With her food, water, and fire needs figured out, Mika can begin looking for a good place to create a shelter.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done in this massive jungle. Sleeping in the trees would normally be Mika’s first choice, but with how high the branches are, she’d need to dedicate ample time and energy just to climbing up and down the trees daily. 

Mika’s second option was to create a shelter on the ground, which came with inherent risks. 

She didn’t know what kind of creatures came out at night, and with this being a jungle, it was bound to rain, making everything soaking wet. Even right now, the ground is damp, and she can see puddles of water all around her. 

Lastly, she could try and find a naturally made shelter. However, Mika immediately ruled this one out. 

While, in theory, it might sound good, there are too many variables. 

For one, Mika actually had to find one. 

Two, even if she did find one, the chances of a creature occupying it are fairly high. She didn’t know what kind of animals and creatures lived here, and she might very well run into something way out of her league.

Three, such a place might not be much better than a manmade shelter. 

All in all, this was by far the worst choice. 

After giving it some thought, Mika decided to camp out in the trees. While it might be a bit of a hassle, it was still the safest option. The main problem she had to worry about while camping in the trees was the rain, but with how big the leaves were and how small her body was, this wasn’t a problem. 

Mika wandered around the jungle for a while until she found a tree that provided optimal cover and a nice spot she could lie down. 

She climbed up the tree to test it out and was very satisfied. Right above her were a few giant leaves that would protect her from the rain. There were several thick intersecting branches, giving Mika a makeshift bed. 

As soon as Mika sat down, she let out a deep breath, finally realizing how tired she was.

“Ahhh~ I can finally relax a bit. A lot happened today, huh? ”

That was certainly an understatement. 

Today was the first time she left the Zoller Family estate, experienced a flying car for the first time, and attended a royal birthday. 

Then, Avalon got invaded by voidlings, and Mika had to put her life on the line several times in order to protect her older sister and Akira. 

Finally, she was teleported randomly and ended up in a jungle with unknown dangers lurking all around her. 

Her mind and body were incredibly tired, but she forced herself to keep going for the sake of survival. 

Now that she had some semblance of safety, she couldn’t help but relax a little. 

Mika’s eyes slowly became heavy, and before she knew it, she was out cold. 

However, just as her eyes closed, two yellow eyes with black slits opened in the distance. These eyes stared at Mika for a few seconds and then silently disappeared like the wind. 

Mika had no idea she was stalked by something while walking through the jungle. It silently dashed through the jungle and waited for when Mika let her guard down. 

Mika can’t really be blamed for not spotting her stalker earlier. 

Back on Earth, she was just a normal human. 

While her battle instincts and awareness were tempered through many life-and-death battles, she was only a normal human. 

Sensing something dozens or even hundreds of meters away was impossible for her. Just sensing anything from any range was already hard enough! 

Fortunately, all those life-and-death battles did give her a decent ability to sense danger. 

This ability has saved her life on more than one occasion.

*Swish*

Suddenly, Mika’s eyes flashed open, and as if on instinct, she took out her sword and held it in front of her. 

*Bam!*

“Argh!” Mika screamed in pain as she felt something swipe her chest. The force from the attack was enough to send her flying off the tree, much to Mika’s dismay, but luckily there were trees everywhere. 

While flying through the air, she reached out her tiny baby hands and managed to latch onto a leaf. 

This only slowed her descent for a few meters, but Mika was able to use the momentum to crash into a nearby tree, further delaying her descent. 

Unfortunately, despite all that effort, she still fell from a height of around 2.5 meters.

*Crash! Crack!*

“ARGH!!” Mika groaned as she felt her legs break from the impact. 

However, she couldn’t care about this now as she still felt death looming over her. 

Her eyes swept the area, but her brows furrowed deeply when she saw nothing.

“Fuck me! Couldn’t you have waited ‘til at least tomorrow to attack?!” Mika cursed, but that didn’t mean she was any less vigilant. 

She could feel blood running down her body from the initial swipe, and she guessed that she also had a few broken ribs. 

Right now, she is in a horrible state, but it seems her hunter is incredibly cautious. Even when she’s in such a deplorable state, it hasn’t approached to finish the kill. 

From this, Mika concluded that it was probably waiting until she weakened further, or maybe it would wait until she bled out. Mika didn’t know, but neither situation was good. 

The unknown predator was still around, just waiting for the right moment to strike. 

For a moment, Mika was shocked at how intelligent this beast was. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. 

‘This is a true hunter of the night.’ Mika thought, inspired. 

She couldn’t help but feel some respect towards the beast as it was clearly a master at its craft. 

‘Who would’ve thought I would learn something on my first night in the jungle and from a beast no less?’ Mika thought, struggling to stand up. 

Although her body was bloodied, broken, and bruised all over, she still managed to find the energy to stand up. 

In fact, it was in situations like these where her [Absolute Sword Body Technique] shines. Life-and-death battles are probably one of the most effective ways to increase her body cultivation, especially since she’s only in the First Realm of [Body Cultivation]. 

Mika could feel her adrenaline pumping through her body, her muscles contracting, her bones creaking, her heart thumping, and her nerves sending signals faster than ever before. 

