Chapter 4: A Starry Night
He lacked sufficient information to make a judgment. Uchiha Uran couldn't understand why there were no soul beasts in the Soul Beast Forest. It couldn't be the same nonsense as saying there were no wives in wife cakes, right?
The sky was getting dark, and after an afternoon of travel, he was exhausted. This was no ordinary walk; he had been navigating dense jungle, the air extremely humid, and vines tangled, making it easy to trip if you weren't careful.
The ground beneath his feet was soft, and near the water source, the ground was full of pits. The accumulated rotten leaves and slippery tree roots all significantly slowed his progress and over-exerted his energy.
The fact that he had managed to hold out until night was a testament to his soul rings, and the Sharingan had enhanced his physical fitness.
Uchiha Uran's gaze narrowed slightly, scanning the surroundings. Before long, he had found a spot that looked decent.
But just as he was about to set up camp, his eyes flicked to another spot. A large, slender, yet densely lush tree had snapped in half, its crown falling to the ground.
The branches and leaves on either side had fallen to the ground, revealing a natural opening in the center.
Above and below, dense, heavy foliage covered the ground. Uchiha Uran touched the leaves; they were dry, not as moist as he'd expected. The broken section still held together, forming a perfect triangle before him. The crown of the tree was an ideal shelter.
However, this kind of shelter wouldn't last long. It was near a water source, and the ground was damp. Sleeping there for too long could easily lead to a chill. But it would only be useful tonight.
Without further ado, Uchiha Uran immediately began tidying up the shelter, trimming overhanging branches and foliage to smooth out the natural opening, less than three square meters and just over a meter high.
Then, with a machete, he cut down a branch as thick as a calf and placed it over the broken part of the tree to prevent a sudden collapse in the middle of the night.
He then pulled a roll of snow-white, lightweight fabric from his package, resembling the hide of some spirit beast. It was crystal clear, carrying a scent of tanning and careful processing.
Uchiha Uranium spread the leather on the ground. The final, and most crucial, step was to set the night watch trap.
Shelter provided a comfortable rest, but rest didn't guarantee safety. There was no completely safe place in the Star Dou Great Forest.
If he dared to sleep without taking protective measures, a passing spirit beast would likely provide him with a late-night snack. But with the sky now dark and without light, it would be difficult for him to rely on the surroundings to construct a simple trap.
But how could he dare to venture into the Star Dou Great Forest without a certain level of confidence? His confidence stemmed from his first Centennial Spirit Ring.
"First Spirit Skill: Radiation Trap,"
Uchiha Uranium muttered silently, feeling the spirit power within him begin to drain, gathering in his hands.
It seemed as if it had reached its peak, and he could no longer feel any further consumption, meaning the trap was already complete. All he had to do now was throw it, and the trap would be complete.
His spirit skill wasn't originally called a Radiation Trap, but an Explosion Trap.
After he awakened his martial spirit and reached full level ten soul power, his father quickly helped him obtain his first spirit ring.
The spirit beast they slew was called the Dunyan Beast, a beast that specialized in trapping prey with ground spikes, defending itself with a hard shell, and capable of breathing fire.
This beast was extremely rare, a variant of the lesser-known Dunjia Beast. His father had originally hoped that his bloodline's affinity for fire would allow him to awaken this flaming spirit ability, but in the end, he gained the ability to craft a trap instead.
This spirit ability allowed him to create an invisible and extremely explosive ground spike trap. It could only be placed above a single square meter of space. Once placed, the ground spike trap would sink into the ground within three seconds, appearing completely undetectable.
However, if a creature of sufficient weight walked over the ground spike trap, it would launch a fiery, explosive ground spike from below, possessing properties such as high speed, explosive power, high temperature, and sharp spikes.
The blast radius was enormous, with a single spike covering an area of over ten square meters. Upon detonation, it was accompanied by a shower of high-temperature flames and a shower of red-hot debris, comparable in effect to modern high-explosive grenades, and in some respects even surpassing them.
Unfortunately, despite its large range, the spike trap still required a delay of about a second from sensing, activation, and firing. Creatures within this range could easily escape the maximum damage range if they ran quickly enough, making it a prime example of high latency and high damage.
As for why it was renamed the Radiation Trap? It was because after activating his mutated spirit, the Radiation Eye, the trap became a "radiation source," continuously emitting radioactive microwave particles. Its function remained the same, but it incorporated a new property: a radioactive element.
This meant that upon detonation, the spike trap would cause a massive radiation contamination in the surrounding area, making it impossible for anyone to escape. Uchiha Uranium hadn't yet tested the exact extent of this range, but it was likely quite significant.
Therefore, this was the trap he would set next.
He placed the first trap behind the shelter, just in front of the leaves, to prevent spirit beasts from attacking him head-on.
He placed the second trap on the left, near the back, and the third on the right, near the front. Finally, he marked all three locations to prevent himself from accidentally stepping on them and being killed by the traps. While he wasn't afraid of radiation, the intense heat and sharp spikes were unrecognizable.
By the time he was done with all this, Uchiha Uranium felt his spirit power had been depleted. The last vestiges of the sun's warmth faded over the horizon.
Night had fallen.
Uchiha Uranium gazed at the darkening surroundings, feeling a surge of loneliness. Just two weeks ago, he had been studying with his clan. After another two weeks of journey, he had finally reached the Great Star Dou Forest. He hadn't felt this way before, but now, a vague sense of bitterness brewed within him.
He knew he was truly far from human contact.
His family, his friends, his father and mother—all gone. He was alone.
"Forget it, let's not dwell on such sad things. I don't want a mutant spirit like the Radiation Eye, which would make it impossible for me to find a wife. Damn, even if I go to a whore, she might rot and die the moment I touch her." Uchiha Uranium shook his head, sighing as he looked at the deserted surroundings.
He looked up, observing the deepening night. He heard the howling of wolves in the distance, then glanced at the sky. Stars shone brightly, twinkling, a beauty he had never seen in his previous life.
He had once believed the stars he had seen in his childhood would never return. Heavy industry, air pollution, and so on had completely shrouded the night in a gray veil. Now, half-lying on the ground, leaning against a tree, he gazed at the night sky with a dazed look, as if he had rediscovered his childhood.
After an unspecified amount of time, Uchiha Uranium felt his nose moisten. He tried to rub it, but when he looked up again, a drop of dew dripped from his head.
The night sky was still as brilliant as ever, even brighter than before. Stars, invisible during the day, now shone in a dazzling display of brilliance. He had never seen anything like it on Earth. Perhaps this was his lost childhood. And Douluo Continent was his new life.
For the first time, Uchiha Uranium felt that coming to the Great Star Dou Forest had been the right decision.
Had he remained in his clan's land, he would have spent his days studying and his nights training, slowly growing stronger and achieving fame. Perhaps he would never have raised his head to gaze upon the breathtaking night sky again.
For the first time, he felt that this life might not be as bad as he had imagined.
"Ah~he~, I'm sleepy, time to go to bed." He stretched, took off his dirty shoes, set them outside, and then slipped into his shelter.
Before falling asleep, Uchiha Uranium took one last look at the night sky, then lay down, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
"If this is how my life will be from now on, it won't be bad."
A faint smile played at the corner of his mouth.
(End of Chapter)