Four days passed in the blink of an eye.
For the Moonfang Pack...
Nothing had changed.
They hunted deer and wild boars in the dense thickets of the forest.
They protected their territory from roaming predators that dared to cross their borders.
They looked after their pups, teaching them how to track scents in the wind.
But for one tiny Dragonute...
Everything changed.
Thanks to the rich nutrients within the Moonfang milk and the constant, rapid adaptation of his unique body...
Kaizen's growth was nothing short of miraculous.
He was no longer a helpless newborn wrapped in a cloth.
His tiny legs had become strong enough to support his weight. Small, crimson scales had begun to harden along his forearms, and a tiny tail now balanced him as he moved.
Today...
He stood on his own for the first time, pressing his bare feet against the cool earth of the den.
"I did it."
The moment those words left his mouth...
He froze.
"I..."
"I CAN TALK!"
Outside the den, Rira's ears twitched at the sudden noise.
She quickly rushed inside, expecting to see a threat.
The little Dragonute was standing in the middle of the grass bed, swaying from side to side as he tried to keep his balance with his arms outstretched.
Rira's eyes widened, reflecting pure astonishment.
"You... spoke."
Kaizen looked at her and smiled proudly, showing off tiny, sharp teeth.
"Good morning, Mom."
Silence.
For several seconds...
Rira simply stared at him, her tail frozen mid-sway.
Then she gently wrapped her fluffy tail around him, pulling him close.
"I've only been raising you for four days..."
"and you're already talking. Human children take years to do this."
Kaizen scratched his cheek awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Well..."
"I'm a fast learner. Good genetics, I guess."
Rira laughed softly, a rumbling sound in her chest.
"No."
"You're a strange child."
At that moment, the enormous Alpha walked into the den, blocking the sunlight.
"So..."
"The brat can finally stop crying all the time. My ears are thankful."
Kaizen crossed his tiny arms, puffing out his chest.
"I wasn't crying."
"I was communicating."
The Alpha snorted, a puff of air blowing Kaizen's hair back.
"It sounded like crying. Very loud, annoying crying."
Kaizen pouted, wishing he was taller.
"It was sophisticated communication. You just lacked the translation matrix."
Several wolf pups rolled around the den, barking happily at the strange sounds Kaizen was making.
The Alpha simply shook his head, looking up at the cave ceiling.
"Definitely an ungrateful brat."
The entire den burst into laughter, a warm sound that made Kaizen feel right at home.
Later that afternoon...
Kaizen sat beneath a large, ancient oak tree surrounded by curious wolf pups who were sniffing his horns.
The Soul Record quietly informed him in his mind.
Growth rate stable.
Current physical development equivalent to a two-year-old human child.
Adaptation proceeding normally.
Kaizen nodded, processing the data.
"So that's why I grew this quickly. My body is literally speeding through the vulnerable stages."
He looked around the sprawling green valley.
The Moonfangs had a highly organized way of living.
Some wolves hunted in synchronized packs.
Some protected the borders, standing guard on high ridges.
Others looked after the young in the safety of the dens.
It wasn't random.
It was a structured society.
After watching the guards rotate for a while, Kaizen raised his hand.
"Alpha."
The Alpha, who was resting on a sun-baked rock, looked over.
"What is it, little one?"
"I think your patrols are too predictable."
The Alpha blinked, his yellow eyes narrowing slightly.
"Explain."
Kaizen pointed his small finger toward the eastern edge of the forest.
"Every patrol follows almost the exact same route. They walk past that broken tree, then the riverbed, then back here."
"If an enemy watches you for a few days..."
"They'll know exactly where your blind spots are. They can just time their crossing when your guards are at the river."
Several older wolves nearby stopped chewing on bones and looked at each other.
They had never thought about that. They operated on instinct and scent.
Kaizen continued, slipping into his old lawyer mindset.
"You should rotate your patrols. Make them random. Sometimes go clockwise, sometimes counter-clockwise."
"And leave one wolf hidden in the trees, completely still."
"If an enemy avoids the visible patrol..."
"The hidden one can report them or ambush them."
The Alpha remained silent, staring intently at the tiny child.
A few moments later, he looked at Rok, the lead scout.
"Try it."
Rok nodded, looking at Kaizen with newfound respect.
