Underground Tricks

The current Ke Si couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Jody's strong will. He had never seen such determination in someone so young, especially not from someone who had just taken a pill that could potentially harm them. Had he really refined it already? In such a short time? He only had one bp. How monstrous was this kid's physique?

Ke could feel a sudden tug on his sleeve as Jody held onto it, urging him to take him to where his parents were. Ke Si wondered if he should resist or simply go along with the boy's demands. He originally planned to distract the brat, but then he watched Jody defeat his scholar brother, whose talent was rumored to surpass the little third. The fight wasn't even close, as Jumoke couldn't do anything to Jody, and the latter never used a drop of mana or rukh.

This kid needed training immediately.

Thus, he chose not to argue and directly brought Jody into the shadows, moving rapidly through the mysterious shadow world to a distant location. The darkness twisted around them like liquid, silver streams of fabric that often whirled and swirled around their bodies in gentle caresses. Jody felt like he was on the most advanced roller coaster of all time, but instead of being confined to steel supports—like the ones he had ridden in his last life—the ground beneath his feet was soft like sand and dust. Ke Si zoomed through the darkness with him in tow.

Ke Si came to an abrupt stop fifteen minutes later. These fifteen minutes felt like an eternity to Jody. Ke walked out of Lord Osiris' shadow with Jody at his sleeve.

Jody reflexively cast out his evolving spiritual sense to probe the surrounding area. He was shocked to discover that his spiritual sense's range had doubled! He could see twenty meters around himself with the same effort it used to take to see ten. He reasoned that his limit must have increased to nearly forty meters, but he couldn't test this immediately.

'So this is the might of the Spirit Source.'

Jody was currently in what first appeared to be a cave but now seemed to be more of an underground city. Hundreds, maybe thousands upon thousands, were bustling about and various stalls rendering services. There were multiple caves with magnificent doorways and decorations made of magic gemstones. In Jody's immediate vicinity, he was surrounded by ten adults and two children.

Among the adults were two older men Jody didn't recognize but looked like normal men in their late forties. They were both looking at Jody with bright eyes that seemed pleasantly surprised and had been doing so since the moment he released his perception. There were also the elders of the Five Element Wolf Pack, Lord Osiris, Lady Isis, and Ke Si.

The two youths were a tall, beautiful child and a short, excessively plain-dressed, and dull-looking child. The tall child had dark skin with flowing, inky black hair, was about the same height as Jody, just a few centimeters shorter, and wearing all-black tights under dark leather armor, like a ninja.

'What a good-looking kid!' thought Jody secretly.

The tall and beautiful child had deep eyes that looked like a bottomless abyss and long, wavy hair running down their back in a ponytail.

The ninja looked just as shocked to see Jody as the boy himself felt at being here. However, the dull-looking child was just there. He lacked presence and seemed to almost blend in with the surroundings. He had a dumb look on his face as he stared at nothing with his mouth slightly agape. His left eye was not looking in the same direction as his right. His presence was so lacking that Jody kept forgetting he was there until he noticed him again.

This was truly strange but somehow reminded him of someone.

But who?

If Jody was forced to be honest, this kid was a tragedy. He had never met another like this.

The contrast between these two was a bit much, no?

'Sly, can you do me a favor?' asked Jody with his thoughts.

"Hm?" The sky pup glanced up from the host space. "What is it you need?"

'Keep an eye on that weird kid. I keep forgetting him,' said Jody.

"Open it," replied Sylvester, prompting Jody to open his mind's eye reluctantly.

Surprisingly, he found doing so suddenly consumed a lot less of his mental power. Sly took a moment to observe this youngster that Jody was so wary of, frowning soon after.

"That is no hero," Sylvester said decisively.

'Huh?' Jody was dumbfounded, 'Care to elaborate? What is it?'

"A Trickster." Was the cold reply.

Jody couldn't believe it. A Trickster? That kid? He had never heard of a Trickster being in human form, let alone a child. He looked back at the boy, who was still staring off into space with that vacant expression. It was hard to believe that he was anything more than a simpleton.

Jody recognized the term from his mother's negus studies classes.

There are many different kinds of beasts. There were beasts who were born powerful and beasts who evolved to be that way. When a regular beast learns to cultivate and luckily evolves, they become Fierce Beasts. Fierce beasts cultivate lifeblood by devouring natural treasures or other beasts. Fierce beasts who form rukh in their blood by slaughtering and devouring the lifeblood of other creatures evolve along the path of darkness. Still, those who form manablood by refining natural forces into their blood continue to evolve along the path of origin.

Fierce beasts who evolve from darkness become Desolate Beasts. Fierce beasts who evolve from natural life origin become Tricksters.

The existence of Tricksters is shrouded in mystery, as this was the in-between stage for beasts pursuing godhood. Only by simulating the production of god blood, and by extension, god force, could they evolve to the next level and escape their trickster forms.

But Sylvester was rarely wrong, and Jody couldn't afford to let his guard down. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the Trickster and stay wary of potential threats.

Jody felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked at the Trickster child. He couldn't help but feel a sense of danger emanating from him. His mother had warned him about the Tricksters; they were known to be the most cunning and dangerous of all beasts. They were unpredictable and could manipulate reality to their will. Jody knew he had to keep his guard up around this child.

But before he could think any further, he felt a hand on his shoulder.