Only then did she move on to the fourth step—which was to finally make use of the absorbed energy to cultivate her body.
Lavayla adjusted her posture slightly, grounding herself. Her awareness shifted from passive acceptance to deliberate direction. She didn’t imagine the energy as light or fla.
She treated it like it was a resource.
"Okay," she whispered, barely audible. "Let’s put you to work."
She guided the energy inward first, and it went straight toward her abdon. The warmth gathered just below her navel, steady and contained. From there, she directed it outward in controlled streams.
Muscles first.
The energy flowed into her shoulders and arms, sinking deep into the fibers. There was a faint pressure—like resistance without movent—followed by a slow, satisfying release. Her muscles tightened, then relaxed, subtly denser than before.
She moved next to her back and abdon, reinforcing the muscles that supported her posture. The constant, unconscious strain she’d been carrying since arriving in this world eased.
Her legs ca next.
Thighs. Calves. Ankles.
The energy threaded through them patiently, strengthening without rushing. Lavayla felt grounded in a way she never had before.
Before she knew it, the absorbed energy was used up, and she started absorbing another stream.
Then ca bone.
This part was slower.
She guided the energy deeper, letting it seep into her skeletal structure—hips, spine, ribs. There was no pain, but there was resistance. She didn’t force it.
She repeated the process.
Again.
Each cycle left behind a faint sense of solidity, like her bones had been packed tighter, reinforced grain by grain.
Her breathing stayed steady throughout.
In. Hold. Out.
Only when her physical body felt fully saturated did she shift focus again—toward the internal channels that had only just begun to awaken.
Carefully, she sent thin streams of energy along those tentative pathways.
They trembled.
Lavayla slowed further, guiding the energy like a hand smoothing wrinkled cloth. Where the channels narrowed, she paused. Where they resisted, she waited.
Bit by bit, they responded.
When the last trace of energy had been distributed and settled, Lavayla exhaled softly and let her awareness return fully to her body.
By the ti she finished, a faint sheen of sweat dotted her temples.
She opened her eyes.
Nothing flashy happened.
No glow. No sudden explosion of strength.
But when she shifted her weight, there was no ache.
When she rolled her shoulders, there was no stiffness.
Her body felt... aligned.
Like sothing that had been poorly assembled had finally been tightened into place.
"...Huh," she murmured quietly.
Inside her mind, Nessa finally spoke.
’Congratulations, Host.’
Lavayla blinked. ’On...?’
’Successfully completing your first full physique-strengthening cycle without rejection, backlash, or energy dissipation,’ Nessa replied smoothly. ’This indicates an abnormally high compatibility.’
Lavayla tilted her head. ’You say that like it wasn’t supposed to go this well.’
’For most humans, it doesn’t,’ Nessa said matter-of-factly. ’At this stage, failure rates exceed seventy percent.’
"...Love that for ," Lavayla muttered, inwardly relieved.
She glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers slowly. They felt the sa—but not. Stronger. Steadier. Like they belonged to soone who could actually survive here.
She leaned back carefully and lay down beside Vai once more, pulling the furs up slightly.
Her body sank into rest almost imdiately.
This ti, sleep ca easily.
——
Imdiately as dawn approached, Lavayla stirred awake, awareness surfacing smoothly instead of dragging itself out of the dark.
’Nessa,’ she thought sleepily. ’What ti is it?’
’Host, the ti is exactly 5:45 a.m.~! How was your night? Did you sleep well?’
Lavayla stretched, arms lifting overhead as a yawn slipped free. Her back didn’t protest. Her joints didn’t creak. That alone made her pause.
"...Yeah," she murmured, rolling her shoulders once. "Surprisingly, I don’t feel much ache in my body after sleeping on a stone floor all night."
’That is because of cultivating the manual!’ Nessa chid happily. ’Congratulations on officially embarking on the path of cultivation in the Beast World~!’
Lavayla humd noncommittally and ignored the celebratory tone. She leaned over instead, checking on Vai. The baby was still asleep, tiny chest rising and falling steadily, cheeks warm and faintly flushed.
She smiled softly and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
"Sleep well, little man."
Then she stood.
She’d deliberately woken early so she could wash properly before anyone else was up—but the mont she stepped out of the cave, cool dawn air brushing against her face, she froze.
Mirek was already awake.
Not only awake—returning.
He walked toward the cave entrance with long, steady strides, a rough makeshift spear in hand. Skewered through it were three large birds—sowhere between a hawk and a woodpecker, with long, sharp beaks and broad wings now pierced clean through. Dark blood stained the tip of the spear, dripping slowly onto the stone.
Lavayla blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"...Good morning," she said, genuine surprise slipping into her voice. "I didn’t expect you to wake up this early."
Her gaze dropped to the birds again. "What beast is this?"
Mirek stopped a short distance away and looked down at the prey, expression calm, almost neutral.
"Stone-beaked cliff fliers," he replied evenly.
