《Serpent’s Wrath: The Age of Chaos》 1.Welcome to the Age of Mythology "Welcome to the Age of Mythology, chosen ones." "Each of you will become one of the primordial gods in this chaotic world¡ªliving, fighting, and evolving alongside countless native deities¡ªuntil death, or until you attain immortality..." "This is the chaotic world before the birth of the universe, the origin of all myths. The creator god Aether has yet to begin shaping reality. The sky, oceans, land, and ordinary life have not yet come into being... Even the gods you''re familiar with¡ªZeus, Odin, Ymir, Eve, and others¡ªare still in their infancy, or haven''t even been born yet..." The system''s voice echoed in the ears of more than thirty teenagers. "You will grow alongside them¡ªor perhaps become their enemies. Friends or foes¡ªit''s up to you." "As the first group of humans to enter the Age of Mythology, the divine forms you take on will be completely random, but each of you will receive an initial item gifted by the system." In a pitch-black, eerily cold space devoid of warmth, a group of teenagers listened to the system''s words in confusion and disbelief. Not long ago, they had been sitting in their school classroom, attending a regular lesson. Their math teacher, reeking of cheap perfume, was droning on endlessly. Oliver Stark had been half-asleep, staring at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, daydreaming about going on a date with the hot older girl next door¡ªhe''d been drooling over her big chest for ages. Then, suddenly, everyone was hit with a wave of dizziness¡ªand the next moment, they were in this dark, unfamiliar place. The classroom was gone. There were no trees, no light¡ªnothing physical at all. It felt like the vacuum of space. Amid the chaos, many classmates screamed in panic. But the system''s voice sparked a wave of excitement. "No way¡ªthis is real? We''re becoming ancient gods and fighting alongside Zeus, Odin, and the others? Like, the Zeus and Odin?" "This isn''t some kind of prank show, right?" "Don''t get too excited, or you''ll be the one getting laughed at later!" The group buzzed with excited chatter. Some didn''t believe any of it¡ªbut the next moment, a new development began. [Divine status randomization complete. Bound as: Ancient Serpent.] Oliver heard a voice echo in his mind. Ancient Serpent? What''s that supposed to mean? Am I turning into a snake? As Oliver pondered, a wave of searing pain suddenly surged through his body! In the darkness, his classmates cried out in agony as well. It wasn''t just pain¡ªOliver could feel his body, his bones, his flesh undergoing dramatic changes! His hands and feet were shrinking, and his bones felt like they were melting. Luckily, the transformation was intense but short. Though agonizing, it didn''t last long. [Divine status binding complete. Selecting gifted item¡­ Error¡­ Item compatibility error¡­] Amazingly, as the system''s prompt sounded, Oliver noticed his vision getting clearer. Previously, the darkness had been absolute¡ªbut now, even without any visible light, he could clearly perceive everything around him. It felt like a new sense awakened in his soul. "Everyone¡­ turned into monsters?" Oliver took a deep breath, staring in disbelief at the scene before him. His classmates had transformed into bizarre creatures¡ªsome animal-like, one with a human head and a bull''s body, another just a plain sheep. Some looked like insects: spiders, beetles, or grotesque winged worms. Compared to them, turning into a snake didn''t seem so bad. But Oliver quickly realized something worse¡ªhis size was pathetic! Even some who''d become insects¡ªlike Isabella, who was now a red-bellied spider¡ªwere massive. Without a reference point, it was hard to tell scale, but his Ancient Serpent form was about the size of one of her legs. The others weren''t much different. To Oliver, they looked as big as houses¡ªor even mountains! He, the snake, looked more like the insect. But more than his size, Oliver was worried about the system''s "item compatibility error"¡ªwhat did that mean? He glanced at the others. None of them seemed to have the same problem. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "I got an S-level item¡ªthe Fire Element Sword!" "S-level? That''s insane! Mine''s only a B-level item." "Mine''s an A-level¡ªa gemstone. Could it be the legendary Philosopher''s Stone?" Most people had B-level items. A few got A-level, and just one person received an S-level¡ªthe class''s blonde bombshell, Jennifer. After learning she''d gotten such a rare item, Jennifer''s cute, freckled face lit up with joy. "Why did I get an item compatibility error...? What the hell is going on?" Oliver felt frustrated. "Hey, Oliver, why are you so tiny? That''s pathetic." "What a loser. I bet size equals strength." "Says who? I''m not that big either." The group broke into noisy debate. Despite their monstrous forms, their voices hadn''t changed, so they could still recognize each other. "Do I even need to explain? If you''ve got a problem, come fight me!" A proud, arrogant voice rang out. It was Alex¡ªthe school''s football linebacker. Even as a human, he''d been strong, narcissistic, and always causing trouble¡ªbut popular, with a rotating cast of girlfriends. And now, he had transformed into a massive dragon with glimmering silver scales! When he spread his wings, they blocked out at least half of the space. To someone Oliver''s size, he was like a god towering over an insect. Then Alex deliberately flapped his wings toward Oliver¡ªshowing off. Boom! A gust of wind slammed into Oliver, sending him tumbling backward. The pain made him cry out. But Alex ignored him and burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Stark, you''re