"What should I do with this adorable lump!"
Hugging tightly, he exhaled heavily through his nose, feeling relieved inside.
Though his breath was stifled, he succeeded in giving a favorable impression as expected.
'The scales are about to fall off, be gentle.'
If he had to nitpick, the effect was too good.
'I shouldnāt boast so recklessly.'
Christina repeatedly praised him and then placed him in the cradle.
He stretched out his arms again with a "Nyu."
However, no matter how long he waited, the milk did not appear.
"What should I do? Thereās no milk today."
Imugi, with his arms outstretched, opened his eyes wide and wore a bewildered expression.
Thinking that he would end up hungry despite showing his growth, his legs went weak, and he slumped down.
Judging by his expression, it was as if he had lost a country.
'To starve a creature that has just been born. I shouldnāt have trusted so easily.'
With the added pain of hunger, a sense of powerlessness began to rise.
He looked at Christina with eyes full of distrust.
As he pouted, not hiding his dissatisfaction, Christina smiled slightly.
"Today, I brought something even better."
As Rai, who had been hidden behind Christina, floated up, a basket that had been obscured by Raiās light was revealed.
Imugi, who had grasped the situation, narrowed his eyes and looked at Christina.
Still, since it seemed like a gift in return for his growth, he managed to offset the part that could hurt his pride.
"Here. Even if your teeth havenāt fully grown, you can still eat this."
The egg in the basket was much larger than a regular egg.
Almost the size of a human face, when Christina handed it to Imugi, it filled his two hands like a full moon.
"Itās a phoenix egg. A bird that can be reborn from its own ashes when it dies."
'Iāve heard something similar before.'
It was a fascinating creature, so Imugi remembered it.
A divine animal that could come back to life immediately no matter how it died.
'While it feels familiar, it canāt be a Zhuque egg.'
The Zhuque Imugi knew did not hatch from an egg.
Despite this, he was still puzzled and wondered how to eat the egg.
'The egg of a bird with resurrection abilities.'
The egg definitely felt strong with energy.
Though the shell looked very hard, when he pressed it with his claws, it began to crack.
He raised his index finger and poked a hole in the egg.
It took effort to pierce it due to its hardness, but the shell didnāt break easily, maintaining its shape.
As Imugi peeled off the shell, the roasted white inside was revealed.
Without waiting, he opened his mouth wide and took a big bite.
It tasted as if it had been seasoned to perfection, with a smooth and savory flavor that would make any gourmetās tongue wag.
Imugi devoured the egg in a flash.
Seeing this, Christina sighed in relief.
"Iām glad you like it. I heard itās especially delicious when roasted with a red dragonās flame, but I was worried."
'Itās delicious. Extremely delicious. How can such an egg exist?'
Imugi made a gulping sound and licked the egg crumbs around his mouth.
The white part, which seemed tough, melted like pudding in his mouth, and the yolk had a rich, savory flavor that gave a sense of vitality.
Moreover, because it was roasted with a dragonās flame, it absorbed magic power, and the seasoning was just right, eliminating the need for salt.
'This is really delicious!'
Once he started eating, he couldnāt stop.
Before he knew it, he was holding the third roasted egg.
Christina, watching him with a pleased expression, said kindly.
"Hehe. Thereās plenty, so donāt rush. You should drink milk while eating. Even for a hatchlingās stomach, itās better to be careful."
He nodded but didnāt slow down much.
The texture was so smooth and the taste so delicious that even the time spent peeling the shell seemed a waste.
'Why is this one so hard?'
He quickly swallowed the particularly hard-shelled egg and explored another roasted egg that was easier to peel.
After chewing with a full mouth and drinking milk, he gulped down a whole bottle.
Despite the enormous size of the eggs, he lay back after finishing five or six.
His already plump belly was now inflated.
His stomach was so full that he could hear a whistling sound from his nose every time he breathed.
After Christina cleared away the shells and moved the egg basket near the cradle, she said,
"I didnāt expect you to eat so well. Iāll have to get more."
Seeing the hatchling kick his legs and make a sound of approval, Christina smiled happily.
"Right. Since you mentioned it, Iāll go get more. Rest, little one."
Imugi, satisfied, rubbed his belly and waved his front paw in farewell.
'Uncharacteristically overeating. Iāll need time to digest...ā
Though his digestion was good and he wouldnāt get sick, the bloated belly made breathing difficult, so he needed a bit of rest.
Lying in the cradle, he took deep breaths and closed his eyes.
Blinking, Imugi looked around.
Lai had moved away to avoid disturbing his sleep.
The room, without Christina or Lai, was very quiet.
Looking around, he saw the egg basket.
He licked his lips and thought,
'Iām not very hungry, but... should I eat one more?'
The well-roasted eggs tempted him.
'Right. Itās not like eating one more will make a difference.'
He flexed his back muscles and flapped his wings.
Though small compared to his body, his wings were enough to lift him.
He flew over to the egg basket and picked up an egg with his front paw, his eyes sparkling.
The smoky aroma stimulated his appetite.
There was no reason to hesitate.
Crack. He broke the shell and took a big bite.
'Of course. This is the taste.'
One egg was enough to make him feel like he was in heaven.
The red dragon race was intriguing.
'If they can produce such a flavor, they might have the best culinary talent.'
Despite deciding to eat just one more, he naturally ended up peeling and eating another, and before he knew it, only one egg remained.
It was unusually large and had a good shine.
Unlike the others, it had a faint reddish glow and was the hardest, not breaking even when Imugi threw it.
'In the end, only this one is left.'
Staring at the egg, he stood on his two feet, using the egg as a support.
'Anyway, I had to face this one eventually.'
A faint mana aura could be felt from Imugiās eyes.
'I didnāt want to do this, but now is the opportunity to break this shell with no one around.'
The mana from his heart and the energy from his dantian enveloped his small body, quietly gathering strength.
Taking a deep breath, Imugi spread his legs and assumed a stable stance for a punch.
It was hard to believe that he had once struggled to stand on two legs.
At the moment his breath and energy were perfectly synchronized, he punched the egg.
Despite the mana-infused punch, the egg didnāt even crack, and Imugi frowned in frustration.
'Well, if it could be broken this easily, it would have broken long ago.'
He extended his right hand and performed a knife-hand strike.
His attack, sharper than any blade, had no effect.
Instead, the part that hit the egg throbbed.
It even felt as if his mana was being nullified and his strength drained.
At this point, his pride was at stake.
'I didnāt want to go this far...'
He needed a target to exert his full strength, which had been focused solely on training.
'Just once. Iāll pour all my strength into this.'
A menacing aura, unbelievable for a small hatchling, began to rise.
He was full of energy from eating mana-rich foods.
He poured all his accumulated strength into the effort.
The terrifying energy from Imugiās feet adhered to the surface of the egg.
The condensed energy sent a shockwave that focused on the inside of the egg.
The energy that exploded from the center of the egg made it shake and crack with a rumbling sound.