After checking to see that she didn’t grow any fur in strange places and observing herself in the mirror, Iris sighed in relief and went into the bathtub and started to take a shower, washing off the blood and dirt off herself. At the same time, she explored her Status Screen.

 

The first thing she did was press on Kin. 

 

14 slots appeared in front of them. Inside each one was a paw, with all of them being grayed out. On the bottom of each slot was a counter. The first one said 10 pts, the second said 100 pts, the third was 1000 pts, and so forth.

 

On the bottom right was the amount of pts she had, which was 0.

 

“What is kin?” She muttered.

 

Family?

 

Seeing how there were only 14 slots, she felt the slots were precious, and she couldn’t waste them easily.  The cost was also heavy. The first one required her to take 10 lives. 

 

Iris bit the bottom of her lips. She already had a vague feeling in her heart on who she would try it on. Although she wasn’t sure what effects it had, it was worth the risk.

 

She closed the screen and checked the other parts, Evolution, note and Tutorial II. Evolution was currently locked, just like her Kin.

 

She needed something called Fragment of Calamity, something she didn’t know how to get. For now, she could only keep her eyes opened, and maybe chance upon it.

 

Note was just a record of the Tutorial she had finished. She could also add her own notes as well.

 

Tutorial II was similar to Tutorial I, in that it was a prompt. All it required her to do was read the prompt before closing the screen. It explained to her that in order to find her Mana Absorption Spots, she needed to place the Mana Core on different parts of her body. When she closed the screen, Tutorial III was unlocked. 

 

How to close your Status Screen

Will the status screen to disappear.

Remarks - To make it simpler, just say ‘Status Close’ in your mind. To open again, just wish for it to appear, or say ‘Status Open. Upon closing, the Tutorial will finish. The next 

Tutorial will only be unlocked after the host absorbs an Mana Core.

Extra Remarks - Little Fox, bye~ 

 

Iris smiled at the remarks as a warm feeling spread throughout her heart, yet it also made her feel lonely. 

 

“Bye…” She muttered. 

 

‘Status Close’

 

She closed the Status Screen and started to wash her arm first, the one that she had stuck into the bird’s brain; followed by her hair and tail before the rest of her body, with her foot being last.

 

She turned off the shower and got out of the bathtub. After drying her fur and hair, she changed into a new set of clothing. Iris looked into the mirror again to check if everything was alright before leaving the bathroom and into the living room.

 

The bloodstains on the floor were cleaned off, as if they were never there, and there was a large bed in the living room, taking up a large part of the room.

 

Rhea was sitting on the edge and seeing that she came out from the bathroom, she turned to face her. 

 

For a moment, their eyes met. Iris felt her eyes were beautiful, they were an icy blue color. 

 

Rhea first moved her eyes away, causing Iris to realize she had gotten lost in them. She placed her hands behind her back while her tail swayed behind her, betraying the restlessness in her heart.

 

“Want to get on?” Rhea patted the bed next to her.

 

“Can I?” 

 

Rhea nodded. 

 

Iris went over and sat down next to her. She took her tail and started to stroke it. She also started to sniff her hand.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“Does it smell like a dead bird?” For some reason, no matter how much she washed it, the smell was still there.

 

Iris brought her hand in front of Rhea, they were small and soft. Rhea took the liberty to smell her hand before shaking her head. 

 

“It’s your imagination, it’ll be gone after a nice rest....” Her voice trailed off wistfully at the end. Rest… perhaps they wouldn’t have a chance for a long while.

 

Iris nodded and retrieved her hand. The two remain seated for a while. From the kitchen a scent was coming out from it, causing Iris to feel hungry. 

 

“Rhea….” 

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Thanks for cleaning the blood….” Iris felt a little embarrassed. She should be the one cleaning it since it was her mess. 

 

“I don’t mind.” Rhea shrugged before getting up. She made her way into the bathroom. “I suggest you absorb your cores as soon as possible. Strength is what matters most.”

 

“Nn.” 

 

When she was gone, Iris went into the Kitchen to find that her Mom was busy cooking. 

 

“It’s on the table.” 

 

“Where’s Rose?” 

 

“In my room sleeping.”

 

Iris nodded.

 

“Mom, I’m going to be inside my room for a while.” 

 

“Go, I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” 

 

“Kay~” Iris went out of the kitchen and back into her room. She locked the door and closed the curtains before stripping down to her underwear. Afterwards, she took one of the cores and used it to find her own Mana Absorption Spots. The process was extremely simple and soon she had already found her spots.

 

There were only two areas. Her Bosom and her inner thighs. 

 

While sitting on her bed, She held onto the core and clipped in between her thighs, as a cool stream of energy started to enter her, making its way to the center of her head.

 

Iris closed her eyes and started to concentrate on the energy that was entering into her. 

 

If she felt anything amiss, she would spread her legs apart and stop absorbing the core.

 

Fortunately, what happened in the rain didn’t seem like it would happen again, as the mana simply entered into her own core. 

 

Unknowingly time passed, from seconds to minutes. When two hours had passed, the core crumbled, turning into motes of pale light before disappearing.

 

When the final wisps entered into her core, Iris felt as if she was elevated. Instinctively, she knew she had leveled up.