such a loser! You were a freak back in school, and now you''re a useless god too!" As a transfer student, Oliver had once been bullied by Alex. But Oliver wasn''t one to back down. The next day, he fought back¡ªattacking Alex alone and leaving him bleeding. Of course, Oliver got hurt worse in the process. After that, Alex never dared bully him again¡ªbut held a grudge. Now, empowered by his dragon form, Alex saw a chance to get revenge. "Hahaha, Stark, beg me for mercy and I might let you go. I don''t just flap wings now¡ªI can breathe fire too!" Alex bragged loudly. His lackeys laughed along, clearly envious of his power. Oliver, meanwhile, was still struggling to get up. "Damn Alex¡­" Oliver felt humiliated. "Alex, don''t go too far. We''re classmates. Now that we''re stuck in this world, we should be working together against the native gods." Jennifer stepped forward to defend Oliver. Her divine form was a rare humanoid one, though her skin had turned a striking deep blue¡ªlike an Avatar. She was large too, though still smaller than Alex. Someone actually spoke up? Alex was annoyed¡ªbut when he saw the flaming sword in Jennifer''s hand, he narrowed his massive eyes and stopped pushing it. "Thanks, Jennifer." Oliver spoke up. "Don''t thank me. Just get stronger. This chaotic world is going to be brutal, I''m sure of it. I won''t always be able to help you." Jennifer said coldly. In truth, she felt Oliver was a burden. Teaming up might be necessary¡ªbut she didn''t want weak links. Rejected. Oliver sighed to himself, but since she''d helped him, he still appreciated it. Just then, the long-silent system prompt returned. [Error corrected. Issuing item reward: Book of the Chaos Era.] [Item Name: Book of the Chaos Era] [Item Rank: SSS] [Effect: Unknown.] [Book of the Chaos Era, binding complete.] Book of the Chaos Era? Oliver stared in shock at the ancient book that appeared in his mind. He recognized it¡ªthis was the old book his grandfather left him after passing away! When he was little, his grandfather used to read monster stories from this book to lull him to sleep. But honestly, Oliver thought the stories were clich¨¦d and boring¡ªotherwise, they wouldn''t have worked as bedtime tales. And now, this book seemed to have undergone some unexpected changes. [The Book of the Chaos Era allows you to understand yourself better. You have gained a new ability: Devour!] A detailed system panel appeared before him. Oliver Stark Race: Deity Deity Rank: 1 Attributes: Defense: 1 | Strength: 1 | Chaos Power: 1 | Soul Power: 1 Skills: Devour Devour: You can consume anything in the chaos, growing endlessly without limit! Owned Item: Book of the Chaos Era My defense and strength are only 1? Is this reasonable? I''m a deity, after all! Or is this Ancient Serpent I''ve become really just that weak? Oliver was puzzled at first, but he quickly figured it out. This combat stat panel was likely designed with his base attributes as the starting point. He was the baseline unit, so his strength, defense, and other stats being 1 wasn''t all that strange. What caught Oliver''s attention more was that he soon discovered he could not only see his own panel¡ªwhen he looked at others, their panels appeared too. For example: Alex Race: Deity Deity Rank: 1 Attributes: Defense: 8 | Strength: 9 | Chaos Power: 9 | Soul Power: 3 Skills: Fire Breath Owned Item: Unknown. This is Alex''s panel? This guy''s stats are way higher than mine¡ªhis strength alone is 9 times mine! Oliver quickly realized that viewing others'' panels was something unique to him, something the others didn''t have. The reason was simple: if everyone could see each other''s panels, they wouldn''t have needed to debate earlier about whether bigger size meant greater strength. So, does bigger size always mean more strength? After observing for a while, Oliver concluded that there was a trend, but it wasn''t entirely accurate. Beyond the panels, what Oliver cared about most was his newly acquired skill: Devour. This skill could let him grow infinitely? In other words, though he was weak now, his future potential was enormous! Plus, this Book of the Chaos Era was an SSS-level item¡ªit surely had even more incredible uses! After all, the others only had S-level items at best, while his was SSS! 2.I want to get stronger! "Congratulations, you have all successfully obtained your divine status and initial items. Next, please strive toward immortality in the chaotic world." "Special note: Killing, or even devouring, other deities will grant you Chaos Power, which will help you increase your own strength." "In the next thirty seconds, you will be randomly teleported into the chaotic world. Good luck." The system''s voice finally rang out again. Oliver suspected that the delay in this announcement was due to the error in his item assignment earlier. Thirty seconds until random teleportation?! This threw many of his classmates into a panic. A lot of them had planned to team up, but now the system was going to scatter them all randomly? "Everyone, don''t panic! We''ll still have chances to meet up in the chaotic world later and help each other!" Jennifer quickly said. But her words had barely landed when a scream erupted from the crowd. Everyone turned in shock to see Alex biting down on a sheep-shaped deity next to him. His sharp, massive teeth crushed it, and blood and guts spilled everywhere. "Blood¡­ Chaos energy¡­ It really does help me¡­" Alex muttered under his breath, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Alex, what are you doing?! You''ve gone too far!" Jennifer shouted angrily. "Ha, don''t get worked up, Jennifer. It''s just¡­ just my dragon instincts kicking in. I didn''t want