Crows are highly alert, curious creatures with intelligence far surpassing that of ordinary birds.
"It's May now—seems like the breeding and egg-laying season for crows. Shouldn't be too hard to find one."
Walking home, Moses quickly flipped through the manual and grasped the basics of raising a Kasugai Crow.
He knew that Kasugai Crows were products of that other world—messengers used to deliver intelligence.
They were the result of generations of selective breeding, refining their genes for excellence.
Highly intelligent, empathetic, capable of independent thought, and fiercely loyal.
They were rare and invaluable companions.
But for Moses to raise one, he'd have to start from scratch.
That said,
"I'm not worried at all. The animals in this world are extraordinarily spiritual—utterly miraculous."
Moses knew of a starfish, an utterly ordinary starfish.
As a child, it had believed itself to be human. By the time it realized it was a starfish, it had already learned to speak human language.
Highly metaphysical.
Truly bizarre.
Not to mention the massive beasts and Sea Kings, whose intellect often rivaled that of humans.
Even the countless ordinary animals in this world possessed minds not to be underestimated—let alone creatures as naturally sharp as crows.
"Right, time to hunt."
With Observation Haki activated, Moses easily detected a decent presence. It didn't take long for him to locate it.
"Oh-ho!" A smirk curled his lips as he spotted the Lapahns ahead—a small pack of ten.
Twenty meters away, the group of Lapahns stood upright, their snow-white, bear-like rabbit forms glaring back at him.
Both sides locked eyes in a tense standoff.
One side's eyes burned crimson with aggression.
The other—Moses—merely watched them with calm indifference.
Drawing the shortsword from his waist, its silver blade gleaming at forearm length, Moses found it the perfect size for him now.
Though called a shortsword,
it measured 55 centimeters—nearly half his height.
"For me, this might as well be a 'longsword.' A Swift Blade deserves a name of its own. When swung, it gathers dew from the air. Since this is a winter island... 'Cold Dew' it is."
As Moses pondered, a shrill roar exploded beside him, followed by a rush of wind.
A Lapahn swiped at him with its claws.
Moses leaped back, narrowly avoiding the strike. He could see the fine barbs lining its razor-sharp talons.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he rolled sideways, dodging another Lapahn that had launched itself at his head.
Boom! Snow sprayed into the air.
Rising to his feet,
Moses surveyed the ten Lapahns encircling him—six large, four medium-sized, all towering over him. The biggest stood over three meters tall.
A faint smile played on his lips as he murmured, "Numbers don't always mean advantage."
Pushing off the ground, kicking up a flurry of snow, Moses dashed straight for the largest Lapahn ahead.
He closed the four-meter gap in a breath, arriving right before it. The Lapahn roared, jaws gaping, and swung a massive paw at him.
Moses remained composed, stepping back just enough to evade. At the same time, Cold Dew in his right hand flicked upward with surgical precision.
Schlick!
A sound like tearing paper rang out as a spray of blood flew through the air—a long, narrow wound was sliced straight across the Lapahn's palm.
"ROAR!!!"
The intense pain made it howl as it retracted its claws.
But while it withdrew, Moses did not. He suddenly lunged forward, closing the distance in an instant, and slashed with his sword. Squelch. The blade cut through the cartilage of its knee.
The Lapahn roared again in pain, collapsing to its knees. At that moment, Moses appeared at its side, raising Cold Dew high before bringing it down in a sweeping slash.
The sharp blade sliced through fur and severed its neck.
Moses glanced at Cold Dew in his hand. The dew condensed on the sword mingled with the blood as both slid down the blade and dripped from the tip.
Plop!
The blood struck the snow, leaving a crimson hole.
Moses watched as the remaining Lapahns, far from being intimidated by the death of one of their own, charged toward him with even greater fury, howling in rage.
His expression remained unchanged as he nimbly weaved through the pack of Lapahns, his sharp blade precisely cutting deep, bone-deep wounds into the joints of their legs.
Though the Lapahns seemed to hold the upper hand due to their size, within three strikes, Moses would cleanly sever their necks.
In less than three minutes.
Moses surveyed the area, watching as all ten Lapahns fell into their deepest "slumber."
The last E- rank Soul Crystal, no larger than a soybean, flew toward him.
Moses exhaled slowly, his breath forming a white mist in the cold air.
