The influence of the cursed sword wrapped around Levelis's body was like a kind of curse. It wasn't an immediate problem, but it would ultimately cause significant harm to the bearer. No matter how resistant dragons were to such curses, there was no reason to leave it unchecked. Thus, she had tried to heal herself by infusing her power.

"Ah?"

Levelis absentmindedly touched her face. It was soft. Unlike the scales that had covered her body all her life, her delicate skin felt as though it could break at a mere touch.

She sensed nature through her skin and then stood up, placing strength in her legs. Walking on two legs like this was unfamiliar, but after moving her body a few times, she quickly adapted.

"Hmm..."

Levelis jumped in place. It was a bit difficult to maintain balance, and her lightness compared to her dragon form was oddly satisfying. Although it couldn't compare to the majesty of a dragon, it felt like a body she could occasionally use.

Her delicate skin, which seemed prone to injury from even the smallest rock, was fascinating. How could someone live with such fragile skin? It seemed like even the slightest scratch would cause a severe injury.

Levelis stood and tried casting a spell. The magic circle that floated in the air was very similar to when she was a dragon. The total amount of magic had decreased slightly, but in return, the finesse had increased. She could perform movements impossible in her dragon form, allowing for more delicate control over magic.

"Gravity."

A simple gravity spell. Gravity usually only pulled objects in one direction. While useful, it was somewhat limited. However, when she cast the spell in her human form, she felt numerous tiny threads connecting her to the magic.

As she delicately manipulated them, a pebble on the ground floated up and began to perform acrobatics in the air.

"......"

Levelis moved her fingers. As her small fingers wove through the air, the pebbles danced beautifully in the sky. Eventually, she stopped the spell. The pebbles, which had been flying around, slowly descended to the ground.

It would have been challenging in her dragon form. She would have had to focus all her attention on controlling the output to prevent the pebbles from shattering. Moreover, targeting inanimate objects made it even more difficult. If the target resisted even a little or was strong, the spell could break instantly.

While she could perform more delicate maneuvers, the overall power had decreased, making it impossible to achieve the same level of force as when she was a dragon.

As she clenched and unclenched her fists, getting a feel for her new body, animals that had been hiding approached and looked at Levelis. They were initially startled by her different appearance but soon recognized her essence and rubbed their heads against her body.

"Hoong..."

Levelis petted a deer's head and thought. The warmth she felt through her skin was a sensation entirely different from when she was a dragon.

This is nice.

Then.

Levelis's gaze turned towards one spot.

The small snake with blue eyes still watching her quietly.

The snake looked at her blankly. Levelis realized it was different from Jörmungandr. Perhaps it contained a tiny fragment of his essence, set to react in dangerous situations.

Well. This body wasn't bad either.

If she explored this body more, returning to her dragon form seemed possible. Occasionally indulging in this kind of transformation wasn't a bad idea.

Levelis picked up the snake and wrapped it around her neck. Feeling its smooth and cool touch, Levelis focused on fully understanding her new body's sensations.

There's no need to search for Jörmungandr right now.

I'll explore on my own, and if it's impossible, then I'll seek him out.

With that thought, Levelis hummed a tune.

He felt the presence of his fragment. It was a very small piece of himself that he had given to a dragon long ago. Feeling it wriggle, Jörmungandr nodded quietly.

[It seems the danger has been resolved.]

Seeing the fragment maintain a stable form, he concluded there was no need for him to intervene directly.

He had given the small fragment as a gesture of goodwill. The dragon, with a heart so pure it was hard to believe she was a dragon, had made him think others would target her.

As expected, she had been attacked. Jörmungandr nodded, affirming his decision to give her the fragment. He didn't want those he knew to die if possible.

Jörmungandr coiled in his cave.

Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance. It was as if part of the world had become empty.

He tried to focus his senses to understand, but it was a sinkhole deep in the sky. It wasn't a place he could comprehend with his senses. Moreover, the dissonance passed quickly, making him think it might have been his imagination.

Still, just in case, he focused more on finding the cause of the dissonance. However, he couldn't sense anything, so he decided to let it pass while keeping part of his attention on it.

He was born at some point. Why did he open his eyes?

It was a mystery. He had surely died after killing Odin. Where was this? This place felt entirely different from where he had lived.

He looked around. It was a pitch-black abyss, an eerie place where light couldn't penetrate. As he adapted to life in the abyss, he instinctively knew he was weak now. However, the memory of devouring Odin remained.

Fenrir got used to the abyss quickly. He first caught a living creature 30 seconds after his birth. A giant troll tried to kill the newborn wolf cub but was instantly torn apart and devoured by Fenrir.

As he chewed on the creature, he felt elation. It was as if nothing could fail. This wasn't an illusion. His body grew stronger, his muscles more defined and dense.

He grew stronger by consuming living creatures. It was natural to think of this rule. Fenrir then began devouring all the creatures in the abyss. Countless creatures fell to his sharp teeth without any resistance. Although his body hadn't fully grown, the memory of devouring one of the greatest gods didn't fade.

To Fenrir, they were nothing but worms. Mere worms that could only crawl on the ground.

Hunting was easy. Fenrir gradually dominated the abyss. The creatures of the abyss, realizing this fact too late, banded together against Fenrir but were no match.

It wasn't just about strength or other attributes. There was a fundamental difference between them and Fenrir. A difference that couldn't be bridged, no matter what.

The abyss was vast and deep, spanning at least thousands of kilometers. Devouring all the creatures within would take a long time. But that was fine. Being in a position of weakness and fighting fiercely wasn't bad.

In his blind spot, a giant drake moved. The drake, likely hundreds of meters long, lunged at him with tentacle-like tongues. Alongside the drake, a massive bull-like creature charged with blood-red horns, and next to it, a giant centipede monster attacked.

Their coordinated attack seemed well-practiced. The drake blocked his vision with acidic fluid, the centipede bound his movements with numerous legs, and the giant bull aimed to gore him with its horns.

However.

[Too slow.]

Everything was too slow and obvious. Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't be hit. He kicked off the ground. Fenrir's form disappeared completely, leaving the centipede and bull searching around.

Boom!

They noticed the fallen drake a moment later. Fenrir had shredded and devoured the drake in an instant, wiping the blood off and charging again.

The centipede and bull couldn't resist and were devoured alive.

Crunch, crunch...

His body grew in real-time. Simultaneously, Fenrir instinctively erased his presence from the world. It felt necessary.

[......]

Fenrir looked up. He couldn't see any light, but he stared at a place that seemed like an exit, raising the corners of his mouth.

Someday.

[I will escape this abyss and devour everything.]

What would the gods of this place taste like? Fenrir's eyes glowed coldly.