Chapter 216: What Is Host Planning?

Tera and every other beast had been washing themselves with water and leaves. A proper soap would be amazing.

"Finally!" she groaned.

Tera’s fingers were already calculating her budget. She soon felt irritated. Her nipples were too small for the first time to actually buy the things she needed, damn it!

Why were the soap making and kitchen utensils so expensive?! And it was vexing how the soap making kit was sold as a package and not as individual items.

Tera closed the shop and leaned back against the silk-leaf tree. If only she had more nipples. For the first time, Tera was anticipating another task so she could have more nipples, and she didn’t like that.

The fourth month was almost up, and she was going to get that construction task.

And she was nowhere close to getting the bamboo stalks.

Tera frowned and sat up.

The portal...

She still couldn’t believe she hadn’t figured it out sooner. The ability to use the portal as a cutting tool by closing it while it passed through an object had been staring her in the face since the first time she opened it.

And it had taken a life-threatening emergency for her brain to make the connection.

Tera had practised it several times since then. She didn’t want to cut any trees yet, so she had done it on a few other things like thicker branches, rocks, and fallen logs. She even cut the top of a tree clean off to provide more branches and wood for her clan to set up another meat rack.

She could open the portal in any position now, vertical, horizontal, diagonally and all other directions.

And passing it through an object like a blade could cut it, which was far easier than opening and closing the portal through an object due to the complications of the other end of the portal.

But the two-dimensional edge became a perfect shearing device.

The system had been scandalised by Tera’s use of the portal, clearly not expecting this use for it either.

[Host is using an interdimensional travel mechanism as a WOODWORKING TOOL!]

[(⊙_⊙)!!!]

Tera had nearly collapsed laughing at its horror.

[This technology was designed for traversing spatial boundaries!]

[Not for CHOPPING THINGS!]

[(???)]

Well, now Tera had turned it into that.

But she wondered what else it could do if she pushed it further.

The possibilities made her skin prickle. There had to be other things she could use the portal for, especially when it came to attacks.

But those were thoughts for another time. Right now, she wanted to keep enjoying the quiet and make sure she wasn’t distracted when her mate arrived.

Tera looked down at her hands, admiring her slight muscles whenever she flexed.

[Host]

Tera glanced at the screen.

[This system has been observing Host’s physical development over the past weeks]

[( ? ?o - ? ?o )?]

Tera sighed. ’Here we go again.’

[Host’s beast stats reaching maximum capacity in such a compressed timeframe is unprecedented]

[The projected timeline for completion was approximately four to six months of gradual improvement]

[Host accomplished it in weeks]

’I am very motivated.’

’How many times do you want to hear that?’

[This system can see that]

[What this system does not understand is WHY]

’I told you. I wanted to get my strength back and improve my body.’

[This system does not buy that excuse]

[( ?° - ?°)° ° °?]

[Host’s body was already recovering naturally from the injury]

[And this level of training that Host has undertaken goes far beyond rehabilitation]

[(·•?_•? )]

[Host is training as if preparing for something specific]

Tera plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers.

’I just want to be stronger. Is that a crime?’

[No]

[This system just notices that the timing is suspicious]

[Host began this intensive regimen immediately after the encounter with the corrupted beast]

Tera smirked. ’I am sure a system like you would never understand how much a near-death moment can affect mortals like me.’

[Host’s motive does not seem like that]

Tera didn’t respond.

[You started doing this after going through the data on the corrupted beast]

’System—’

[The beast that Host has been secretly thinking about when she thinks this system is not paying attention]

[Host has reviewed the corrupted beast’s biological scan thirty-one times in the past two weeks]

Tera’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

’WHAT?!’

She herself had not even known it was that excessive.

[(⊙_⊙)]

[Thirty-one times!]

[This system will not be surprised if Host has already memorised its estimated size, weight, movement patterns, tongue reach radius, and the acidity index of its blood!]

’I am thorough! What is wrong with that?!’

[Host is PLANNING something!]

’Obviously! This is no fucking normal beast!’

[But Host has not shared any of this detail with the beast kin!]

Tera was even baffled by how the system even expected this. It ought to know the beasts would not be able to kill...

A sick feeling came over Tera that immediately annoyed her.

Who was she kidding? This system did not care if other beasts died as long as it wasn’t Tera.

If anything, the system was meant to help Tera prepare to fight this thing without Tera having to bring it up. She hadn’t just been looking at the beast data, but the terrain.

That thing was dangerous, and apparently, it had been there since the start of the apocalyptic event.

It was a fucking mutated poisonous frog that was as large as a building.

The swamp itself was fucking deep.

That thing was no joke.

Its saliva was poisonous, its skin secreted acid, and its blood was also more acidic.

And it had stretchy, misshapen, countless extra limbs on its body that could stretch out. Though not as long as its tongue could, it was still something.

If she went there with the pack and her clan, every single one of them would die!

Tera was going to have this conversation with it when she was done here, and she wanted to bring her plans to it, which she had spent weeks calculating and preparing.

But at the moment, the more Tera thought about it, the angrier she felt. It was very possible the system was planning for those beasts to work as sacrifices so Tera could kill it.

That was horrible.

[Host...]

[(°ロ°)]

[Are you planning to face that corrupted beast alone?!]

Tera glared at the system. ’Quiet down. I am having a good day. Don’t spoil it.’

[?( `д′*)?]

[HOST—]

Tera looked away from the system, intent on ignoring it, when she saw shadows in the distance.

Her whole face brightened as Ermin walked through the trees with Xavi beside him.

The bear looked confused, his golden eyes sweeping the area as if trying to understand why Ermin had dragged him out here.

Then his gaze landed on the spread beneath the silk-leaf tree, and he stopped.

Tera smiled and ran up to them.

She smiled at Xavi and pressed a kiss to Ermin’s cheek. "Thank you."

Ermin nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. He had Nadia balanced on one arm and Althea gripping his shoulder.

The panther turned to leave when Althea’s eyes locked onto her mother.

The cub launched herself off Ermin’s shoulder.