"Is this what you call a knife?" she asked flatly. Then she nudged her chin toward the Lirralk's corpse. "And are you sure that it won't suddenly wake up? I don't want a near-death animal biting me. I don't want to die like that."
"Yes, host. The heart has stopped beating, blood has stopped flowing, and it's not breathing. If it wakes up, then it's a zombie. Which is absolutely not possible."
"Alright…" She breathed in shakily, gripping the dagger and stepping forward with cautious, stiff movements.
But the system cut in again, suddenly frantic.
"Wait, host! You should not do it here. Actually, you should take it and leave as soon as possible because the smell of blood will draw other predators. Though this forest doesn't seem crowded and the trees are sparse, predators are highly sensitive and might already be heading your way. I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry."
Lavayla froze, then nodded slowly. "Okay, you want me to leave here… but take the body with me? How am I supposed to take it? I can't possibly drag it, now can I?"
"Oh, about that, host! You have a spatial vault! That's what the Wild Genesis System provides. You currently have two vaults: one for storing objects — limited capacity, roughly the size of a medium bedroom — and another vault meant for biological materials, capable of holding things like dead beasts. Also about the size of a bedroom."
Lavayla blinked hard. "…You're telling me I have two storage spaces?"
"Essentially, yes!"
"And you're telling me this now?"
"It slipped my mind, host… but at least I remembered before you tried dragging a one-ton predator across the forest!"
She didn't have the strength to yell. She just closed her eyes. "Fine. How do I use it?"
The system perked up again, cheerful as ever.
"Just touch the object you want to store, picture the spatial vault clearly in your mind, and the system will do the rest! When stored, you can see it displayed on your panel as an image."
Lavayla approached the Lirralk's corpse with obvious reluctance, but she did exactly as the system said. She pressed her fingers to its fur, pictured an empty bedroom-like space —
And in the next blink, the giant body vanished.
Lavayla stumbled back a step, eyes wide. "What the… That feels… surreal."
"Host can view it on the panel if she wishes~"
She did. A small image popped up on a system window — the huge Lirralk Beast lying neatly on the "floor" of a dark gray, empty room.
"That's… freaky," she muttered. "But I'm not complaining."
She closed the panel, exhaled, and focused again. "System, do you know somewhere we can stay that won't make me become a potential meal to any predators? Because you're not expecting me to walk through this forest and find somewhere myself, right?"
"Yes, I will help host. My current scan range is only 100 meters forward, but within that distance, I am detecting a cave or something similar that you can use as a temporary shelter."
Lavayla tightened the straps holding the baby against her back and adjusted her grip on the dagger.
"…Alright, then. Lead the way before something else tries to eat me."
She followed the system's directions, weaving between trees until the forest quietly transitioned into a slightly more open patch of land. The air felt cooler here, the wind brushing past her with a faint herbal scent.
A few meters ahead, half-concealed behind thick vegetation, a shadowed opening yawned into the rock.
A cave.
Lavayla's steps slowed. Her shoulders tensed.
She wasn't thrilled.
Actually, she was one wrong breeze away from bolting.
The system noticed this immediately.
"Host, this is the shelter I mentioned. Don't worry — the cave has no owner. And there are no predators nearby because… well, no prey comes here."
Lavayla squinted, deeply unconvinced.
She stopped several feet from the entrance, eyes narrowing at the overgrown bushes around it. "Do you see those bushes? What about snakes? There are certainly snakes living there."
The system paused, then answered quickly.
"Okay, let me re-scan it."
A few seconds passed.
"Host, I've re-scanned it and there are no living things around here."
"What?" Lavayla frowned. "What do you mean there are no living things around here?"
"Host, step to the side and walk a few feet. Do you see a blue flowering plant between those bushes? That's the reason. That plant is called a Blue Fern. It emits a toxic fragrance that repels and kills beasts — predators and prey alike — but it doesn't affect beastmen or strong humans like you. So there's no need to worry."
Lavayla stared at the small plant, utterly baffled.
It didn't look dangerous. It didn't even look impressive.
Just a harmless, delicate little fern tipped in pale blue petals.
But according to the system, it could kill everything from small forest creatures to extremely dangerous predators.
She shuddered.
This world was fucking dangerous.
"Actually, host, this is perfect! This makes for a perfect temporary shelter. I can say that your luck is finally turning around!"
"Yeah, right," she muttered.
She tightened her hold on the dagger and approached the bushes. Carefully, she began cutting them away — slicing thick stems, clearing thorny tangles, and pushing aside stubborn leaves. The more she cut, the clearer the path became. When enough space opened up, she crouched and slid inward.
The entrance was low. She had to bend, practically duck-walking through the first stretch.
But after a few meters, the cave widened.
The ceiling rose.
The air cooled.
She straightened slowly, finally able to stand upright.
The interior wasn't deep or elegant — just rough stone walls, packed dirt, and overgrown weeds clinging to corners. But it was empty. Quiet. Dry. Safe.
Exactly what she needed.
Lavayla exhaled, fatigue finally catching up to her. She picked out a corner and began clearing the ground, pushing aside weeds, flattening the dirt with her foot, creating a small but usable space.
Once it was clean enough, she lifted her hand and summoned the storage vault in her mind.
In the next blink, the Lirralk's massive body appeared beside her.