Flame and Foraging

Phew!

Orange-red flames, fueled by Moss's mana, blazed brightly in the pitch-black cave!

The small flame was like the light of a candle, but in Moss's eyes, it was incredibly dazzling!

Moss stared at the flame in her hand, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Just as I thought, the way those Fire Lizards breathe fire is probably the same method I'm using..."

As Moss spoke, her lips curled back, revealing her neatly arranged fangs, and sparks flew from between them!

[Talent: Mana Enhancement + Flame Manipulation + Mana Release (Active)]

Flame Jet!

Boom—!

With a powerful exhale from Moss, mana transformed into flames and gushed from her mouth, instantly filling the cave opening she was aiming at!

"Haa—!"

The flames lasted for a good ten seconds. Only when Moss felt the drain on her mana increase did she slowly stop.

However, even as Moss stopped, the flames at the cave entrance hadn't vanished!

Moss's mana acted like viscous gasoline, sustaining the fire's burn for several tens of seconds before it finally disappeared completely!

The flames were gone, but the ground and rock walls within the cave opening still retained a dark red glow; the stones had been burned red!

"Phew..."

Moss let out a gentle breath, feeling the hot air in the cave, and a smile of excitement spread across her face.

She walked to the cave entrance and examined the marks on the ground, letting out a sigh of admiration.

"So strong!"

The flame's temperature was incredibly high. In less than a minute, scorched, crystallized marks appeared on the ground, with a faint smell of burning!

If this level of flame were to hit a person, its destructive power would be considerable!

Overall, Moss was very satisfied with the current power!

And this power wasn't even her limit!

Moss looked at her hands, a trace of red light circulating in her palms!

Bang!

With a popping sound, explosive flames erupted in her palm, with tongues of fire shooting out for over a dozen centimeters!

But the flames then abruptly retracted, transforming into a small flame in Moss's hand!

The flame flickered unstably!

This was a pure orange flame, different from the previous orange-red one, with a faint hint of white light.

This flame appeared to be significantly hotter than the previous one, and for Moss, the user, the sensation was even greater!

She looked at the restless, agitated flame in her hand, feeling the energy that could explode at any moment, and murmured:

"Explosive Flame..."

Moss still had a vivid memory of the Silver Rank Flame Marsh Lizard's Explosive Flame fireball, as if it had just happened before her eyes.

"I didn't expect Flame Manipulation to be able to simulate even the Flame Marsh Lizard's Explosive Flame, but then again..."

Moss looked at the flame in her hand, feeling surprise and awe, yet also a sense of inevitability.

Explosive Flame, in essence, was about compressing excessive energy together, creating an unstable energy structure.

As the unstable structure collapsed, the excess energy would explode, thus creating the explosive effect!

"Compressing energy can enhance power, increase flame temperature, and also cause explosions..."

Moss stared at the flame in her hand, her light red eyes seeming to glow with the flickering flames.

"I'm going to be busy now. I need to research how to use the Flame Manipulation talent!"

Moss smiled as she spoke, then carefully dispersed the flame in her hand.

The mana within this flame was more than three times what she had used for her previous flame jet, consuming a full third of her mana!

She dared not test the power of the Explosive Flame in an enclosed space; the cave might collapse!

Moss dispersed the flame in her hand and let out a relieved sigh.

Gurgle—

"Ugh, I'm so hungry..."

Moss's expression changed, and she clutched her stomach, murmuring uncomfortably.

She hadn't noticed before, but now that she had relaxed, Moss realized she hadn't eaten anything other than water for three years!

"Not having eaten for a full three years, it's a miracle I'm still alive thanks to my Hibernation talent."

Moss clasped her stomach, sighing with a face full of relief, grateful for her good fortune.

While the Golden Finger is powerful, it's also a truly dangerous ability. Misusing it could actually be fatal.

Honestly, if it weren't for [Hibernation] absorbing Magic Substance to replenish her body's energy, she would have definitely died in her sleep.

It was only when she reviewed the prompts that she noticed [Hibernation] also had the effect of absorbing Magic Substance.

Moss could never have imagined that the method of absorbing Magic Substance she had been desperately searching for was already within her all along!

"It's truly a case of searching high and low for something that was right under my nose..."

An auxiliary talent that the Golden Finger constructed when she was severely injured, needing to recover as quickly as possible, actually worked by absorbing Magic Substance to aid in recovery!

For a moment, Moss didn't know whether to be happy or what. She could only blame herself for being too careless; she hadn't even realized such a simple principle!

After all, to recover from injuries quickly, energy is definitely needed. If her own energy couldn't be used, she could only absorb energy from the outside.

However, the effect of the Hibernation talent would put Moss into a deep sleep, so it wasn't surprising she hadn't discovered it.

"As expected, I need to explore myself more..."

Gurgle...

"Ughhhh..."

Moss let out a strange cry, and the research desire that had just been ignited vanished without a trace.

Immediately, Moss decided to go out and find food!

"Hmph! Hmph! Hooo... Finally out. I need to widen this hole."

Moss struggled quite a bit to squeeze through the opening, which had been just the right size before.

She looked at her originally pure white fur, now dirty, and felt a pang in her heart.

If she weren't truly hungry, she would definitely have dug the hole wider before coming out.

"Sigh... Oh well, it'll get dirty eventually anyway. Eating is more important!"

Moss shook her head, no longer dwelling on it, and then ran towards the river. There should be something to eat there.

"Oh oh, found it, found it!"

As soon as she reached the river, Moss spotted her target!

A pile of vegetable scraps stuck on some branches. Red and green, they looked very fresh!

Without hesitation, Moss jumped into the river and tossed the scraps onto the bank!

Splash!

Moss also jumped onto the bank. She leaned over the vegetable pieces and examined them closely, her face breaking into a wide smile.

"They really are fresh! So lucky, they probably just washed down!"

It was extremely rare to find such fresh vegetables in the sewer, especially the ones Moss encountered this time.

Although they looked like the parts that had been trimmed off and discarded, they were still much better than the rotten vegetables she had encountered before.

Moss scooped up a piece of radish as big as her head. After removing the rotten parts, she took a bite!

Crunch!

A crisp sound echoed as Moss bit into the radish chunk!

Even after soaking in the dirty water, the radish still had a slightly sweet taste!

"So good!"

Moss's eyes sparkled. It was so delicious that she couldn't help but shout!

She hadn't eaten such delicious vegetables in a long time!

However, just as Moss was about to continue enjoying her meal, a rustling sound suddenly reached her ears!

"Hm?"

Moss froze, slowly put down the food in her hand, and looked forward with a serious expression.

Rustle... rustle...

A pair of eyes as black as ink appeared before Moss.

It was a snake, entirely black, flicking its tongue. The eyes looking at Moss flashed with cold, fierce light.

Its head was held high, appearing ready to attack at any moment.

"Uh... I'm hungry. Can you wait until I finish eating?"

Hiss—

"Ah... looks like that's not an option."

Boom!