First evolution

Arthur suddenly realized that, with his current massive size, he'd be an obvious, giant target no matter where he went in this forest.

"Roar—"

A sudden, anguished dragon call rang out from somewhere far off, followed by three or four more in rapid succession. Arthur felt a shiver race down his spine.

That mother dragon had discovered her eggs were eaten, and of course she was angry. But what Arthur hadn't anticipated was that there were other dragons in the vicinity.

The bereaved dragon's cries echoed on and on, and more and more roars answered in return. Before long, Arthur heard at least five distinct dragon voices—converging in the same direction.

A grim thought flashed through his mind, filling him with cold sweat. 

From everything he knew, dragons had a terrible time reproducing; it might take centuries for a single whelp to hatch. Every egg was beyond precious, and he had just devoured three of them in one go.

It wouldn't just be that mother dragon hunting him down now—likely every nearby dragon would track him as well! The entire forest might become their battlefield as they vented their fury.

He had to hide, fast! But where could a creature his size possibly go?

Frantically, Arthur surveyed his surroundings, desperate to find a concealed spot. Yet the forest was so densely wooded that wherever he went, he'd inevitably crash through branches and leave an obvious trail of broken trees.

Ding! 

"Your evolution points have reached the max. Would you like to begin your first evolution?"

A cute system prompt chimed inside his head, and Arthur froze before breaking into a huge grin.

Right—if he evolved, he'd get stronger. Maybe then those dragons wouldn't scare him so much!

He hurriedly pulled up his status panel and found three options waiting for him:

[Please choose your evolution path:]

1) [King of Fire Geckos] – Adult form, SSS-level combat power. 

You'll gain powerful fire resistance and rapid healing. Even an enraged red dragon can't kill you, but you won't master any flight skills.

2) [Dragon Beast] – Adult form, SSS-level combat power. 

You'll evolve directly into a draconic beast, but with impure dragon blood. Despite your impressive power, you'll never be fully accepted by the dragon race.

3) [Dragon Egg] – F-level combat power. 

You'll revert into a dragon egg protected by mysterious power. No existence below god-tier can destroy this egg. Once you hatch, you'll be a genuine young red dragon with a noble draconic bloodline.

So that mother dragon was a red dragon?

That stray thought flickered by, then Arthur refocused on the three options. He dismissed the first at a glance. Out here in the wild, whoever controlled the skies set the rules. Not having flight would be a massive handicap.

Between the second and third choices, he hesitated a bit—especially as the forest around him roiled with the panic of beasts fleeing from the incoming dragons. His nerves spiked again, knowing danger was closing in fast.

His claws hovered over the second option for a moment. If he became a dragon beast, he'd immediately gain enough strength to protect himself and flee to some far-off place. 

But just before he tapped it, his eyes lingered on the last line: "Even if you become incredibly powerful, you'll never be fully accepted by the dragon race."

Why emphasize that part? Could winning over the dragon race be really important?

Arthur pulled back, rubbing his chin. Then, an idea clicked—he clenched his fist as if he'd just solved a puzzle.

"Wait a minute, why bother running if I can just blend in with them?"

After all, if he wanted to infiltrate the dragons' ranks, what better way than straight-up becoming one? 

Once he turned into an egg and hatched, he'd shape-shift perfectly and automatically be accepted as a member of their brood. Who could ever suspect a newly hatched dragon of being the culprit that devoured those three eggs?

Arthur would undergo a total identity upgrade!

Resolved, he pressed down on the third option without another second's hesitation. 

"You're the one—Dragon Egg!"

As soon as he spoke, poof—a flash of light, and Arthur's gigantic body vanished. In its place stood a giant, shimmering dragon egg. Its outer shell was etched in mysterious, dark-gold markings and looked way bigger than the three eggs he'd eaten.

A faint force field glowed around it. Within a few hundred feet, not a single beast—heck, not even a fly—dared approach. All those animals running in terror from the dragons' rampage felt an oppressive aura in this area and promptly veered off.

Furious roars thundered through the sky. Three nearly hatched eggs had been destroyed in secret by some despicable thief. The local dragons had gone on a warpath, locking the forest down so no creature could slip out. They were determined to snag the one responsible.

Under the oppressive might of these high-tier beasts, no lesser creature dared bolt for the exits, even though the dragons weren't actively standing guard. Most of the forest's weaker animals were pinned to the ground by sheer terror, helpless.

Dragon Egg gave off a certain aura, and soon that red dragon followed a faint trail that led right to the path Arthur had trampled. Spotting the smashed-up undergrowth, she let out a mournful roar. 

The other dragons quickly closed in, surging along the makeshift roadway like an unstoppable force. Their colossal shapes blotted out the sun, whipping up howling winds that made weaker animals cough blood and keel over.

But none of those creatures resisted. They only prayed these dragons would move on and leave them in peace. 

Fortunately, the dragons weren't in a hunting mood and ignored anything small.

It took mere moments for the red dragon to land in a clearing, howling in frustration as she scanned the area. Sensing nothing, she roared, scorching the surroundings with enraged fireballs. 

The other dragons soon landed too, eyes peeled for any sign of the culprit, yet turned up nothing. The trail of that aura ended here, nowhere else to be found.

Right then, one of the dragons uttered a shrill call and flapped its wings, flying a short distance ahead. A moment later, it waved excitedly, summoning the others.

The red dragon and her companions hurried over. In the distance, an enormous, glimmering dragon egg shimmered into view.