Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 65: Opportunity

Her curiosity toward the stone deepened.

She straightened and looked at Mirek. "Hey, Mirek, I have some things I would like to ask."

Mirek paused what he was doing and turned toward her. "You can ask whatever you want. I will answer if I can."

"Alright." Lavayla placed her palm against the boulder and gave it a light pat. "What exactly is this Soft-Core stone? What kind of stone is it?"

"A Soft-Core stone is a special type of stone," Mirek explained. "It has a very hard outer shell, but the inside is much softer. The core can be shaped once the shell is broken."

Lavayla’s eyes widened slightly.

"Really?" She tilted her head, then frowned in confusion. "That’s amazing, but you already used part of this boulder. Why does the whole thing still seem to be covered by what you call the outer shell?"

"Because even inside the stone, there are layers," Mirek replied calmly. "After the first layer is used, the next layer hardens again. It protects what is left."

"Oh." Lavayla nodded slowly, absorbing the information as she circled the boulder once more.

After a moment, another question surfaced. "Then why is it found in a place where liquid fire erupts? Aren’t the stones there known to be extremely hard? This kind of stone is starkly different from what is typically around such a place."

"You’re right," Mirek said. "But I have seen it before, so I knew it could exist there."

"You have?" Lavayla turned sharply toward him. "Where? How?"

"When our tribe relocated," he said. "We passed by an inactive mountain. There were many Soft-Core stones there. The tribe took a few."

Lavayla looked back at the boulder with renewed interest, then finally straightened up. "Alright. Let’s go inside. You need to absorb the primal energy and rest."

Mirek took one step, then stopped.

She turned to him, her expression clearly asking what now.

"I want to rinse off the dirt on my body first," he said.

Before she could respond, he had already walked away.

Lavayla watched him go, then shook her head lightly and returned inside.

...

Later, she sat nearby as Mirek absorbed the primal energy, his breathing steady and controlled. After a while, her attention shifted to Vai, who had woken up again and was quietly playing, small sounds occasionally escaping him.

While Mirek was still occupied, Lavayla closed her eyes as well and guided the energy she had absorbed earlier through her body. She distributed it carefully, letting it sink into her muscles and bones, strengthening her physique bit by bit.

When they were both done, Lavayla carried Vai back to his sitting spot and led Mirek toward the mosses she had laid out earlier.

She crouched and pressed her fingers into the Velvet-Web Moss. It was no longer wet, but not completely dry either. The surface yielded softly under her touch, springy and resilient.

"This one," she said thoughtfully, "is strong and flexible, but if I want to turn it into a proper mat, it will need reinforcement."

Her gaze shifted to the Cloud-Silk Moss nearby, then back to the Velvet-Web Moss.

"If I layer them together," she murmured, thinking aloud, "it should be warm, absorbent, and sturdy enough to bond naturally," she continued, lifting one corner of the Velvet-Web Moss and turning it slightly so Mirek could see the underside. "Look here. When this moss is washed clean and left to dry a little, it sticks to itself. We do not need rope or glue. It holds on its own."

Mirek crouched beside her, eyes fixed on her hands, following every movement.

"So what we do is simple," Lavayla went on patiently. "We lay one sheet on the ground first. Then we place another sheet on top of it, like stacking hides. After that, we press it down with our hands. Not too hard. Just enough so they cling together."

She demonstrated as she spoke, placing a second sheet over the first and smoothing it slowly with her palms. The moss adhered at once, the surface evening out as if the two pieces had always belonged together.

"For a normal sleeping mat, four sheets like this are enough," she said, counting softly with her fingers. "One. Two. Three. Four. That makes it thick enough so the cold stone underneath does not seep into the body."

She pressed her hand down again, then lifted it. The moss sank slightly and rose back into shape.

"It also gives a little," she added, choosing her words carefully. "So when you lie down, your body does not hurt from the hard ground. It feels softer."

Her gaze drifted toward Vai, who was sitting nearby, distractedly patting the floor with his hands.

"If we make the layers thinner," she continued, lowering her voice a little, "it works well for small bodies too. Babies. Anyone weak or still growing."

Mirek followed her gaze. His expression eased, something warm flickering in his eyes.

"So he will not feel the cold," he said quietly.

"Yes," Lavayla replied without hesitation. "And he will not wake up sore or uncomfortable. Stone floors are not kind to little ones."

She then reached for the Cloud-Silk Moss, lifting one of the white, fluffy clumps and holding it up for him to see.

"This one is different," she explained. "It is soft and drinks up moisture easily. We place it on top of the Velvet-Web Moss, like the last layer."

