As a venomous snake, I evolved into a god through devouring.

The immense energy inevitably spread to the nearby jungle, startling the birds that were resting on the branches.

A few breaths later, a beam of light, almost solidified, shot out diagonally upwards from the magic circle, piercing through the thick clouds.

In the middle of the gaping hole torn open by the beam of light, a huge crimson shadow, covered in broken scales and dark red blood, fell from the sky with a mournful cry.

The dragon's roar shook the air and spread in all directions.

Even though he was inside the tree hollow, Casper, whose hearing wasn't very good, could still hear it perfectly well.

Although this place is very different from my previous life, there are also some things that are exactly the same as on Earth.

For example, the humans here are also the most powerful race on this continent.

To facilitate travel between the fortress city and the royal capital, they built a road that runs across the entire mountain range and set up a high-strength defense mechanism for it. Once any monsters or other creatures that attempt to damage the road enter the area, they will be automatically attacked.

For the past month, every day, beasts or dragons have come to attack, but regardless of their strength, they have all been swiftly and decisively defeated in a single blow.

This demonstrates the immense power of the human empire.

However, thanks to them, the density of powerful monsters in the jungle where Casper is now is extremely low. Otherwise, a small snake like himself, without any special bloodline, would have long been chewed up like a snack by a much stronger predator.

"However, these monsters are causing trouble far too frequently. What's wrong with them?"

Kasper couldn't help but complain to himself.

After confirming that there was no further movement, it crawled out of the snake's nest and stretched around the tree trunk.

As the muscles throughout the body contract, the food in the abdomen is squeezed and gradually deformed, and the fragile bones cannot withstand such pressure and begin to crack.

At the same time, Kasper's stomach, enhanced by evolution points, began to secrete digestive juices rapidly.

Feathers and beaks that ordinary snakes cannot decompose are no problem for Caspar. Although these things provide little nutrition, even a small mosquito is still meat.

After stretching a few times, Kasper felt a strong sense of fatigue.

It's not the fatigue from expending too much energy, but rather the languid feeling of wanting to take a nap after a hearty meal on a sunny summer afternoon.

Waves of drowsiness gradually seeped into Casper's consciousness, causing the muscles he was using to slowly relax.

"Snapped!"

Kasper swung his snake tail and lashed it hard against the tree trunk beside him. The rough, hard bark was unharmed, but the lashing of his snake tail caused a sharp pain, making Kasper flick his forked tongue rapidly.

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

The drowsy feeling he had been feeling earlier vanished instantly, and Casper's snake brain regained its clarity, which was exactly what he had been aiming for.

Feeling a bit more refreshed, Caspar continued his stretching exercises.

After eating, snakes will enter a rest period of several days in order to concentrate their energy on digesting their food; this is an instinct ingrained in their genes.

But the current situation really doesn't allow him to continue living such a leisurely life.

Kasper could sense that the temperature was dropping as the days went by.

Compared to the day he hatched, the weather is no longer sweltering, but warm.

Summer is coming to an end, signaling the arrival of a cold snap.

As he pondered, Casper's serpentine eyes turned to the branches and leaves of the nearby trees.

"Most of the trees around here have small, thick, serrated leaves, which proves that this is not a tropical region. Winters not only exist here, but are also quite harsh."

All of a snake's life activities are limited by temperature; it thrives in warm environments and freezes into an icicle in cold ones.

At that time, Kasper's body will uncontrollably fall into a state of hibernation.

Assuming this place also experiences all four seasons, it means there are nearly three months of inactivity.

Snakes cannot move in winter, but other predators do not rest during winter.

The thought of being pulled out of the snake's den and eaten while he was asleep filled Kasper with anxiety, and even the snake coiled around the branch tightened its grip.

"That's about it."

Feeling the food in his stomach being squeezed and ground up, Casper climbed down from the branch.

In addition to tree roots extending from the soil, the jungle ground also contains gravel, dead branches, and other debris. Crawling on such an uneven surface can further promote digestion.

However, this time he did more than just take a stroll.

