With no choice but to reveal the power of his talismans, Thunder had laid bare his true strength for the first time—leaving everyone stunned, awed, and envious.
The spider ambush had shattered any hope of sleep.
No matter how much Sisi and Eric pestered him, Thunder refused to explain the talismans. It wasn't that he wanted to keep secrets—it was just that talismans were too bizarre for this world.
The flirtatious little beauty batted her lashes, trying to sway Thunder's unshakable resolve with her charms. But he remained unmoved, eyes half-lidded, breathing steady.
"Enough. Everyone has their secrets," Professor Maria interjected, breaking the tension. Thunder shot her a grateful smile.
"So stingy," Sisi huffed, tossing her hair.
Thunder folded his arms, unyielding.
Maria chuckled softly. *Stingy?* If Thunder were truly selfish, he wouldn't have shared his training methods with them in the first place. She knew he had his reasons for staying silent.
"Work time," Thunder declared, standing abruptly.
"What work?" Eric blinked.
"These are third-tier magical beasts. They've got cores." Thunder gestured at the spider corpses littering the ground. "You gather the cores. I'll collect some blood first."
In their excitement, they'd completely forgotten. Now, under Maria's guidance, the trio set to harvesting the cores while Thunder pulled vials from his spatial bag, crouching beside the spider carcasses to drain what little blood remained.
Time had passed, and jungle spiders didn't bleed much. After some effort, he managed only a small vial.
*Third-tier beast blood… not the most valuable, but it'll do.*
Maria's group finished soon after, gathering a total of thirty-two earth-attribute cores—not even counting the spiders lost in the quicksand.
Dawn was still a few hours away. Eric, ever the sleeper, retreated for a nap. Sisi and Maria, however, were too bothered by the sticky spider silk clinging to their clothes and skin to rest. They resigned themselves to waiting for sunrise to find a proper bath.
"I've got something to make," Thunder announced before slipping into the girls' tent.
The space smelled faintly of perfume—and something distinctly Maria. Lighting a beast-oil lamp, Thunder laid out his tools and began crafting scrolls.
Using scrolls in battle had its perks—no mana depletion, instant attacks—but the downside was clear: he had to constantly replenish his stock or risk running dry mid-fight.
Luckily, he'd collected vials of various beast blood along the way, all third or fourth-tier. Not the strongest, but enough for emergency scrolls with decent power.
By dawn, he'd replenished his losses—five or six new fifth and sixth-tier talismans, ready for the next battle.
**But with enemies lurking in the shadows, would these scrolls be enough to keep them all alive?**