28 Eating, eating, eating

To restore stamina, which had risen near the sky due to evolution, I eat without pause.

First, the remaining snake.

The scraps of that snake, which had taken great effort to consume, vanish completely into my stomach in a single gulp.

[Skill level reached threshold. Skill 'Poison Resistance LV6' upgraded to 'Poison Resistance LV7'.]

Just as I finish the snake, the Poison Resistance skill levels up.

Thanks to this snake, Poison Resistance increased by two levels.

Delicious.

If I had not evolved, eating this much would have filled my stomach to bursting. But now, as fast as I eat, the food vanishes into another space—so unnaturally that my stomach does not swell at all.

It’s as if every bite disappears entirely.

In direct proportion, the red total stamina gauge recovers rapidly.

Hmm.

Since arriving in this world, I have encountered various strange phenomena. But what’s happening inside my stomach right now might be the most peculiar yet.

What in the world is this?

Still, overthinking it won’t change anything.

I have to accept this world as it is.

Let the scholars figure out the mechanics of such anomalies.

Thus, despite consuming the snake entirely, my stomach does not swell.

It does not swell. I do not feel satiated.

The red total stamina gauge remains far from full.

Fortunately, the interior of the home is piled high with monster corpses.

The quantity is enough to have caused serious concern before evolution.

With this much available, even this extradimensional stomach should finally be satisfied.

Therefore, I begin.

Eat.

Eat.

Eat.

Unceasing consumption.

Hmm, in my previous life I was quite the light eater, but in this one, I can definitely play the gluttonous role.

I don’t think I’d lose to any food fighter now!

No, seriously—what’s going on with my stomach?

I’m clearly consuming more volume than my body’s physical capacity, yet it still accepts more?

Is my abdomen really connected to another dimension?

I know it’s pointless to overthink it, but when it comes to my own body, I can’t help but wonder.

It’s frustrating—knowing there’s no answer, yet the curiosity gnaws at me.

Darn it!

Stop thinking!

Now, nothing but pure consumption—no thought, no hesitation!

Eat.

Eat.

Eat.

Eat—ah, there’s nothing left.

Fly?

Did I really eat all that food?

…Yeah, I did.

Nothing remains.

Seriously?

I’m still only at eight-tenths full.

The red total stamina gauge is about that level too.

Even after eating all this, I’m not full?

Surely this won’t go on forever, right?

This is just a temporary state due to evolution—using up all my energy, right?

Otherwise, I’m certain I’d starve to death soon.

That would be problematic.

Extremely problematic.

Surely not… right? It can’t be… can it?

If that were true, evolution would be a massive minefield.

But thinking about it, even if not, evolution is still fairly dangerous, isn’t it?

Loss of consciousness. Energy nearly depleted.

No idea how long I was unconscious, but during that time, I was completely defenseless.

I was inside the home, so it didn’t matter to me—but to other monsters, evolution might be quite literally life-threatening.

I really am lucky, aren’t I?

Moreover, even if evolution succeeds, the subsequent depletion of energy is problematic.

Without reserves like mine, one would have to hunt for prey while already weakened—exhausted from lack of energy.

In such a state, one might easily be defeated in return.

I truly am fortunate, aren’t I?

Is this what they call protagonist bias? Or convenient narrative logic?

Well, spiders aren’t protagonists, so that’s irrelevant.

But being able to sit back and enjoy good fortune doesn’t mean the past spider life was uneventful.

If the next evolution occurs at the same level ten, it might be wise to prepare by level nine.

This time, I happened to evolve at full readiness, but normally, such luck wouldn’t occur without prior preparation.

Ah, really, I’m glad I managed to defeat that serpent.

If that serpent hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have built this shelter or stockpiled these supplies.

Thank you, Serpent-sama!

Now that I’ve recovered somewhat, my stomach remains unsatisfied.

With all the food fully digested, there’s no reason to stay here anymore.

Time to leave this hiding place!

Thus, I’ll pack up and depart from this shelter that served me well.

Thank you, second home.

I’d originally intended it as a temporary refuge, but ended up staying longer than expected.

Farewell!

Setting off with high spirits.

First, locate prey to satisfy my hunger.

After that, as usual, wander without direction—though ideally, aim for the dungeon’s exit.

If I evolve again, my body will likely grow larger.

Even this evolution, which shows no visible change in appearance, has produced such effects. The possibility of massive growth immediately after evolution, as feared, cannot be ruled out.

If that occurs, the current passage will be too narrow in scale.

Ideally, exit into a wider corridor.

The best option remains exiting the dungeon entirely.

If growth occurs within the dungeon and the exit is too small, escape may become impossible.

Living here for life is definitely not preferable.

Yes.

Regardless, focus on locating prey for now.

The rest will follow later.