The slender snake slithered across the damp, decaying leaves. Soon after, Casper arrived at a mountain stream and found a corner where it quietly lay dormant.

This stream is the closest water source to the main road, and occasionally passing caravans and travelers will choose to come here to replenish their water resources.

Kasper knew all about the human empire by overhearing things here; of course, it took him quite a bit of effort to understand what they were saying.

This is why Kasper would spend half of his evolution points on enhancing his brain.

Learning a language is extremely difficult; even with a snake's built-in brain, it would never understand what they are saying until it dies.

Sure enough, rustling sounds soon came from the other side of the stream.

A man and a woman carrying several water bottles emerged from the bushes, chatting as they approached the stream.

"The attacks from monsters and fantasy creatures have been too frequent lately. After replenishing our water, we need to leave immediately and not linger."

In addition to the water jugs in his hands, the man also had two short swords tied together at his waist, while the woman on the other side had a wooden staff of suitable length hanging from her waist.

The former is clearly a ranger, while the latter is likely a mage or warlock.

The one who spoke the reminder was the wandering knight.

"But this time, it was a young red dragon that was shot down, Draco."

The woman on one side clearly didn't have many concerns, and spoke with considerable excitement.

"At that age, the dragons had not yet fully mastered the magic passed down in their lineage, and their combat strength was not high. In addition, they were shot down by the light meteor magic."

The woman didn't continue speaking, but the intense desire that surfaced in her eyes spoke volumes.

"You're right, Leila, but you're not the only one with this idea. This isn't a commission; it's a dangerous struggle."

Draco shook his head, unmoved by his eager companions.

He bent down, unscrewed the water bag, placed it in the flowing stream, waited for it to gradually fill up, and then replaced it.

"Don't forget, we're still on a guard mission. We're still two months away from our destination, and time is tight. If we drag this out until winter when heavy snow closes the roads, we'll definitely be late, and our reward will be significantly reduced."

"Perhaps we could take a look? The place where the red dragon crashed isn't far from the town, so we could regroup there."

Leila, still not giving up, tentatively asked.

"Of course you can go alone if you want."

Draco remained unmoved, and as he spoke, he handed the other person the full water bag he was holding and gestured with his hand.

"You have absolutely no adventurous spirit. No wonder He-Man questions whether you're even a true knight-errant."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade the other person, Leila slumped her shoulders and handed over an empty water bag while complaining.

"Caution will help you survive in dangerous environments. You still have the map, right? Don't forget, not long ago an adventure team went missing in this jungle after losing their map."

"Of course. Don't worry."

Lyra nodded when she heard the question.

"They've gone back to camp. They're still waiting for this water to make mushroom soup."

Draco tossed the last two water bags to Lyra and was about to get up when he suddenly stopped, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the other side of the stream.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

When Leila saw him turn his head and remain motionless, she also became nervous.

"Don't be nervous. I just have a stiff neck."

Drake looked away.

"I'm gone."

……

Nearly twenty minutes after the two left, Casper emerged from behind the rock where he had been hiding.

"That was close..."

Snakes don't have sweat glands, but Casper felt like he was already drenched in sweat.

I underestimated the veteran ranger's keen senses. That guy named Draco must have noticed the spying gaze, which is why he suddenly stopped.

"Fortunately, I hadn't evolved magic at that time."

These adventurers frequently deal with magical beasts and have their own methods of early warning. If Casper, who came to spy, were a magical beast, he would probably be attacked by the two of them in the next second.

"This stream is probably no more than two meters wide. It's too risky to be so close. We should be more careful. It's all because the previous newbies were too unprofessional. Relying on past experience can be harmful."

Before the two men, two other groups had come here to fetch water within a month, one of whom dropped a notebook and a map. When Caspar obtained these items, he wasn't the size he is now, and carrying them took a lot of effort.

They were stored in another snake den in Caspar. Just as a rabbit has three burrows, so too should a snake.

The name Casper was chosen from a word with a similar pronunciation. It's a case of adapting to local customs.

"With Drake here, there probably won't be any easy opportunities to pick up here."

Kasper looked around and then went to the water's edge.

"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."