She spread a thin layer over the moss mat they had already started.

"When it goes on top, it makes the mat much gentler," she said. "Soft enough to sleep on properly. It also keeps the surface dry and clean."

Lavayla pressed her palm against the finished section and nodded in satisfaction.

"With four layers of the green moss, and this white moss on top," she concluded simply, "it becomes a good mat. Warm, soft, and safe to rest on. Better for sleeping. Better for Vai."

Mirek glanced at his son again, then back to the mat. "So this one is for him."

"And for me," Lavayla added easily. "We’ll share this one."

She paused, then looked at Mirek. "We’ll make another one for you."

Mirek frowned slightly. "I don’t need this white moss. The green one is enough."

Lavayla immediately shook her head. "No."

She looked straight at him. "You carried everything back here. Both bundles. You hunted, worked, and still made the stone pot. You sleep properly."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she was already picking up more moss.

"You don’t get to refuse," she said firmly, though her tone was light. "Comfort is not a waste."

Mirek fell silent.

They worked again, making a second mat the same way. Mirek followed her instructions precisely, his large hands surprisingly gentle as he pressed the moss together. Four sheets of Velvet-Web Moss layered carefully, then Cloud-Silk Moss is placed on top. Piece by piece, a wide, flexible mat began to take shape.

When they were done, Lavayla pressed her palm into the finished surface and leaned some of her weight onto it. The mat compressed slightly, then bounced back.

She nodded in satisfaction. "This will do."

Mirek lifted the mat carefully and placed it near the resting area, adjusting it until it lay flat against the stone floor.

Vai crawled toward it almost immediately, drawn by the new texture. He pressed his hands against the surface, then plopped down with a soft sound, clearly pleased.

Lavayla laughed quietly. "I guess that’s his approval."

After setting both mats inside the cave, Lavayla looked at what was left. Two sheets of Velvet-Web Moss. Six sheets of Cloud-Silk Moss.

She tilted her head, thinking.

"...This Cloud-Silk Moss is really comfortable," she murmured. "If only we had fur hide."

Mirek looked at her. "For what?"

"If we had fur," she said casually, "we could put the Cloud-Silk Moss inside it and close it up. That would make a blanket. Warm and very comfortable."

Mirek’s eyes sharpened slightly. "I can hunt beasts with fur."

She turned to him in surprise.

"There are many on the other side of the canyon," he continued. "Deep in the forest below. They have thick fur. They hide during this season. They move more in winter."

Lavayla hesitated, then shook her head. "Even if you bring back fur, I don’t know how to make it usable. And we don’t have anything to sew it with. No needle. No thread."

"I can do that," Mirek said calmly.

She blinked. "You can?"

"I can clean and prepare the fur," he said. "And I can make a needle from the Ironback Ridgebeast’s bone."

Lavayla’s eyes widened slightly.

"As for thread," Mirek continued, "it can be made from beast sinew. Once dried and twisted, it is strong."

She stared at him for a moment, then slowly smiled.

"...You really can do a lot," she muttered as she bit her lip, her gaze drifting back to the mats and the remaining moss.

The idea made sense. Too much sense.

But reality followed closely behind it.

She did not know how long she would be able to stay here. Mirek had mentioned his tribe members would eventually find him. When that happened, they would leave here.

Still.

If she truly had to live in this world, even for a short while, then hesitation was pointless. Survival was not just about staying alive. It was about adapting, learning, and making use of what was placed in front of her.

And this place was not ordinary.

Lavayla’s eyes flicked briefly toward the cave entrance, her thoughts returning to the basin they had passed through earlier. That area alone was proof enough. Velvet-Web Moss. Cloud-Silk Moss. Plants that grew strong, flexible, antiseptic, absorbent, and capable of bonding without tools.

Those were not normal plants.

For such things to thrive together in one place meant the environment itself was special. A rare convergence. One she might never encounter again.

If she passed up this chance now, she would regret it later.

Very deeply.

She straightened, resolve settling quietly in her chest.

So yes. She would adapt. She would learn. And she would take what opportunities she could while they were still within reach.

Lavayla turned to Mirek. "Okay," she said decisively. "Then we have a plan."

Mirek looked at her, attentive.

"We’ll go back to the basin and gather more Cloud-Silk Moss," she continued. "While we’re there, I’ll look for other plants that might be edible so we can make dinner today."

She paused briefly, then added, "You can hunt too, but be careful."

Her gaze met his. "As long as the fur is enough to make a small blanket, that’s fine. You don’t need to hunt more than necessary. One beast will be enough."

Mirek nodded without hesitation. "Okay."