this, but ever since earlier, I''ve been thinking you all look delicious, hahahaha!" He burst into excited laughter. It seemed that becoming deities might also affect their human emotions? Or perhaps it was because Alex was already a jerk, and this just unleashed his inner malice? In any case, it was shocking that he''d done something so cruel and bloody! "You!" Jennifer snapped, but she instinctively took a few steps back. "We''re all monsters now. Didn''t you hear the system? Eating other deities boosts your strength. Plus, we''re about to be randomly teleported all over the chaotic world¡ªno chance to team up." As Alex spoke, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed the screaming sheep deity whole. Then, his cold, vertical pupils turned to Oliver. "Next up, it''s your turn!" He flapped his wings hard. Boom! Oliver felt a gust of wind hit him. His body was involuntarily flung into the air. "Damn it!" Oliver''s heart raced in alarm. He twisted his body with all his might, desperately resisting. He just needed to survive for less than five seconds until the teleportation kicked in. "I''ve had it out for you forever, you damn loser. Back when we were humans, I couldn''t kill you¡ªdid you really think I didn''t want to?!" Alex charged toward Oliver, his soul roaring with mocking laughter. But to his frustration, as his massive claws lunged forward, Oliver, at that critical moment, summoned every ounce of strength to twist his body in the wind, narrowly dodging the strike. And after that attack, the teleportation timer ran out. An invisible force locked everyone in place. Teleportation was about to begin! "Ha, you''ve got some luck, you loser. But don''t get too happy¡ªI''ll find you in the chaotic world eventually. When that time comes, you''d better pray you''ve still got this kind of luck!" Alex laughed regretfully, his expression twisted. His words had just fallen when the teleportation started. The space shook violently. Oliver''s vision went black. When he woke up again, Alex and his lackeys were nowhere to be seen. Before Oliver stretched an endless expanse of darkness. "I''m safe for now¡­" Oliver took a deep breath. Of course, he knew this was only temporary. He had to get stronger, or the next time he ran into Alex, that jerk definitely wouldn''t let him off. No¡ªnot just that. Oliver''s goal was to get stronger and take revenge! With that thought, he couldn''t help but recall everything he''d just experienced. "Congratulations, you have successfully arrived in the chaotic world. The Book of the Chaos Era has brought you a new stream of information." An electronic sound chimed. At the same time, a flood of unique information poured into Oliver''s mind. This information came with images and text, like prophecies about the future¡ªabout the future of this chaotic world! Aether created the world, and within the chaos, stars and galaxies, skies and continents emerged¡ªa monumental feat, akin to the Genesis. But during this process, ninety percent of the deities perished. For ordinary gods, it was a catastrophe. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. After the new universe was born, Aether''s blood gave rise to Titans and Dragons. Titans and Dragons then waged a new war, and countless weaker deities died as a result. When the war between Titans and Dragons ended, the Twilight of the Gods arrived. After the Twilight of the Gods came the birth of the Golden Dynasty of Rome, when humans began to step onto the stage of history¡­ "The Book of the Chaos Era actually gave me prophecies about the future of this chaotic age. But the Roman Dynasty¡ªthat''s real history! How''s it tied to mythology?" Oliver quickly realized that this Roman Dynasty might differ from the one he knew beforeing. Of course, the more pressing matter now was that, judging by this information, the so-called Twilight of the Gods wasn''t much different from what he''d known in his previous life. It was a catastrophe for deities! Ninety-nine percent of gods would perish in that calamity, and the world would be reshaped. After that, the era of humans would truly begin. The Golden Dynasty of Rome would rise from there¡­ It was an incredibly grand epic, the dawn of a great age. But¡­ unfortunately, Oliver was now an ancient serpent god in the chaos. So, barring any surprises, he was one of the ninety-nine percent of deities destined to die in the Twilight of the Gods. No¡ªnot just the Twilight of the Gods. Even before that, when the creator god Aether reshaped the universe in the act of creation, countless tiny, weak chaotic beings were swept up and killed. After that came the war between Titans and Dragons, and the contest for the Twelve Divine Seats¡ªall equally perilous. "Damn it! How long until Aether creates the world? I can''t just die like this¡­" Oliver roared inwardly. It seemed that, beyond Alex''s threat, this world held catastrophes just as dangerous. To survive, he had to get stronger! This primal chaos was far more treacherous than a jungle full of wild animals. Countless ancient beings like Oliver would perish in this universe for all sorts of reasons. Here, strength was the only truth. All he needed to do was get stronger, stronger, and keep getting stronger! But how could he get stronger? Right¡ªI have the skill to devour the chaos! With that thought, Oliver immediately tried activating this newfound ability. With a slight effort, his massive mouth opened wide in the chaos and sucked hard! Boom! In an instant, a colossal vortex seemed to form around his body, spanning millions of kilometers. Enormous currents of chaotic energy surged toward him from all directions. Vortices seemed to form in his brain and heart too, frantically devouring the