A Few Hours Later…
Aethryon had finished devouring all six Spirit Grandmasters.
It had taken longer than he expected, but the result was absolutely worth it.
The moment he swallowed the final piece, system notifications began rapidly appearing in his mind.
Beep…
[Level 25 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +10 System Points]
Beep…
[Level 26 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +11 System Points]
Beep…
[Level 27 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +12 System Points]
Beep…
[Level 25 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +10 System Points]
Beep…
[Level 28 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +13 System Points]
Beep…
[Level 26 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +11 System Points]
After the notifications finished, the final number appeared on the panel.
[Total System Points Gained: +67]
Aethryon stared at the panel silently for a few seconds.
Then his eyes glimmered faintly.
That was… a lot.
He suddenly remembered those two skinny boys and the fat one he had eaten earlier.
He had noticed the same thing back then.
Humans gave far more points than spirit beasts of the same level.
Even the lowest one had given 10 points.
Aethryon slowly tapped his tail against the ground.
Then a rather… dangerous thought appeared in his mind.
He probably couldn't create a human farm.
But…
there were villages near the Beginner Forest.
Aethryon flicked his tongue through the air.
A strange glimmer appeared in his eyes.
"…What about the humans there?"
For that, he first needed to move toward the outermost region of the Beginner Forest and carefully investigate the situation.
Aethryon did not rush.
Making a mistake in something like this…
could easily mean death.
Silently, he changed direction and began slithering toward the outer ring of the forest.
He knew that he might have once been human.
But none of those memories remained anymore.
What remained in his mind now were different instincts.
The instinct to hunt.
The desire to grow stronger.
And the will to survive.
Because of that, the Spirit Beast side of him had already taken control.
Aethryon flicked his tongue through the air and continued forward cautiously.
His goal was clear.
Villages.
Small human settlements.
Because at his current level, if he tried to attack a large settlement…
the result would be very simple.
Fried snake.
For weeks, Aethryon roamed the outer ring of the Beginner Forest.
This part of the forest had fewer dense trees and was closer to the human world, so Aethryon moved much more cautiously than before.
Even so, he didn't stay idle during this time.
On the contrary…
he kept hunting.
As the days passed, he devoured countless spirit beasts, far too many to even remember.
However, the spirit beasts living in the outer ring were generally not very strong.
Most of the ones he encountered were only 10, 20 year spirit beasts.
One evening, as he slithered through the bushes, an 18-Year Forest Weasel suddenly leapt in front of him.
The weasel bared its teeth ferociously.
But Aethryon was far stronger now.
He lunged forward instantly.
One bite.
Within seconds, the weasel stopped moving.
[18-Year Spirit Beast consumed: +0.6 System Points]
Another day, near the edge of a swamp, he encountered a group of 12-Year Poison Frogs.
Aethryon dove straight into them.
He bit one.
Crushed another with his tail.
Swallowed another whole.
The ground was soon littered with small corpses.
[12-Year Poison Frog consumed: +0.1 System Points]
[15-Year Swamp Frog consumed: +0.1 System Points]
On another day, in a rocky area, he encountered a 20-Year Stone-Shell Turtle.
The turtle's shell was thick, but for Aethryon that simply meant the meal would take slightly longer.
Eventually, he reached the soft flesh beneath the shell.
[20-Year Spirit Beast consumed: +0.5 System Points]
Days slowly turned into weeks.
In the outer ring of the forest, countless small spirit beasts ended up inside Aethryon's stomach.
Yet even the strongest ones he encountered were no more than around twenty years old.
Then one day, something far more interesting happened.
While slithering through tall grass, Aethryon suddenly smelled humans.
But this time it wasn't just one person.
There were four.
One adult…
and three youths.
The adult was a Level 21 Spirit Grandmaster.
The three youths were Level 10 Spirit Students.
They were most likely a teacher and students from an academy.
Aethryon observed them quietly from a distance for a while.
The teacher was explaining something to the students.
"When fighting spirit beasts, always maintain your distance…"
But the lesson didn't last long.
From the grass, a crimson blur suddenly shot forward.
The teacher noticed first.
"Watch out!"
But it was too late.
Aethryon attacked like lightning.
His first target was the teacher.
His fangs pierced the man's neck.
The man didn't even have time to raise his sword before the venom spread through his body.
The students screamed in fear.
"Teacher!"
But Aethryon didn't stop.
His second strike knocked down one of the students.
The third tried to run.
But within seconds, all of them were lying on the ground.
The forest became silent again.
A moment later, system notifications appeared.
[Level 21 Spirit Grandmaster consumed: +8 System Points]
[Level 10 Spirit Student consumed: +1 System Points]
[Level 10 Spirit Student consumed: +1 System Points]
[Level 10 Spirit Student consumed: +1 System Points]
Aethryon lifted his head and tasted the air.
During these weeks, he had eaten an enormous number of prey.
Around the forest…
small spirit beast corpses, bones, and scattered remains could often be seen.
But he still had not found a village.
Aethryon flicked his tongue through the air and continued moving toward the outermost ring of the forest.
And finally… after a few more days of searching, Aethryon found them.
Not just one village.
But three villages, located fairly close to each other near the edge of the Beginner Forest.
From a small rocky ridge hidden beneath tall grass, Aethryon quietly observed the area below.
The villages were simple human settlements. Wooden houses, small farms, fences made from rough timber, and thin trails of smoke rising from cooking fires. Chickens wandered between houses, and a few farmers could be seen working in the fields.
It was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
But Aethryon didn't move immediately.
He was not stupid.
Even if these villages looked small and weak, he had no idea about their actual strength. There might be hidden Spirit Masters, guards, or even wandering hunters.
Charging in blindly would be a very quick way to become…
snake barbecue.
So Aethryon patiently stayed hidden.
His body was coiled beneath the tall grass, almost perfectly blending with the surrounding environment. Only his eyes slowly moved as he carefully observed everything.
People walked between the villages.
Occasionally, a hunter carrying a spear entered or left the forest.
A few children ran around chasing each other near the houses.
Aethryon watched quietly and analyzed the situation.
Hours passed.
Then another hour.
And another.
But the longer he watched…
the more one particular thought began growing inside his mind.
Food.
A lot of food.
Very convenient food.
Aethryon slowly flicked his tongue into the air again.
The scent of humans drifted through the wind.
His venom glands twitched slightly.
Then twitched again.
In fact, they had already started tingling with anticipation.
Aethryon narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Calm down."
He told himself very seriously.
"This is reconnaissance."
His tongue flicked again.
"…Definitely reconnaissance."
Meanwhile, his venom glands were already preparing as if a large banquet was about to begin.
Aethryon sighed quietly.
"…I should probably investigate a little more."
But deep inside…
the serpent was already imagining the menu.