[A.N: Will do a mass release of 3 chapters in the next week. Thanks for the support till now and Enjoy reading!!]

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"ROARR"

My deep voice thundered as I let out a big victory roar after my blood battle with the mantis.

After my fierce battle with the Giant Mantis, my whole body screamed in pain. My muscles were sore and I had numerous cuts all over my body. I was covered in blood and was completely dyed red.  Fatigue was slowly catching up to me and the rush of adrenaline is gone.

I was too tired and just wanted to lay down and never wake up. However, I couldn't let my guard down presently because of my battle with the Giant Mantis. I shook my dragon head and vigilantly looked around to spot any threats after my loud battle. 

It was certain that after this battle, there were bound to be some animals or monsters attracted by the loud sounds of my fight. However, after some time...I found nothing. No monsters, no animals, nothing.

"Strange" I muttered, however, all that came from my mouth was a deep growl.

Even if I didn't find any dangers, I did not let my guard down in the slightest, I slowly dragged the body of the Giant Praying Mantis inside the cave and kept it in one corner of the cave. My whole body was worn out and I needed to catch my breath. 

The cave inside was very spacious. It was very long and hollow. Almost 10 dragons of my size could easily fit inside this huge cave, so I had no problems with the "lack of space".

The insides of the cave were very dark with almost no light. However, after becoming a dragon, I had no trouble seeing in the dark. It's like my vision was enhanced and much stronger and sharper than before. 

As a former human, my eyesight back then was quite good. It was one of the things I had pride in, but presently, my dragon vision was so sharp and enhanced that I could see things at a very far away distance. It was like seeing the world anew.

The interiors of the cave were stable and smooth with almost little to no rough edges. It was a little dusty and cold, however without a doubt, currently this was the most suitable living place for me.

In some corners of the cave, there were bones of different creatures rotting away. This must be the work of the Giant Mantis. I went away from the pile of bones but not before mentally taking a note to clean these bones in the future. After all, I'm sure no one likes rotten and eaten bones lying inside their house.

I went and placed myself in one corner, far back in the cave. As I sat down, dust clouds rose from my weight. I covered my body with my wings and wrapped my tail around my body. I laid my head down on the smooth cold and hard stone floor of the cave as my thoughts began to wander.

'Holy shitt!! What was I thinking earlier to jump so readily into battle with an unknown monster? What if I had been gravely injured...or worst, what if I died?!...'

Back when I first sensed the monster, I was very excited to face a strong monster. But now that I think back, what if the monster I was so excited about fighting, outclassed me and exceeded my expectations?! After all, I do not know much of this world or its inhabitants, I should be on my guard at all times and be careful to not die. Who knows what kind of other monsters this world has to offer?!

Although somehow I won this battle, I shouldn't let this go to my head and become cocky. I have been a dragon for only a couple of hours at most. Getting cocky without any real power and experience would only get me killed in this harsh environment. 

Hypothetically, think of it this way...a newborn lion who just reached adulthood goes out to hunt for the first time. Suppose the lion after finding no suitable prey, targets a pack of hyenas. The newborn lion may be superior to the hyenas in terms of power and speed, however, it can't beat the experienced and coordinated attacks of the hyenas who have been hunting for years. No matter how strong, the newborn adult lion would have very little chance of winning if he doesn't have enough combat experience.

Although it's not like the lion can't win, it's more like it has a smaller chance of winning than the chance it would have if the lion had experience.

I'm sure this mantis didn't have any combat experience and only fought on instinct. Maybe there are no preys around here that could have fought on even terms with the mantis, so it never had to fight before. If it had some sort of experience, no matter my power... I'm sure I wouldn't be a match for it and in an extreme situation, I would have been killed instead. I have to quickly gather experience and become powerful enough to protect myself. For that, I don't plan to get killed anytime soon.

Although I was forcefully trying to think these types of thoughts about me being careful, I still can't promise myself that in the future, I would not head into another dangerous fight readily.

I was sure that even if one more strong monster comes in front of me, even in my current tattered state, I would still be excited to fight it.

Looks like my Dragon Body is affecting my thoughts. Although it's not bad, however, I gotta learn to control myself to not just jump into a fight. There may be crucial moments, where I would have to learn to control myself. I let out a deep sigh and shook my snout.

Heh, just look at this. I, an average teenage boy who lived in a peaceful country on Earth until recently, am thinking of how not to die and survive. Feels like I have suddenly become Bear Grylls trying to survive in this forest full of dangerous animals and whatnot. 

I did not want to die in the hands of a strange monster in this foreign world, and for that, I would become powerful enough that none of the creatures here on this planet would be a match for me. 

Although the dream of 'none of the creatures to be a match for me' is still a long way off, it is still better to have a temporary goal at the least. 

Dying is not a pleasant memory. I would do whatever I can to avoid death. Subconsciously, I thought of my time in the black space where I died screaming my heart out and shedding blood tears. I shuddered at the mere thought of my time there. 

[A.N : Reference - Chapter 0 Prologue]

I closed my eyes and relaxed for a few minutes in the darkness of the cave. After some time, I felt the fatigue slowly fade away and the cuts also stopped bleeding. Although my condition was not 'best', it was much better than my previous state.

After sleeping for God knows how long, I slowly got up. I stretched my limbs and neck. Then I proceeded to stretch my wings and give some strong flaps. My wings were strong, and dust flew by the wing generated by my wings.

If I have wings, I should be able to fly...right?? I promised myself to learn how to fly later on. But presently...

"Grumble Grumble" my stomach started to growl. I was hungry again. As far as I can remember, after eating the eggshell, I did not have any other type of food.

My hunger was so intense that, I was not at all in the mood to go out into the forest and hunt. Leaving no choice, I went back inside the cave and started chomping down on the mantis's headless body. 

Although the taste was not good, it was also not bad. The meat was kinda bland and had a little tinge of sweetness in it.

I swallowed my first meal in this world, which was a...Giant Mantis. 

After eating even the scraps of the mantis, my hunger died down a little. I slowly got up and decided to explore my surrounding forest. Thus, I went on my first little exploration in this foreign world.

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Next Chapter: [ Long Lost Companion?!]