"That’s a long na," Lavayla noted, crouching slightly to stare at the beasts more closely.
Up close, they were massive—easily the size of large dogs, with powerful wings and stone-gray feathers dense enough to deflect minor blades. Their beaks were thick and serrated, clearly designed for cracking shells or bone.
She straightened and glanced back at the spear.
The shaft itself was thick and long, roughly shaped but sturdy, and combined with Mirek’s build and strength, carrying three of those things at once probably felt about as inconvenient as hauling damp laundry.
Ridiculous, she thought, half-amused.
She looked back up at him.
Then sothing clicked.
"Wait," she said suddenly, brows drawing together. "You’re not planning to only eat beast at, right?"
Mirek frowned, clearly not expecting that question, then nodded once.
"Yes. Why?" he said. "I thought eating only the Ravager’s at wouldn’t be good, so I hunted these to change the taste."
Lavayla stared at him for a second.
Then she smiled.
And sighed.
This Beastman was... honestly too considerate. No wonder he was Vai’s uncle.
But—
"Well, yeah," she said carefully, rubbing the back of her neck, "variety is good. But we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here. And as a human, I can’t just live on beast at forever." She hesitated, then added, softer, "And Vai too. He needs sothing soft. Watery. Easy to digest."
She gestured vaguely with one hand.
"So... is there anywhere around here where I could find sothing like a vegetable? Or a tuber? Anything edible like plants with fruits that can be eaten?" She paused, then exhaled. "And honestly—if we had a pot? That would solve half my problems."
Mirek’s expression shifted.
The easy neutrality drained away, replaced by a focused expression. He adjusted his grip on the spear and looked past her, toward the canyon walls and the greenery clinging stubbornly to stone.
"There are edible plants," he said slowly. "But they don’t grow near places with concentrated primal energy. The stronger the energy, the fewer ordinary plants survive."
Lavayla winced. "That’s bad."
"There is a lower basin," he continued, eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled it. "Farther down the canyon. Moist soil and shaded. So root-type plants grow there. Soft when cooked."
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"
He nodded. "But it’s not without risk."
Of course it wasn’t.
"Beasts?" she guessed.
"Territory," Mirek corrected. "They are small packs. Not mid-tier, but aggressive. And the path is narrow."
Lavayla considered that, lips pursed.
"...Still worth it," she decided. "Especially if it ans Vai gets sothing better than at mush."
Mirek studied her for a long mont, then spoke firmly,
"We will be going together."
She opened her mouth to speak—then stopped.
Of course she won’t be going alone.
"...Okay," she shrugged. "No problem."
"As for a pot," Mirek added, "I will make a stone vessel. It may be crude, but usable."
Lavayla let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and smiled again, brighter this ti.
"Wow," she said. "That’s good to know."
"We’ll eat first," he said. "Then I’ll take you to the basin."
Lavayla nodded, already ntally planning soups, broths, and anything remotely baby-friendly.
"Deal," she said. "Breakfast first. Then foraging."
Lavayla didn’t waste a second.
She headed straight for the sa corner she’d claid the day before, her movents quicker now. From her space vault ca the basics—nothing flashy, just what she needed. She brushed her teeth thoroughly, scrubbing away the lingering taste of sleep and smoke, then spat carefully away from the main flow of water.
Next ca her hair.
She gathered it all up, twisting and securing it into a high bun that kept every loose strand out of the way.
She finished by washing her face properly, cool water chasing away the last traces of drowsiness. When she straightened, blinking droplets from her lashes, she felt awake in the truest sense of the word.
Lavayla headed back into the cave.
Inside, Mirek was already there. He’d cleared a space near the fire and was preparing to skin one of the stone-beaked cliff fliers. The bird lay still beneath his hands, feathers already loosened where he’d started.
At the sa mont, a small, fussy sound rose from the furs.
Vai stirred.
Lavayla crossed the distance in two quick steps just as his face scrunched up, that familiar pre-cry tension building in his tiny body. She scooped him up smoothly, settling him against her shoulder and patting his back in a gentle, rhythmic motion.
"There, there," she murmured softly. "I’ve got you."
The cry never fully ford. It broke into a weak sound, then faded as she bounced him lightly, her palm steady between his shoulder blades.
She glanced at Mirek. "You can go prepare them outside. I’ll stay with him. Don’t worry."
Mirek paused, looked at her, then nodded once. "Alright."
He parked everything up and left without hesitation.
Once Vai was calm—eyes open now, curious rather than distressed—Lavayla carried him back out to the corner she’d just cleaned herself in. She washed him carefully, gentle and unhurried, murmuring to him the entire ti.
Fresh diaper. Clean clothes.
When she finished, she kissed his cheek lightly and headed back inside.
She settled down with him and fed him just enough—not too much, just enough to take the edge off his hunger. Vai drank calmly, fingers curling into her clothes, body relaxed against hers.
Lavayla watched him with a small smile.
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