She could feel it. She could feel her body’s excitement! It was practically begging her to fight! 

With her sword, Chigatana, in hand, her black eyes shone with luster, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. 

“Come on!! Fight me!!” Mika yelled, suppressing the fear and excitement rushing through her body. 

‘Yes! This is it! THIS IS IT! I’ve missed this sensation! There’s no better feeling than entrusting my life to my sword with my back against the wall!’ Mika screamed internally. 

All worries left her mind. She stopped thinking about her family, her future, and even her path to godhood. All that mattered right now was this fight! 

Mika stood her ground, all bloodied and broken, like a lone warrior on a battlefield. 

“Come at me! Fight me, you coward!! What?! Are you scared you’ll die to a little baby like me?!” Mika yelled, trying to goad the unknown beast into attacking. 

She knew it probably wasn’t the best decision to yell in the middle of a jungle at night as she could attract more attention, but she couldn’t care about that right now.

All she cared about was fighting and, hopefully, killing this beast.

Fortunately, it seems the beast was intelligent enough to know that if Mika kept making so much noise, it might lose its prey. 

So, without any further hesitation, it leaped out of the trees and attacked Mika from behind!

*Rustle Rustle*

Mika heard the branches and leaves behind her shake slightly. Feeling death approaching, she spun around and swung her sword in one fluid motion. 

*Clank*

Her sword hit the beast’s claws and forced the beast to go on the defensive. 

Finally, Mika could get a good look at her attacker. 

It was a black panther with yellow eyes. It stood about a meter tall and a little over 1.5 meters long. 

Mika also noticed black smoke around one of its paws, making her realize this was a magical beast!

However, she couldn’t worry about that right now as the panther lunged at her again! This time, it was aiming for her body, more specifically, where it had attacked her previously. 

Mika wished she could move her feet to dodge, but she wasn’t confident in doing so with her broken legs. It was already a miracle she was able to stand!

She knew she would have to finish this soon as she was slowly bleeding out, and her injuries would only worsen over time. 

So, she decided to bet everything on her next attack!

Steadying her stance, she positioned her sword differently and recalled the feeling she had during her enlightenment when she learned Sword Intent. 

Scenes of a volcano erupting flashed through her mind, and as if on cue, Fire and Darkness mana began revolving around her sword. Her muscles flexed to the max.

As soon as the panther was within range, she unleashed all her power and mana into her sword and swung downwards vertically.

*Swoosh*

*Puchi*

*Puchi*

Mika’s blade removed a chunk of the panther’s head, killing it instantly, but unfortunately, she could not move her legs fast enough to dodge the panther’s attack, causing a few of its claws to puncture her stomach. 

“UGH!!” Mika grunted in pain and dropped to the ground. 

“Haa… Haa… Haa…” She took deep, labored breaths as that fight took a lot out of her. 

However, she could feel distinct changes going on in her body. Her muscles were strengthened, her bones tempered, her organs refined, her blood felt like it ran smoother, and her skin hardened. 

This all happened fairly quickly, and by the time it was done, Mika felt like she was at least 25% stronger than her previous self. 

Though, that doesn’t mean she was all healed. Her bones were still broken and bleeding, but she could tell that even her regenerative abilities seemed to speed up. 

Unfortunately, it’d probably take her at least a few months to recover naturally from her injuries. 

“System… Haa… How many… Haa… Mana Stones… Haa… would a healing serum cost?” Mika asked in between breaths.

[5 Initial-Stage Mana Stones for an F Rank Healing Serum.]

“Trade… Haa… it!” Mika said, barely able to keep herself conscious. 

[Affirmative!]

[Ding! You have used 5 Initial-Stage Mana Stones to buy an F Rank Healing Serum.]

Immediately after, a vial appeared in Mika’s hands. She didn’t even think anything of it, removed the cap, and drank it all in one gulp. 

As soon as the serum reached her stomach, Mika began feeling the effects. The serum separated and entered all parts of her body. It then pushed Mika’s recovery abilities into overdrive. 

She could feel loads and loads of nutrients stored in her body working to repair the wound on her chest, her broken bones, and the holes in her stomach. 

Before long, all her injuries were healed enough to the point where the threat of death was no longer there. She’d still need a bit more time until she reached her peak again, but at least she could move around and even fight again if necessary. 

However, before she could think any further…

*Rumble*

Her stomach rumbled, and she was overcome with an overwhelming sense of hunger. 

“System, go ahead and use 1 Mana Stone to buy a set of F Rank Nutritional Serums,” Mika said, no longer out of breath. 

[Affirmative!]

[Ding! You have used 1 Initial-Stage Mana Stone to buy 30 F Rank Nutritional Serums. They are stored in the System Space and available whenever you want them!]

Mika nodded, took out 3, and gulped them all down in one go. 

“Blegh! It tastes like shit!” Mika complained, but she could feel her hunger was instantly satiated. 

She had used up quite a bit of nutrients to heal her dying body, and since her strength had grown, she felt the need to drink 3 of them.

Finally, after dealing with her body’s issues, she stared at the panther's corpse.

“Now, what should I do with you?”