Cannibalism.
A term meaning the act of carnivores or herbivores eating members of their own species.
Of course, I knew that such things happened occasionally among animals.
'I just didn't know I'd be the target!'
I crawled desperately.
Having many legs made crawling speed fast.
Fortunately, the mother Red Dragon Centipede didn't thrust her face in my direction.
Instead, my other siblings... that is, not the ones who had just been born, but the somewhat grown older brothers and sisters, hovered around me and devoured the smaller siblings.
Sorry, my siblings. I will survive first.
───────────────
[Demon] : Red Dragon Centipede
[Realm] : Early Qi Condensation Stage (9 stars)
───────────────
───────────────
[Demon] : Red Dragon Centipede
[Realm] : Early Qi Condensation Stage (8 stars)
───────────────
───────────────
[Demon] : Red Dragon Centipede
[Realm] : Early Qi Condensation Stage (10 stars)
───────────────
The demons devouring my siblings were all demons remaining in the Early Qi Condensation Stage.
Fortunately, I wasn't their target. Part of it was because I quickly escaped before being eaten, but also because they didn't bother chasing after those of us who moved quickly.
'Whew, that was terrifying.'
Most siblings who fled quickly like me survived. Meanwhile, most of those who stared blankly at our big brothers and mother were eaten.
This was truly a world of survival of the fittest.
Teaching even newborns the lesson that to survive, one must move diligently.
'Phew... they won't chase me this far, right?'
Among the eaten siblings was one who had been eating my eggshell. The thought that I could have ended up in the stomach of the mother Red Dragon Centipede or my older siblings made me dizzy.
'I almost died right after being born.'
I stayed vigilant of my surroundings for a while, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Keeeeee—"
The cry of a Red Dragon Centipede rang softly. I looked around, startled by the sigh I had unknowingly let out, but there was no one nearby.
'Come to think of it, I'm hungry.'
Didn't I eat grass earlier?
I don't think it was a small amount. Is it because I'm a baby that I'm constantly hungry? I put my mouth to the lush grass growing around me and chewed and swallowed.
Crunch crunch— gulp.
It feels like my hunger is filling a bit... but it also disappears quickly. What on earth is this?
'Huh?'
It was while I was continuing to eat grass.
A sweet yet intense smell wafted over. It was the kind of scent that naturally stimulated appetite. I crawled toward the direction of the smell.
'This is...'
I arrived at where the fragrance was leading.
There were numerous demons in this place. It seemed I wasn't the only one drawn by the fragrance.
───────────────
[Spirit Herb] : Wulong Herb
[Grade] : 9th Grade
───────────────
The surroundings were filled with spirit herbs labeled Wulong Herb. The demons were busily chewing and eating the Wulong Herbs.
'I want to eat it. I want to eat it.'
Drawn by a powerful impulse, I took a step toward the Wulong Herb.
It was an action guided by instinct. I had a feeling that eating that would lead to achievement and realm advancement.
Just as I was about to enter the Wulong Herb field...
"Pikyaak!"
"Ssssisss—!"
'Oops!'
The demons who had been guarding their positions bared their teeth at me. They looked ready to pounce if I came even a little closer.
───────────────
[Demon] : One-horned Rabbit
[Realm] : Early Qi Condensation Stage (1 star)
───────────────
───────────────
[Demon] : Red Jade Snake
[Realm] : Early Qi Condensation Stage (1 star)
───────────────
A One-horned Rabbit with the typical form of a white rabbit but with a yellow horn. A Red Jade Snake whose entire body was made of red crystal.
They didn't look particularly strong.
In the case of the Red Dragon Centipede siblings and mother who had reached Qi Condensation Stage, they made my knees weak just by looking at them.
'Early Qi Condensation Stage. And only 1 star... Is this something I could handle?'
A question suddenly came to mind.
I retreated from the spirit herb field and observed them from a distance. A One-horned Rabbit opened its mouth toward a Wulong Herb attached to a tree.
Crunch- crunch-
Sharp teeth dug into not only the Wulong Herb but also the tree trunk. The tree crumbled without resistance and entered the One-horned Rabbit's stomach along with the Wulong Herb.
'...Huh. It even chews up the entire tree?'
I completely gave up on the spirit herb after seeing that. I didn't even think of challenging them.
How could I defeat a monster that chews up entire trees? I'd be lucky if I didn't say goodbye to this world if I tried.
'Realm really is important, huh.'
As a reader of cultivation world novels, I knew well the enormous gap between beings with and without a realm.
It seemed things weren't much different here.
I swallowed a sigh as I looked at the spirit herbs.
'Tsk. There are so many spirit herbs, they could share some. Stingy creatures.'
The One-horned Rabbit and Red Jade Snake didn't fight and amicably shared the spirit herbs. So why not me?
Is it because they're displeased with the intrusion of someone like me who hasn't even reached Qi Condensation Stage?
Fortunately, the demons here only ate the Wulong Herbs and showed no particular interest in me.
It probably means that the 9th grade spirit herbs taste better than a demon who doesn't even have a realm yet. I headed toward another place where a different fragrance was coming from.