I was fortunate to discover a source of rock salt. If I ever ran out, I could simply return and collect more.

  Determined to stock up, I transported as much rock salt as I could, flying back and forth until I decided I had gathered enough.

  Fortunately, the only living creature in that cave was a single ant. However, when it had the audacity to spit on me, I deemed it unforgivable and swiftly eliminated it.

  "Now, I just need to sprinkle my food supply with salt so it sts longer before spoiling," I reassured myself.

  Before having the means to preserve food, I had to cook and eat everything immediately to prevent it from rotting. But now that I had the resources to make it st, that concern was no longer an issue.

  "First, I need to grind it into powder," I confirmed.

  Picking up a piece of rock salt, I effortlessly crushed it in my hand. It was so brittle that it crumbled into fine powder with just a gentle touch.

  Then, an issue arose.

  "I can't scoop it up with these hands!" I excimed.

  My small dragon hands weren’t designed to hold the powdered salt. Their structure was different from what I was once used to—back when I could easily grasp and sprinkle the dust without trouble.

  "Hmm… I guess I'll just roll it around instead, huh?" An idea came to mind.

  Since sprinkling was impossible, I decided to roll the meat over the powdered salt instead.

  "But first, I need to butcher them into chunks," I concluded.

  Without hesitation, I put my pn into action. First, I crushed the rock salt into fine powder, which I had already done earlier. Then, I had to process my food supply into chunks using my sharp, bded cws.

  Slice, slice…

  Chop, chop…

  I sliced open my game, removing the innards while meticulously cutting and chopping. The blood had long since dried, as the bodies had been stacked for days. The entire process went smoothly, executed with precision.

  Now, a collection of chopped meat and organs y in full dispy within my dwelling.

  When I first attempted this, I felt momentarily nauseous. But over time, those feelings faded. Eventually, I became so accustomed to it that it no longer fazed me. As they say, the first time doing something like this feels awkward—until you get used to it.

  "Hmm… good," I murmured, admiring my work.

  Seeing the neatly butchered pieces of meat, I felt quite satisfied with the results.

  One by one, I picked up the chunks and rolled them in the powdered salt I had prepared. The fine salt clung to the surface of the meat with ease.

  Once I finished, I pced the salted meat in a separate area, away from where I usually stored my food supply. I decided that the unprocessed meat would remain in its usual spot, while the preserved ones would be stored elsewhere.

  "Hmm… now I’m really starting to crave a bite."

  Rumble

  As if on cue, my stomach growled in agreement with my thoughts.

  "Ohh… I guess it can't be helped, huh? I'm too hungry to resist finding out the difference in taste," I muttered matter-of-factly, drooling in anticipation.

  Then, a thought popped into my head like a light bulb switching on.

  "Ah… that's right! There's something I made before!"

  First, I gathered firewood to start a campfire. Once the fire was lit, I arranged the stones I had crafted as supports around the fmes. Then, I pced a rectangur board atop the rocks as a makeshift cooking surface.

  Yes, I had made cooking utensils out of stone.

  The idea had come to me out of frustration—while cooking with my cwed hands, I had accidentally dropped the meat on the ground. My razor-sharp cws had sliced through it too easily, making handling food difficult. Since I had an abundance of resources at my disposal, I decided to craft proper cooking tools, taking advantage of my cws' ability to cut through almost anything.

  With the preparations complete, I pced the chunks of salted meat and innards onto the cooking surface.

  Twitch, twitch.

  As the meat sizzled over the fire, a powerful aroma filled the air—far stronger than the scent of any cooked meat I had made before.

  I wasn’t sure what caused this intense, mouthwatering fragrance, but simply adding salt to the meat and grilling it had unleashed an enticing aroma.

  Just the smell alone was enough to tempt me into devouring the meal right away.

  I turned each piece of meat one after another, ensuring that every side was evenly cooked.

  The heat didn’t bother me at all. As a descendant of the red dragon lineage, I possessed a natural affinity for fire and heat—fmes could neither harm nor affect me.

  Time passed, and soon, the meat was cooked to perfection. Satisfied with the result, I picked up a piece and brought it to my mouth.

  Munch, munch…

  “Mhmm…” A pleased hum escaped my lips.

  A rich, salty fvor spread across my tongue, sending my taste buds into overdrive. The taste was so satisfying that my mouth instinctively produced incoherent sounds of delight. Before I even realized it, I had already devoured the piece, leaving me feeling utterly content.

  "Delicious…" I muttered with deep emotion.

  Just imagining eating food without seasoning for two whole months was unbearable. Yet, thanks to my dragon physique, I had endured it. But now, as I savored the long-missed taste of salted food, my emotions surged beyond my control, overwhelmed by pure satisfaction.

  After finishing my meal, I decided to take a deep sleep, feeling satisfied not only from the food but also from today’s bountiful fortune, for which I was truly grateful. With that comforting thought, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber, happily embracing the world of dreams.