Chapter One: A New Beginning (Part Two)

That day, Gluttonous was outside the cave, practicing the martial techniques imparted by Phantom Thief. Before teaching him this skill, Phantom Thief, who was usually all grins and mischief, uncharacteristically put on a serious demeanor, solemnly passing on what he claimed was one of his family’s secret arts: the Heaven’s Wound Fist.

Gluttonous, who hadn’t paid much attention at first, was startled once Phantom Thief revealed the essentials of the technique. Although he hadn’t practiced any martial arts in recent years, Gluttonous was, after all, the heir of a martial family. Even if he didn’t study now, he would have to eventually, so he had never neglected his education in the fundamentals.

The Heaven’s Wound Fist was an internal style of astonishing lethality, not some ordinary external technique. It comprised not only physical forms but also profound mantras and mental disciplines—the latter being the true treasure of the art. Phantom Thief recited these incantations in one breath, then tossed Gluttonous a small paper booklet. As Gluttonous flipped through it, he couldn’t help but chuckle; this was clearly the manual for the Heaven’s Wound Fist, but judging by the hasty scrawls, Phantom Thief must have drawn the diagrams himself not long ago, and his artistic skills left much to be desired.

Catching Gluttonous laughing, Phantom Thief flushed with embarrassment and snapped, “What’s so funny? My drawings are ugly, but at least they're accurate!”

Gluttonous hastily denied laughing at him. Seeing Phantom Thief's expression, he didn’t dare speak the truth.

Yet Gluttonous recognized the value of what he’d received. Since obtaining the technique, he practiced diligently for several hours each day.

Seeing Gluttonous finally pause in his practice, Phantom Thief, who had been watching from the side, beamed and glanced at the holes pitted in a nearby rock wall. “Kid, I have to admit, when you use the Heaven’s Wound Fist, it’s more powerful than when I do. That crazy dragon technique of yours is remarkable—its destructive force even surpasses my own family’s secret arts. At this rate, the Heaven’s Wound Fist might as well be your family’s legacy.”

Gluttonous put on an air of arrogance to deliberately annoy Phantom Thief. “Of course! I’m the future God of War. Why, do you feel threatened?” Seeing Phantom Thief’s vexed expression, Gluttonous fanned the flames further.

Over these past days, it was hard to tell whether they were adversaries or friends; their banter was always laced with jibes and teasing. Perhaps Phantom Thief’s personality had rubbed off on the usually quiet Gluttonous. Still, their camaraderie was undeniable.

Phantom Thief shot Gluttonous a fierce glare and said, “You can boast all you want. I’m heading to Aqua Demon Star to sell our haul from the past six months. I’ll be gone about a month. While I’m away, you’ll take the ship and hunt alone. I’ve taught you everything I can over these six months. As of today, you’ve graduated—and the Multi-Legged Monster is yours now.”

Gluttonous was stunned, only reacting after Phantom Thief finished speaking. He protested, “How can that be? I’ve never operated alone before. What if I get discovered by accident? I want to go to Aqua Demon Star with you. You’re always talking about how amazing it is—I want to see it for myself.”

Phantom Thief glared at him. “No slacking off, kid. Don’t you want to get home to that beloved fiancée of yours? No excuses—I’ve taught you all you need to know. As long as you keep your eyes open, avoid those high-level transport ships, and steer clear of anything that looks modified, you’ll be fine. Remember, kid: caution is the key to longevity. Don’t be greedy. Never provoke warships, not even solitary transport vessels.”

Gluttonous nodded helplessly. What choice did he have? The look on Phantom Thief’s face made it clear his mind was made up—he would have to hunt alone.

After Phantom Thief left, Gluttonous lost interest in further training. He prepared briefly, then boarded the Multi-Legged Monster, the spider-shaped ship Phantom Thief had designed specifically for maneuvering in the asteroid belt, and launched into space. Taking manual control, he began weaving swiftly through the asteroid field.

Over the past six months, Gluttonous had not only learned Phantom Thief’s sleight-of-hand tricks but also how to pilot a ship. The Multi-Legged Monster was the result of several years of Phantom Thief’s personal design—a vessel perfectly suited for asteroid belt operations. Every time Gluttonous piloted it, his admiration for Phantom Thief grew. This was why Phantom Thief trusted him to act alone; as long as he avoided warships, the smaller, low-level transporters—with their mechs and energy cannons—were no threat to him inside the Multi-Legged Monster.

Once inside the asteroid belt, not even warships could easily track the Multi-Legged Monster.

Emerging from the atmosphere of the planet where Phantom Thief’s base was hidden, Gluttonous entered the sprawling asteroid belt that stretched across more than half the star system.

He had always been curious about the origins of this region. In fact, the life-bearing planet hosting the base was likely itself a member of the belt’s countless bodies. The belt’s expanse was breathtaking; the planet should be considered a peripheral asteroid, yet somehow it had developed an atmosphere and life, though no advanced intelligent species—only fearsome beasts that would terrify any visitor. When night fell, the sky above the base would be dotted with countless silver-white bodies of all shapes and sizes, a spectacle so beautiful Gluttonous wished he could stay there forever.

However, the planet’s gravity was about three times that of Warstar, and its air density five times greater. Aside from training, Gluttonous and Phantom Thief rarely ventured outside the base, as the environment was unsuitable for human survival. Frequent meteor strikes made standing outside doubly dangerous.

Perhaps it was the planet’s gravity and dense atmosphere that had prevented its destruction by relentless impacts.

Piloting the Multi-Legged Monster, Gluttonous hopped nimbly from asteroid to asteroid like a frog, the ship’s unique method of travel in the belt. Only by moving this way could he quickly change direction and avoid collisions.

For his first solo hunt, Gluttonous’s heart beat faster than usual. Though not his first time piloting the Multi-Legged Monster, he’d always had Phantom Thief by his side—never truly alone before. But nothing unusual happened, and gradually he calmed down.

Cautiously, Gluttonous guided the ship through the belt, using the onboard scanners to search for potential targets.

Perhaps because the belt was so vast, it was crisscrossed by countless shifting passages, forcing ships to constantly alter course. Specialized vessels scouted for new routes, which they then sold to transport ships seeking safe passage. Some routes were opened by military warships from neighboring nations, but using them required hefty fees. Most merchants avoided these unless they were carrying extremely valuable cargo or didn’t care about the cost.

The majority of freighters instead purchased up-to-date passage information from route finders.

Thus, jobs like Phantom Thief’s—and now Gluttonous’s—came into being. And of course, pirates, that age-old and infamous profession, were never far behind.

After half a day, Gluttonous still hadn’t found a suitable mark. Strangely, he did spot several pirate ships, a rare sight. Fortunately, the Multi-Legged Monster was inconspicuous among the massive asteroids, and whatever Phantom Thief had done to it, most ships’ scanners struggled to detect it—a point Phantom Thief never tired of boasting about.

Seeing so many pirates, Gluttonous dared not take risks. Phantom Thief had always warned him never to compete with pirates for prey. If they noticed the Multi-Legged Monster and those persistent, well-informed pirates gave chase, there would be no peace to be had.