Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 74: Mysterious Space

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

Then Vai let out a soft, impatient sound.

Lavayla laughed under her breath.

"Alright, alright," she said, reaching for the bowl of mashed vegetables. "Looks like someone knows dinner is ready."

As the fire crackled and steam rose into the cool cave air, exhaustion finally settled deep into her bones.

"Ugh," she muttered quietly, stretching her sore shoulders. "I’m so damn tired."

Just as she was about to sit properly, Mirek’s voice sounded from beside the fire.

"What... is this?"

Lavayla glanced up.

Mirek was staring at the food laid out before them. His brows were slightly drawn together, his eyes fixed on the bowls as though confronting something incomprehensible.

"I watched everything you did," he continued slowly, his gaze moving from the stew to the roasted meat. "But I still do not understand how those ingredients became this."

Lavayla blinked once before laughter slipped out of her.

She sat down then shifted closer, gently taking Vai back from his arms and settling the child onto her lap. Picking up the smaller bowl again, she scooped a portion of the soft mash and blew lightly over it to cool the steam.

Vai immediately leaned forward.

"Greedy little thing," she murmured fondly before feeding him the first spoonful.

The child swallowed eagerly, tiny hands grabbing at her sleeve for more.

Satisfied that it was safe for him to eat, Lavayla prepared another spoonful. As she did, she noticed Mirek had not touched his food at all.

He was watching her.

Or rather, watching the quiet interaction between her and Vai.

Realization dawned on her.

"Oh," she said, smiling faintly. "You’re still waiting for an explanation."

She fed Vai another bite before answering.

"It’s only because we gathered so many different vegetables that I could make something like this," she explained. "If I had more ingredients, I could cook something ten times better."

A wistful expression crossed her face as memories surfaced briefly, kitchens filled with spices, proper cookware, flavors she could no longer recreate.

She sighed softly.

"This is actually very simple," she continued. "That one is a nourishing meat and tuber stew. Easy to digest and good for restoring strength. And the roasted meat is just fried in its own fat with vegetables."

She shrugged lightly.

"Nothing special."

Mirek looked unconvinced.

To him, transforming raw roots, leaves, and meat into something carrying such a rich aroma was far from ordinary.

Still, he finally picked up the bowl.

The heat seeped into his palms as steam rose toward his face. For a brief second, he hesitated before taking a mouthful.

The effect was immediate.

Warmth spread down his throat and settled heavily within his chest. The rich broth carried a dense vitality unlike anything he had consumed before. It was not merely nourishment. The energy within the food moved gently through his body.

The restless turbulence that had lingered beneath his skin since absorbing the chaotic energy suddenly stirred.

Lavayla noticed it first.

Mirek froze mid-motion, his grip tightening slightly around the bowl.

A faint ripple passed through the air around him.

The violent, unstable energy she had sensed earlier did not surge outward this time. Instead, it folded inward, drawn toward his core as though guided by an unseen force.

Mirek exhaled slowly.

Heat spread through his limbs, but unlike before, it did not burn. The chaotic energy that once felt sharp and invasive now softened, breaking apart and dissolving.

Energy circulated through his veins, merging with his natural strength.

Lavayla straightened.

"...Mirek?"

He lowered the bowl slightly, clearly surprised.

"The energy," he said quietly. "It is changing."

Another wave passed through him, gentler this time. The tension in his shoulders eased, and the faint pressure that had surrounded him since their battle with the serpent gradually faded.

It felt as though the chaos inside him was being filtered, stripped of hostility and reshaped into pure ambient energy.

Just as Shalika had promised.

Lavayla released a breath she had not realized she was holding.

"Well," she muttered, relief creeping into her voice, "good thing my cooking skills are good and didn’t ruin the effectiveness."

Mirek glanced at her and his gaze softened.

"Hm, you are very good at cooking," he said.

Lavayla smiled. "Thanks for the compliment." Then she turned to continue feeding Vai.

Vai babbled happily, completely uninterested in life-altering energy transformations, demanding another spoonful instead.

The fire crackled warmly between them as Mirek continued eating.

With every mouthful, the chaotic remnants within him settled further, transforming into steady strength rather than destructive force.

