Sarlon's timing was impeccable; the Rift Bear's full attention was on the young dragon, completely unaware of the silent predator swooping in from behind. With a powerful flap of his wings, Sarlon propelled himself forward with incredible speed.

Launching onto the Rift Bear's back, he bit down fiercely on one of its eyes. The bear roared in excruciating pain—a sound that would never have escaped its lips under normal circumstances had it not been for the distraction of the injured and the tantalizing prospect of the small dragon before it.

Its massive paws reached for Sarlon in a desperate attempt to throw him off, but Sarlon's claws were buried deep, immovable, even as the bear tried to shake him.

Hanna, realizing her own frailty, quickly distanced herself from the fray. The Rift Bear, in a furious attempt to rid itself of Sarlon, charged towards the rock wall.

Sarlon anticipated the bear's move and let go, leaping from the bear's back just in time. The bear's cheek was now a bloody mess, horrific and grotesque as Sarlon crunched down on the extracted eyeball and swallowed it. Consuming the flesh of a magical beast was indeed different. He could feel himself growing increasingly savage—was it the dragon's nature affecting him, or was it a release from his previous life's long-suppressed constraints? None of that mattered now; he was still himself.

To the Rift Bear, now with only one eye, this young dragon seemed monstrously brutal, unlike anything it had experienced even while being hunted by humans.

With a thunderous roar, the bear summoned earthen magical energy around it—a testament to the might of magical beasts who could harness elemental magic.

Suddenly, several earthen spikes shot up from the ground, aiming straight for Sarlon. His reflexes were quick, but one spike managed to graze him, breaking through his scales and lodging into his muscle—so fortified by earth magic that it was harder than steel.

A flash of yellow light enveloped the bear, and as Sarlon narrowly escaped the barrage of spikes, he felt an overwhelming heaviness consume his body, his movements becoming sluggish. The Rift Bear had cast some sort of gravity magic, weighing down on Sarlon with the full force of the earth itself.

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"Earth Slow Technique!" Sarlon remained composed despite the spell; the Rift Bear's ability to wield such magic was unexpectedly impressive.

The bear, seeing Sarlon hindered, cast Stone Skin on itself and charged headlong into battle. It seemed to relish the upcoming moment—crushing Sarlon's bones and devouring him alive.

Sarlon thought to himself, wasn't this where he should slide in and disembowel the bear in a typical story's twist?

"Light Magic!" Sarlon called upon the first draconic magic he had learned since arriving in this new world. Though primarily a mundane spell for illumination, he poured almost all his magical energy into it to achieve a blinding flashbang effect.

The sudden brilliance was unbearable for the bear with only one eye, robbing it temporarily of its sight.

The bear roared in pain and fury, but Sarlon seized the moment, unleashing a potent venom, like a piercing blade, straight into the bear's gaping maw.

The acid sizzled, eating away at the bear's throat, and within moments, smoke rose from its esophagus. The colossal beast fell heavily to the ground, still barely clinging to life, its solitary eye fixed on Sarlon as he approached.

"Don't blame me; it's the law of the jungle here, survival of the fittest," Sarlon sighed, putting an end to the Rift Bear's agony. In its eye was a glint of release from suffering.

With the demise of the Rift Bear, Sarlon's Carnivore skill activated, and his wounds began to heal at a visibly rapid pace.

Hanna, from somewhere, scurried over, her approach as light and quick as ever.

"Sarlon, you're incredible, you took down the Rift Bear!" Hanna said cheerfully as she looked upon the body of the bear.

Sarlon didn't reply, his paw diving into the Rift Bear's skull in search of something. Soon enough, he extracted a hexagonal, earthy-colored crystal.

Just as expected, a creature as formidable as the Rift Bear was sure to house a magic core.

Meanwhile, Hanna gently rocked Sarlon's thigh to get his attention. Sarlon glanced at her, "Once I'm done, the rest is yours!"

"Okay!" Hanna responded gleefully, her eyes scanning the enormous carcass of the Rift Bear. She figured that even with Sarlon's appetite, he wouldn't be able to consume more than half, leaving plenty for her.

Sarlon noticed his 'Feast' ability had finally cooled down on his interface. Time for the feast to begin!

The familiar hunger washed over him as he started with the Rift Bear's paws. Even raw, the magical energy within the beast's flesh provided a delightful bounce to the texture.

The progress of the 'Feast' ability could be seen ticking up: 20%, 30%... After consuming half of the bear, the third-tier percentage of the feast reached 50%. Now Sarlon began devouring the Rift Bear's organs, savoring the rich flavors of the gallbladder and heart.

Next were the bones, and after consuming half of them, Sarlon turned his attention to the magic core in his hand, with its even more intense aroma.

Without any hesitation, he swallowed the magic core whole. Subsequently, the third tier of the 'Feast' reached 100%.

Sarlon then spoke to Hanna, "The rest is yours, but hurry, there might be other predators nearby!" After imparting this wisdom, he quickly continued on toward the heart of the Bone-Eroding Swamp.

Hanna eagerly descended upon the remains, gobbling them up. She'd been worried Sarlon would leave nothing behind, but luckily about a quarter of the Rift Bear was still left—more than enough for her.

Sarlon didn't return to his dragon's den. Instead, he carved out a small cavern within the swamp and lay down inside. In the familiar darkness, he quietly observed his body growing stronger, feeling different this time as he focused on the new earthy glow within him.