Ten Lapahns had yielded a harvest of six E- rank and four F+ rank Soul Crystals—ten in total.
From the first glance, Moses had noticed that the three-meter-tall Lapahns possessed E- rank strength, while the smaller ones, just over two meters tall, were only F+ rank.
He didn't dwell on it further.
Moses projected the holographic panel with his mind.
He examined the Soul Crystals he had accumulated over the past year.
Including those he had just hunted.
Soul Crystals: [F rank * 119, F+ rank * 208, E- rank * 6]
The harvest was decent. Moses hunted in the snowy woods nearly every day.
Next, he mentally opened the attributes panel.
Attributes:
[Physique]:
Strength: E- → E+
Endurance: E- → E
Agility: E → E+
[Soul]:
Willpower: E- → E+
Perception: E → E+
Spirit: E- → E+
[Special · Mystical (Energy)]: E- → E+ (Observation Haki growth bonus active.)
A year of blacksmithing, coupled with a steady supply of meat and the bonuses to willpower, perception, and spirit from Observation Haki and the State of Oneness, had led to significant growth.
Aside from endurance, which hadn't improved as drastically due to his age, all other attributes had reached the peak of E rank—E+.
Moses was satisfied with his progress. Everything was steadily advancing.
However, his gaze shifted to the Soul Crystals.
"If there's a faster and more stable path, why not take it?"
A contemplative gleam flashed in his eyes as he rationally allocated and fused the Soul Crystals he currently possessed. In the end, aside from nine F rank and four E- rank crystals left unfused, Moses successfully merged one E+ rank Soul Crystal.
He invested the crystal into his endurance attribute. In the next instant, waves of warmth surged through his body from within, steadily enhancing his endurance.
Time passed.
A tingling sensation spread throughout Moses' body, and he could clearly feel every aspect related to endurance rapidly improving further.
After a while, Moses opened his eyes, sensing a newfound balance and clarity in his entire being.
A hexagonal warrior.
Perfectly well-rounded.
With no weaknesses in his attributes, Moses smiled and said, "This trend must continue. True strength lies in being powerful in all aspects."
Glancing at the Lapahns around him, Moses picked the two fattest and strongest to take with him, leaving the rest behind—there was nothing more he could do for them.
Waste? Impossible. Lapahns were highly prolific creatures.
Though, like bears, they usually only gave birth to one or two offspring at a time, they were in heat year-round, much like rabbits.
As for the remaining Lapahn carcasses, there was no need to worry—the scent of blood would naturally attract other carnivorous creatures to feast on this generous gift from nature.
Bringing only two Lapahns home also meant avoiding Kureha's scolding, since she forbade Moses from fighting them.
Two was just right.
Carrying his prey back, Moses tossed his coat onto the desk and called Bear Cub out to help with the preparations.
The snowfall today wasn't heavy. Under a massive tree not far from the treehouse, a charcoal fire was lit, supporting two large grilling racks.
Two prepared Lapahns, skewered on metal spits, roasted over the flames. Over time, glistening fat dripped onto the coals, sizzling and crackling.
Moses used a knife to score the Lapahns' skin in a crisscross pattern, evenly coating them with a prepared marinade.
As the meat cooked thoroughly, the rich aroma of roasted game filled the air.
"Eating barbecue?" Kureha's voice rang out. "Why didn't you call me?"
She walked over, holding a bottle of plum wine. After glancing at the Lapahns and confirming Moses had no injuries, she simply shrugged it off.
Moses, surprised, continued basting the meat and grinned at her. "Finished work today?"
"Yeah, the research hit a new milestone these past couple of days. I can relax for a while."
Kureha chuckled.
"Oh, by the way, where did you get this?" She pulled out a booklet from her back pocket—the Kasugai Crow Breeding Manual.
"I found it in your coat. The cultivation drugs mentioned inside are quite interesting—they even slightly involve the Brain Domain of creatures."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Moses' eyes, but just as he was about to speak, Kureha added,
"Also, there was a medicine bottle in your coat on the desk. What are those capsules?"
"Well, I—I..."
Kureha raised an eyebrow, then suddenly smiled. "Never mind, I won't pry. You're always so secretive. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't push."
"Everyone has their own secrets. No need to dig into others'."
