Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 18 We are all living hard

Chapter 18 We are all living hard
In order to devour the gods, David Day, the patriarch of the Ignivas family, the thirty-sixth king of Ignis City, known as the Dawn of the Newborn, made thorough preparations.

First, in order to awaken the serpent god whose whereabouts were unknown, the Ignivas family deliberately turned a blind eye and allowed some poachers into the holy mountain. Although the high-ranking mages later sent out some hunters, their purpose was not to hunt them down, but rather to participate in the process of hunting them down.

During the pursuit, battles will break out, and the aftermath of these battles will affect the sacred mountain itself. No matter where the ancient serpent god is hiding, it will eventually be disturbed by the intense commotion.

Secondly, in order to weaken the Serpent God, the large beasts in the Holy Mountain have been hunted back by the mages one by one, either kept in their own ranches or made into fur coats to wear. The Serpent God, lacking food, must be weak, which gives the Ignivas family a better chance of winning.

As for why they didn't directly attack the holy mountain and do it openly and honestly...

Of course, it's because the harvest festival still needs to be celebrated as usual.

The worship of the serpent god has been deeply rooted since the nineteenth Holy King, which means that the annual harvest festival is a considerable source of income. In the name of the serpent god, magicians can enjoy a large number of offerings.

And those sacrifices would eventually transform into their power, making their bellies grow larger and their magic stronger.

"The flames that fly from our palms burn the fat on our bodies."

These are the words of wisdom left behind by the thirty-third leader of Ignivas, the Sun Eater.

All magicians regard it as the essence of magic.

The leader of the thirty-sixth generation of Ignivas, David Day, known as the "Dawn of the New Life," was the best among them. He was the most muscular and the most powerful of all the mages.

Similarly, he consumed the most honey.

There were a full thirty-six large bowls of honey. If it were any of the other mages present, they would probably have been stuffed to death before they could even finish half of it. But this New Dawn ate all thirty-six bowls of honey without changing her expression.

Looking at her exposed belly, you couldn't even see any undulations.

A large appetite and strong digestive ability mean equally strong strength.

That is precisely why he became king.

Now, David Day, the king, has pushed the plan to its final stage. One mammoth after another is being driven out by the magicians—according to the records of the Ignivas family, this is the serpent god's favorite food, and now, they will become bait to lure the serpent god.

There was nothing left in the mountains that could be considered prey. Now that the serpent god had awakened, driven by hunger, it would surely follow the scent of the mammoth and walk into their ambush.

Yes, it is it, not Him.

As core members of the Ignivas family, the magicians present, including David Day himself, no longer worshipped the serpent god.

"Since it has not brought us abundance, then we will take what we want ourselves."

With a command, the gathered mages scattered and disappeared into the forest.

Judging by their position, they had already formed a circle in front of the mammoths.

Out of caution, they would not give the serpent god any chance to eat. They would kill the serpent god when it was at its weakest to ensure that nothing went wrong.

With nearly a hundred high-ranking mages joining forces, even mountains would be incinerated in the raging flames. But the most powerful among them was David Day himself. As the mage who could eat the most and was also the most powerful in combat, he was in charge of the main attack and could destroy a mountain by himself.

And now, he stands at the forefront of the team.

To demonstrate his strength, he was going to have a head-on confrontation with the serpent god.

"After all, that way I can be the one who eats the most."

David Day thought so.

Having other high-ranking mages come to provide support would ensure everything goes smoothly, but it also meant he had to share the flesh and blood of the serpent god—that was the flesh and blood of a god, and who knew how strong it would make someone after eating it.

If the other mages were to eat even more than him, would he still be able to sit securely on his throne?
Therefore, he must eat the most, and only he can eat the most, only in this way can he continue to maintain his status as king. No, not just as king.

Rather, as God.

To gain power comparable to that of gods with a human body, and become a god among men in the present world.

He didn't want to be just a mere thirty-sixth generation king.

He will become the eternal Holy King of the Ignis.

"If someone tries to take more after the hunt ends... then we'll have no choice but to accept it."

Thinking about what might happen after hunting down the gods, he was already prepared to fight back, even to the point of killing them.

No one can stop him from becoming a god, not even his own family members.

"I hope that after you witness my strength, you will understand the gap between us."

With that thought in mind, David Day took a deep breath.

His large hands were already raised high, a posture of preparation for attack for the mages. At this moment, he could hear the sound of trees falling in the distance.

Trees fell one after another, the sound of the serpent god advancing. The sound grew ever closer, and the serpent god was charging toward him!
"Then I'll show you my strength!"

With a clap of his hands, towering flames suddenly ignited out of thin air!
The raging flames swept over everything in sight, instantly turning grass and trees into charcoal, and even burning rocks to ashes. The intense flames ignited everything in an instant, and the blinding light was like a second sun rising from the ground.

And that is the origin of his name.

There are only wrong names, never wrong nicknames. He who can be called "the first ray of dawn" already possesses the power comparable to the second sun!
However, just as the second sunrise was beginning to rise...

The once clear sky suddenly turned gloomy.

"Is it going to rain?"

David Day instinctively looked up.

"But it doesn't matter. With my magical flames, even if rain falls, it won't... um?"

His gaze suddenly froze.

Simply because what appeared in sight was not some leaden gray cloud at all.

Instead, they were large, fine... snake scales?
"boom--"

In an instant, the second sun was crushed into silence.

Along with the nearly one hundred mages and David Day, they were all crushed into the earth.

"Huh? Did I just bump into something?"

It was at this moment that the enormous snake lowered its head slightly and surveyed the surrounding ground.

"I don't think I saw it... Never mind."