Two months later...

— Eastern Badlands, Desolate Wilds, Two Months Later

About five kilometers outside of Saint Anubis City, deep in the barren plains of the Eastern Badlands, a vast and slightly desolate forest went on for miles without end. There were many ancient-looking mountains and valleys, which were filled with desolate energies and magical beasts.

Creatures with dark powers ran rampant throughout the forest, and desolate energies permeated the atmosphere. An exceptionally handsome little boy who looked to be a tall eleven- or twelve-year-old was dressed in an exquisitely tailored raiment made of silvery-white fur and origin steel. Behind him always, like a shadow, was a slightly smaller child dressed in all-black leather armor and robes.

"Hurry up and slay this beast, kid. We have other things to do," came Sylvester's cold voice.

"I found it, I found it! The seventeenth herb on the list is like 15 meters to the right," Said Xavier excitedly. "With this, only seven herbs remain. We're killing it! This furry dummy is guarding two treasures without eating them? What is he waiting for?"

"Death, I say," mumbled Jody without emotion.

Jody had been training in this forest for two months straight, trying to hone his body and battle force to be strong enough to face the horrors that lurked within. His mother had given him a list of spiritual herbs to collect throughout the forest, and he had been diligently searching for them while fighting off any beasts that dared to challenge him.

Sek Si trailed behind him silently as if she wasn't there at all. She had grown numb to the reckless endeavors of her charge. Since one month ago, when they were first tasked with exploration and herbal collection, Jody had nearly gotten them eaten or murdered several times. Yet, to Sek's astonishment, she continued to breathe even at this moment.

Today, Jody stumbled upon a rare herb on the list for the first time in over a week. Sek found it interesting that the boy's results would either be extremely excessive or completely minor, but he would have positive results after every adventure. As Jody reached out to pluck this flower from the ground, he heard a low growl coming from behind him.

In his vision, he spun around, and there was a monstrous horror—the Hundred-Eyes Dread Spider. Its webbed legs suspended it in mid-air and its too many eyes glared malevolently at him. Venom seemed to boil from its open maw as droplets of deadly toxin rained down, transforming the air into an intense spicy tingle. Its bloated underbelly was filled with enough venom to fill a thousand syringes, each one dripping with the promise of death.

Fierce beasts evolved from regular animals by awakening their lifeblood. Fierce beasts had battle power levels corresponding to their formula levels from one to ten. Vicious beasts evolved from tenth-level fierce beasts; the lowest bp a first-level vicious beast had was 20.

This level of strength made them comparable to most Sophmore Sages and rookie-level combatants. Jody had intel from the Frozen Night that the Hundred-Eyes Dread Spider guarded the Silverleaf herb. Jody had heard of the spider before and knew it was a formidable opponent. The creature possessed nightmare force and battle force at level 20 bp, which was a bit higher than his own maximum battle force of 18 bp. Jody knew that he needed to use his knowledge to gain an advantage.

Luckily, the society on the earth Jody knew in his last life was centered around information. He knew all about a spider's weakness. With the third form of his self-made arcana, Fists of Light, Jody could explode forth with 24.5 bp. That was the current might of his Light of Destruction. The first two fists - Light of Origin and Light of Truth - were more complicated as their strength depended on Jody's Sage realm and law comprehensions, respectively. He couldn't use those forms effectively yet. Still, he definitely had the necessary strength to topple this vicious beast, but only if it didn't sink its fangs into him first.

Jody took a deep breath and calmed his mind. He knew that if he was going to defeat the Hundred-Eyes Dread Spider without revealing his strength, he needed to stay focused and composed. He slowly backed away from the spider, keeping his eyes locked on its many eyes. The spider slowly crept towards him, its legs moving in a menacing rhythm. Jody took another step back, his heart racing with adrenaline. He knew that he couldn't afford to make a mistake; one wrong move and he would be dead.

