Nathan sputtered, his voice catching in his throat.
"I-I... want to go get... the Kralven tree trunks... and... yeah, the other stuff..."
His sentence drifted off, eyes darting left and right, as if searching for a place to hide from everyone’s gaze.
Domina didn’t ask much.
"I’ll co too," she said lightly, her eyes narrowing playfully. "It’s not fair if only Velmora gets to go."
As if her na had been called, Velmora suddenly appeared from behind, her face flushed red.
"R-right... Nathan... Nathan should... Nathan should do it... with all of us together..."
Her voice trembled, the tip of her tail wriggling softly behind her.
Nathan blinked rapidly.
Wait... wasn’t she kind of jealous earlier? Now she wants others to join too? Or... is it just being delusional...?
Cold sweat trickled slowly down his temple.
In the end, he just nodded, too tired to argue with the absurd logic around him.
"O-okay..." he muttered softly.
Validia smiled warmly, then slowly stood up.
"I’ll join too~" she added casually, grabbing the large cloth, draping it over her colossal chest and lower body with the relaxed grace of a giant goddess heading ho from a bath.
"It’s almost night," Validia added gently.
Velmora quickly chid in, voice flustered, "I-I’ll head back first..." before turning around abruptly, her tail swaying awkwardly.
Validia also quietly excused herself and strolled back into the forest.
Domina and Livia turned to Nathan with sweet smiles.
"Let’s go to sleep," they said almost in unison, their hands clasped as they walked toward the cave, like a pair of programd NPCs on autopilot.
Nathan stood frozen.
They’re like... programd... even though night hasn’t even fallen yet... how do they know it’s ti? Especially here — no evening, no dusk...
His eyes flicked up at the sky — the sun was still shining bright.
He glanced at the Prunus Vitalis trees.
"Are my pants dry yet?" Nathan muttered, stepping toward one of the branches.
He picked up his pants.
"Good, already dry.."
He shook them lightly, just to making sure no bugs or dust were hiding inside, That will threaten the comfort of his precious private blade.
Slipping into his pants, Nathan then glanced over at the Stamina Robe nearby.
He quietly walked toward it and heading in the direction of the Rabbit Fighters’ cave.
The once-bright sky began to dim slowly, like a phone screen gently lowering its brightness.
By the ti he arrived at the cave, Domina and Livia were already fast asleep.
Nathan walked over to Domina’s side, lying down on the straw.
He let out a long sigh.
"Good thing I have that new passive skill..." he mumbled, closing his eyes.
Thanks to his passive skill [Sleepus Instinct], which he had gained after eating deer at back in Chapter 43, Nathan could now fall asleep easily — without suffering from the torturous urge to gooning himself to death.
----
Morning arrived. Nathan slowly opened his eyes.
He blinked once... twice... then frowned slightly.
"...Huh?"
His gaze drifted around. Domina and Livia were already gone. Only soft traces of their presence lingered on the straw bedding: gentle dips where they’d slept, the faint scent of caral skin, and a few rabbit-tail hairs left behind.
Nathan let out a slow breath, sitting up carefully.
Gone again? he thought quietly.
DING!
A system panel suddenly popped up, lightly vibrating in the air.
[Congratulations! You have been granted a new Soul-Bound Artifact: Imagery Axe!]
[Description: A magical axe capable of cutting with precise accuracy guided by the user’s imagination, and can be duplicated infinitely based on the number imagined by the user.]
Nathan stared at the panel, his eyes half-lidded, caught between sleepiness and realization.
"...Wait a second..."
His lips slowly curved into a crooked smirk.
"At this rate... it’s like she’s just tossing random magic junk from a 21st-century fox’s pouch..."
He rose slowly, extending his hand to summon the Imagery Axe. A faint light shimred at his palm, materializing into an axe with sleek, pitch-black tal and a smooth, light-brown handle.
Nathan fell silent.
"My life’s turning more and more into a slice-of-life novel," he whispered, his eyes sharpening slightly — a blend of amusent, confusion, and mild resignation.
[Ding!]
[New Task Assigned!]
Collect 20 Kralven Tree Trunks
→ Material required for Livestock Farm Project.
Nathan blinked at the panel.
"...oh right, the farm project..." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
He yawned softly, glancing at the Imagery Axe resting nearby.
"Twenty trunks... hmm, okay... seems fair..." he muttered half-heartedly.
The panel flickered again.
[Ding!]
[Optional Task]
Optional: Collect 50 Kralven Wood for Auto-Cleaning System Upgrade.
Because let’s be honest — nobody likes cleaning animal shit by hand.
---
Nathan froze, his face blank.
"...I KNEW IT."
He gripped the axe tightly, irritation flashing across his face.
"Even if it’s optional, this is the top priority!" he muttered.
Stepping out of the cave, Nathan stretched his shoulders slightly.
"Hm... the Monster Girls said they’d help — maybe this will go more smoothly."
His frustration slowly eased, a faint warmth spreading in his chest as he rembered their earnest, eager faces.
Even if everything felt absurd, at least they genuinely wanted to do sothing with for him.
Nathan stepped out of the cave, yawning softly as he stretched his shoulders.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw them imdiately — Validia sitting calmly, Domina and Livia stretching playfully, and Velmora absently twirling a strand of her red hair.
"Nathan~!" Domina called out sweetly, her voice cheerful. "What are we doing today?"
Nathan took a deep breath, his eyes half-lidded.
"...I need... seventy Kralven tree logs first," he said flatly.
In an instant, the four monsters chorused, "We’ll get them for you!!"
Validia moved first, her massive steps shaking the ground slightly, followed by Domina and Livia walking side by side, laughing softly, while Velmora trailed behind, eyes sharp with determination, her tail flicking.
Nathan stood there, watching the line of eager monsters march away.
His lips curved into a small smirk as he murmured under his breath, "Construction... monster?"
Nathan narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the cheerful monsters march off.
"Wait... do they even know how to count?"
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