Chapter 2 The Beast That Wouldn't Die

"System, open inventory and hand over my shiny new crop seeds!" I called out, wiping my bloody hands against my threadbare tunic.   Puff!   A small cloth pouch materialized in mid-air and dropped straight into my palm. I pulled the drawstring and peered inside. Ten tiny, brown, wrinkled little specs sat at the bottom looking thoroughly unimpressive.   "Ten seeds?" I held the pouch up to the floating golden screen, glaring at it. "Ten? I just fought off a biohazardous minivan with a pointy stick and a rock! I was promised a god-tier space system, not a starter pack for a suburban windowsill garden!"   [System Notice: Seed tier depends on Host's current energy output. Further complaints will result in a temporary reduction of purified water rations.]   "Alright, alright, don't get your spatial code in a twist," I muttered, quickly tucking the pouch into my pocket. "We're a team, right? A beautiful partnership. Me with the brains, you with the floating boxes."   I turned back to the giant mutated wolf lying face down in the dirt. It looked even worse in the morning light. The dark, tar-like fluid oozing from its matted fur smelled like rotten eggs mixed with burnt rubber.   "Step one of survival: butcher the kill," I declared, rolling up my ripped sleeves. "If I can't eat it, maybe I can make a nice rug. Or a terrible hat for Vera."   I grabbed a sharp piece of flint off the cave floor and bent over the creature's chest, poking at its thick hide. The flint scraped uselessly against the coarse fur without making a single dent.   "Come on, slice!" I huffed, putting all my weight onto the stone. "What is your fur made of, steel wool?"   GROAN...   I froze. The low, heavy sound vibrated directly through the soles of my feet.   Slowly, I looked down. The wolf's tail gave a lazy, twitching thud against the dirt floor. Its front paws flexed, black claws scraping deep grooves into the solid rock.   "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I squeaked, taking two cautious steps backward. "I impaled your jaw with a log! You were supposed to be dead!"   The mutated beast rolled onto its chest with a sickening squelch of moving bone and muscle. The splintered wood stick jammed beneath its chin snapped in half as it forced its head up. Its three glowing crimson eyes snapped open, locking straight onto me.   "System!" I yelled, scrambling backward toward the back of the cave. "What is the return policy on dead monsters? This one is defective!"   [System Analysis: Target possesses Void Corruption Core. Physical trauma alone is insufficient. Host must destroy the mutation center.]   "You could have put that in the beginner manual!" I shouted, grabbing a handful of loose pebbles and tossing them at the wolf's snout.   The pebbles bounced off its nose like harmless rain. The beast let out a distorted, double-toned roar that rattled my teeth, and lunged forward.   "Narrow entrance, narrow entrance!" I chanted, diving behind a massive stone pillar near the cave wall.   The wolf crashed into the stone structure, showering me with dust and sharp gravel. Because of its enlarged, mutated shoulders, it couldn't turn quickly in the cramped space. It got wedged between two jagged rock walls, thrashing madly while snapping its jaws three inches from my toes.   "You like snapping? Snap on this!" I snatched up an old wooden log from the burnt-out campfire ring and jammed it sideways right into its open mouth.   The wolf bit down hard, shattering the log into splinters, but the brief distraction gave me enough time to scramble around its back. I climbed up onto a higher ledge, holding a heavy, sharp-edged boulder above my head. My arms wobbled instantly under the weight.   "Host Kaia's tactical delivery service!" I screamed, dropping the boulder straight down onto the beast's head.   CRACK!   The monster let out a wet, strangled gurgle and collapsed to the dirt, pinned under the rock's weight. Dark black smoke began rising from its wounds, fizzing like soda pop.   "Is it dead? Is it actually dead this time?" I panted, gripping the rock wall while leaning over the edge. "Give me a sign! A dramatic death groan, a floating soul, anything!"   [Target subdued. Void Corruption Core exposed. Host may harvest the core to convert into System Energy.]   "Harvest? With what, my bare hands?" I asked, sliding down the ledge and cautiously approaching the motionless monster.   