Loot Capture

Jody followed his nose to the location of the herbs.

When he saw a radiant bush ahead, he retreated into the shadows of the trees before slowly stalking his way over with Sek. They approached the herbs slowly and cautiously, feeling the energy emanating from them build with each step they took. The closer Jody got, the stronger it became until he stood right before them. The whining sound was so intense that he had to use astral light to cover his ears.

The bushel was covered in a strange force. It was a different force, one that he couldn't quite name. It was a mix of different energies, like light and dark, life and death, and it was emanating from the herbs in front of him.

He reached out to pluck a leaf from one of the plants. As soon as his fingers touched it, the force surged through him, filling him with a sense of power and euphoria, sinking into his twilight veins and labor tattoos with no drop remaining in a few seconds. It was unlike anything he had ever felt, and he knew he had to have more. He rapidly stored them all away like a madman.

As soon as the rare herbs were sealed in his special herb bag and put away, the silence of the area was deafening. It's only now that Jody felt he might've been too...

"Greedy." Sek Si shook her head, showing her discontent with her master's actions.

Although she spoke softly, her voice echoed through the dark as if she had been screaming on a mountainside. Immediately after, the sounds of birds rapidly ascending and fleeing the area could be heard. It seemed like some form of balance was broken. Jody's heart raced as he realized the gravity of the situation.

"I would've said hasty..." Jody grimaced.

He had just disturbed the peace of this forest, and now he had to face the consequences.

"Not good," Sylvester, Jody, and Sek said simultaneously, the latter two making eye contact briefly.

"You're right. We need to move. Now!" Jody said, quickly gathering his belongings and preparing to flee the area.

Jody immediately knew that something was wrong. He had been too careless, too greedy in his pursuit of the herbs. He had completely forgotten about the beasts in the area, and now they were coming for him.

CAWWWWW

An enormous beak suddenly peaked above the trees as a menacing avian creature appeared. Its feathers were as black as the darkest night, and its wingspan was wider than any bird he had ever seen. Its eyes glinted with a predatory gleam, fixated on Jody as it let out a deafening screech.

Jody's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the Desolate Wing Falcon - a second-level vicious beast that was known to be one of the most dangerous creatures in the dark forest. Its wingspan was wider than its entire body, and its feathers were as sharp as knives.

It was rumored to have nearly 100 BP.

He knew that he was no match for the beast, but he couldn't run away now.

Jody was stunned to find Sek had retreated into the shadows at some point.

How unreliable!

Jody knew that his labors wouldn't be enough to take down this beast. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. The beast was too fast for them to outrun, and its talons looked sharp enough to slice through steel. They needed to immobilize it somehow.

Jody quickly primed his Fallen Hero's Infinity Sword divinity, channeling twilight force until it condensed into his sword. The hilt was shaped like a lemniscate, and the blade was a scorching white beam of stellar light. The mental burden Jody experienced by wielding this sword was easily five times greater than his other labor. The sword glowed with a bright light, illuminating the surrounding area and casting strange shadows on the trees.

'Trippy.'

[Pharaoh's Law] immediately materialized and crowned Jody, clearing up his head a lot.

The Desolate Wing Falcon circled overhead, screeching loudly and sizing up its prey. Jody stood his ground, ready for whatever might come.

The Desolate Wing Falcon descended with lightning speed, its beak aimed straight for Jody's head. Jody dodged to the side, barely avoiding the attack. He swung his sword at the bird's wing, but it was too quick and easily dodged the attack. The beast was too fast for him. He needed to come up with a plan - and fast.

Suddenly, Jody remembered the rare herbs he had just collected. These were natural treasures of mana and were almost deadly to desolate creatures. He quickly reached into his herb bag and retrieved a handful of the bluesoul star grass leaves. He crushed them in his hands, releasing a powerful powder that wafted through the forest. The Desolate Wing Falcon screeched in agony as the particles rushed into its nostrils and began plummeting toward the ground.

Jody felt very impressed with his ingenuity and took advantage of the falcon's vulnerability to slash with his sword. A blazing force erupted from the blade like towering magma, scorching the earth below and nearly blowing off the Desolate Wing Falcon's left talon. Immediately after this force eruption, Jody nearly collapsed, Sek emerging to catch him before he fell. Meanwhile, the vicious falcon smashed into the earth beside them, miserably thrashing around to extinguish the silvery-white flames. In its manic state, it stabbed its sharp beak at Sek in an attempt to sever her head and scoop out her brain.

Jody suddenly sensed extreme danger and reacted immediately.

"Sek, move!" Jody pushed her with more force than he intended, which made the girl launch backward into a tree.

*BAM!*

"ACK!" Sek suffered internal damage from the impact and coughed up blood.

Just as her face scrunched up in betrayal, she saw the huge bird thrashing right where Jody and her initially stood.

Jody frowned after pushing Sek, realizing he hadn't learned to control his new strength.

As Jody retreated, he noticed a small cave opening nearby. It was risky, but it was his best chance. He quickly ran towards the opening, narrowly avoiding the falcon's sharp talons and beak, which swooped down to attack him time after time. Eventually, it got irritated and swept up a gale by flapping its massive wings.

