Zed funneled every scrap of harvested Devil Serpent meat into the egg. Despite dozens of carcasses, the egg's hunger persisted. Desperate, he rampaged through the Cavern Lagoon's depths, slaughtering every creature—Giant Centipedes, Cave Scorpions, even lesser Devil Serpents—to fuel the anomaly.
Eleven supply runs later, the egg finally ceased absorbing. Mountains of desiccated residue surrounded it, cleared repeatedly to prevent burial.
Crack. Crack.
The shell splintered, revealing a creature defying expectations.
The Hatchling
Zed anticipated an Original Species rebirth—a titanic Devil Serpent mirroring its ancestor. Instead, this hatchling bore almost no resemblance to its predecessor.
Gone were the grotesque, tentacle-mounted eyes. Three slitted pupils glowed amber on a streamlined head, crowned by a single obsidian horn. Its body shimmered with jade scales, sleek and serpentine, while vestigial claws hinted at latent ferocity.
Most striking: its maw, reminiscent of Kang-Jin Loong— one of the many constellation deities from 'Black Myth: Wukong' game series —a fusion of elegance and lethality.
"Mutation, not atavism," Zed murmured. The Original Species' genes had warped, birthing something entirely new.
The hatchling let out a reedy roar, its three-meter frame coiling around Zed. Though newly born, its Gourmet Cell Level already hit 20, a testament to latent potential. Sensing no hostility, Zed allowed the creature to nuzzle his hand, its scaled head cool to the touch.
"You'll be Tatsu," Zed declared, naming it for its jade-dark hue. "First of your kind—Oriental Dragon."
Tatsu chirped, imprinting on Zed as its provider. Like Terry the Fighting Wolf, it would mature rapidly, its intelligence soon rivaling humans.
Mission accomplished, Zed ascended toward the cave's exit. The Puffer Whales were secured, and Tatsu—an unforeseen boon—needed no immediate guidance. Toriko's group had likely departed by now.
The tunnel to the surface lay partially collapsed, rubble strewn about. Fresh fissures suggested recent blasts—someone had forced their way in… or out.