I needed to get out of here.

  The thought circled my mind as I tested my new limbs, claws scraping against stone. This cavern stretched endlessly in every direction tunnels branching into darkness, stalactites hanging like teeth above me. If I could just find an exit, find people who could help me understand what happened

  A hiss cut through the silence.

  I froze.

  From the shadows ahead, something moved. Scales scraped against rock. Yellow eyes emerged from the darkness, slitted and cold, locking onto me with predatory focus.

  A reptilian head followed. Lean. Muscular. Humanoid but twisted walking upright on bent legs, clawed hands flexing at its sides. Though it was not huge in size.

  My heart hammered against my ribs.

  A translucent screen flickered into existence before my eyes:

  [SPECIES IDENTIFIED: LIZARDMAN INFANT]

  *What is this? Why is this appearing now?*

  But there was no time to think about it.

  The creature's lips curled back, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Its forked tongue tasted the air.

  And then it *moved.*

  *Run.*

  The instinct hit me like a physical blow. My body obeyed before my mind could catch up.

  I bolted.

  ---

  My legs tangled beneath me immediately.

  I crashed into the ground, claws scraping uselessly against stone. My tail—*I have a tail now*—threw off my balance completely. I scrambled back to my feet, stumbling forward in awkward, lurching strides.

  *Come on, come on, MOVE—*

  Behind me, the lizardman's footsteps echoed. Rapid. Rhythmic. Getting closer.

  The cavern floor was littered with bones and rotting corpses—remains of monsters left to decay in the dark. I darted between them, using rock formations as cover, but my movements were clumsy. Unpracticed.

  *I just hatched. I don't even know how to run in this body!*

  A narrow crevice appeared ahead—barely wide enough for my frame.

  *There!*

  I dove for it—

  *SLASH.*

  White-hot pain exploded across my shoulder.

  I screamed a raw, guttural sound that didn't sound human at all.

  The lizardman's claws had caught me, tearing through scales and drawing blood. It dripped down my arm, hot and sticky, pooling on the stone below.

  *It hurts, it hurts so much—*

  I twisted away, adrenaline flooding my system. The crevice was too far now. I wasn't going to make it.

  The lizardman closed the distance in seconds, moving with the practiced ease of a predator.

  Its maw opened wide. Venom dripped from needle-like fangs, hissing as droplets hit the ground. Where they landed, the stone sizzled and melted, smoke rising from the corroded surface.

  *If that touches me, I'm dead.*

  It lunged.

  I threw myself sideways—

  *CRUNCH.*

  The lizardman's jaws snapped shut on empty air, clamping down on the rock where I'd been standing. Venom sprayed across the stone, eating through it like acid.

  I scrambled backward, gasping—

  And my claws slipped on something wet.

  I crashed into a pile of corpses.

  Old bones snapped beneath my weight. Rotting flesh squished under my limbs. The smell hit me like a fist to the face—decay, putrefaction, old blood. My stomach heaved. I gagged, bile rising in my throat.

  *No, no, no—get up, GET UP—*

  The lizardman stalked toward me, yellow eyes gleaming.

  But then... it slowed.

  Its head turned left, then right. Nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Its gaze swept past me—not *at* me, but *past* me—like it couldn't quite find where I was.

  I held my breath.

  The creature took a step forward. Then another. Its movements became uncertain. Confused.

  It was looking *for* me.

  Even though I was right here.

  My gaze dropped to my own body. I was covered in the corpse pile—rotten flesh clinging to my scales, old blood soaking into my hide. The stench was overwhelming.

  And the lizardman... couldn't *see* me.

  *Its eyesight. It's terrible.*

  Realization struck.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I'd been making noise the whole time—running, stumbling, breathing hard. And the blood from my wound had been leaving a trail.

  *It's been tracking me by sound and smell this entire time.*

  The lizardman hissed in frustration, still searching.

  I didn't move. Didn't breathe.

  And slowly—very slowly—a thought crept into my mind.

  *I have an advantage now.*

  *I could run.*

  *Or...*

  My claws flexed instinctively. The hunger in my chest pulsed, warm and insistent.

  *I could fight back.*

  ---

  The smart thing would be to run.

  Find another tunnel. Hide. Wait for it to leave.

  But something inside me—something, something *new*—whispered a different answer.

  *Kill it*

  The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

  Not because it was foreign.

  Because it felt *right.*

  I looked around. The corpse pile was scattered with bones—some still sharp, jagged where they'd broken.

