Shortly after Logan departed, several Jagras followed the scent to the scene. As semi-scavengers, they didn't mind that most of the nutrients had already drained from the Yian Garuga's corpse; they swarmed the body and began to feast greedily.
Under normal circumstances, creatures of their level would never even catch the eye of a Yian Garuga, let alone get a taste of its flesh.
As the stench of decaying blood wafted through the air, more and more Jagras gathered. Typically, they live in small packs of seven or eight centered around a Great Jagras, but the crowd here had exceeded a dozen—a rare sight indeed.
Through the efforts of so many mouths, the Yian Garuga was quickly picked clean. Even fragmented bones and scales were swallowed whole by the Jagras. Despite this, some remained unsatisfied, snapping and snarling at each other around the bleached skeleton, filling the air with a cacophony of noisy shrieks.
Suddenly, a massive Great Jagras approached with heavy, thudding steps. Its body length reached an astonishing 17 meters. Its yellow-green scales were covered in healed scars, and a ring-shaped scar near its tail—nearly severing it—marked it as a powerful individual seasoned by countless battles.
This explained the unusual gathering of ordinary Jagras; great power inevitably leads to territorial expansion. With other Great Jagras driven away, the common Jagras naturally flocked to its side.
The behemoth dragged its bloated belly to the Yian Garuga's remains and sniffed. It pinpointed a unique scent hidden within the blood. Its orange-yellow eyes shifted, and it immediately began digging into the ground nearby.
Soon, the buried Frenzy Crystal was unearthed by its claws. A flash of excitement crossed its cold, vertical pupils, and it tilted its head back to swallow the crystal whole.
The surge of nutrients was intoxicating. Even the Bioenergy flowing through its body seemed to thicken. However, deep inside where it couldn't see, black capillaries were quietly spreading, slowly creeping toward its heart.
For the current Logan, dealing with a Yian Garuga wasn't much of a hassle. Even if it was infected with the Frenzy Virus, it just became more reckless and unafraid of death. Had it managed to overcome the virus and fully awaken its potential, it might have been an interesting fight.
However, these things usually appeared in groups; the heaven-shrouding scales released by a Gore Magala wouldn't infect just a single individual.
Logan didn't lower his guard just because the Yian Garuga was dealt with. Over the following days, he actively patrolled the surrounding environment, staying alert for that Elder Dragon juvenile that could appear at any moment.
Fortunately, the following period was peaceful. Another half-month passed quickly. The harsh winter of the New World seemed relatively short, and temperatures began to show signs of warming.
During this time, Logan's body grew by another meter, reaching a total length of 16 meters. He could now officially be classified as a "Large Monster." But as his size increased and his basic physical attributes evolved, a new problem began to plague him.
He started feeling constantly hungry. It wasn't the "empty stomach" kind of hunger, but rather a craving caused by a lack of specific trace elements in his body.
Sometimes, seeing a rock by the roadside, he'd feel an irresistible urge to pop it into his mouth—much like malnourished animals licking mud or stones.
He knew his body was trying to build higher-intensity structures. Ordinary protein could no longer satisfy his needs; he required more metallic elements. Common minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc were easy enough to find since nature is rich in them, and standard feeding provided enough.
But rare metals like gold and silver were a different story. There was almost no way to supplement them. Moreover, given his massive frame, the amount of metal required was no small figure.
Do I really have to go find a gold mine? Even in high-grade ore, a ton of rock only contains about 5 grams of gold. Just digging out the rocks would exhaust me. Furthermore, in my past life, Logan was just an ordinary person; I have no idea how to prospect or mine for ore.
"Thinking back, the previous life was more convenient. You could buy most things with money. It's not nearly as troublesome as this."
Logan lay on a bed made of piled branches, boredly flicking his tail. The hardened blade at the tip of his tail occasionally scraped against the rocky ground, making a piercing screech.
He had wondered if he could trade with the First Fleet at Astera—exchanging the shells and bones of the prey he caught for their ore.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. How many people were even in the First Fleet right now? Mining and metallurgy were complex processes requiring massive manpower and resources. With their tiny team, even if they found a rare vein, they wouldn't have the capacity to mine it. At most, they could forge and maintain their own weapons.
Another option was to increase his efficiency in absorbing Bioenergy. This miraculous energy could fundamentally change the properties of matter, like turning stone to gold.
Ores like Machalite, Earth Crystals, and various exotic minerals were all products of this energy. The impossibly hard scales, bones, and terrifying muscular strength of monsters were the result of long-term immersion in this energy and generations of evolution.
As long as the Bioenergy flowing through the body was sufficient and the duration long enough, even dander made of keratin could become harder than steel.
But the flaw in this method was obvious: it required both a massive quantity of energy and a long time.
Logan was less than a year old since hatching; he couldn't wait that long. Moreover, Bioenergy was like a communal meal—it was fine to eat your own portion, but eating too much would attract unwanted attention. If you started eating everyone else's share, you'd get beaten up.
The Xeno'jiiva in the Elder's Recess was the perfect example. Because it ate too much, it would eventually draw a "sound thrashing" and lose its life.
While his strength was still lacking, Logan didn't want to be too flashy. He just wanted to honestly eat his "communal meal" and had no intention of making off with the whole pot.
Even when he became stronger in the future, he didn't want to become like certain Elder Dragons who unconsciously altered their environment, causing all other life to die or flee until they were left all alone.
What's the difference between that and being a hermit? It's too lonely! In Logan's view, only with vibrant vitality and a prosperous diversity of flora and fauna did life actually become interesting.
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