NOVEL WEB Chapter 11: Toxic frogs
Arthur tried all sorts of methods to break through the dragon eggs' shells, but nothing worked.
In the end, he had no choice but to switch his focus to the massive moose carcass nearby. Although the moose had been dead for a while, the dragon had treated it somehow—the body showed no sign of decay and was still in pristine condition.
Arthur crawled over and spat a fireball at it. The flames immediately wrapped around the moose, cooking the meat through in a matter of moments.
Food was abundant here. He finished off the entire moose, then consumed two wild boars afterward. Finally, he was stuffed to the brim and let out a satisfied belch.
"Man, there's nothing better than being surrounded by a ton of free food," he said, smacking his belly. "Well, maybe having a dragon do the hunting for me."
He shoved aside the charred remains and cleared out a little space for himself. Crawling in, he lay down and closed his eyes to rest.
One full day and night passed before he woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he realized the exit of his makeshift nook was blocked. It took a huge effort to move the carcasses out of the way, and when he finally looked up, he found himself staring straight into a giant golden pupil.
The dragon had come back, currently curled around its three eggs, apparently incubating them.
Uh-oh.
Would this dragon realize he'd been chowing down on its food stash, then decide to snack on him instead? Arthur's gut twisted at the thought.
After noticing Arthur emerge, the dragon regarded him with a cold, intrigued expression. The next second, it reached out a claw, the sharp tip prodding him in the chest.
Arthur felt an overwhelming force shove him—he had no chance of resistance. His body plopped back onto the ground.
It was as if the dragon found him more entertaining than threatening. With a casual flick of its claws, it sent Arthur rolling in random directions. Helpless, he toppled over left and right like a toy.
Fortunately, his body had evolved enough that despite being covered in dust and looking pretty pathetic, he managed to avoid any real injuries.
Eventually, the dragon got bored. It hefted Arthur up, grabbed what looked like a giant python of some unfamiliar species, and plopped it down in front of him.
Seeing Arthur hesitant, the dragon used its claw to scoot the snake closer.
Arthur reached out and gripped this massive python—thicker around than he was—and cautiously bit down on it, glancing up to gauge the dragon's reaction. To his surprise, the dragon slowly blinked its huge eyes, looking…almost proud.
At that point, Arthur realized the creature had basically adopted him as a pet. Which at least meant he wouldn't be on the dinner menu—yet. Still, the uneasy feeling lingered.
Dragons were dangerous, and chances were good it was keeping him around as a toy for its three hatchlings or to train them in hunting, like how big cats sometimes keep prey alive for their cubs to practice on.
That mother dragon might have its plan, but it had overlooked one big detail: this gecko could evolve nonstop by eating. The more he grew, the better his odds of escaping.
Banking on a dragon's compassion was pointless. In this world, unless they share blood, no one is going to pity you.
With that in mind, Arthur decided he really had to power up fast and get the hell out of here. No way was he going to wait around like a sitting duck.
He sank his teeth into the snake's tough hide—didn't even break the surface. He tried again, harder, and only managed to rip a small hole. For a split second, Arthur wondered if his jaws were failing him.
The dragon noticed his struggle, reached over, and casually nicked the python's skin with one of its claws. Immediately, a clean gash opened up. Arthur gawked at the raw, bloody meat, then peeked at the dragon's claw.
"Dang," he muttered to himself. "That's one sharp nail. If I can evolve into a dragon, I'll have that power, too."
He got right back to feasting on the python. But halfway through, he felt he couldn't eat another bite. The python was simply too huge to finish.
The dragon seemed unconcerned. It popped the leftover snake half into its own colossal mouth and chomped away like it was crunching on potato chips, taking just a few bites before swallowing it down.
Rubbing his swollen belly, Arthur belatedly realized that the python's energy far outstripped anything else he'd eaten before.
Judging by its rank, it had to be at least A-grade strength, and it had still ended up as dragon fodder.
Arthur tilted his head and looked over at the dragon, which was busy polishing off the mountain of leftovers. It had eaten so much that a noticeable dent had formed in the pile.
Arthur tried inching away, hoping to slip into some hidden corner. The second he slipped out of sight, though, the dragon instantly dragged him back, placing him where it could see him.
Arthur glanced up and locked eyes with a cold, predatory glare that made him shudder. He froze in place, not daring to move again.
Satisfied that Arthur was staying put, the dragon swallowed the last mouthful of food and shut its eyes, returning to incubating its eggs.
That routine stretched on for two whole days. By the end, Arthur's meal was fully digested, and his size had grown further—his stats had increased all around. He also gained a new skill from absorbing the python's body: Death Coil, letting his tail compress prey until it suffocated.
Most importantly, his evolution points had reached 98.
Unfortunately, the closer he got to hitting the next stage, the slower his gains became. He suspected it was related to his swelling body mass. He needed way more energy now than before.
Meanwhile, the stash of consumables had been whittled down to just a bunch of "toxic frogs." Not only did the dragon stop offering more food, it wouldn't let Arthur near the remaining carcasses. He could only scrounge up whatever meager scraps he found lying around.
Strangely enough, there were hundreds of these so-called toxic frogs stashed in a pile. No clue how the dragon had collected them. Their thick, slimy skin looked bumpy, and the taste was pretty gross. With so much better food on hand, the dragon clearly never bothered with them.
So over the last few days, Arthur had subsisted solely on these nasty frogs.
He didn't dare approach the eggs either, so the toxic frogs near the nest just sat untouched. Arthur could only stare.
Three days later, the mother dragon finally shifted. She stretched her wings at the cave entrance and dove off the cliff, presumably heading deeper into the forest to hunt.
Arthur knew this was his golden chance.
He immediately lunged for the toxic frogs, scarfing them down in huge gulps—crunch, crunch, swallow. Within ten minutes, he'd devoured all several hundred.
Those frogs weren't particularly strong and didn't provide much energy, which explained why the mother dragon never ate them. For a giant creature like her, those puny amphibians wouldn't even count as a nibble.
Arthur, however, now eyed the empty cave with real concern. He'd just obliterated the dragon's entire food stash. The moment it came back from hunting, wasn't he next on the menu?
No way—he had to get out of this lair now.
He hurried to the cave exit and peeked over the edge. A gust of icy wind rattled him, and he instantly backed away.
This dragon's den lay on a sheer cliff, at least about 9,000 feet above the ground. Without any flight ability, jumping was pure suicide.
So running wasn't an option. Clearly, he needed another plan.