose to focus on satisfying my hunger rather than dwelling on my unsettled emotions. I cut more chunks of meat and cooked them.

  And if you're wondering where all that food went—it was converted into magic, restoring the power I had expended during my healing process.

  "I see… my magical power is returning," I murmured in awe.

  With my attention now fully on cooking and replenishing my strength, it felt like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I indulged in this solitary celebration, letting everything else fade away. I ate until my mind fixated solely on the food before me, and once my stomach was filled to the brim, I drifted into a dreamlike slumber.