"As you command."
Kaizen smiled, glad they were listening.
"Also..."
"You should store extra food."
Rira tilted her head, confused by the concept.
"We hunt every day. The forest provides."
"I know."
"But what happens if winter is harsh? What if a blizzard lasts for a month?"
"Or what if the prey suddenly disappears because of another predator?"
Silence.
No wolf answered. They only knew the cycle of feast and famine.
Kaizen picked up a stick and began drawing circles in the dirt, creating a crude diagram.
"Make a storage cave in the coldest part of the valley."
"Keep dried meat inside. Bury it under snow or salt if you can find it."
"If hunting becomes difficult..."
"The pups won't go hungry. You won't have to risk your lives in a storm."
Even the Alpha looked completely surprised now.
"You've thought about this before? How does a newborn know of winter?"
Kaizen smiled, catching his mistake.
"My old..." He stopped himself before mentioning Earth.
"I just like thinking about the future."
The Alpha watched the tiny Dragonute carefully.
He wasn't speaking like a child.
He wasn't even speaking like most adult wolves.
Every suggestion had a clear, logical purpose.
Every idea solved a potential problem before it even happened.
That evening...
The Alpha stood on a large rock overlooking the valley.
He let out a deep, commanding howl.
The pack gathered beneath the moonlight.
From that day onward...
The Moonfang Pack changed its patrol routes, becoming unpredictable phantoms in the woods.
It began storing excess food in a shaded cave for the future.
And for the first time in generations...
The wolves started planning ahead instead of simply surviving each day.
Watching from Rira's side, Kaizen smiled to himself.
"Maybe..."
"Changing the world..."
"starts with changing one family at a time."
The afternoon sun shone brightly over the lush grass of the Moonfang Valley.
Kaizen sat among six energetic wolf pups.
Although they were technically only a few days older than him...
They already treated him like their older brother.
One of the pups, a grey one with a white patch on his eye, playfully pounced on him.
"Got you!"
Kaizen laughed, letting himself fall backward.
"Oh really? You think so?"
He gently pushed the pup over, tickling his belly.
Another jumped onto his back, playfully biting his small wings.
Soon...
All of them were rolling through the tall grass together in a messy pile of fur and scales.
From a distance...
They looked exactly like a normal litter of young wolves playing in the sun.
The adults had all gone hunting, testing the new randomized routes Kaizen had suggested.
Only the pups remained inside the valley, near the safety of the dens.
Suddenly...
The wind stopped completely.
The birds in the surrounding trees fell dead silent.
Kaizen's smile disappeared, replaced by a cold shiver down his spine.
"Something's wrong."
The wolf pups immediately stood up, their playful demeanor vanishing.
Their ears twitched, scanning the tree line.
A strange, wet hissing sound echoed through the thick bushes.
Ssssssss...
The tall grass slowly parted, pushed aside by a massive, slithering weight.
A massive emerald serpent slithered out into the clearing.
Its body was nearly five meters long, thick as a tree trunk, with muscles rolling beneath its skin.
Dark purple markings covered its glowing scales, pulsing like toxic veins.
Its golden eyes locked entirely onto the trembling wolf pups, a fork-like tongue tasting the air.
The youngest pup whimpered, pressing against Kaizen's leg.
"B-Big brother..."
Kaizen slowly stepped in front of them, spreading his small arms to shield the pups.
The serpent tilted its massive, diamond-shaped head.
"Move aside, little Dragonute."
"Those fleshy pups are my meal for today."
Kaizen frowned, his mind racing to comprehend the situation.
"You can talk?"
The serpent blinked, seemingly amused by the calm reaction.
"Of course."
"You understand me? Most prey just scream."
Kaizen smiled slightly, though his heart was hammering in his chest.
"I understand everyone. It's a gift."
The serpent narrowed its vertical slit eyes, its muscles coiling tightly like a spring.
"Interesting..."
"Then I'll eat you first as an appetizer."
At that exact moment...
The Soul Record activated in Kaizen's mind.
Analysis initiated.
Detailed information appeared floating before Kaizen's eyes.
Race: Fang Serpent
Threat Level: Moderate
Known Abilities:
Venom Fang
Poison Splash
Enhanced Flexibility
Weakness:
Lower jaw.
