Seeing the large beast sprawled in front of her, Lavayla swallowed hard. The image of it suddenly waking up flashed through her mind, though unwelcome. She crouched down, stayed there for a few seconds, then looked at the beast again and again as if expecting it to twitch. Finally, she shook her head. A moment later, the body vanished from the cave floor.
The system immediately piped up. 'Host, why did you return the beast into the space vault? Aren't you going to harvest the beast's core?'
Lavayla slumped onto the ground and dragged a hand through her hair. "I can't do it. I'm sorry. I can't. Fuck, I'm so tired."
'Oh, well, it's alright, host. You can take your time. In the meantime, you should rest, and I will keep you company~'
Her eyelid twitched. "No. Don't keep me company. Just shut up for a bit. Please."
The system's voice wilted instantly. 'Oh… okay, host.'
Grateful for the silence, Lavayla leaned back—only to jerk forward when she remembered the baby tied to her back. She quickly readjusted herself. A glance behind showed the baby still asleep, but she knew she couldn't rest properly with him strapped to her.
She untied the knotted pelt, then the second layer, and carefully lifted the baby into her arms. He squirmed weakly but settled back down after her awkward attempts to soothe him. Lavayla let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Once he was laid safely on the floor beside her, she leaned against the wall again. Her body sagged immediately. From the moment she'd woken up in this world, she had been running, fighting, panicking, thinking—burning through energy she never even knew she had. The exhaustion washed over her, heavy and suffocating. Her eyes drifted shut.
She managed a few minutes—barely—before her stomach growled so violently she thought something inside her was trying to escape. She snapped awake and looked around, disoriented.
The system chirped brightly. 'Host, you've been in this world for approximately one hour and twenty-seven minutes, and you've expended more energy than you've ever used in your entire life! Sooooo you're bound to be extremely hungry. And I mean EXTREMELY, host. I advise you to solve that hunger issue as soon as possible! Because remember, this world isn't like your previous world—you've gotta find your own food and prepare it.'
Lavayla opened her mouth to respond, but the system didn't give her a chance.
'Host! Thank goodness you have an affinity for plants! You can gather edible ones, prepare them, and you have the beast meat too! You're so lucky! You don't have to worry about food at all—I'm so proud of you~'
Its voice was so thrilled that her entire body broke out in goosebumps. The system was never this happy without a motive—never. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, ready to demand an explanation.
Before she could speak, a chime echoed through her head, and a glowing panel appeared in front of her.
Ding!
[New Mission: Gather edible plants and prepare food using both the plants and the beast meat in your possession~]
[Duration: 1–2 hours]
[Reward: 2500 points for completing the mission, plus 500 additional points if completed within 1 hour. Good luck, host~]
'Alright host, that's your mission. Now let's get started.'
Lavayla really wanted to strangle the system. Sure, she was hungry — stomach twisting, brain fogging, the whole package — but how the hell was she supposed to go hunting for edible plants in this forest? A primitive, untouched, beast-infested hellscape where everything had fangs, claws, venom, or an attitude problem.
One wrong step and she wouldn't be getting dinner.
She would be dinner.
Her expression showed every curse she wanted to spit out, but the words jammed halfway up her throat. She ruffled her hair in frustration and glanced at the baby.
"What about the baby? I can't possibly drag him along, can I?"
'Of course not, host! You can leave him here and he'll be perfectly safe. Like I said earlier, no animal can come near this spot. Even bugs won't come in. Ants? Nope. Flies? Denied. So please go and forage with peace of mind!'
'Come on now, Host~! Adventure time!'
Lavayla opened her mouth, closed it, then let out a slow sigh. She turned to the baby and carefully arranged the fur pelts around him, brushing a hand over his soft hair and smiling despite herself. He looked so peaceful.
She forced herself to step back.
She gripped the knife and stood. "Alright, let's go."
The moment she stepped out of the cave, the forest air felt heavier — thick with damp earth, moss, and the far-off sounds of creatures she absolutely didn't want to meet. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in streaks, landing on clusters of unfamiliar plants pushing through the soil.
'Oh, host, you'll be needing something to carry the vegetables, right? I don't know why I keep forgetting things, but I helped you pick up your tote bag, blanket, and pillow. They're in your other space vault. Do you want to take out your tote bag so you can use it?'
Lavayla stopped mid-step.
"You took my things?"
'Yes, host~'
"Thank you," she muttered.
'You're welcome, host! So are you going to use it—'
Lavayla shot the hovering panel a flat look.
"No. That bag costs thousands of dollars, and you expect me to dump wild vegetables inside it?"
She shook her head and crouched beside a patch of thick, leafy growth. She pushed the weeds aside with her knife, scanning for anything useful. The forest floor was carpeted with plants, but just like the system mentioned, there wasn't a single bug—no worms, no beetles, not even ants.
Back on Earth, this kind of greenery wouldn't even exist without insects and small creatures doing their jobs. Plants and animals depended on each other; insects pollinated, worms and tiny organisms broke down the soil, small critters returned nutrients, and fungi fed the roots. If this were Earth, these plants should've been dead. But here, everything followed a different logic.
She was just opening her mouth to ask the system when it chimed in.
'Host, you must be wondering why the plants here can grow so lush even without bugs, worms, ants, or any of those creatures. It's because they don't need them. They grow by absorbing the ambient energy in the air. This world is saturated with it—animals and beastmen use it to grow stronger, and plants do the same. That's why they're more resilient, larger, and healthier than Earth plants. Even near the blue-fern zone, where no animals can survive, the plants will still grow just fine~'
"I see…" Lavayla muttered as she stood, pushing through a curtain of leaves and slicing aside a few stubborn branches.
A faint hum slipped across her skin, almost like a nudge beneath her ribs. She followed the sensation, moved a few steps, and stopped.
There—tuber leaves. She recognized the shape immediately.
She bent forward. Up close, they resembled yam leaves, but not exactly. The stems were a deep, rich green, and when she brushed her thumb across one, it felt… warm.
Then, a soft pulse flickered behind her eyes, and the name of the plant surfaced as if whispered directly into her thoughts.
[Sunroot Yam — edible. High in natural warmth-energy. Restores minor stamina.]
Lavayla blinked. "Okay… that's new."
She crouched again and ran her palm over the broad leaves. Warm, a gentle, comforting heat, like it had been soaking up sunlight even in the shade. The system didn't speak, but she could feel the faint tug of her plant affinity nudging her, pointing out the details she would've missed on Earth.
She dug her fingers into the soil and pushed it aside. The tuber underneath looked like a yam, only smoother, with faint golden streaks running along the skin.
"This should be edible," she murmured, more confident now. "And it has energy, too…"
Encouraged, she looked around more carefully.