Uran found himself devoid of enough information to form a clear judgment. Why were there no soul beasts in the Soul Beast Forest? It seemed as baffling as a saying without its familiar subject.

The day was dwindling, and fatigue was catching up to him after an afternoon of arduous travel. This wasn't a mere stroll. He'd been navigating dense jungle, where the air was oppressively hot and humid, and where tree branches and vines conspired to trip him.

The ground beneath his feet was soft, and the proximity to the water source meant each step was fraught with the possibility of stepping into a pit. Rotten leaves and slippery roots of fallen trees conspired to hinder his progress, sapping his energy. His perseverance could be attributed to his enhanced physical fitness, which allowed him to push through to nightfall.

Uran's gaze fixed on a spot he deemed suitable. However, as he prepared to set up camp, his attention was diverted to another location. A towering tree with slim but densely packed leaves had snapped at its midpoint. Its crown lay on the ground, its branches and foliage fanned out on either side, revealing a naturally formed hollow in its center.

Thick leaves covered its top and back. When Uran touched them, they felt surprisingly dry, not as damp as he'd anticipated. The broken section aligned with the smaller half, creating a perfect triangular alcove. Though its shelter was far from permanent, its proximity to the water source made it damp. Prolonged exposure could result in catching a cold, but it would suffice for the night.

Without delay, Uran commenced preparing the shelter. He trimmed some protruding branches and leaves, reducing the alcove's height to less than 3 square meters and widening it to over a meter. Next, he positioned a thick, leg-like branch at the fracture point of the massive tree to prevent it from collapsing unexpectedly during the night.

He retrieved a roll of snow-white, lightweight fabric from his package. It seemed to be some form of soul beast skin, its surface glistening, tanned and treated with a distinct aroma. Uran unfurled the piece of leather onto the ground. The last crucial step involved arranging a night-watch trap.

While the shelter could offer him a comfortable rest, it didn't guarantee safety. The Star Dou Great Forest harbored no completely secure place. Sleeping without protective measures meant that any passing soul beast might consider him a convenient supper. Yet, despite the darkness settling in and the absence of external light, setting up simple traps proved challenging.

His confidence stemmed from his first century-old spirit ring. It bolstered his assurance that he could tackle the likes of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"The first spirit ability: Radiation Trap."

Uran intoned silently, sensing the soul power within him ebbing away, coalescing in his hand. Its potency reached its zenith, with no further discernible drain elsewhere. He had successfully fashioned a trap in his hand. All that remained was to toss it and complete its assembly.

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Originally, this ability wasn't known as a Radiation Trap, but a Burst Trap.

Upon his spirit's awakening and activating his full tenth-level spirit power, his father quickly secured his first spirit ring—an achievement realized after defeating the Yanyan Beast. This soul beast specialized in ground stab traps for hunting, boasting a tough carapace for defense and an ability to breathe flames. It was a rare creature, a variation of the Dunjia Beast. His father hoped Uran would inherit the flames from the Yanyan Beast, but instead, he received the ability to create traps.

This skill enabled him to generate an invisible, highly explosive ground stab trap. It could only be placed in a complete one-square-meter space, sinking beneath the surface within three seconds. There'd be no visible signs on the ground's exterior. Yet, once a creature of certain weight stepped on the trap, they'd be launched upwards by the explosive ground spurs, triggering a sequence of high-speed attacks, explosions, and fiery spikes.

The explosion's radius was considerable—more than ten square meters per ground thorn. The resultant blast produced a mix of high-temperature flames and scattered red fragments, similar to a modern high-explosive grenade, albeit even more potent in some aspects.

The ground stab trap suffered from a one-second delay in induction, activation, and launch, meaning creatures within its range could escape maximum damage if they ran fast enough. It was a model of high latency and high injury.

As for the name change to "Radiation Trap," it was due to Uran's mutated martial soul, the Radiant Eye, which turned the trap into a 'radiation source' emitting continuous radioactive microwave particles. While its effect remained the same, it now carried an additional property: Radiation.

Consequently, the explosion of the ground thorn trap would result in significant radiation pollution, impossible to evade. Uran hadn't tested the range, but it was unlikely to be small.

Thus, he proceeded to set the traps. The first trap was placed at the rear of the shelter, to prevent a soul beast from charging directly.

The second trap went at the back on the left, and the third at the front on the right. Uran marked the three spots to avoid accidentally triggering the traps. He wasn't afraid of radiation, but the hot spikes wouldn't discriminate.

With all preparations complete, Uran felt his soul power depleted as the last hint of sunlight vanished from the horizon.

Night had arrived.

As the surroundings darkened, a sudden pang of loneliness surged within him. Just half a month ago, he was studying with his family. Now, after half a month of travel, he found himself in the Star Dou Great Forest. The feeling hadn't been present on his journey, but now it welled up, a faint bitterness fermenting in his heart.

He realized he was truly distant from the crowd. Family, friends, parents— all gone. It was just him.

"Enough of this. I don't want to emit radiation with my mutated martial soul, rendering me unable to even find a wife in the future. Damn, even a visit to a brothel might cause the girl to rot on contact." Uran shook his head, glancing at the desolate surroundings and sighing.

He looked up at the night, heard distant wolf howls, and gazed at the sky. Stars twinkled above, a sight he couldn't have seen in his previous life.

He once thought those stars from his childhood would never return. Industrial pollution had veiled the night sky in gray. Yet here he lay, against a mighty tree, staring at the night sky with blurred eyes, as if he'd recaptured his youth.

Eventually, he felt a slight wetness on his nose. Raising his head, a dewdrop fell from the tree's top.

The night sky still gleamed, its light fainter. Stars that were invisible during the day now sparkled, as if in competition. Uran had never witnessed such a spectacle on Earth. Perhaps this was his recaptured childhood, and the Douluo Continent was his rebirth.

For the first time, Uran believed coming to the Star Dou Great Forest had been the right choice. If he had stayed with the clan, studying by day and training by night, growing stronger and gaining renown, he might have never again raised his head to appreciate this beautiful night sky.

For the first time, he realized that this life might not be as bad as he thought.

"Ahhhhh, I'm sleepy, so sleepy. Let's sleep." He stretched, removed his dirty shoes, left them outside, and then entered the shelter.

Before sleeping, Uran cast one final gaze at the night sky, then lay down, shut his eyes, and slipped into quiet hibernation.

"If this is how life will be from, it's not so bad."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.