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

Driven by instinct and his idiotic thinking, Casper did indeed swallow the serpent eagle's egg without any serious injury and enjoyed a delicious meal.

But what followed was a relentless pursuit by the serpent eagle for several days.

Even now, the other party still occasionally hovers in the nearby sky, searching for Casper's whereabouts.

The apex predators in this forest are not simply wild beasts that act on instinct; they possess a certain level of intelligence, which means that these predators have a rather strong desire for revenge.

Because of what Kasper did, almost all the snakes within a two-kilometer radius were taken care of by the serpent eagle.

So even though the sound of flapping wings outside the tree hole had subsided, Casper still refused to peek out, remaining quietly dormant inside, like a piece of dead wood.

Just as he had expected, the dull flapping of wings once again echoed from the sky outside the tree hole.

This time, however, it started from near and then moved further away.

"Are they finally gone?"

Kasper breathed a sigh of relief, but still refused to leave the tree hollow.

He wasn't sure if the other side was feinting a second time. As a raptor, the Serpent Eagle was too mobile; it could turn back at any time, and once discovered, Caspar would be running for his life.

"Even though the strength of my scales has been improved now, I still don't have much of a chance to fight back against this natural enemy."

The eagle's sharp beak and talons could easily tear through his scales, but his newly enhanced fangs were far from piercing the thick keratinous scales on his legs.

Once those sharp talons grip the snake's body, the eagle has countless ways to deal with it.

Because of the vast difference in their strength, Kasper had been acting cautiously ever since he provoked the Serpent Eagle, and only recently began to be active during the day.

Since then, he has focused on strengthening his brain to prevent the recurrence of his dementia.

He remained motionless in the tree hollow, but his thoughts kept swirling in his mind.

"Something about that sound was off."

Having spent so long in a battle of wits with the serpent eagle, Kasper knew it inside and out.

It was a typical mountain serpent eagle, of moderate size with a wingspan of about 1.2 meters. Logically, it shouldn't make such a dull flapping sound when flying.

Kasper felt a little uneasy.

Perhaps, some changes are unfolding in this dense forest.

……

"Drake?"

Inside the carriage, the wandering knight, lost in thought, was awakened by his companion beside him.

"Your attention is so scattered, that's not like you at all."

A handsome young man wearing a wide-brimmed hat sat down beside him, leaning closer to Drake with a grin.

"Are you in a bad mood? Would you like me to sing you a song to cheer you up?"

As he spoke, he took down the harp decorated with white feathers from his waist and gently plucked the strings with his gloved fingers.

Light, airy syllables flowed from it, and although it was only a brief chord, it seemed to lighten the air inside the carriage.

"Don't waste the poet's inspiration, He-Man."

Drake raised his hand and pressed down on the other person's hand, which was about to continue plucking the strings.

"It's alright, we'll be in Broken Blade Town soon. It's unlikely that monsters will suddenly attack us there. We might as well use these chances now instead of leaving them idle."

"He-Man," the bard said casually, patting Drake on the shoulder.

"You've had a long face since yesterday, what's wrong?"

Drake didn't want to say anything, but when he looked up, he met the concerned gazes of the other members.

Although their squad was formed not long ago, the atmosphere within the squad was very good; they were not the typical mercenary groups that gathered for profit.

Even the novice adventurers, who were often seen as a burden, did not show any disdain within the team, and they exchanged information openly with each other.

Drake liked the atmosphere and didn't want to spoil it, so after hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.

"Yesterday, when Lyra and I were fetching water by the river, we sensed a spying gaze. I initially thought it was some kind of magical beast, but Lyra's warning amulet didn't react at all."

"But I was just thinking, is it some kind of 'animal' that is undergoing a change?"

"An animal undergoing changes?"

Heiman repeated Drake's conjecture, and after a moment looked up.

"An animal with growth potential and a certain level of intelligence should not exist. Don't forget, the empire launches a 'cleanup' every five years or so."

With such a short period of clearing, even if such creatures exist, they will be hunted down before they can mature.

Lyra, who was listening from the side, and another tall, heavily armored man both nodded in agreement.

Adventurers' earnings are also subject to taxation, especially those from the small town next to the Avenue of Lightfall.

Because of the existence of the Great Dao, they can often find bargains and even have the opportunity to obtain body parts of powerful creatures, making a fortune.

The nobles of the empire were well aware of this exploitative practice, so they levied heavier taxes on adventurers in small towns like Broken Blade Town.

Sometimes it can even reach an astonishing 40%!

During this "cleanup" event, which is held every five years, all income earned by adventurers from killing monsters is tax-free!

It's easy to imagine just how crazy the adventurers were during this period.

Under their relentless searching and hunting, the number of magical beasts has drastically decreased, and the social magical beasts are no longer able to grow to a number that can threaten the safety of the Lightfall Avenue.

Even though Seaman said that, Drake still shook his head and stubbornly stuck to his own opinion.

Heman frowned, about to complain about the ranger's stubbornness, when he heard the silent, heavily armored warrior speak up from the side.

"Are you referring to the red dragon that was shot down by the roadside that morning?"

"That's right."

Drake finally nodded.

"Don't forget, dragons are born magical creatures, and their blood contains immense power. There are countless legends of people becoming powerful warriors by bathing in dragon blood."

The severely wounded red dragon wouldn't simply sit and wait to die. Perhaps to survive, it would actively develop its own retinue, using its dragon blood to enhance the power of the beasts in the dense forest, recruiting them for its own use, and then find a place to wait for its injuries to heal.

"What you described is indeed possible, but the place where we fetched water was on the other side of where the red dragon fell, a distance of about 10 kilometers."

The heavy, muffled sound of the heavily armored warrior rang out once more.

"Even if it really wanted to develop a retinue, it wouldn't be possible to do so in that area. Don't be too nervous."

After hearing this, Drake remained silent for a moment, then finally let out a sigh of relief.

Perhaps, as my companions said, I was just being too nervous and sensitive.

"In that case, let's stop and rest in Broken Blade Town."

Heman made this suggestion suddenly, his voice carrying a hint of flippancy.

"We believe that the warm embrace of the girls will help us, the vigilant protectors, to relax."