  My gaze landed on a long, curved rib. Almost like a blade.

  The lizardman prowled closer, sniffing the air, still confused.

  *Now or never.*

  I grabbed the bone.

  The sound made the lizardman's head snap toward me.

  Too late.

  I charged.

  ---

  We collided in a tangle of limbs and claws.

  The lizardman was bit bigger than me but still, But I was *desperate.*

  I twisted mid-collision, using its own momentum against it, and vaulted onto its back. My claws dug into the gaps between its scales, finding purchase.

  It shrieked—high-pitched and furious—and thrashed beneath me.

  *Hold on. Don't let go. If you fall, you're dead.*

  The lizardman slammed itself against the cavern wall, trying to shake me off. Pain exploded through my side as my ribs crunched against stone.

  But I didn't let go.

  I raised the bone shard high and drove it down into the side of its head, aiming for where I thought its ear canal would be.

  *SCREECH.*

  The creature bucked violently. Its claws raked the ground. Its tail whipped around, catching me across the face.

  Blood filled my mouth—my own this time.

  It twisted, jaws snapping inches from my throat. Venom sprayed from its fangs, splattering across my arm.

  The pain was *instant.* Searing. Like fire eating through my scales.

  [WARNING: VENOM DETECTED]

  The words flashed before my eyes, but I barely registered them.

  *It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Kill it. KILL IT.*

  I yanked the bone shard free and stabbed again. And again. Blood sprayed across my face, hot and metallic.

  The lizardman's movements became frantic. Desperate.

  And then something inside me *shifted.*

  The hunger—the same hunger that had driven me to devour that egg—roared to life.

  *Louder. Stronger. Undeniable.*

  My jaws opened wide.

  And I bit down.

  ---

  *CRUNCH.*

  Flesh tore. Blood flooded my mouth—bitter, foul, *wrong.*

  But I didn't stop.

  My teeth sank deeper, tearing through muscle and sinew. The lizardman thrashed beneath me, its screams turning wet and gurgling.

  I shook my head like an animal, ripping, tearing, until I felt something give way.

  Its throat collapsed.

  The struggles weakened.

  Stopped.

  It went limp beneath me.

  For a moment, I just sat there, panting. Blood dripping from my maw. My whole body trembling—not from fear, but from something else.

  *Adrenaline. Victory.*

  *I won.*

  *I'm alive.*

  And then the hunger surged again.

  *Devour.*

  My claws dug into the corpse. My jaws opened wide.

  And I *ate.*

  ---

  The meat was tough. Stringy. Disgusting.

  But with every bite, warmth flooded my veins. Strength coursed through my limbs. The burning pain from the venom faded, replaced by a tingling sensation that spread through my arm.

  Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice screamed that this was *wrong.* That I was human. That humans didn't do this.

  But that voice was distant now.

  Fading.

  Because this didn't feel wrong.

  It felt like *power.*

  ═══════════════════════════

  [UNIQUE SKILL ACTIVATED: DEVOUR]

  ═══════════════════════════

  You have consumed a predator.

  Traits absorbed. Body adapting.

  Gained ability - LIZARDMEN VENOM

  Venom in body has also been neutralize

  ═══════════════════════════

  The words burned into my vision.

  And I felt it—my body *changing.*

  A faint, acidic taste formed at the back of my throat. My senses sharpened—I could smell things I hadn't noticed before, hear the faint drip of water echoing through distant tunnels.

  The venom burn in my arm however venom in effect were reduced drastically.

  I flexed my claws. Felt the new strength coiling in my muscles.

  *I killed it.*

  *I ate it.*

  *And I felt I got stronger.*

  A laugh bubbled up from my chest. Breathless. Almost hysterical.

  I'd survived.

  For a moment, I just sat there in the dark, covered in blood—some mine, some the lizardman's—trying to process what had just happened.

  And that's when I felt it.

  *Eyes.*

  Watching me.

  I looked up.

  Two shapes circled overhead, silhouettes against the faint light filtering from cracks far above. Winged creature.

  They'd been watching the entire fight.

  And now they were deciding whether I was prey... or a threat.

  One of them shrieked.

  My lips curled back, baring bloodied fangs.

  The hunger hadn't been satisfied.

  It had only just begun.

  "Come on," I whispered, my voice rough and guttural. "Let's see what happens."

  One of the creatures folded its wings.

  And dove.

  Again system appeared

  [SPECIES IDENTIFIED: Skynel].