Chapter 72: Element User

That evening, Damien finally returned with the white animal hides Sora had requested.

The snowy pelts were soft, thick, and much prettier than the gloomy black ones he had proudly delivered that morning.

Unfortunately, fresh hides couldn’t be used immediately. They still had to be softened and kneaded before they could be sewn into anything useful.

Since the shower curtain couldn’t be finished anytime soon, Sora came up with a temporary solution.

She cut several sturdy branches, planted them around the bathtub, then wove thick vines between them until they formed a dense natural screen. After stepping back to inspect her handiwork from every angle, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Perfect."

Unless someone suddenly learned how to fly...

No one would be seeing anything tonight.

Remembering yesterday’s disastrous "surprise bath guest," Sora wasn’t taking any chances.

After dinner, she deliberately gathered everyone together.

"I’m taking a bath."

The five beastmen looked at her.

"So..."

"If nobody is dying, bleeding, being chased by monsters, or accidentally setting the forest on fire..."

"...don’t come looking for me."

Ace blinked.

"What if Damien falls out of another tree?"

Sora smiled sweetly.

"Then let him stay in the tree."

Damien rubbed his nose innocently.

"I only fell once."

"You landed on me once."

"There is a difference."

"..."

No one argued after that.

The warning had been very clear.

As for the rest of the tribe, Sora wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Ever since Clare and Zainabu had begun teaching everyone how to sew the new animal-hide dresses, nearly every female in the tribe gathered at the red clay pits during the evening to learn pottery and tailoring.

The males either accompanied them or went hunting.

The village had become unusually quiet.

Exactly what Sora wanted.

...

She filled the ceramic bathtub with the hot water she had painstakingly boiled, tested the temperature with one finger, then slipped into the steaming water with a satisfied sigh.

"Ah..."

"This..."

"...this is what life is supposed to feel like."

The warm water washed away an entire day’s fatigue.

She leaned lazily against the edge of the tub while slowly scrubbing away the dust from hunting, cooking, and running around the village.

For a brief moment, she even considered asking Xavier and the others to build her a proper bathroom.

It certainly would prevent unexpected visitors.

Then she looked at the enormous ceramic bathtub.

"...Actually..."

"Who would empty all this water afterward?"

Silence.

That fantasy died almost immediately.

Forget it.

Primitive problems required primitive solutions.

Her vine privacy screen worked just fine.

After cleaning herself, Sora took out the pearl powder she had carefully ground earlier and gently spread it across her face, neck, shoulders, and arms like a luxurious facial mask.

She then activated the Water Element’s cleansing function.

Cool streams of spiritual water slowly circulated around her skin.

Her nightly skincare routine officially began.

If anyone from her previous life could see her now, they’d probably faint.

Luxury spas charged a fortune for this kind of treatment.

Meanwhile...

She was doing it in the middle of a prehistoric forest.

Life really was unpredictable.

...

As she soaked peacefully in the warm water, her thoughts drifted back to yesterday.

More specifically...

To the strange notification from the system.

The mechanical voice had clearly announced that Xavier, and Ace’s attraction values had increased dramatically.

Even stranger...

They were apparently approaching ninety-nine.

The numbers had jumped so suddenly that Sora still couldn’t understand why.

Normally, whenever their favorability increased, she knew the reason.

Cooking delicious meals.

Making refined salt.

Inventing pottery.

Creating useful tools.

Every increase had come after she demonstrated some new ability or contributed something valuable to the tribe.

Cause.

Then effect.

Simple.

Logical.

Yesterday, however...

She hadn’t done anything impressive.

Instead...

She had simply been taking a bath.

Then Damien had crashed into the bathtub like a black meteor.

Then the others had arrived.

Then chaos.

Then...

The notification suddenly appeared.

Sora frowned.

"...Could it really be because they saw me?"

The thought barely formed before she immediately shook her head.

"No."

"Impossible."

"They couldn’t possibly gain attraction points because they saw..."

She glanced down at herself.

"...this."

Although she had already lost a considerable amount of weight, compared to the slim females of the tribe, she was still undeniably plump.

She had curves, yes.

But she certainly wasn’t the beauty she wanted to become.

Besides...

The only unusual thing that happened yesterday was Damien accidentally landing on top of her.

Could the others have become jealous?

That explanation sounded even more ridiculous.

Since when did jealousy increase affection?

The logic simply didn’t add up.