Moses scratched his head helplessly.
"It's not like it's a big secret. I got these things through a special channel. You can understand the manual just fine, Doctorine, so I won't explain further."
"Let's focus on the other one. The capsule in that bottle is a highly lethal chemical poison called 'APTX 4869.' After taking it, there are two possible effects. One is instant death, and the other is a side effect—reverting a person's physiological functions to their developmental stage. Oh, and the mind stays intact."
Kureha raised an eyebrow, unfazed by how Moses knew such details, and instead tapped her chin with interest. "Cellular-level rejuvenation?"
"Pretty much."
"Kishishishi." Kureha chuckled gleefully. "Black technology, huh? Mind if I take a crack at studying it?"
Moses waved a hand dismissively. "That's why I brought it back—for you to research. I just wasn't sure how to explain its origins."
Kureha smirked. "Does anyone else know you have this stuff?"
"Nope. Just you, me, and Bear Cub."
"Bear Cub doesn't count. So just the two of us, then? Good, no problem."
"If no one else knows, then I can research it in peace. No need to run."
Moses blinked. "Run?"
Kureha gave him a weird laugh and rolled her eyes. "Listen, kid. In this world, immortality is the most tempting thing there is. Once you have it and others find out, you'll never know peace again."
"So, if people knew we had this, you think we shouldn't run? Just wait for them to come knocking for tea?"
"Oh." Moses nodded, then grinned at Kureha. "Then if you actually crack the rejuvenation drug, wouldn't we have to move?"
"True." Kureha thought for a moment and agreed. "We might have to relocate when the time comes."
"That confident, huh?"
Moses sounded curious.
Kureha replied flatly, "Who do you think I am? If it's a drug and there's a finished product, you think I can't reverse-engineer it?"
"You think I've wasted these 120-plus years of youth?"
Moses wisely kept quiet to avoid getting punched.
"Well, the roast is ready. Let's eat."
He carved a large piece of meat with the bone and handed it to Kureha.
She took it without hesitation, ignoring the heat, and happily dug in—alternating between bites of meat and sips of liquor.
Moses ate too. As for Bear Cub? No need to worry about him. He'd already started devouring another Lapahn while the two were talking.
After finishing her meal, Kureha cheerfully tossed out, "I've got work to do," and "Keep eating," before happily heading back to the treehouse.
Watching her leave, Moses turned back to his meal, a faint smile in his eyes. "This is good. This kind of tacit understanding is nice."
Years of relying on each other had made Moses deeply trust Kureha—he knew her character well.
He figured that if he ever got his hands on anything else interesting, he could share it with her too.
"This kind of dynamic is pretty effortless. I'm sure Doctorine feels the same."
"Though who knows how long it'll take her to figure out that drug."
Using his Breath to influence his digestion, Moses precisely controlled the process to maximize nutrient absorption.
His appetite surged.
「Effortless Breathing Technique」
「Precision」
Using two Blessings simultaneously, complementing each other, Moses felt a pleasant surprise in his heart:
"As expected, the two Blessings can mutually enhance one another. Breath is actively used, while Precision can be passive—they interact like the front and back of a hand, working together."
"It feels somewhat like Life Return, but no, it's not the same. Just a similar effect."
Seeing Moses speed up his meat-eating, Bear Cub's eyes widened, his bear face flashing with a human-like competitive streak.
"Grrr."
His eating pace suddenly increased.
Moses glanced over and gave him a deadpan look. "Oh, so you're using your ability now? And must you open your mouth so wide?"
Bear Cub ignored Moses, simply devouring the meat in large mouthfuls.
He let out little "yip yip" sounds between bites.
Rolling his eyes.
Well, if Moses was using Breath to speed up digestion, then the bear using his ability wasn't exactly cheating—though he was swallowing so fast he barely tasted anything.
Moses chuckled,
watching the silly bear.
Bear Cub h
ad already finished more than half of his roasted Lapahn, while Moses still had most of his portion left.
Kureha's appetite was just that of a normal person.
A few minutes later, Bear Cub was staring longingly at the roasted meat in front of Moses, having already polished off his own.
Now he turned pitiful puppy-dog eyes toward Moses.
Smiling, Moses tore off a large chunk of meat and tossed it to Bear Cub, who caught it deftly—this time eating with slightly more care.