Outside, the waterfall roared endlessly.

After they finished eating, Mirek gathered the bowls and cooking tools without being asked.

"I will clean everything," he said simply.

Lavayla did not argue. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her limbs, and she only nodded before carrying Vai toward the sleeping area deeper inside the cave.

The moss mats they had prepared earlier had been laid out, releasing a faint earthy scent that made the space feel warmer and more livable. Lavayla lowered herself onto one of the mats and settled Vai in front of her, gently holding his tiny hands as he babbled happily.

The child seemed unusually energetic despite the long day since he spent it sleeping, kicking his legs while grabbing at her fingers.

Lavayla smiled faintly and played along, letting him tug at her sleeve and hair.

Not long after, footsteps approached from the cave entrance.

Mirek returned.

He paused a short distance away, saying nothing. His gaze rested quietly on the two of them. The firelight flickered across his features, softening the usual alertness in his eyes.

Lavayla noticed the stare after a moment.

She tilted her head. "What’s wrong? Is the chaotic energy still affecting you?"

Mirek shook his head.

"No," he replied. "I was thinking that we were unable to hunt the beasts we needed today. It is getting late. Night will soon arrive."

"Tomorrow," Lavayla interrupted immediately.

Her tone was firm but tired.

"Tomorrow," she repeated. "We’ve done enough today. Yesterday we didn’t even have anything to sleep on. We slept directly on stone. One more night without proper coverings will not kill us."

Mirek studied her briefly before nodding.

"All right. I will start the fire."

He rose and moved toward the fire pit, feeding thicker branches into the flames until a large, steady fire burned brightly. Warm light spread through the cave, pushing away shadows while heat slowly filled the damp air.

Once satisfied, Mirek stepped outside.

Lavayla assumed he had gone to bathe, but time passed quietly. Nearly an hour went by before he returned.

When he finally entered the cave again, there was no visible moisture on his skin. Only faint droplets clung to the ends of his dark red hair, sliding down occasionally to disappear along his neck.

If not for that, she might have doubted he had gone near water at all.

Lavayla said nothing.

By then, Vai’s movements had slowed. She gently rocked him, humming under her breath until his breathing deepened and sleep claimed him completely.

Carefully, she laid him down on the softened moss bedding and covered him lightly with hide.

Mirek settled onto the mat nearby soon after.

"Good night," Lavayla said quietly.

He inclined his head. "Good night."

The fire crackled softly between them.

Lavayla closed her eyes, her consciousness slipping inward as she began speaking with Nessa about everything that had happened that day. The encounter with Shalika, the sentient space, the inheritance, and the strange promise of becoming successors.

Even now, it felt unreal.

Eventually, exhaustion pulled her into sleep.

⸻

Just like the previous night, Lavayla woke sometime after midnight.

The cave was quiet except for the distant roar of the waterfall and the steady rhythm of Mirek’s breathing nearby.

Careful not to disturb Vai, she rose silently and stepped toward the entrance.

Cool night air greeted her outside.

’Nessa, scan the surroundings,’ she thought.

A brief pause followed.

’Scanning complete. Within one hundred meters, no carnivorous beasts or hostile threats were detected. The host may proceed safely.’

Lavayla exhaled in relief.

’Okay. Thanks.’

She moved toward the stream beyond the falling water, brushing her teeth first before washing thoroughly. The cool water shocked away the remaining fatigue clinging to her body.

After bathing, she changed into clean clothes and wrung excess water from her hair before returning inside the cave.

The fire had burned lower, glowing in quiet embers.

For a moment, she simply stood there.

Mirek slept lightly, one arm resting near where Vai lay, instinctively positioned as though guarding them even in sleep.

Lavayla’s gaze lingered.

So much had changed in such a short time.

A strange world. A child she now protected. A beastman warrior sharing survival beside her. And now, a mysterious space that might one day belong to them.

Lavayla returned quietly to her mat and sat down, careful not to wake Mirek or Vai. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

She crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

The moment her breathing settled, the technique responded.

Warm energy gathered within her body almost instantly, flowing along the paths she had struggled to sense the night before. It moved naturally now, as if her body had already memorized the rhythm.