chaotic energy from every side. And this vortex seemed to turn into a boundless ocean, spinning, spinning, endlessly spinning¡ªgrowing hundreds or thousands of times in mere moments, still expanding without limit. This so-called chaotic energy was countless times more advanced than the elemental power or magic Oliver had known before. If an ordinary mage or wizard absorbed even a fraction of it, they''d instantly grow exponentially, becoming immensely powerful. Of course, a normal human body might not withstand such immense energy. If they recklessly absorbed it, they could explode from the sheer force! It was precisely because Oliver was now a serpent deity born in the chaos that he could devour this chaotic energy so effortlessly. Sometimes, devouring the best energy isn''t always ideal¡ªyou have to know your limits. Rumble! In an instant, Oliver''s divine serpent body was nourished by this chaotic energy, continuously strengthening and expanding, growing at a visible rate. Originally, his body was actually quite large¡ªnearly 3 kilometers long¡ªbut compared to Alex and the others'' sheer size, he''d seemed tiny. But now, his body was growing rapidly! 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers¡­ 20 kilometers¡­ until finally reaching 300 kilometers! Such a size was naturally staggering. On the original Earth, it''d be an absolute behemoth¡ªa monster terrifyingly massive compared to humans! But in the chaos, it was still a speck, just a starting point! And it wasn''t just his body that strengthened and evolved¡ªhis soul made tremendous strides too. "I need to keep getting stronger, keep devouring!" Oliver immersed himself in the act of devouring. Though his growth rate had noticeably slowed, no longer as explosive as at the start, he was still steadily getting stronger. He lost track of time, completely absorbed in the process of growing more powerful. Bloodthirsty Fish The chaos still shrouds everything in eternal darkness, and the creator god Aether has yet to appear. Oliver''s massive serpentine body is coiled at the center of a gigantic energy vortex. The vortex stretches thousands of kilometers in diameter, resembling a colossal egg within the chaos, frantically devouring the surrounding chaotic energy. Those intangible energies gradually condense into a liquid form under the vortex''s compression, like an ocean of chaos. Oliver opens his abyss-like maw, greedily swallowing these energies. His body and soul are transforming at an astonishing rate. "Strength: 1 ¡ú 3 ¡ú 7 ¡ú 15¡­" Watching the numbers on his data panel continuously jump and rise, Oliver''s heart fills with delight. The feeling of growing stronger is just too good! Power surges through his body, as if every inch of his flesh is cheering and leaping with joy. Of course, it''s not just his strength¡ªhis defense, soul power, chaos power, and other stats are all constantly ticking upward too! Oliver Stark Race: Deity Deity Rating: 1 Attributes: Defense: 20 Strength: 15 Chaos Power: 25 Soul Power: 50 ¡­ Oliver Stark Race: Deity Deity Rating: 2 Attributes: Defense: 50 Strength: 45 Chaos Power: 60 Soul Power: 100 He''s reached level 2? Oliver''s heart grows even more ecstatic, . He can clearly feel his body undergoing earth-shattering changes. And the transformation is still ongoing! As his stats increase, Oliver''s body continues to expand. What was once a mere 5-kilometer frame has now grown to 800 kilometers¡ªa staggering 160-fold increase! His serpentine form stretches across the chaos like a vast, slender river. Complex runes emerge on his scales, each one seemingly imbued with chaotic energy,. Even the most violent chaotic currents can''t cause him the slightest harm. "If the old me was just a juvenile snake, then now, have I entered my growth phase?" And while Oliver is immersed in the joy of his growing power, a sudden, intense tremor ripples through his body. It''s a resonance from the depths of his bloodline, as if some ancient force is awakening. "What¡­ is this?" Oliver furrows his brow, sensing the changes within him. A rune flashes through his mind. It''s intricate and mysterious. Then, more runes appear one after another, as if conveying some kind of message to him. "These runes¡­ are they skills?" Oliver''s heart stirs, immediately grasping their meaning. They represent new abilities. Oliver closes his eyes, sinking his consciousness into his body. He feels the energy in his bloodline resonating with the runes. Skill 1: Concealment The meaning of the first rune surfaces in Oliver''s mind. With a thought, his body and soul''s aura instantly meld with the chaos, silent and traceless. His form gradually fades, as if vanishing into the void. Even other deities would struggle to detect his presence. Skill 2: Poison! The meaning of the second rune fills Oliver with even greater delight. Of course, as a snake, how could he not have venom? He feels his fangs sharpen, a deep black toxin brewing within them. It''s a primordial poison, capable of corroding not just flesh but souls as well. "If someone were bitten by my venomous fangs, even a divine being wouldn''t be able to withstand this lethal damage!" Oliver muses to himself. