Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 17 Devouring Gods
War brings not only death, but also innovation.

With each generation of wars, the magicians of the Ignivas family gradually mastered more powerful spellcasting techniques. Their research into magic became increasingly profound, even touching upon the essence of magic.

However, they still found it difficult to win against the frozen giants who were backed by another god.

At first, they wanted to rely on the power of the serpent god, but the serpent god's long silence made them focus their attention on the power itself - they even began to think about the power of the gods and how to surpass the gods.

"Does the power of gods also have its limits?"

That's what they were thinking.

If the magicians' power comes from the snake god, then where does the snake god's power come from?
Thus, generation after generation of magicians devoted themselves to the research. Although the more they researched, the more questions they had, their thirst for power kept them relentlessly pursuing their goal.

Until the twenty-ninth leader of Ignivas found the answer in the deeds left behind by the former holy king.

"The period when the Holy King interacted most with the Serpent God was during the reign of the Nineteenth Holy King, and the way the Holy King interacted with the Serpent God most often... was by eating together?"

Upon realizing this, the twenty-ninth leader suddenly felt that he understood everything.

Because the nineteenth generation of the Holy King was quite persistent about "not being misunderstood," the records of that generation are the clearest. In the conversations between the Holy King and the Snake God, the Snake God mentioned most often whether or not they had eaten properly.

"Have you eaten properly?" seems like a casual greeting.

But in the eyes of the twenty-ninth leader, this was the key to everything.

"Yes, that's right. People who can eat more tend to be stronger and have more energy... A sign of aging and weakness is a decrease in appetite, which means that appetite is the foundation of everything!"

Of course, the twenty-ninth leader did not draw such a conclusion so arbitrarily; he merely found a direction, a direction that seemed to explain everything.

However, after three more generations of leaders, his direction has been thoroughly validated.

Through the exploration of three generations of leaders and over nearly a century, the people of Ignivas have come to understand in practice that the summary of the twenty-ninth leader is absolutely correct—while some people who can eat a lot may not be very good at fighting, those who can fight are definitely good at eating.

People who can eat a lot tend to develop tall and strong physiques. A tall and strong physique brings considerable fighting power and also makes people more agile and intelligent.

Thus, the people of Ignivas realized the key to power.

"For a long time, we have focused on the power itself, but we have forgotten that the person who uses the power is the most important... This means that as long as we continue to strengthen ourselves, we can break through the limits and even stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods!"

These were the words left by the thirty-second chief before his death. Like the last words of many chiefs before him, these words were recorded in the history of the Ignivas family.

Following this, the Ignivas family began their practice once again.

As long as you continuously strengthen yourself, you can hope to break through your limits and rival the gods. The way to strengthen yourself has already been explored by our predecessors—that is, to eat. As long as you keep eating and digesting, the nutrients you eat will become your own power.

As long as you keep eating, you will gain power comparable to that of the gods.

At least that's how the Ignivas family sees it.

Three generations have passed since the change of leaders, and the Ignivas family has become increasingly proficient in this technology. The ability to eat more has even gradually become a standard for measuring strength—if one can only eat a single serving of food, then one can only unleash a fireball the size of a fist.

But if one could eat enough food for ten or even a hundred people without batting an eye, then one could naturally unleash a wave of fire at will, or even burn down an entire forest with a simple clap of hands. "But... would that make one comparable to a god?"

The Ignivas family is unable to confirm this.

Even with their devastating power, the Ignivas family still couldn't confirm whether it was comparable to that of a god—after all, to truly be considered comparable to a god, one would at least have to fight one.

But where can one find the gods to fight?
Go to the frozen tundra in the north to find the gods worshipped by those giants? Although it sounds feasible, it is far too dangerous—not to mention that there are many skilled warriors among the giants, the gods hidden behind them are not necessarily ones they can defeat.

Even among gods, there are superior and inferior ones; the god worshipped by the frozen giants is clearly the stronger one.

Having just gained power, they should first choose a relatively weak god.

Coincidentally, a relatively weak god is currently residing near the city of Ignis.

That was the snake god they once worshipped.

The devotion to the serpent god may have existed long ago, but as magicians have delved deeper into the study of power, they have long since lost that ancient reverence.

Right now, they are more focused on the power itself, and on the surging power that comes from constantly devouring.

"Just by eating ordinary wild beasts, we can become so strong."

"What if it were a god-devouring entity instead?"

This is what the previous three generations of Ignivas leaders had been pursuing.

The same task that David Day, the current patriarch of the Ignivas clan, the thirty-sixth leader, and known as the Dawn of the Newborn, needs to complete.

The ancient serpent god has awakened in his generation, and it is his responsibility to lead a group of magicians to hunt down the gods.

Then, they devoured the gods.

"I will not keep this opportunity to ascend to godhood to myself."

Gazing at the distant holy mountain, a strong man, as tall as two people, raised a large bowl filled with honey to the assembled group of mages.

Honey syrup is the most energy-rich food known, and it is said that the nineteenth holy king was so wise because he often consumed honey.

Nowadays, this sweet honey has become the best food for mages to replenish their strength before battle. Only high-ranking mages are qualified to enjoy it, and ordinary mages are not even qualified to smell it.

Right now, in front of each magician is a stone bowl full of honey.

This means that each of them is a high-ranking mage who possesses formidable power. With just a clap of their hands, they can incinerate everything in front of them with flames—this can be seen from their tall and strong bodies. Even their animal-hide cloaks cannot conceal their large physiques, which have become bloated from eating too much.

But what is most striking is their much larger bellies; those high, protruding abdomens are proof of their strength.

(End of this chapter)