Sora sighed dramatically.

"This system really deserves one star."

"No customer support."

"Random notifications."

"No explanation."

"What kind of terrible service is this?"

Unfortunately...

The system was still undergoing its mysterious upgrade.

No matter how much she mentally complained, there wasn’t even an automated reply.

She was talking to herself.

"...Fine."

"I’ll figure it out eventually."

Some questions simply couldn’t be answered immediately.

Time usually revealed everything.

Satisfied with that conclusion, Sora stopped overthinking.

Instead, she remembered something far more interesting.

The elemental abilities she had received from the mysterious gift package.

Although the system itself remained unavailable, its instruction manual still functioned normally.

Curiosity immediately won.

"Let’s see what these things actually do."

She opened the ability interface.

Four new elemental powers appeared before her.

Metal.

Wood.

Fire.

Earth.

She started with Metal.

The description read:

Manipulate all metal objects. Can be used for offense and defense.

Sora stared blankly.

"...Wonderful."

She slowly looked around the primitive forest.

No swords.

No armor.

No coins.

Not even a rusty spoon.

"This world hasn’t even discovered metal yet."

"So my amazing superpower is..."

"...detecting something that doesn’t exist."

She couldn’t help laughing.

"What incredible timing."

At Level One, the Metal Element merely allowed her to sense nearby ores.

Useful...

Eventually.

Probably.

Maybe.

She moved on.

Next came the Wood Element.

Manipulate plants. Accelerate plant growth. Heal wounds. Restore vitality.

Sora’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Now we’re talking!"

Even though Level One only allowed basic plant sensing and minor healing, it was already incredibly practical.

Finding edible plants would become much easier.

Simple injuries could recover faster.

If she trained it enough...

It might eventually become one of the strongest abilities she possessed.

Definitely a keeper.

Next...

Fire.

The description sounded equally impressive.

Manipulate flames.

At Level One, however...

Its greatest achievement was...

Lighting fires.

"So..."

She held out one finger.

A tiny flame flickered to life.

She smiled.

"...Congratulations."

"I’ve become a living lighter."

Not exactly glamorous.

Still...

It would save her from rubbing sticks together every morning.

She wasn’t complaining.

Finally...

Earth.

The description sounded terrifying.

Control terrain. Create quicksand. Cause earthquakes. Earth escape.

Sora’s eyes widened.

"Whoa..."

She kept reading.

Then her expression slowly flattened.

Level One Ability: Identify soil composition.

"..."

"So..."

"I can tell dirt from... slightly different dirt?"

That was considerably less exciting.

Still, she supposed it would prove useful for farming or pottery someday.

After reviewing all four abilities, Sora reached her conclusion.

"The Wood Element wins."

"No contest."

Healing.

Plant growth.

Gathering ingredients.

It had practical uses immediately.

And...

One line particularly caught her attention.

Restore vitality.

Sora thoughtfully touched her cheek.

"If it restores vitality..."

"Could it improve skin too?"

There was only one way to find out.

Following the instructions, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

A warm current flowed through her body.

Moments later...

Tiny green vines gently emerged from beneath her skin, wrapping around her arms, waist, and shoulders like delicate bracelets.

Fresh leaves slowly unfolded.

A soft emerald light filled the bathtub.

The sensation wasn’t painful.

Instead...

It felt unbelievably comfortable.

Like every exhausted cell in her body was stretching after a long sleep.

The green glow gradually intensified.

Then...

Something unexpected happened.

Dark impurities slowly seeped out from her pores, forming a thin layer of black residue across her skin before dissolving into the bathwater.

Sora blinked.

"...Ew."

"...Gross."

"...But also fascinating."

She quickly rinsed herself clean.

Then she looked down at her arms.

Her eyes widened.

Her skin had visibly changed.

It looked noticeably fairer.

Smoother.

Healthier.

Even under the dim evening light, it almost seemed to glow.

Sora stared for several long seconds before excitement exploded across her face.

"It worked!"

She almost jumped out of the bathtub.

"I knew it!"

"This Wood Element isn’t just for healing..."

"It’s basically a magical skincare treatment!"

Every woman in her previous world would’ve sold half her wardrobe for an ability like this.

Meanwhile...

She had just unlocked unlimited beauty treatments completely free of charge.

The corners of Sora’s lips slowly curved upward into an extremely satisfied grin.

"Looks like..."

"My glow-up has officially entered Phase Two."