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ________________________________________ He doesn''t know how much time has passed, but Oliver feels his rate of growth beginning to slow. He has to stop, and at this moment, his data panel has undergone a world-shaking transformation compared to the beginning! Oliver Stark Race: Deity Deity Rating: 2 Attributes: Defense: 100 Strength: 150 Chaos Power: 100 Soul Power: 300 Skills: Devour, Concealment, Poison "My soul power is actually twice my physical strength!" Oliver is thrilled. He senses that his soul can detach from his body, existing independently in the chaos. With a thought, a massive serpentine soul phantom appears in the air, radiating a noble, ancient, chaotic aura. Oliver swings his tail, instantly stirring the chaos and unleashing terrifying force. His tail lashes out like a whip of destruction, tearing through the void with a deafening sonic boom. The once-silent chaos trembles from his actions. "Concealment!" Oliver activates the skill, and his body and soul''s aura instantly blend into the chaos. He becomes a hunter in the chaos, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment. Clearly, Oliver has made tremendous progress now. He wonders how Alex and those other guys are doing. Logically speaking, Oliver''s rapid advancement comes from his ability to devour chaos. Those guys'' progress shouldn''t be able to match his! If he encounters them again now, Oliver will definitely teach them a harsh lesson¡ªor even kill Alex outright! ________________________________________ And while Oliver is basking in the joy of his power boost, his heart suddenly stirs, sensing powerful divine auras approaching from the distance. Those auras are laced with hostility, closing in on him. "What''s this¡­" Name: Bloodthirsty Fish Race: Deity Deity Rating: 1 Attributes: Defense: 10 Strength: 20 Chaos Power: 10 Soul Power: 5 Skills: Unknown Possessions: Unknown A long string of data appears before Oliver''s eyes. The source of this data is none other than the Book of the Chaos Era! Thanks to this special book, Oliver has the ability to view the panels of other deities and monsters. However, some data seems incomplete, like the skills and possessions sections, which are marked as unknown. This might be related to the target''s strength, Oliver''s own strength, and various other factors. Even so, being able to see their basic attributes is already an incredibly valuable ability! It gives Oliver even more of a video-game-like feeling. But right now, he doesn''t dare relax. With his powerful soul perception, he quickly discovers more monsters entering his sensory range! Thousands of kilometers away, terrifying bloodthirsty fish begin to appear. They seem to have locked onto Oliver and are rapidly closing in! Their appearance resembles some kind of piranha, their bodies unimaginably huge, with diameters of at least several hundred kilometers. Though they''re smaller than him, their numbers are vast¡ªdozens, maybe even a hundred. "This world really isn''t safe. In the endless chaos, there are plenty of deities like me and Alex." Oliver quietly reflects. This chaotic world is truly boundless, and the number of deities within it might far exceed what he''d imagined. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be encountering over a hundred of them right now. Of course, these deities are clearly somewhat like pack creatures, which is why so many have appeared at once. By that logic, beings like Oliver and the others are called deities, but in the chaotic world, so-called deities are as common as ordinary creatures on Earth in later eras. And when the creator god Aether forged the universe, the vast majority of these deities died. The surviving beings, compared to the weak new lifeforms that emerged, seemed overwhelmingly powerful, which is why they were revered as gods. Oliver realizes he''s likely uncovered the truth of history. And it seems deities aren''t exactly friendly with one another. Just like animals in a jungle preying on each other, these hundred piranha-like deities have now caught Oliver''s scent and want to devour him, to eat him. Just like how Alex once devoured a classmate, these piranhas could probably grow stronger by consuming him too. The weak are meat, the strong survive. That''s the chaotic world! But what puzzles Oliver is this: since all deities can devour each other to grow stronger, why does he have a Devour skill in his skill list? Is there something special about it that he hasn''t discovered? And right now, as he sees those monsters charging in, Oliver certainly isn''t afraid of them! Through the Book of the Chaos Era, he''s already checked the stats of these bloodthirsty fish. Just level 1 small-fry monsters! Every one of his stats is nearly ten times theirs, if not more! These bloodthirsty fish want to devour Oliver, but Oliver can just as easily devour them! Their bodies clearly contain a ton of chaotic energy. Devouring them directly would be way faster than slowly absorbing energy from the chaos on his own! Oliver''s massive body glides slowly through the chaos, as if blending into the surrounding darkness. His scales glimmer faintly under the dim light, like a moving planet or a shifting mountain range. The swarm of bloodthirsty fish closes in, their eyes filled with greed and madness, as if they''ve already marked Oliver as a lavish feast. Oliver remains calm, his body curling slightly before he suddenly opens his mouth toward the bloodthirsty fish! Roar! Accompanying his deafening roar is a torrent of venom shooting out! Oliver''s body is terrifyingly enormous, and the venom he spews might seem insignificant compared to his size, but in the chaos, it''s a series of river-like, horrifying streams! This venom instantly engulfs the swarm of bloodthirsty fish! At first, the bloodthirsty fish flash a look of disdain, thinking the venom Oliver sprayed was some kind of water-element attack. They''re fish¡ªhow could they fear water? They flick their tails, swimming even faster through the venom, rapidly closing in on Oliver. Their teeth gleam with an eerie chill, as if they can''t wait to tear into his flesh! But the next second, the fish start letting out shrill screams, writhing violently in the venom, in