Eyes.
Kaizen's eyes widened as he absorbed the data.
"So this is Analysis... It gives me the cheat sheet."
The serpent suddenly opened its massive mouth, revealing hollow fangs dripping with a foul-smelling liquid.
A thick cloud of purple liquid shot forward with incredible speed.
Poison Splash detected.
Analyzing chemical composition and trajectory...
Kaizen didn't wait for the system to finish. He quickly grabbed two wolf pups by the scruff and rolled hard to the side.
The poison struck the grass exactly where they had been standing.
SSSSSS...
The green plants instantly melted into a black, bubbling sludge, releasing a toxic white smoke.
The younger pups howled and trembled in sheer terror.
Kaizen swallowed hard, looking at the melted earth.
"That would've completely melted us. This isn't a game."
The Soul Record continued its cold, mechanical breakdown.
Analysis complete.
Origin adapting biological structure to venom resistance.
Modifying cellular defenses...
Adaptation complete.
Kaizen blinked, feeling a strange cooling sensation spread through his bloodstream.
"Already? That fast?"
The serpent laughed, a horrible, grating sound.
"Run all you want, little lizard."
"The poison fumes will melt your lungs. You'll die eventually."
It lunged forward, its jaw opening wide to snap Kaizen in half.
Kaizen didn't run.
Instead...
He stood his ground and watched.
Every slithering movement.
Every tensing muscle under the emerald scales.
Every intake of breath.
Origin continued working at lightning speed, breaking down the reality of the fight.
Movement pattern analyzed.
Attack trajectory predicted. Adjusting host's motor functions.
The serpent struck like green lightning.
At the absolute last possible moment...
Kaizen sidestepped, his body moving with an unnatural, perfect precision that defied his young age.
The enormous jaws slammed empty into the ground, showering dirt into the air.
The serpent pulled its head back, looking completely shocked.
"Impossible!"
"You shouldn't be able to dodge that! You're just a hatchling!"
Kaizen smiled, his confidence growing as he realized the power of his skills.
"You're too predictable. You pull your left side before you strike."
The serpent roared in furious humiliation.
It reared back, its throat expanding as it gathered a massive amount of poison once again.
The Soul Record spoke clearly in Kaizen's mind.
Origin has completed structural analysis of Poison Splash.
Magic pathway compatible with host.
Replicating ability through Magenia adaptation.
Kaizen felt something incredibly warm, almost boiling, spread through his chest.
His throat burned for a brief, uncomfortable second as his body rapidly formed a new organ structure.
He instinctively inhaled, feeling a strange energy gather in his mouth.
Then...
He opened his mouth wide.
A high-pressure stream of purple venom burst forward, perfectly matching the serpent's own attack.
The serpent's golden eyes widened in pure horror.
"WHAT?!"
The poison struck its face directly, coating its eyes and nostrils.
Because the serpent was not immune to its own concentrated venom in the eyes, it screamed in agonizing pain, thrashing wildly across the grass.
Before the massive beast could recover its bearings...
Kaizen grabbed a heavy, jagged stone from the dirt.
He analyzed the thrashing pattern. He timed his approach.
Using the serpent's own violent momentum as it swung its head downward...
He drove the sharp stone directly into the soft, unarmored weak spot beneath its lower jaw, burying the rock deep into its flesh.
The Fang Serpent twitched once, its eyes rolling back, before it collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Silence filled the valley once more.
The wolf pups stared at Kaizen with their mouths hanging completely open, too stunned to move.
One of them slowly walked over, sniffing the dead snake, then looking up at the tiny Dragonute.
"Big brother..."
"You're amazing. You beat the monster!"
Kaizen dropped the bloody stone and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, his small legs finally starting to shake from the adrenaline.
"That..."
"Was way closer than I wanted it to be. I really need to work on my stamina."
Inside his mind...
The Soul Record calmly announced the results of the battle:
First hostile target defeated.
Origin Archive updated.
Abilities Recorded: Venom Fang, Poison Splash.
Host compatibility: Excellent. Integration complete.
Kaizen looked at the fallen serpent, wiping a bit of dirt from his cheek.
A small, excited smile appeared on his face.
"Origin..."
"You're even more ridiculous than I thought."