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

After the leopard was killed by the dragon-blooded serpent eagle, other carnivores quickly took over its territory.

The number of animals within Casper's current range is already starting to struggle to support his and Simba's appetites.

To obtain more food resources, they must expand their territory, but this will inevitably cause friction with other carnivores.

It wasn't that Kasper was afraid of fighting or conflict, but rather that he was worried that if he clashed with the other party, the Serpent Eagle might take advantage of the situation or wipe them out.

The serpent eagle, which was already more powerful than Kasper, has become even more terrifying. To make matters worse, it had even stolen bird eggs from the serpent eagle's nest.

Once it recognizes him, the serpent eagle will definitely launch an even more terrifying pursuit of Casper.

With such a terrifying increase in size, the methods used to escape earlier are clearly ineffective against this dragon-blooded serpent eagle.

Therefore, we still need to become stronger in order to protect ourselves.

So the question comes full circle.

If you don't want to be eaten like a spicy snack by the serpent eagle, you need to become stronger. To become stronger, you need to eat more. To eat more, you need to expand your territory. Expanding your territory will lead to confrontations and battles with other carnivores. And this action may be discovered by the serpent eagles circling in the sky, leading to your death.

"The code in the 'shit mountain' is in an infinite loop, that's correct."

Kasper couldn't help but complain in his mind.

The only solution is to seize the gap period to develop and grow rapidly.

The days to come will probably be another endless cycle of devouring and forging, just like before.

And this time, he also has to be a snake with an extremely strong sense of stealth.

Just as Casper was pondering this, a familiar sound came from outside.

That panting and those footsteps, it's definitely Simba.

Kasper gained more evolution points due to his increased appetite recently. Instead of focusing on strengthening his direct combat and digestion abilities as before, Kasper intentionally increased his perception abilities with these evolution points.

For example, hearing and sight, and also smell and the pheromones.

Even without utilizing the [Leadership] stat, Casper can now confirm that Simba has returned based on the information he senses.

They acted quickly, which is commendable.

As Kasper pondered this, he emerged from under the tree roots.

Sure enough, looking up, they saw Simba running towards them, carrying his prey in his mouth. When he reached Casper, he spat out what was in his mouth.

"My Lord, look at the wonderful things I've brought back this time."

Simba's drooping wolf tail was practically wagging like a fan, his excitement was palpable.

Casper glanced at the things on the ground.

Half a pheasant.

But it wasn't an ordinary pheasant; it was half a pheasant that had been neatly cut and plucked.

Judging from the color, the person who processed it even added some seasoning.

"You went to a human village to steal things?"

Kasper was taken aback, then questioned Simba in a rather serious tone.

The seasonings and preparation techniques clearly indicate that this half-pheasant was made by human hands.

This guy actually dared to come into the village and openly steal food; he's got some nerve!

The villagers are afraid of the cavalry's status and dare not fight them, but they can't fight you, you wild wolf?

"It wasn't robbery. It wasn't..."

As soon as Casper raised his voice slightly, Simba couldn't take it anymore, and his voice was tinged with a slightly aggrieved sob.

"This prey was found elsewhere, just lying on the ground. After I found it, I observed it for a while and, finding no one nearby, brought it back."

Kasper was quite suspicious upon hearing this.

Since the silly wolf appeared unharmed in front of him, it meant that it was not a hunting trap set by the hunter.

"Are you sure no one is nearby? And no one is following you?"

"That's right. I was worried they might have some special tracking ability, so I did as my lord instructed, and circled the area before returning here."

Kasper was silent for a moment, then asked a few more questions.

"Where you found your prey, was there any special arrangement, like a shrine... something that doesn't look like the kind you'd find in the wild, the kind used to hold food?"

"no."

"You carried it all the way here, are you feeling any discomfort now?"

"no."

"Did the aroma of the pheasant attract any other creatures?"

"no."

The series of denials left Casper with some vague suspicions.

"Stay here and don't go out. Let me observe."

Just because something happened when it was carried over doesn't mean it wasn't drugged.

Perhaps it's a powerful sleeping potion that will only produce a sharp scream after some time?

It's not like humans can't create it.

With this in mind, Kasper repeatedly rubbed against the trees while carefully observing Simba's physical changes.

Two hours later, the latter remained unharmed and unchanged.

But his drool was already overflowing from his mouth, dripping onto the ground.

Unlike snakes, dogs can still taste some flavors, but for Simba, who is used to eating raw food, roasted chicken with seasoning is just too energetic.

"You eat it."

Upon seeing this, Casper sighed and gave the following instructions.

Simba, having received permission, let out a joyful cry and pounced forward.

Of course, even at this moment, Simba did not forget what he had to do.

Using its strong bite, it tore the roasted pheasant apart, ripped off two-thirds of it, and presented it to Casper before beginning to feast.

Unlike the cheerful Simba, Casper's heart was filled with a sense of solemnity.

He had previously killed six goblins, including the goblin leader, and their corpses were not too far from the village chief.

Combined with the two cavalrymen killed last night, whose bodies had not yet been disposed of.

The more knowledgeable elders in the village might have already guessed that there were beings like him and Simba in the forest.

This half-pheasant must have been a thank-you gift from that person.

As for what to thank.

"They're probably thanking me for avenging them."

The enemy who robbed the village was killed, and along with the previous incident with the goblin tribe, although both were just coincidences, Casper did indeed do them a favor.

The village had been looted, and there wasn't much to offer. Half a pheasant was probably caught just in the mountains.

The intention was good, but it made Casper feel threatened and also gave him an answer to his wavering choice.

"...Simba."

"I am here, my Lord."

The wolf cub, which had been crunching on a bone, stopped chewing and immediately responded.

"After we finish this meal, we'll prepare to migrate."

Kasper calmly gave the order and then returned to the cave.

With so much food to move, he now needs to start getting as much of it as possible into his stomach.