Detailing the Care

Hoping Hopp up, Karl felt the lingering heat around them and asked with lingering fear:

"Are you... awakening your Tiefling bloodline?"

As a race that inherited the blood of the Hells, Tieflings naturally possessed fire resistance.

Beyond that, some Tieflings would awaken innate spellcasting abilities after reaching level 3.

This racial trait, known as Infernal Legacy, manifested differently depending on a Tiefling's constitution.

Most Tieflings awakened the spell known as Infernal Rebuke at level 3.

However, Hopp's situation was more unique; she likely inherited the Hellfire trait, gaining the ability to cast Burning Hands.

Furthermore, some Tieflings awakened the Charm Person spell at level 3, while others grew bat-like wings below their shoulder blades, gaining the ability to fly.

"I, I don't know, I'm so hot right now!"

As Hopp spoke, Karl felt the heat radiating from her body.

Reaching out to touch Hopp's forehead, Karl hissed, feeling as if he had touched a teapot just poured with boiling water.

Seeing Hopp's eyes glazing over, Karl dared not delay. He scooped her up and ran towards the wooden cabin.

After placing Hopp in the wooden bathtub he had just finished making the day before, Karl brought over the Alchemy Jug and changed the liquid type, which he hadn't altered yet that day, to wine.

"Splash~ Gulp~ Gulp~"

Nearly 4 liters of wine were poured over Hopp by Karl, and the strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the cabin.

As everyone knew, the evaporation of alcohol would carry away heat.

If Hopp's fever was due to a cold, he wouldn't dare do this. But since her elevated temperature was caused by the awakening of her Tiefling bloodline abilities and the influence of fire elementals, Karl's actions were more stable.

Four liters of liquid wasn't a lot, so Karl had to repeatedly scoop up the remaining wine from the bottom of the tub and pour it over Hopp.

While this cooling method was quite effective, it was clearly not enough.

His gaze swept around the room, and Karl looked at the four wooden barrels. Gritting his teeth, he ran over and moved them.

He had made the wooden barrels two days prior to store the liquids produced by the Alchemy Jug. He had intended to save up more, as they were needed for firing bricks and quenching, but Hopp had unexpectedly encountered trouble.

Opening the barrel filled with saltwater, Karl put on his Power Armor and carried it to the bathtub.

The saltwater in the wooden barrel was nearly 100 liters, which Karl had accumulated over two days.

With such a large volume of liquid poured in, the bathtub was immediately filled.

However, due to the buoyancy of the saltwater, Hopp actually floated.

Helpless, Karl had to take off his Power Armor and use his hands to press Hopp's body into the water, leaving only her head exposed to breathe.

The liquid in the bathtub heated up quickly, and before long, Karl felt his hands getting a bit hot.

"Kar, Karl~"

Just as Karl was about to pull his hand out of the bathtub to cool it, Hopp, who was in the tub, opened her eyes and softly called Karl's name.

To be honest, Karl was starting to suspect that Hopp's intense training lately had all been converted into her Charisma attribute by her bloodline.

A few days ago, Karl would have found it hard to imagine Hopp calling his name in such a cooing, almost pleading tone.

But what could he say now?

His comrade, who had faced life and death with him, was calling his name in her pain. He could only hold her hand and say in a steady voice, "I'm here!"

People in pain lacked security the most; this was something Karl had heard from some educational video.

"I, I feel so uncomfortable, my body, it's so hot!"

Looking at Karl with a pained expression, Hopp twisted her legs together, as if trying to release the heat from her body in this manner.

But this was clearly not working.

"It's okay, this is a normal phenomenon of your bloodline awakening. Many Tieflings go through similar experiences during puberty. At least you're not growing wings; I heard that takes two months of continuous development."

Patting Hopp's face with the liquid mixed with wine and saltwater, Karl encouraged her while also educating her about Tieflings.

However, Hopp seemed to be ignoring everything Karl was saying. Her eyes were fixed on him, staring until Karl felt uneasy. Then, she slowly and sweetly said:

"I want to sleep in separate rooms because I..."

As if trying to explain her previous haste in wanting separate rooms, Hopp even raised her chest with her own hand.

"I know, I know. You've developed too quickly lately, and it's not convenient for us to share a room anymore."

Pressing her hand back down, Karl wiped the sweat from his forehead, a bad premonition suddenly dawning on him.

This heat she's talking about, could it be more than just the influence of her bloodline awakening? Could she be... drunk?

It wasn't surprising Karl thought this. Hopp's speech was now noticeably slower, and her eyes were glazed over, which perfectly matched the signs of being drunk.

If only her skin color didn't make it impossible to tell if her face was flushed, Karl could have reached a conclusion sooner.

Lost in his thoughts, Hopp suddenly stood up in the bathtub.

"I... I..."

Her body swaying back and forth, Hopp stood there, murmuring "I" for a long time without uttering a follow-up.

Hopp's forehead was touched again. Although still a little warm, Karl felt this should be the normal body temperature after the tiefling's bloodline awakened.

After lifting the other party out of the bathtub, Karl sighed and carried him back to the right wing room to be cared for.

On the outskirts of the mushroom forest, the Hobgoblin Mind Flayer, leading more than a dozen Brain Eaters on a hunt, glanced in the direction of Karl and Hopp before refocusing its gaze on the goblin tribe.

He was extremely hungry now, desperately craving the brains of intelligent creatures.

However, the beasts in the mushroom forest couldn't satisfy the appetite of a nascent Mind Flayer, so this former Hobgoblin had set his sights on his former tribe.

As mentioned before, after a Mind Flayer's complete transformation, few could retain their past thoughts.

They were more like new souls occupying the body after absorbing the original owner's memories.

The tentacles on his face writhed slightly as the Mind Flayer took a deep breath, seemingly trying to alleviate the dual hunger of mind and body.

It took several seconds before he continued to float forward using his psionic abilities.

'Brain! I need brains!'

The strong intention spread in all directions amplified by psionic energy, but the Mind Flayer didn't care if this action would expose its whereabouts.

This was because both the Hobgoblin's memories and the memories left by his "mother" made him believe there were no other intelligent creatures in this forest.

However, neither of these sets of memories mentioned why there were no other intelligent creatures in this forest.

The goblin tribe might be due to a broken lineage, but why the Mind Flayer mother had established her base here without emphasizing the reason...

He didn't know.