Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 61 Going up the mountain
As it turns out, this young Ignivas man was quite capable to become the personal bodyguard of the second Akakage.

Despite being outnumbered and starving, he survived, while his elderly kin were all blown to pieces by the bone daggers.

The young guard felt no guilt about executing these fellow clansmen; in fact, he thought that letting them die peacefully might not be such a bad thing.

After all, he had experienced hunger firsthand, living in endless hunger, and every day could be described as torture.

The hot soup left by the old people replenished his strength, and with this last bit of strength, he finally arrived at the foot of the sacred mountain.

“The Ignis…or rather, the mountain people.”

Recalling the intelligence he had gathered, the young guard nodded slowly.

If nothing unexpected happens, then the way to maintain eternal youth must lie with these mountain people—after all, he had already seen the other two groups of people living on this land. Whether it was the giant whose eyes were glowing green with hunger or the old people who wanted to cook him, they were clearly not related to eternal youth.

"Hopefully they'll be willing to share the secret technique; if not..."

The young guard touched the bone dagger at his waist.

He came with a mission this time; he absolutely had to bring back the secret method that could restore youth.

Even according to the elders, these mountain people are quite powerful in combat.

"When it comes to fighting, I've never lost."

With this in mind, the young guard stepped into the mountains.

Then he couldn't walk anymore.

Although the sacred mountain appears as desolate as the surrounding area, once you venture a little deeper, you'll see that the inside and outside of the mountain are practically two different worlds. This stark contrast made the young guard think he had taken the wrong path, since he hadn't seen the sacred mountain like this on his way here.

A faint sweet fragrance filled the air, and fruits and vegetables were everywhere. He didn't even need to look for them; he could simply reach out and grab berries to eat.

But that's not the most attractive thing right now.

Instead, it was those plump cattle and sheep.

Yes, plump. He couldn't think of any other adjectives. Whether it was bison or antelope, they all looked so plump and delicious. Even the Second Akakage couldn't eat this level of delicacy.

"As the bodyguard of the second-generation Akakage, it is my duty to test the poison for him."

With this in mind, the young guard clasped his hands together and turned a passing antelope into roast meat.

This was probably the most delicious roast meat he had ever eaten in his life.

Each slice of mutton was covered with snowflake-like marbling, and a bite released a burst of rich, fatty flavor. For anyone, this was an unparalleled temptation—especially since he had been starving for several days. Even if he had managed to fill his stomach with water before, it could not compare to this hearty dish.

The bone dagger, originally used to kill enemies, had now become a meat slicer. With one slice after another, he swallowed piece after piece of mutton into his mouth. Before long, he had eaten the entire antelope.

Patting his swollen belly, the young guard even felt a little dizzy.

This is the aftereffect of suddenly eating too much, especially for this kind of fat-rich antelope. After suddenly consuming a large amount of meat, it was so full that it closed its eyes and even couldn't help but want to take a nap.

"This is the kind of place that truly deserves to be called a place where milk and honey are preserved..."

Smelling the faint sweet fragrance in the air, the young guard finally couldn't hold on any longer and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself bound and tied to a large tree.

"I..." The young guard tried to struggle, but the ropes binding him were incredibly tight—and the way they bound him even separated his hands and tied them to his sides, so he couldn't even touch his hands together, let alone use magic.

"This method of binding...does it know I can use magic to escape?"

Feeling the unprecedented way he was bound, the young guard was speechless for a moment.

He had thought about what would happen if he lost the battle. He thought he might die in battle, or he might be captured. But he never thought he would be captured in this way. He didn't even see the enemy's face. He just ate something and when he opened his eyes again, he was already a prisoner.

"let me go!"

The young guard shouted at the top of his lungs.

But his cry for help received no response.

There was still no sound around, only the chirping of insects and birds, and a deathly silence.

This made the young guard even more panicked. After all, he couldn't even use magic now. He was tied to the tree in a daze, and he didn't even know who his enemy was.

All he could do was shout, shouting again and again.

Until a person of similar height appeared in his line of sight.

Judging by this person's height and appearance, he was no different from other Ignivas—but his physique and posture were completely different from those of the Ignivas.

As for the Ignivas people outside the mountains, they are no different from savages. If you have to point out the difference between them and monkeys, it's that they can still talk and at least know how to wear clothes.

As for the Ignivas people in the southern swamp, they still retain their old habits, believing that eating a lot brings strength, which has resulted in them being quite large, far larger than those monkeys.

But this stranger in front of me...

The young guard didn't know how to describe it.

Compared to the broad-shouldered Ignivas, the other person appeared too thin, lacking a robust waistline and showing no signs of fat accumulation—yet this body, which should have been judged as frail, appeared inexplicably muscular due to its firm muscle lines.

"If I don't use magic, can I really beat him?"

Just by comparing their figures, the young guard broke out in a cold sweat.

However, the person ignored him, merely glanced at him, then leaped to the treetop and disappeared into the depths of the mountains.

This gave the young guard a chance to escape.

"This method of binding might have worked against the Ignivas of the past, but not now..."

"Using magic doesn't necessarily require two hands."

Taking a deep breath, the young guard snapped his fingers together with one hand.

With a crackling sound, the faint flame burned through the hemp rope binding him.

Sweeping aside the short ropes binding him, the young guard lowered his body and followed the trail of the man he had just encountered.

He had a premonition that the stranger was the person he was looking for in the mountains.

(End of this chapter)