Chapter 131: The Giant Spider

[Notification] You have obtained the Grocery Store Construction Blueprint!
[Notification] You have obtained the Iron Bracelet Crafting Blueprint!
[Notification] You have obtained Inferior Insect Bracers!
[Notification] You have obtained an Inferior Insect Helmet!
[Notification] You have obtained a Spark Blade!
[Notification] You have obtained Insect Battle Boots!
[Notification] You have obtained Milk!
[Notification] You have obtained Strawberry Seeds!

What’s done is done; feeling dejected won’t change anything.
Jia Zhengjin had no choice but to step forward and loot the corpse, scavenging the spoils from the Tier 1 Spark Mantis.

[Grocery Store Construction Blueprint]: Build a grocery store at a designated location. The types of items sold will refresh randomly every 24 hours. Materials required: 5,000 Wood, 30 Iron Ingots, 10,000 Stone.
[Iron Bracelet Crafting Blueprint]: Material requirement: 3 Iron Ingots!
[Inferior Insect Bracers]: Defense 18, Strength +5!
[Inferior Insect Helmet]: Defense 22, Strength +5!
[Spark Blade]: Attack 77, 5% chance to inflict a burn effect on the target during physical attacks.
[Insect Battle Boots]: Defense 45, Strength +8!
[Milk]: This is a bottle of delicious milk!
[Strawberry Seeds]: Can grow delicious strawberries!

The loot was decent, so Jia Zhengjin immediately forgave Zhuoma for failing to keep the creature alive.
It seemed the Spark Mantis dropped a full set of insect gear. The inferior parts added 5 Strength, while the standard ones added 8. How much would higher-quality ones add?
Jia Zhengjin had been worried that his physique couldn't keep up with the warriors of this otherworldly realm; his strength didn't even match Tina’s. He equipped the three pieces immediately. How much was an 18-point Strength increase, anyway?
After putting them on, he tested it out and found his strength had roughly doubled. This was absolutely fantastic!

The Spark Blade had an incredibly high attack stat, but unfortunately, he didn't care for short weapons like knives or swords. He turned to Worf and asked, "Can you use a blade?"
"I can!" Worf nodded.
"Then this is yours!" Jia Zhengjin tossed the Spark Blade to him. Although Worf’s strongest weapons were his own claws, this blade would clearly make him even more formidable.
He took the milk home for Tina. He wasn't sure if cows even existed in this world; he had certainly never seen the villagers drink anything similar.
The strawberries would be delicious once grown, and Tina would surely love them.

"Lord Gen, I apologize!" Zhuoma said, looking dejected. "I failed to carry out your orders!"
"It's fine!" Jia Zhengjin comforted him. "Practice makes perfect. Next time, try to hold back a little. Buddy, you coordinate with Zhuoma next time; it should be easier with two people!"
"Yes!!" Buddy immediately stepped forward and vowed, "I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
After harvesting the remains of the Spark Mantis, Jia Zhengjin led his team to shift their focus and advance toward another area.
The Beast Forest was vast, and there were no shortage of zones inhabited by magical beasts. Furthermore, once the beasts in one area were eliminated, new ones would eventually move in to claim the territory.
The troops pushed deeper inside and finally found a new target.
This time, it was a giant spider, slightly smaller than the previous Spark Mantis, with a striking, vivid blue hue.

"This one looks a bit dangerous!" Jia Zhengjin felt a twinge of worry when he saw the spider. "Generally speaking, spiders are poisonous, right? Should we pick another target?"
"Lord Gen, let me try!" Zhuoma volunteered. "I won't make any mistakes this time!"
"Lord Gen, I will do my absolute best to assist General Zhuoma in capturing this beast alive!" Buddy added confidently.
"Don't call me General!" Zhuoma looked at Buddy and said, "I am no longer the General of the Bright City Guard. Just call me Zhuoma!"
"Even if you are no longer the General of the Bright City Guard, you are still General Zhuoma within our city." Buddy looked at Jia Zhengjin with a smile. "Isn't that right, Lord Gen?"
"That's right! Even if the Kobold troops don't look like much, they are still an army, aren't they?" Jia Zhengjin laughed.
Zhuoma grinned. "Since Lord Gen says so, I suppose I shall begrudgingly serve as the General of this Kobold troop!"
"You two be careful—I'm worried this spider is venomous!" Jia Zhengjin warned. "Try to avoid its venom; I don't want to lose any men."
"Yes!!" Zhuoma and Buddy replied in unison.
Jia Zhengjin blew his whistle, and Perin controlled the dragon to fly over again, using the same tactics to drive the giant spider toward them.

Sigh! If only the fake dragon could just scare these low-level beasts into submission, it would save so much effort.
But wishing was one thing; he had to face reality.
Zhuoma and Buddy set off simultaneously, one wielding a giant axe and the other carrying an ornate sword, heading toward the panicked giant spider.
Seeing its path blocked, the giant spider reacted just like the Spark Mantis and immediately launched an attack to intimidate its obstructors. It opened its mouth and fired several ice arrows, each radiating a chilling cold.
"It's a water-type beast!" Zhuoma dodged to the side and glanced at Buddy.
Buddy also nimbly avoided the attack, charging toward the giant spider in a parallel line on the right.
"Screech!" The giant spider let out a sharp cry, its soft, oval-shaped abdomen arching forward to spray two sticky silk threads, targeting Zhuoma and Buddy respectively.
"Don't get hit by the silk!" Zhuoma shouted, leaping high to avoid the threads while swinging his giant axe down with a roar.
"Clang!" The giant spider raised one of its legs to block the axe, opened its mouth, and shot an ice arrow toward Zhuoma’s face.
Zhuoma hurriedly aborted his attack and spun to dodge.
"Swish!" Buddy lunged from the other side, hacking his sword at the spider's sturdy insectoid leg. However, the spider's eight legs were covered in a tough, armored shell; the ornate sword struck it, sending sparks flying.
"Hiss!" The giant spider twisted its abdomen and sprayed another thread at Buddy, while simultaneously spitting more ice arrows at Zhuoma.
Fighting from both front and back, the beast was holding its own against two masters!
"Damn it! This spider is tougher than that mantis from before!" Jia Zhengjin couldn't help but shout. "Quick! Help them!"
"Yes!!" Receiving the order, Worf and Karl led the Kobold troops into the fray, launching a relentless, brutal dogpile on the giant spider.
Thanks to their combined efforts, after a grueling battle, the spider was finally drained of its mana and covered in wounds, losing its ability to fight.
"We did it!!" Once the giant spider was subdued, Zhuoma raised his axe and shouted in excitement.
"Fantastic!" Jia Zhengjin immediately ordered, "Bring it back to the city at once and put it in the stables!"
"Roar~~" The fake dragon flapped its wings and flew over, extending its claws to grab the heavily injured giant spider. It couldn't participate in the fight, so its only functions were to intimidate the beasts and double as a transporter.