Wilhelm continued moving along the cave wall.
Slow.
Silent.
Careful.
His claws touched the ground with controlled precision while his wings remained folded tightly against his back. The faint flames flowing through his feathers cast soft green, white, and golden light across the stone walls.
The deeper he went, the more the cave revealed its interior.
Then he heard it.
Scratching.
Tiny claws digging through dirt.
Small bodies shifting beneath loose stone.
Wilhelm stopped instantly.
His pupils narrowed.
Something was moving nearby.
He remained completely still, observing.
A moment later, the creature finally emerged from a hole in the ground.
It was small.
Roughly the size of a large rabbit.
Its body resembled that of a mole, but its claws were longer and sharper, clearly adapted for digging through stone and packed earth. Its fur was dark gray, almost blending with the cave floor, and its small eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.
Another one appeared.
Then another.
Wilhelm watched quietly.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
According to the knowledge slowly surfacing from his bloodline, these creatures were known as Grave Moles.
A relatively weak species.
At least when compared to legendary creatures.
For beings like dragons, phoenixes, or titans, they were barely worth noticing.
However…
For humans, they could actually be dangerous.
Not trained warriors or adventurers, of course.
But ordinary humans?
Farmers.
Travelers.
Merchants.
For them, a Grave Mole could be a real threat. Their claws were strong enough to tear flesh, and their bite carried a mild toxin that could weaken prey over time.
Wilhelm tilted his head slightly.
Initially, his first thought had been simple.
Food.
After all, he had just been born.
Eating seemed like the obvious next step.
But a moment later, another piece of bloodline knowledge surfaced.
And his expression changed.
"...Right."
His body was not the same as that of a normal creature.
Because of his Death Dragon bloodline, Wilhelm possessed many characteristics similar to undead beings.
He did not feel hunger in the usual sense.
His body did not tire easily.
Even physical exhaustion barely affected him.
Meanwhile, the Life Phoenix bloodline added another layer to his existence.
Life attribute energy naturally circulated within his body, nourishing it from the inside.
Because of this, beings with strong life affinity could survive for extremely long periods without eating or sleeping.
Of course…
That did not mean they never needed food.
Energy still had to come from somewhere.
Eating was simply one method of replenishing energy.
Wilhelm looked back at the small Grave Moles.
If he consumed them, he would indeed gain some energy.
But the amount would be…
Minimal.
Very minimal.
In fact, many creatures in this world could obtain small amounts of energy simply by breathing the surrounding magical energy in the air.
And Wilhelm's energy consumption was already extremely low thanks to his dual bloodlines.
Unless he spent a large amount of power in battle or magic, he probably wouldn't need to eat for quite a long time.
Still…
Food could serve as an emergency energy reserve.
He looked at the small creatures again.
The Grave Moles continued digging and moving around the cave floor, completely unaware that a newborn legendary hybrid was observing them from a few meters away.
Wilhelm's tail swayed slowly behind him.
His mind began to consider the possibilities.
Option one.
Leave them alone.
They were harmless to him, and killing them would barely provide any benefit.
Option two.
Capture them.
If he managed to keep them alive…
They could become a kind of livestock.
A renewable source of emergency food.
Wilhelm remained motionless for a moment.
Watching.
Thinking.
Calculating.
The Grave Moles continued their small, busy movements across the cave floor.
And the young Dragonphoenix silently considered what to do with them.