unbearable agony! Soon, the swarm completely loses all signs of life, turning into clumps of flesh easily digestible and absorbable! In the end, all that remains in the chaos is Oliver''s massive body and the floating remains of the bloodthirsty fish around him. Oliver slowly closes his mouth, a trace of surprise flickering in his serpentine eyes. "I won just like that? My poison skill is actually this powerful?" The victory came so easily it shocked even him. He''d originally prepared for a fierce battle with these creatures, but who knew that with one full-powered strike, he''d wipe them all out with a single swipe? With a stat gap of ten times or more, the difference in combat strength is actually this massive? Still, these piranhas were pretty dumb. They couldn''t even tell how powerful he was and still dared to try hunting him? No, Oliver quickly realizes it''s probably not that these piranha deities were too stupid, but rather that they didn''t have something like the Book of Chaos in his mind. This book gives him the ability to see the stats of other deities. It''s exactly because of this data panel that he could easily tell these piranhas'' stats were ten times weaker than his own! Plus, Oliver has the soul of a human, with a mature intellect. Many deities, newly born in the chaos, are ignorant and clueless, acting purely on instinct like true animals. Thinking about it this way, what just happened isn''t so strange after all. 4.Treasures The bloodthirsty fish killed by the venom have their flesh slowly dissipating, and after it fades, clusters of extremely pure chaotic energy emerge! Oliver''s heart leaps with joy, and he quickly opens his massive, gaping maw, sucking fiercely at the scattered chaotic energy! His enormous mouth opens and closes slowly, and with each opening, a vast amount of chaotic energy surges into his body. That energy, like a raging torrent, instantly ignites every inch of his flesh, making his body grow stronger by the moment! His already colossal form began to expand once more! 1,300 kilometers¡­ 1,500 kilometers¡­ 2,000 kilometers! At the same time, his soul power more than doubled. Deep within his consciousness, his soul, once ethereal, had now condensed into a liquid form. By devouring the chaotic essence of over a hundred divine fish, the progress he gained surpassed tens of years of self-cultivation and gradual energy absorption! [Your power has reached the peak of a Level 2 Deity.] The mechanical voice of the ancient book echoed. Am I now the strongest among Level 2 Deities? It seems I''m close to reaching Level 3. He opened his status panel. Oliver Stark Race: Deity Deity Rating: 2 Attributes: Defense: 250 Strength: 350Chaos Power: 200Soul Power: 620 Skills: Devour Concealment Poison Elemental Law Manipulation Possessions: Book of the Chaos Era That''s right¡ªOliver had just comprehended a new skill: Elemental Law Manipulation! He closed his eyes and felt the presence of this newly acquired ability within him. Elemental laws¡­ The void had once been nothing but pure chaos. But now, Oliver could freely manipulate the forces of water, fire, wind, lightning, light, darkness, earth, ice, and countless other elements! It seemed the origin of this ability was the law fragments contained within the bloodthirsty fish. Those creatures had been capable of wielding elemental energy. Unfortunately for them, they hadn''t even had the chance to use it before Oliver''s venom killed them outright! You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "So devouring other divine beings can help me grow stronger at an incredible rate." Oliver''s heart pounded with excitement¡ªhe had discovered a new path to rapid power. He had to kill Alex.He had to survive the apocalyptic calamities that lay ahead. He needed to grow stronger. And he needed to do it quickly. Wasting time slowly absorbing chaos energy by himself?That was no longer an option. Of course, the chaos was filled with dangers.There were surely countless divine beings far stronger than him.He had to be careful. At the same time, since stronger deities existed, they would also view him as prey. His only way to survive was to keep growing¡ªfaster and stronger. "Unlike other gods, I have the Book of the Chaos Era. It allows me to glimpse pieces of my enemies'' secrets before battle¡­" [Congratulations.As your strength increases, more future knowledge will be unlocked¡­] A cold, mechanical voice rang out once more. Oliver immediately checked the floating pages in his mind. A sphere of light surfaced on the book''s pages. As his consciousness touched it, an influx of information flooded his mind. "This is¡­ information on the Creator God, Aether?" Oliver''s heart trembles with shock. Thanks to this stream of information, he learns that the so-called creator god Aether was originally just an ordinary divine being in the chaos. However, it had been born as a higher-order deity¡ªunbelievably powerful from the start¡ªand had once devoured countless gods within the chaos. Later, Aether grew weary of the endless darkness and chaos.So, it created a new universe. And that was how the stars, humanity, titans, and the pantheon of gods came into being¡­ But during this process, nearly 90% of the original divine race perished.A staggering number. And Aether''s Deity Rating was said to be¡­ 99! "This guy was special from birth. It possessed something known as¡­ the Furnace of Laws?" Oliver marveled. So even the native deities of this chaotic world could be born with powerful artifacts, just like the traversers who were granted initial items by the system. Of course, some artifacts were superior to others. He wondered¡ªhow did the Furnace of Laws compare to his Book of the Chaos Era, which