Jody immediately flashed his sword and activated Twilight Stars, ready for a fight. The falcon screeched and launched itself at him. Its talons extended to strike.

Jody ducked and rolled to the side, avoiding the attack. He jumped back up, swinging his sword at the falcon's wings, hoping to ground it. The falcon was quick, however, and dodged his attack with ease. It circled around him, screeching in anger. He could feel its talons tearing through the air as it came closer. Jody narrowed his eyes, focusing all of his twilight force into his sword as he swung it with all his might.

The sword connected with the falcon's talons, sending a shockwave through the air. The falcon screeched in pain but didn't give up that easily. It quickly regained its balance, preparing for another attack.

Jody knew he had to think fast if he wanted to survive this fight. He remembered his mother's advice about fighting vicious beasts - aim for the eyes or the joints. He focused his attention on the falcon's eyes, waiting for it to make a move. Jody sidestepped and jabbed his sword towards its eyes when it lunged at him again.

The falcon screeched in pain as the sword pierced its right eye, the searing heat and light blinding it temporarily. Jody took the opportunity to strike again, slicing at its wing joints with his sword. Sek Si popped out of his shadow like a ghost and stabbed the beast's other eye twice with her daggers. The attack did little more than annoy the avian menace, but Jody pressed anyway!

He didn't waste any time, continuing to swing his sword, dodging the falcon's attacks as he went. It was a fierce battle that lasted for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only minutes. The falcon screeched and flailed in pain, but Jody didn't let up. He mounted the beast's back and prepared to stab down with all his strength. But the beast suddenly shot into the skies with a mighty beat of its wings.

Jody was forced to desperately cling to its back lest he be tossed into the wind and fall to his demise. The falcon swooped down from the sky, its wings casting a shadow over the forest. It spiraled through hundreds of tree branches hoping to scratch the itch on its back. Jody was mortified but desperately held on while praying to Anubis that death didn't embrace him today. Branches ripped into the beast's flesh, narrowly missing Jody several times. His rage grew as a weak momentum started to coalesce. He used his infinity sword as anchor to continuously climb and stab his foe, desperately avoiding death..

The mental strain threatened to destroy his tenacious consciousness, so he stabbed with his infinity sword again. Finally, with this last swing of his sword, Jody stabbed the falcon's brain and continued to slash down, sending the great beast spiraling to the ground. Once it was twenty meters from the ground, Jody let go of his back, briefly remaining in the air as it zoomed forward before brutally crashing into the ground. Jody dismissed the Fallen Hero's Infinity Sword and withdrew a regular steel sword from his storage ring.

Stabbing the sword into the nearest tree, Jody's downward momentum slowed down enough to protect his life. Crashing into the ground on his feet, Jody slowly stood there, panting and covered in sweat and blood, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked down. He didn't know if the blood on him was his or the beasts, but it was a dreadful sight either way. Below the branch he stood on, the Desolate Wing Falcon seemingly breathed its last.

[Imp: Congratulations!]

[Imp: Slaying a creature far above your rank as a tierless hunter has unlocked a new feature.]

[Loot Capture]

[Imp: Loot captured will always prioritize the host's needs.]

Jody was dumbstruck to have unlocked this new Twilight feature. But not as shocked as he was that he managed to land the blow that killed a second-level vicious beast. His physical strength was really far more monstrous than before his fight with the braveheart lioness. He quickly snapped out of his daze and began to assess the loot, his heart racing excitedly.

He couldn't believe his luck - this was a huge haul.

[Imp: Enemy slain! Loot Captured!]

[Imp: You have slain the second-level vicious beast Desolate Wing Falcon.]

[Imp: Loot - 22,000 death crystals, 5,000 origin crystals, 2,233 twilight crystals, 300 astral crystals, 30 dark crystals, 333 blade crystals, 1 infinity shard.]

[Imp: Esoteric knowledge of aviation flows into your mind.]

'Infinity shard? Aviation knowledge?' Jody marveled at these two mysterious things in particular.

As he absorbed the various crystals and shards, he felt an unfamiliar energy coursing through his veins, and he knew that he had unlocked the true potential of his powers. He turned to Sek, who was still leaning against the tree, panting heavily. She looked up at him with a mixture of condemnation, admiration, and awe in her eyes.

"You really are something else," she said breathlessly.

Jody smiled and put away his steel sword in a flash of spatial light, feeling a sense of pride wash over him.

"I couldn't have done it without your help," he said, offering her his hand.

She took it gratefully and pulled herself up, wincing in pain. Jody noticed the blood on her lips and frowned.

"You're hurt," he said, concern etched on his face.

"It's nothing," she said dismissively, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I've had worse."

Jody didn't believe her, but he knew that arguing with her would be pointless.

He just nodded and helped her skin and chop up the second-level beast. Its blood, wings, beak, talons, this thing's body was full of treasures. As they finished, Jody felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. This was just the beginning of his journey, and he knew that there were many more battles to come. But for now, he was content to bask in the glory of his victory and the newfound power that came with it.