Caught Something Amazing! 1

Heh heh! I am pretty awesome!

Grinning smugly at the gallery flooded with posts about me, I savored the moment. Who knew getting all this attention felt so damn thrilling?

And just like that, after a triumphant debut on Daoyeongbang...

I figured it was time to check out reality. Closing the gallery for a bit, I scanned my surroundings.

The area was pitch-black, scorched and charred from that Hwajoyeom spell moments ago.

Then—

Sniff! Sniff sniff!

I froze at an unexpected scent, sniffing harder.

Kkyu?'Wait, what's that delicious smell...?'

I'd expected only the stench of ash, but mixed in was something surprisingly tasty. Shocking.

Come to think of it, when I unleashed the spell, it hadn't just torched the forest and branches.

It included my original targets too—those ferocious wild beasts!

'Hold up. That means... they all got roasted into tasty barbecue?'

Yeah. No matter how tough the beasts, none escaped a badass spell summoning a living flame bird.

Which meant the area was littered with delicious charcoal-grilled meat right now.

Perfect timing—I'd just hatched and needed food. Couldn't have timed it better.

Kkyuhuhu!'Heh heh heh! Was getting hungry anyway—jackpot!'

I waddled quickly toward the smell, devouring the meat in huge gulps.

Gulp—nom!

My baby hatchling looks were cute, but my appetite? Not so much.

Especially fresh out the egg—my hunger was insatiable.

Even with plenty of beast carcasses scattered around...

I polished off every last grilled hunk in no time.

Ughhh—!'Whew, stuffed. Haven't eaten this hearty in ages.'

My already chubby belly now ballooned out, making walking a chore.

No real threats around anyway, so I decided to digest and nap right there in the grass.

Just as I flopped down for a rest—

Kkyu?'Whoa, what? Outta nowhere?'

A warm energy circulated through me, tiny changes rippling everywhere.

Slowly, visibly—my body was growing!

Kkyu!'Tougher skin... bigger wings? Stronger teeth!'

Definitely. The grass crushed beneath me showed it—I was noticeably larger.

Now I could hold my own against small wild beasts.

Just from eating my fill, such obvious growth! Yep, total genius here.

'More yeonggi means more growth... Explains why a few tasted extra good!'

Those were probably yoju with more yeonggi than the rest.

Obvious, really. Stronger yoju have more yeonggi.

To get strong, fight stronger yoju. Inevitable.

Hey, born a yoju—no helping it.

Unlike humans with passed-down cultivation systems, yoju basically wing it.

But yoju have tougher, stronger bodies than equivalent humans as a perk.

Not better or worse—just different pros and cons.

Anyway, I inherited the pinnacle dragon bloodline among yoju.

So from here, just keep hunting, bulking up. Safety first.

Yeonggi, techniques? Do 'em after I'm big enough.

Kkyu!'Alright! Let's go!'

Once digested, the hungry baby predator prowled the forest for more prey.

*

A few days passed.

I roamed Hwallangnim, hunting nonstop for growth.

Dragon body lived up to the hype.

Sure, still a fragile hatchling, far from true dragon...

But a dragon's a dragon. No same-size beast could overpower me, and my hide? Tooth- and claw-proof.

Hunting was a breeze.

Kyauung—!

Started with easy lizards, field mice, rabbits...

Once I had the hang of it, pigs, cows—even proper yoju with yeonggi, stepping into cultivation.

Astonishing growth speed.

Kyaooo—!

Another successful hunt. I roared in victory, prey pinned underfoot.

This one: massive snake with unique black droplet stripes.

Kkyuu!'Heh heh, now I can take down big boys bigger than me!'

It thrashed wildly, nape gripped in my claws—easily twice my size, absurdly long.

And the most yeonggi of any yoju I'd hunted. Biggest catch yet.

'This is gallery-brag worthy, right?'

Looked special at a glance, and I was proud. Plus, hadn't posted in days—perfect survival update.

Snapped a pic quick, uploaded.

The comments exploded again—but not quite how I'd expected.