Slowly, I say up from the hard stone bed and glanced around only to discover that it was already nighttime.
I didn’t sleep that long, did I?
You were exhausted after using your ability for the first time, hence your loss of consciousness Oh… I thought as much.
Glancing at the five bundles still laying haphazardly on the ground beside the bed, my brows furrowed as I picked one of them up and slowly untied it.
Inside were pieces of animal fur.
My eyes widened in surprise as I took another and opened it and found five different types of animal skin inside of it.
One was a white fox skin and it felt so soft to the touch the others seemed to have come from different beasts that I couldn’t figure out it’s origins.
I opened the other three bags and found another bag filled with fur and another holding six more beast skins within them.
The last bundle held cleaned meat and it was many…also, from what I could see from how tender it was..it had to be the soft parts of the beast or had come from.
I smiled at the sight and began to think.
If I could get a needle and thread, I could see this together to make clothes for myself and also, make bedding to soften up this bed.
Below the fur, I could add dry grass to make it more cushioned and comfy.
Yes.
Beast World, remember?
There’s no needle or thread.
Huh?
Then what do I do now?
Don’t they have fish thread and bones?
You think their clothes are held up by magic or just sheer will?
That’s true, fish thread and bones like in those books right?
Interesting.
I quickly stood up without commenting on the unnecessary jab the system had just served to me and stepped out of my cave.
I glanced around and finally located someone else’s cave a bit far from mine.
Nodding, I quickly rushed there and called out into the cave.
“Is anyone home?” There was a light scuffle and then someone stepped out of the cave.
It was a skinny female who looked so malnourished that I briefly wondered how she was able to be alive at that moment.
She leaned on a stick as she stepped out and from where I stood, I could see how weak she was.
I wonder who she is.
Yoh, isn’t this the female beast you killed before the ending of chapter twenty?
Due to malnourishment and illness What?
She…she’s that same beast female?
The very one.
This is so good, meeting your doomed haracters this early sure is good..helps you remember your missions and keeps you on the survival track.
You don’t have to remind me everyday.
Didn’t I just try working on Elias?
And his favorability points is still at negative two hundred!
I— “I—is there a problem?” The female in front of me asked and I finally snapped out of my thoughts to respond to her.
“Oh no, I merely came to ask if I could get a bone needle and fish thread from you.
I would return it immediately after I’m done!” I said the last part quickly and she coughed softly while nodding.
She went inside and came back out with a small bundle then threw it at me.
“Thank you,” I appreciated before I turned and returned back to my cave.
The sewing process was harder than normal but it gave me time to think about everything I had done and observed since I entered this book of mine.
The world setting and characters are basically the same but with minimal changes here and there, I’ve been in this world for a whole night and a day.
Finishing up with the second beast skins cloth, I packed up the other pieces and tied them up before stashing then at the other end of my bed.
I’m tired and my stomach won’t stop growling.
But the thought of saying that meat without anything else made me nauseous.
You can go foraging tomorrow Yes, I will.
I already said I will, no need to repeat it to me like some smart AI.
I’m not an AI!!
Yeah yeah, same thing.
I forced myself to sleep on that cold hard bed because I feared soiling the first I had sown together but early the next day, I quickly rushed to the riverside to bath.
My entire body itched me badly and smelled of rotten eggs and it wasn’t something I could put up with any longer.
When I got there, I was presented with another problem…soap.
From what I know, there should be a plant that works as soap, if not better.
What’s it called again?
Muggot?
Maggot?
Soapwort, host.
Soapwort is different from mugwort, host.
Oh yes, that’s the one.
Aren’t they always found beside a huge expanse of water?
Not all I’m well aware but there’s no reason not to guess they were here.
Slowly and carefully, I scanned the entire river bank and was almost giving up when something caught my eyes.
It was a soft green plant with smooth stems, oval leaves, and small pale pink or white flowers that grow in clusters.
It had a simple, delicate appearance, and its roots can produce a light soapy foam when mixed with water.
When I touched it, my mind lit up with a description.
**Soapwort— It is used for making natural soap, washing clothes, cleaning delicate fabrics, and sometimes in herbal medicine; Its roots and leaves create a gentle foamy lather when mixed with water.
Yay me!!
Quickly, I grabbed a few and rushed back to the river and checked for anyone else and when I didn’t see any, I quickly stripped off my beast skins skirt and wrap and rushed into the water with a small cry.
I had always loved swimming since I was little and not even this small fatty could stop that.
I laughed softly as I swam back up to the surface then began to wash up while humming a tune.
It didn’t take long before I began to feel somewhat clean but I continued until every part of my body felt like it had been thoroughly washed like those beast skins I washed the other day.
Hmph, what a waste of beast skins.
Done, I left the water reluctantly and began to dress up but a sound stopped me as I wore my top, fashioned by me of course.
It didn’t look much different from what the other females wore but it was much much different and better than what they wore.
Something’s here What?
Where?
I glanced around in search of the thing but found nothing and when I almost gave up, a massive serpent tore through the river water and I gasped at the sight.
Black scales burst through the surface first, slick with water and glinting under the moonlight like polished obsidian.
The creature was enormous—far larger than anything that should have existed naturally—with a body thick enough to crush trees apart if it coiled around them.
The river churned violently as it moved.
Its eyes locked onto mine immediately.
Cold.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Dark green eyes slit vertically down the middle stared at me with terrifying intelligence, and for one horrifying second, I felt less like a person and more like prey caught in the gaze of something waiting to decide whether I was worth eating.
Long black hair clung damply to his shoulders as the upper half of his human form slowly emerged from the water.
Water streamed down bronzed skin and sharp muscles, disappearing beneath the massive coils still hidden under the river.
A black marking curved around the side of his throat like ink painted directly onto his skin, making him look even more dangerous.
Beautiful.
Was what came out of my lips without my permission and I quickly snapped out of my thoughts as I slowly took two steps back.
Of course the beast— You mean Noctis Noctis what?
Oh he was beautiful, but not in a soft way.
Noctis looked beautiful the same way venomous creatures looked beautiful—mesmerizing enough to make idiots walk willingly toward death.
Am not one of them.
Turning around without thinking, I bolted away from the river side, forgetting my old piece of clothing there.