was an SSS-tier item? With the Laws Furnace, the creator god Aether was naturally able to quickly comprehend and master all sorts of rule-based powers. Oliver has only just grasped a few elemental rules, while Aether could wield time rules, blood rules, shadow rules, holy rules, and so on and so forth. "But there''s another piece of information in this data stream that''s incredibly important!" Oliver takes a deep breath, a flicker of longing flashing in his eyes. That is, hidden within the chaos are many strange treasures and items. Similar to Aether''s Rule Furnace, they all possess incredibly miraculous effects, like the Heart of Chaos, Hourglass of Eternity, Primordial Blade, Ice of Eternity. Just hearing the names, you can tell these things are extraordinary. Each one has immensely powerful effects, and obtaining any of them could greatly enhance a divine being''s combat strength. A divine being with a treasure item and an ordinary divine being are on completely different levels! Oliver continues wandering through the chaos, hoping to encounter other divine beings he can devour. But, unfortunately, the chaos is too vast. He wanders for a long time without finding any other divine beings. "Could it be that I''ve already cleared out this area?" Oliver feels a bit irritated and is about to change direction to keep searching when suddenly, his body stiffens. "What¡­ is this?" An unprecedented sense of danger surges from all directions, as if the entire chaos is trembling. His scales stand on end involuntarily, and a powerful warning rings from the depths of his soul. "This is bad!" Before he could react, the distant chaos currents surged violently, forming a colossal tidal wave stretching billions of kilometers high. The wave rolled forward like an apocalyptic tsunami, obliterating everything in its path! "A chaos tsunami?!" Oliver''s pupils contracted in shock. Without a doubt, this terrifying phenomenon would annihilate him instantly if he was caught in it¡ªeven as a deity! "Run!" Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.His enormous body shot through the chaos like a streak of lightning. But the tsunami was far faster than he had anticipated.In the blink of an eye, the monstrous wave loomed right behind him. "BOOM¡ª" The wave crashed down. Oliver felt an unstoppable force slam into him.His scales shattered instantly, and blood erupted from his wounds. The excruciating pain nearly stole his consciousness, but he knew¡ªif he collapsed now, he would never wake up again. "I can''t die¡­ I WON''T die!" Clenching his teeth, Oliver pushed forward with all his might. Every movement was a desperate struggle against death itself. Luckily, his early escape efforts had kept him from the wave''s core. Eventually, he broke free from the chaos tsunami''s grasp. The raging currents around him slowly calmed. He had made it out¡­ Gasping for breath, Oliver looked back at the devastation behind him. His body was severely wounded¡ªhe needed to absorb chaos energy to recover. What had caused that tsunami? A battle between two powerful deities? Oliver shuddered at the thought. 5.I want to replace Aether and become the creator god! "What is this?" Oliver discovered a glowing orb the size of a human head in front of him, emitting a faint light and pulsing at a strange frequency, looking very unusual. Oliver wiped away the dust-like coating surrounding its exterior. His strength was now immense, and a careless move could easily destroy this small object, but he controlled it well. The glowing little thing didn''t break; after the outer dust scattered, it revealed a crystal-like sheen, dazzlingly bright in the pitch-black chaos! Using his soul power, Oliver brought the tiny bottle up to his eyes, examining it closely. "This seems like a treasure born in the chaos?" Oliver mused thoughtfully. In the chaos, many wondrous things could emerge, like those deities with their bizarre and varied forms. Of course, aside from living beings, the chaos also produced many lifeless entities. Like this bottle in front of him. Oliver guessed it was likely some special object formed by the gathering of a certain rule''s power. A magical item like this, if placed before the wizards in the novels he''d read in his past life, would absolutely spark a terrifying scramble¡ªsomething akin to the One Ring from *The Lord of the Rings*. "Found something good!" Oliver''s heart raced with excitement. The creator god Aether also possessed a chaos treasure called the Rule Furnace. Now he had a chaos treasure too. He just didn''t know how it stacked up against the Rule Furnace¡ªwhich was stronger? And how should he control and use this chaos treasure? As if sensing his question, the *Book of the Chaos Era* chimed with a mechanical prompt. [Please use your soul power to bond with it, letting it take on your unique aura.] Bond with it using soul power? Oliver had a sudden realization¡ªlike how a kitten rubs against someone to mark them with its scent to claim ownership, right? Of course, bonding with soul power was obviously far more complex. Oliver immediately tried, letting his soul power seep into the crystal bottle. His soul power was truly vast, and invading this tiny crystal bottle required delicate precision, making Oliver extremely cautious. He was terrified of accidentally damaging or shattering this beautiful bottle. Fortunately, his soul power wasn''t just immense in scale¡ªit also excelled in fine control. So, after who-knows-how-many years of effort, Oliver finally felt the little bottle tremble slightly. His soul power had finally synchronized with it completely, achieving a perfectly harmonious resonance! Now this item belonged to him! [Congratulations, you have obtained the