Gurgle, gurgle...
The scalding water boiled in the pot, constantly bubbling and popping.
"Sniff, sniff... Not bad. It tastes pretty good!"
Moss gently stirred the meat soup with a spoon. As she watched the chunks of meat slowly swirl in the pot, she could not help sniffing appreciatively.
Master!
Moss nodded, took the vegetable chunks Little Ball handed her, and tossed them into the pot.
Then she scooped out some refined grease from a small pot nearby, added it to the soup, and stirred it around.
Gurgle, gurgle...
"Okay, let's leave the soup to simmer like this for a while."
Moss covered the pot with a wooden board, then fed a Concentrated Mana Orb into the stove. After telling Little Ball to watch the fire, she left it alone.
She went to another wall and began studying the crude map drawn on it.
This map was the result of Moss's explorations over the past two months!
The four X-shaped marks on it represented the activity ranges of the four threats.
Besides those, the map also marked the gathering places of quite a few creatures.
Moss grabbed some mud and wiped away several marks on the map before drawing new ones.
She was recording the location of the spiders she had encountered yesterday, along with changes among the surrounding creatures.
However, it was still winter, and most creatures were not very active, so there were not many places that needed changing.
Standing before the map, Moss rubbed her chin and murmured:
"That group of spiders has been unusually active lately. Their range has already begun moving westward, and soon they'll be approaching Snake Den..."
"Could these two factions be about to fight?"
At the thought of this possibility, Moss's heart trembled slightly. But immediately afterward, she shook her head with a laugh.
What did their fighting have to do with her? Surely it could not affect her here.
Still, the abnormal behavior of these Black Spiders had caught Moss's attention.
Just what had made this group of Black Spiders so agitated?
Could it really be because of Magic Power?
Because the waste water from the magic arrays had been discharged here for years, the concentration of Mana Essence in the surrounding air was much higher than in other places.
Some ordinary creatures passively absorbed too much Mana Essence, and their aggression was indeed higher than that of ordinary animals that had never absorbed it.
However, it was uncommon for creatures like Black Rats and Black Spiders to become so abnormally violent. To this day, Moss had not found any other animals that behaved this way.
She had a feeling that something was influencing these abnormal creatures.
"I'd better not go to Snake Den to catch snakes for a while. Snake meat is delicious, but I have a feeling something's going to happen."
Moss folded her arms and furrowed her brows as she began considering today's plans.
"I'll go to the pool in the east today. We're running low on frog and lizard meat..."
Puyo! Puyo...
Master, fire! Fire!
Little Ball's slightly anxious voice came from within her mind, interrupting Moss's thoughts.
She turned her head and saw Little Ball jumping anxiously before the stove. The fire inside had already gone out.
"Ah, I'm coming, I'm coming."
Moss answered, walked over to Little Ball, and soothed it before saying with a smile:
"You silly thing, so what if the fire went out? Why are you in such a hurry?"
She lifted the cover, picked up the spoon, and stirred the contents of the pot. Then she nodded and said:
"Okay, it's ready to eat!"
She picked up another pot beside the stove, carefully pinched up some white crystals, and sprinkled them into the soup.
"Mm! A little salt makes it taste even better!"
Moss stirred the meat soup, ladled out a little to taste, and smiled in satisfaction.
Salt! It truly was the king of all flavors!
Even adding just a little salt gave the soup an entirely different deliciousness!
As for why Moss had salt...
Of course she had refined it herself!
There was saltpeter in the sewers. By collecting it, dissolving it, filtering it, and then boiling it dry, she could obtain Saltpeter Salt!
It was sodium chloride—the main component of salt—containing impurities such as sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite.
Saltpeter Salt could act as a preservative and was therefore usable as one. However, excessive consumption could cause cancer, making it a potent carcinogen.
In the past, people had called it "small salt." Its taste was similar to table salt, though it was slightly bitter and astringent.
Although she could not eat much of it, having it occasionally was already a kind of happiness for Moss.
After savoring it carefully, Moss stopped wasting time, carried the pot off the stove, and prepared to eat breakfast!
"I'm digging in!"
The tender chunks of meat and vegetables burst with the broth in her mouth, and their aroma instantly filled her mouth.
Delicious!
Its flavor was no different from ordinary home cooking. Even Moss was a little impressed that she could make food like this in such an environment.
But delicious as it was, she still silently sped up her eating.
There was still a lot to do today. For someone who hoped to improve herself, there was never enough time...
"I'm full."
Moss set down the spoon in her hand and looked at the completely empty pot before speaking softly.
She reached out and stroked Little Ball, which was quietly staying beside her. Magic Power slowly flowed into its body.
Master!
Little Ball felt the Magic Power Moss transmitted to it and happily shook its body!
"I'm going out. I'll leave the washing to you, okay?"
Moss poked Little Ball and said with a smile.
Yes, Master!
Moss watched as Little Ball began swallowing the pot and spoon into its body and washing them. She smiled again.
She stood up and walked toward the cave entrance. Another day of ordinary life had begun.
Swish, swish, swish—
Several pink afterimages streaked through the air, shooting straight toward the figure racing along the wall ahead!
Whoosh!
Smack, smack, smack...
"Whoa, that was close!"
Moss turned her head slightly and looked at the tongues embedded in the rock behind her, growing farther and farther away. She grinned wildly and said:
"That's practically the same power as bullets, isn't it?"
These frogs and lizards had been eating insects bred in the magic-array waste-water pool for a long time. Every one of them was almost mutated into a monster!
The insects were the same. Each one was plump and robust. Even the mosquitoes were as large as a thumb!
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
"Oh? You want to join the fight too?"
Moss looked at the swarm of giant mosquitoes blocking her path. She grinned, and her face became completely ferocious!
"But... you're still not qualified!"
Whoosh!
Violent flames erupted from Moss's entire body. Transforming into a blazing sun, she charged head-on into the swarm of mosquitoes!
Boom, boom, boom...
The mosquitoes could not even stop her. Faced with Moss's collision, the swarm turned into balls of flame and fell in an instant!
"Ahahaha! Pathetic!"
Laughing loudly, Moss ran swiftly along the wall as if she were walking on level ground!
She seized the opportunity, leaped into the air, and pounced on a Great Lizard!
"Blade Impact!"
Her burning Claws swept through a web of red afterimages, instantly slicing the entire lizard into pieces!
The scattered chunks of meat fell to the ground, giving off thick white smoke. On closer inspection, their cut surfaces were completely charred black, thoroughly burned through!
"Ha! Blade Storm!"
Flames burned across Moss's body as she transformed into a little pinwheel and plunged into the enemy ranks!
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish—
As countless severed limbs flew into the air, the frogs and lizards around her began turning and fleeing!
Moss did not exterminate them all. She had already killed enough to last her for a while.
The flames died out, and she stood silently amid the severed limbs, counting them.
"Thirteen in total... Not a bad haul."
Moss crouched down and began gathering the prey, stacking the edible parts neatly so they would be easy to carry away later.
Just then, a strange sound suddenly rang out!
Swish!
Moss's expression changed. Before her mind could even react, her body automatically rolled to the side!
Bang—!!!
"It's you!"
Before you continue