The spider lunged forward, its fangs dripping with venom. Jody sidestepped the attack and delivered a powerful punch to the spider's side. The spider screeched in pain and recoiled, its many eyes flashing angrily. Jody knew that he had to keep up the pressure if he wanted to win. He charged forward, his fists blazing with light energy.

The spider tried to dodge his attacks, but Jody was too quick. He landed blow after blow, each strike more powerful than the last. The spider's body trembled as Jody's fists continued to pound into it. Jody's fists were like mini suns, exploding with a bright light that blinded the spider's many eyes. The spider retreated with silvery webs spraying in its wake and tripping Jody up.

"Rookie," came Xavier's sarcastic voice from the host space.

Jody ignored this telepathic insult and clambered to his feet.

His eyes narrowed, observing the Hundred-Eyes Dread Spider as it circled him, its eyes never leaving his form. The spider was fast, but Jody was faster. He darted to the side, avoiding the spider's charge as it lunged at him. He then leaped backward, dodging the spider's webbing attack, which aimed to immobilize him. The spider then charged again, but Jody stood his ground, bracing himself for impact. At the last second, he sidestepped, and as the spider passed him, he unleashed a flurry of punches at its exposed abdomen.

Jody's Fists of Truth exploded forth, sending the spider flying backward with a cry of pain. The spider screeched and lunged at Jody again, but Jody was ready. He gathered his battle force, channeling it into his hands as he unleashed another round of punches. The spider tried to dodge, but Jody was too quick, and his fists connected with the spider's body, sending it reeling.

Jody could feel the spider's aura growing stronger with each passing second, and he knew that it was preparing a deadly strike. He took a deep breath and focused his battle force, waiting for the right moment to unleash his attack. As the beast lunged towards him, Jody dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its poisonous fangs for the umpteenth time. As soon as it passed, Jody struck with all his might! Five points on his body shone starry, the light in his right fist shining the brightest. The third fist, Fist of Destruction, poured all the astral power in his body into a single passage before bursting out with sudden and horrible momentum.

Destructo Fist!

Destructo Fist again!

Two blazing fists of raging light crashed into the sides of the vicious beast making it squeal and halt its movement. Jody leaped into the air, flipping rapidly, looking like a spiraling ball. Once he was directly above the spider, he released a double Destructo fist right above himself. The force momentum made him shoot downward like a bullet, his feet coated in astral light directly flattening the spider's skull brutally!

"Nice!" Xavier cheered in excitement.

That last move had pizazz.

Finally, after what felt like hours of battling, the spider lay defeated at Jody's feet. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the rush of victory coursing through his veins. He plucked the Silverleaf herb from the ground and turned to leave, but as he did, he noticed something glinting in the spider's lair.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Jody cautiously approached the lair and peered inside. To his amazement, he saw not one but two treasures lying in the depths of the spider's web. One was a green and white crystal egg that Sylvester telepathically told him could be boiled into a premium soup that would drastically improve his physique. The other was a huge black crystal that shined in the strangest way. Without hesitation, Jody reached in and retrieved them, feeling a sense of excitement and triumph wash over him.

[Imp: Detected pure poison force crystal. Refine into Poison Stars?]

[Imp: Yes/No?]

'N..wait! Yes!' Jody thought excitedly.

His reflexes almost blocked his blessing. Jody already understood that stars were basically fragments of laws. Whereas most people could not harness these fragments, his Twilight System could store and process them if needed! This was an advantage he had over every hero in the world unless one of them possessed a system of their own.

Although possible, this was incredibly unlikely.

Anyway, once he possessed poison stars, that was the same as guaranteeing his future comprehension of poison force. After all, if one understood the truth of something enough, one could reproduce that force.

[Imp: Command accepted!]

[Imp: Awarding 5 poison stars and 55 crystals!]

[Imp: New items are available for purchase in the store!]

Jody was increasingly understanding how lucky he was to have a twilight proxy. It could convert law fragments directly into energy for his matrix. How magical!