item: Wishing Vase] The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The mechanical prompt sounded again. Wishing Vase? That sounded like a pretty ordinary name. Oliver muttered to himself, quickly checking for more detailed information. [Name: Wishing Vase Item Rating: SS Effect: A bottle that can guide you toward fulfilling a wish. Make a wish to it, and it will show you the correct path to realize that wish.] [Special Note: The greater the difficulty of the wish, the greater the cost to you.] Holy crap, this effect seems insanely powerful! Oliver was floored. Worthy of a treasure born in chaos¡ªit was almost like the comics he''d read in his past life, where collecting all seven Dragon Balls let you wish to Shenron. Of course, this Wishing Vase didn''t directly grant wishes but instead guided you to the right path to achieve them, making it a bit less impressive than Shenron. But this item was exclusively his¡ªno need to gather seven Dragon Balls to make a wish¡ªwhich made it way better than the comic''s dragon in that regard. Of course, comics were fictional, while the Wishing Vase he now held was real, so there was no comparison. And even a powerful treasure like the Wishing Bottle is only SS-tier. It seems that the value of Oliver''s SSS-tier item, the Book of the Chaos Era, is still on the rise! At this moment, Oliver was so excited he wanted to dance. By now, he was certain. But,was his very first chaos treasure really this strong? It seemed a bit too coincidental. But upon reflection, Oliver realized it wasn''t that strange. In the Chaos World, there were countless super treasures unimaginable in ordinary magical worlds or even the age of myths. This was, after all, an era before the gods were even born. Every ordinary being in the chaos was an incredibly ancient and powerful deity. It was like the dinosaur era¡ªany random dinosaur was countless times larger than a human. Chaos treasures were the same; items that would be ultra-rare and top-tier in a normal magical world might not be that uncommon here. With that thought, Oliver''s excitement cooled a bit. "There must be even more treasures in the chaos waiting for me to find! Right¡ªI can wish to it to help me find more super treasures!" "What should my first wish be?" Oliver fell into deep thought. This Wishing Vase only promised to guide him toward fulfilling a wish. If his wish was outrageous, the path would surely be long and wildly convoluted. And the panel made it clear: the harder the wish, the greater the cost to him. So, choosing the right wish was crucial. He pondered for a long time before stating his wish. "I want to replace Aether and become the creator god!" This wish seemed utterly absurd, but through the *Book of the Chaos Era*, Oliver knew the deities in the Chaos World hadn''t been around for long. Maybe Aether was still weak¡ªwhat if he really could replace it? And even if this wish is tough to pull off, Oliver wants to know just how tough it is¡ªwhat kind of feedback will the Wishing Vase give him? Using his soul power, Oliver sent this wish into the crystal bottle. The next second, a strange ripple of rule-based sound emanated from it. It wasn''t a voice speaking¡ªmore like the chanting of some kind of rune. Miraculously, Oliver instantly understood the sound made by this rule. It was¡­ rejecting him? It seemed to say that Oliver couldn''t pay the price required to fulfill this wish. It exceeded the Wishing Vase''s capabilities! "It didn''t work? Is the Wishing Vase too weak, or is becoming the creator god too hard? Or maybe Aether''s already so strong that a weakling like me can''t replace it?" Oliver mulled it over endlessly. Was Aether already that powerful now? What was its deity rating at this point? 30, 40, or even 90? According to the info from the *Book of the Chaos Era*, when Aether reached level 99, it would begin creating the world, forging the so-called universe. When that happened, the deities in the chaos would face a massive catastrophe¡ªlike the extinction of the dinosaurs! "Looks like I''m still too weak. If I could get stronger, maybe I could afford the cost of a wish to find Aether." Oliver sighed inwardly. It seemed this Wishing Vase wasn''t as powerful as he''d thought. He''d have to start with smaller wishes. "Wishing Vase, guide me to find a chaos treasure!" This time, Oliver picked a simpler, far more achievable wish. Boom! A powerful suction erupted from the Wishing Vase, starting to drain the chaotic energy from Oliver''s body! Clearly, the cost of this wish was something Oliver could bear. In just a few breaths, Oliver''s size shrank by nearly a thousand kilometers. His massive body was almost entirely made of chaotic energy, and the loss of it caused his size to plummet rapidly! Buzz buzz! The Wishing Vase trembled violently, and a faint light appeared, stretching into the distance like a guide for Oliver! Of course, Oliver could sense that this light from the Wishing Vase was visible only to him, its owner. "Let''s go see what other treasure I can find!" Oliver thought excitedly, his giant serpent body slithering through the chaos, fast as lightning! ¡­ In the blink of an eye, seven days passed as Oliver traveled through the chaos. Along the way, he kept devouring the surrounding chaotic energy. His size gradually increased, reaching nearly 1,500 kilometers in length¡ªa significant step toward his former glory! That''s right¡ªthe chaotic energy he''d lost could be replenished quickly! Raising his size limit took a lot of time, but recovering lost mass was relatively simple. After another seven days of travel, Oliver fully restored his original size, far surpassing the 1,500-kilometer mark. In gaming terms, his health bar was full again!