After feeling that his paws were clean, Silas grumbled, new doubts creeping into his mind. Had he developed a phobia of spiders?
Shaking off the thought, he opened the notification panel. He had been too busy earlier to review its contents.
"Killed iron-ranked Abyss Weaver, gained 1 universal point."
"Unlocking Universal Contribution System."
…
"Killed iron-ranked Abyss Weaver, gained 1 universal point."
"Killed iron-ranked Abyss Weaver, gained 1 universal point."
…
Silas scrolled through the list of notifications. When he saw the words Universal Contribution System, his eyes lit up. Anything that awarded points was definitely something good.
To his surprise, the system didn’t open in a new window as he had expected. Instead, it integrated seamlessly into the existing system panel.
Silas frowned slightly. He still wasn’t entirely clear about this system panel. Initially, he had thought it was unique to him, but the more he examined it, the more it resembled a status panel from a game. Since he had obtained the system panel after arriving in this world, it might be something everyone here had access to.
"I should clear this up when I get back," Silas muttered. "Unless I end up looking like an idiot who thought he was special… Wait!"
A sudden thought struck him, making his fur bristle. He was special—in a sense—because of his two bodies. That secret needed to stay hidden. If anyone discovered it, he might end up dissected in some lab.
Shaking the grim idea away, Silas focused on the Contribution Panel System. It featured three main tabs: Contribution Shop, Inventory, and Quests. However, only the shop icon was active; the others were dull, signifying they weren’t accessible yet.
Curious, Silas clicked on the Inventory tab but was greeted with a prompt:
"13/100 Contribution Points. Unlock at 100 points."
"Looks like I can unlock the inventory today," he muttered, excitement bubbling up. If the inventory worked like system space, it would be incredibly convenient. He wouldn’t need physical storage anymore.
A thought struck him: Could the inventory work in the human world too? If so, it would save him tons of money on storage devices and allow him to hide things easily.
As images of criminal cartels smuggling goods flashed through his mind, Silas shook his head violently.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Dammit! I’m a law-abiding citizen. Why would I even think about stuff like that?"
Maybe this Nether Energy was messing with him. Yeah, that had to be it. Silas nodded to himself, clearing his thoughts.
Turning back to the system panel, he opened the Contribution Shop. The first thing that caught his eye was a floating fairy with a wand. Beneath it was a label:
"Personal Assistant (Limited to one purchase)"
Silas’s eyes gleamed. The cost was only 1,000 Contribution Points. Motivation surged through him.
This will be my first priority! he decided. He had so much to learn, and having a personal assistant would save him the hassle of asking outsiders and potentially causing problems. Yeah, it’s purely for practical reasons—not because the fairy looks cute or anything.
With renewed determination, Silas closed the system panel and bounded onto the top of a large tree. His next goal was to get a good grasp of the terrain. If he were in the human world, he could’ve already found tutorial videos and strategy guides online.
With a sigh, he settled for the old-fashioned method.
Silas started to slowly navigate through the forest looking around cautiously.
Crack crack
Suddenly, Silas felt the ground give way beneath him. He lost his balance and plummeted into a large pit. As he fell, his eyes narrowed at what awaited him below.
"Dammit! Who even builds such a devious trap?"
The pit was lined with roots protruding like spears. Nearby, some spiders were seen coating the spikes with their saliva, making them even more lethal. Reacting quickly, Silas used his claws to grip the side of the pit, stopping his fall.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. What had seemed like normal forest ground, covered with leaves, turned out to be a cleverly designed trap. The spiders had used their webs to create a thin curtain, concealing the hole beneath.
With powerful leg muscles, Silas propelled himself out of the pit just in time.
Escaping the danger, Silas didn’t rest. He tore a massive branch from a nearby tree, gripping it with his tail, and hurled it at one of the spiders.
Shua!
The spider tried to dodge but was a tad too slow. The branch pierced its head, nailing it to the ground.
"Killed iron-ranked Subterranean Widow, gained 1 universal point."
Silas spotted more spiders crawling out of the ground. His eyes turned fierce as he prepared to unleash a massacre. These spiders needed to learn that they’d messed with the wrong beast.
But then, his expression shifted as hundreds—no, thousands—of spiders emerged from the pit. His heart sank. If he got entangled with so many, even his bones might not remain.
These spiders, about a meter in diameter, had brown carapaces and sharp front legs evolved for digging. They scurried up, their many eyes glinting with malice.
The spiders paused momentarily, their excitement dampened when they saw one of their comrades nailed to the ground. Its headless body twitched violently. Their eyes turned bloodshot as they surged forward in a frenzy.
Silas didn’t hesitate. Dropping the branch he held, he turned tail and bolted.
"This isn’t running away," he muttered. "It’s a strategic retreat!"
Without skills to handle such venomous mobs, his only weapon was his body—and he wasn’t sure how resistant he was to poison.
After a solid minute of running, Silas ensured none of the spiders had kept up with his speed. He sighed in relief.
"I need to find a good skill soon," he muttered. "I can’t keep running from these weak mobs."