Right below the creature's throat, a faint red light flickered beneath its blackened flesh. I picked up a sharp bone fragment lying near the wall and poked at the glowing spot. The skin parted easily this time, like warm butter, revealing a dark red, jagged crystal about the size of a plum. It pulsed with a rhythmic, mesmerizing warmth.   "Ooh, shiny," I said, reaching down and carefully pulling the crystal out.   The moment my fingers wrapped around it, a strange tingling sensation zipped up my arm. The dead wolf dissolved into a pile of gray ash, leaving behind only the crystal and a pair of surprisingly intact, razor-sharp front fangs.   "Hey! Magic magic magic!" I laughed, holding the red stone up to the sunlight streaming into the cave. "It's like a cosmic battery! System, scan this!"   [Scanning item: Low-Grade Mutation Core.] [Contains concentrated Void Corruption.] [Host may absorb core for 50 System Energy Units or refine it in the Medicinal Greenhouse (Locked).]   "Fifty energy units!" I grinned, tossing the glowing crystal into the air and catching it. "Does this mean I get to open the kitchen properly? Can I get actual salt? Real food? A blanket that doesn't smell like wet dog?"   [Absorption of core confirmed.]   The crystal in my hand dissolved into a burst of red light, flowing straight into the glowing system icon on my wrist.   DING!   [Energy level updated: 52/100.] [Basic Kitchen Unlocked!] [Kitchen Inventory: Iron Pot x1, Wooden Spoon x1, Coarse Salt x1, Dried Rice x1 Bag.]   "Salt!" I cheered, throwing my arms into the air. "Real salt! Vera, if you could see me now, you'd throw up your stolen wolf-fur coat in jealousy!"   I marched straight over to the small, smooth stone platform near the back of the cave. With a flick of my wrist, I summoned the system interface and tapped the Kitchen tab.   Puff!   An iron pot, a sturdy wooden spoon, a small clay jar of salt, and a cloth sack of white rice materialized on the stone. I dropped to my knees and hugged the bag of rice like a lost child.   "My sweet, beautiful carbs," I wept dramatically, patting the burlap sack. "I will never take you for granted again. No more paste for me!"   I grabbed my purified water flask, poured half of it into the iron pot, dumped in two big scoops of rice, and tossed in a generous pinch of coarse salt. Using a couple of dry sticks and my trusty flint, I sparked a small fire beneath the pot. Within fifteen minutes, the comforting, fragrant smell of hot, bubbling rice porridge filled the damp cave air.   "Smells like victory," I sighed, picking up the wooden spoon and giving the porridge a thorough stir. "Now, if I can just build a wooden door, find a soft bed, and figure out how to grow those ten miserable seeds, I'll be living like a queen in no time."   A loud, violent thunderclap suddenly shook the entire mountain.   I jumped, spilling a drop of hot porridge onto my thumb. "Ouch! What was that? Is the sky falling again?!"   I hurried to the cave entrance, holding my steaming bowl of porridge in one hand and my wooden spoon in the other.   The pale morning light was already disappearing. The sky above the mountain range was swirling into a massive, violent vortex of dark purple and crimson clouds. Thick, bloody rain began dripping from the sky, sizzling as it hit the leaves of the surrounding trees. Down in the valley, plants were twisting and stretching, growing unnatural black thorns right before my eyes.   "System," I said slowly, taking a small bite of hot porridge. "Please tell me that's just a localized weather anomaly and not a second wave of doom."   [System Notice: Red Moon Mutation Storm approaching.] [Environmental contamination level rising rapidly.] [Local flora and fauna undergoing high-speed mutation.] [Host Safety Level: Dangerously Low.]   "Right. Dangerously low," I said, watching a nearby bush grow giant, snapdragon-like jaws and take a bite out of a passing stone. "Note to self: do not go outside to wash the dishes."   I retreated deeper into the cave, pulling several large rocks over to block the narrow entrance, leaving only a tiny crack for air and light. I sat down next to my warm, crackling fire, cradling my bowl of hot rice.   "Okay, Kaia," I told myself, taking another satisfying bite. "You've got a cave, a pot of porridge, a magic system, and a front-row seat to the end of the world. Time to plan a takeover."   A sharp rustling sound suddenly echoed from the bushes right outside the cave barricade.   "Hey!" a tiny, raspy voice shouted from behind the rocks. "Is that... is that hot food I smell?! Open up or I'll... I'll bite your ankles!"   I paused, spoon halfway to my mouth, and blinked at the barricade. "Did a raccoon just threaten my ankles?"