Blood Assimilation

Despite not being chased, the gaze of the unknown creature, which the incarnation concluded to be the mother of the reptilian creature, vividly conveyed the feeling of being locked onto by a predator.

As though the unknown creature had a wide range of perception, the incarnation sensed its every single movement being observed closely and pursued by the gaze of the furious unknown creature, prompting it to continue making more distance between itself and the furious creature.

Once the incarnation felt like it was in the safe range, no longer sensing the previous lingering gaze observing its movement, it didn't stop running but changed its course instead. It picked a random direction and ran for a few more miles before deciding to stop to catch its breath.

…

Meanwhile, back in the forest where the reptilian cub, resembling a giant lizard with beautiful, shimmering white scales, now tainted with red blood from the incarnation's earlier assault…

Right after the incarnation frantically departed the scene, a mountainous figure of a towering creature with wingspans covering a few meters wide and a size comparable to a building surfaced from the depth of the forest, appearing next to the reptilian cub.

The creature had the same shimmering white scales as the reptilian cub, but its facial features, snout, and scales looked more pronounced, showcasing maturity and a ferocious countenance.

As soon as it appeared beside the reptilian cub, it turned its gaze down to where its cub lay sprawled on the ground, pitifully moaning in pain. Observing the weakened state of the reptilian cub, it roared madly and wanted to chase after the assailant.

However, considering the terrible condition of its cub, it decided to attend to the cub first. Having memorized the assailant's scent, it vowed to kill them if encountered again.

Although the incarnation had no idea whose nest it had unintentionally ruffled, this mountainous creature was known by the people of Acruxia as the Calamitous White Dragon of the East. It was one of the Cardinal Magical Beasts of Acruxia, a Guardian Beast of the long-eared human race, and just like the long-eared human race, it chose a neutral stance in the war between humans and demons.

However, just because it had chosen to be neutral didn't mean that if anyone touched its blood kin, it would let them go unscathed. It was famous for turning anyone not of the long-eared human descent into food without listening to any plea or explanation once they barged into its territory.

Those who crossed this ferocious creature recently couldn't live to tell the tale, as they had turned into dinner for its cub. The Calamitous White Dragon ruthlessly bit down on the necks of its prey, munching on their heads before serving the torso, including the limbs, of the bodies to its cub.

Fortunately, before facing the Calamitous White Dragon, the incarnation had already vacated the vicinity of the unsupervised dungeon. Thanks to its quick reaction, the incarnation managed to avoid and escape a calamity.

...

On the other side, in a random location far away from the vicinity of the unsupervised Dungeon Entrance…

After catching its breath, the incarnation finally had the time to take in its surroundings, realizing that it had no idea where it had traveled to. However, it didn't fret as it pulled the map in its mind to discern its current location.

However, it discovered that it was hard to discern its present location accurately without a landmark or a direction. With the situation developing to this stage, the incarnation decided to roam around to find anything that would allow it to identify its current location.

Upon closer inspection and survey of its surroundings, the incarnation discovered that there were fewer trees where it found itself, only plains. The incarnation decided to survey the surroundings some more. While doing so, it couldn't help but think back to the perilous encounter it had barely managed to evade with its decisive reaction.

As the incarnation thought back to the location with the abundant concentration of mana, which should be close to the dungeon entrance presumed to be an unsupervised dungeon stated by the Challenger's System, it deduced that the unknown creature that locked onto it was most likely guarding the entrance to the dungeon, though it had no idea of its true intention.

The incarnation could only think of one possibility, which was the unknown creature utilizing the potent mana to evolve itself, just like other magical beasts.

While the incarnation may not know the genuine reason for the unknown creature's actions, its deduction was not far off the mark as the Calamitous White Dragon had indeed been guarding the entrance to the dungeon, occasionally using it to train its cub that managed to reach Level 50 through venturing into the dungeon and hunting magical creatures.

Even magical beasts, especially the intelligent ones, could enter the dungeons to gain levels and boost their growth, but like humans, the increase in level of power became slower in the later stages. In the White Dragon cub's case, its leveling up slowed down when it reached level 50 and only managed to reach Level 65 after numerous dungeon raids.

Considering that the incarnation inherited Randy's level of power, at level 55, the cub, possessing the combat power of level 65, should have been able to defeat the incarnation.

However, the incarnation didn't give the cub any time to counterattack, swiftly taking it down by striking its belly using optimal skills, causing it to sustain slight injuries, but enough to allow the Blood Authority skill to suppress the childish and immature baby dragon.

If the incarnation had prolonged the battle, turning it into a battle of attrition, the baby dragon would have utilized its extraordinary strength and mana pool, surpassing regular individuals of the same level, to potentially tie or even defeat the incarnation.

Even though running away could have been the safest option for the incarnation to ensure its survival, avoiding conflict altogether, there was no guarantee that the reptilian cub wouldn't pursue it, as in the creature's eyes, it would be nothing but an escaping snack.

Reflecting on the identity of the creature that prompted its hasty escape, the incarnation firmly concluded once again that the perceived threat might have come from a companion or a parent of the reptilian creature it fought. With this mental affirmation, it believed the other party arrived to rescue the reptilian cub when they sensed its impending demise.

During their battle, the incarnation observed that despite the reptilian cub's higher size and agility, it was clumsy in its attacks. This factor allowed the incarnation to achieve victory without sustaining any injuries.

The only saving grace was its hesitation to kill the reptilian cub, as this hesitation ultimately saved its life. The incarnation had no doubt that if it had killed the reptilian cub, the parent would have chased after him and would stop at nothing to exterminate it for revenge.

With various thoughts coursing through its mind, the incarnation scouted the unfamiliar environment, marking the path it took using recognizable details such as twigs and branches broken from the scarce trees found in the plains.