Chapter 19: The Third Tad Beast
After dinner, the two took a short break before heading to the camp.
Mino held a torch, glancing nervously at the silent, pitch-black camp ahead.
“You head that way, and I’ll go this way. We’ll et in the middle,” Muyang instructed her, holding his own torch. “In a mont, Xiao Cai will follow you.”
“Got it.” Mino’s nerves eased instantly upon hearing the giant lizard would accompany her.
“Don’t pile up too much firewood,” Muyang reminded.
“Okay.” Mino nodded and entered the camp with her torch.
“I thought she’d be braver than this.”
Muyang chuckled at the sight of the girl’s cautious retreating figure. Her courage wasn’t much different from that of an ordinary girl.
He entered the houses with his torch, placing firewood in the hearths. These preparations needed to be done tonight so they could light the fires early tomorrow morning.
The plan was to wait for the thieves’ scouts to arrive. Whether they could successfully lure Bloodbeard into chasing them down would beco clear tomorrow.
Ti passed as they worked on stacking firewood.
“This house hasn’t been lived in for a long ti.”
Muyang paused in a room thick with cobwebs. Just as he was about to step back, a spider descended from above.
“Co to think of it, I haven’t used today’s 10 taming points. Should I ta a spider?”
Reaching out, Muyang caught the spider in his hand. The familiar system prompt chid in his mind:
“Ding! Detecting a tamable creature. Would you like to ta it?”
“Ta it,” Muyang ordered calmly.
“Ding! Detected Level 0 creature: Red-Backed Spider. Taming in progress…”
“Ding! Consud 10 taming points. Taming successful.”
Muyang released his palm, observing the now palm-sized spider, which had grown from its original fingertip size.
The spider’s body was pitch black, with crimson coloring at the tips of its legs. Most striking was the red mask-like marking on its back.
“Ding! Would you like to inherit the Red Ghost Spider’s innate skill: Web Sense?”
“Inherit it,” Muyang replied, undergoing his third skill integration.
“Ding! Modifying ‘Web Sense’… Adapting… Inheritance complete.”
Muyang felt a mild warmth in his fingers and palms—nothing more.
“Is my body so strong now that absorbing abilities from lower-level tad beasts barely enhances ?”
It was the only explanation he could think of.
Checking his system attribute panel, he noticed his enhancents from the new ability had only increased by a fraction of a point.
“System, upgrade the Red Ghost Spider to Level 3.”
To test his hypothesis, Muyang decided to evolve the spider into a Level 3 beast.
“Ding! Level 1 Red Ghost Spider evolved to Level 3. Consud 110 evolution points.”
“Ding! Level 3 Red Ghost Spider evolution complete.”
“Ding! Level 3 Red Ghost Spider skill evolved: Web Manipulation.”
“Ding! Syncing tar’s skill: Web Manipulation (Level 3).”
A familiar warmth coursed through Muyang’s body, but the enhancent felt minimal.
He reviewed his updated stats:
**“Tar: Muyang
Stamina: 24 | Speed: 23.5
Strength: 24.2 | Spirit: 35
Lifespan: 24 years / 450 years
Taming Points: 0 (refreshes daily, accumulatable)
Evolution Points: 109
Abilities:
Earth Spikes (Level 3)
Mimicry Cloak (Level 3)
Web Manipulation (Level 3)”**
**“Tad Beasts:
Rock Armor Turtle: Innate skill: Earth Spikes (Level 3)
Tricolor Lizard: Innate skill: Mimicry Cloak (Level 3)
Red Ghost Spider: Innate skill: Web Manipulation (Level 3)”**
“It’s just as I thought—the enhancents from lower-level beasts are much less significant.”
Muyang concluded that the first enhancent from a new ability was always the most substantial. Anything beyond that diminished in impact.
“I was being greedy,” he muttered, shaking his head with a wry smile.
Returning to reality, he glanced at the Red Ghost Spider perched on his arm.
“So, can you get down now?” he asked, a twitch forming at the corner of his mouth.
The now ter-sized spider looked intimidating.
“Screech~”
The Red Ghost Spider shot out a web, climbing effortlessly to the ceiling.
“Swoosh~”
Muyang extended a finger, imitating the spider’s web-spraying ability to test his new skill.
A thread of transparent web shot out, adhering instantly to a stack of firewood.
“So this is how it works. The web transmits feedback about an object’s weight and shape.”
Testing further, he found the web was highly durable, far stronger than ordinary ropes, and its adhesive properties were due to countless fine filants.
“Transparent, highly durable, and sticky—perfect for traps or ambushes.”
Muyang envisioned nurous uses for the spider silk after just a few tests.
Looking up at the spider on the ceiling, he transmitted his thoughts telepathically:
“Xiao Hong, I need you to set up webs around the camp periter. Notify if anyone triggers them.”
“Screech-screech~”
The spider responded with a raspy sound, indicating its understanding.
“Make sure not to capture anyone—just alert if soone shows up.”
Muyang didn’t want the spider mistaking thieves’ scouts for prey.
“Swoosh~”
The Red Ghost Spider swung away like a miniature Spider-Man, leaving the house.
“Spider-Man, huh?” Muyang’s eyes lit up with a mischievous glint, tempted to try swinging himself.
But a glance at the torch in his hand convinced him otherwise. Now wasn’t the ti for reckless antics.
He exited the house and resud stacking firewood.
“Muyang?”
Mino’s anxious voice called from a nearby house.
“I’m here,” he replied, stepping outside.
“Only a few more houses to go,” she said, running up to him. Her rabbit ears drooped slightly, betraying her tension.
“Let’s finish quickly and head back,” Muyang said, noting her nervous deanor.
“Okay,” Mino replied obediently.
In ten minutes, the two finished placing firewood in all the houses.
Walking side by side in the dark, neither spoke, but they could hear each other’s breaths.
Aside from the faint torchlight, everything around them was pitch black. Not a single star illuminated the sky.
“Hurry up—it’s getting cold,” Muyang urged, hearing Mino sniffle from the chill.
He grabbed her hand and started jogging toward the Rock Armor Turtle.
“Alright,” Mino said, gripping his hand tightly, a small smile forming on her lips as she kept pace.
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