She hadn't left a door.
No matter. She would just climb over the wall to get in and out from now on!
She patted the dirt off her hands, putting this minor design flaw out of her mind.
Earth Wall only cost 5 Mana. After surrounding herself, she still had 57 Mana left, which was enough to support her experiments.
Soil Cracking could split the ground, but the crevice wasn't deep—only about half a meter. Although someone wouldn't fall all the way in, misstepping and taking a nasty spill would be easy. It might work as a surprise trap.
Since there was already a crack in the ground, adding some water could turn it into an artificial stream.
Wu Yao cast Water Condensation, which cost only 1 Mana. Active water elements gathered from the air, soil, and vegetation, condensing into a fist-sized ball of water in her palm.
“What's the difference between this and Waterball?” Wu Yao muttered to herself. Surely the developers hadn't gotten lazy and reused the same model?
She tossed the ball of water in her hand into the crack. The water ball burst, and the clear liquid quickly seeped into the dirt, unable to pool at all.
Well, they were water elements after all; it was only natural for them to run wild.
Wu Yao tried casting Waterball next and quickly noticed the difference between the two.
When using Waterball, the water elements rushed into her hand all at once. Not only were they faster, but they were also far more active, sloshing restlessly in her palm without any of the docility shown during Water Condensation.
She whipped her hand and hurled the water ball into the crack from earlier. The water ball struck like a solid cannonball, leaving a visible crater at the bottom of the fissure.
This was probably the difference between a utility skill and a combat skill.
Wu Yao casually cast Illumination. A gentle, flickering flame appeared in her hand, looking completely different from the restless agitation of Fireball.
The sensation of using Cleaning was even more wonderful. It felt like taking a bath without getting wet; her entire body became clean and refreshed.
Wu Yao looked down and sniffed herself. There was a faint, crisp scent like air after a rain. She was ready to declare this spell the ultimate household must-have!
The last and only wood-element spell, Weeding, was described as being able to clear weeds in a designated area.
Unfortunately, not a single blade of grass grew here. The only thing remotely related to plants was the newly purified Moon-Silver Wood outside.
Hiss—actually, it wasn't like she couldn't try it.
Wu Yao took a running start, jumped, and grabbed the top of the wall with both hands. After kicking her feet against the rough surface a few times, she slid helplessly back down.
Damn this Agility 2!
Wu Yao had been in great physical shape since childhood. This was the first time she had ever failed to climb over a wall.
With an expressionless face, she patted the dirt off her robe and commanded the earth elements to protrude a few blocks to serve as steps.
Hmph. We witches have our ways.
She stood atop the earth wall, steadied herself, and cast Weeding on the nearest Moon-Silver Wood.
Green light welled from her palm, brushing over the tree like a gentle breeze. The Moon-Silver Wood trembled slightly, but nothing else changed.
Refusing to accept defeat, Wu Yao cast Weeding twice more. The green light layered on top of itself, and the Moon-Silver Wood shook more and more violently before crashing down. It transformed into twenty pieces of Moon-Silver Wood and triggered a cold notification:
【Cursed by the Forest: Mana temporarily reduced by 1 point. Duration: 24 hours.】
Wu Yao stared at the newly appeared debuff and fell silent for a moment.
Fine. Even the forest believed in sustainable development. She had better stick to purifying them honestly.
It was a bit slow, but at least there were no side effects.
She casually reloaded her save to before she had used Weeding.
She turned her attention to researching alternative ways to use Waterball, hoping she might find a faster purification method than burning trees with Fireball.
The light of the Silver Moon fell gently upon the four-sided earth walls. The water-soaked soil reflected a faint silver glow. Outside the walls, the purified Moon-Silver Wood stretched their branches to absorb the moonlight, the patterns on their trunks faintly shimmering.
For the first time in a hundred years, the Cursed Forest showed signs of life once more.
And the source of this life was currently squatting next to an earth wall, researching how to mold water balls into various shapes.
Water elements were much harder to control than fire elements. Although fire elements were hyperactive, they generally went wherever she pointed. Water elements, on the other hand, were like holding sand in one's hands.
They didn't resist, but they wouldn't stay either. If she lost focus for even a second, they would quietly slip away. It took her three times as long just to barely stretch a ball of water into a long strip.
Tiny ripples constantly fluctuated across the surface of the water arrow. She released her hold and commanded the water arrow to fly forward, but before it could even travel two steps, it dissolved into a localized shower, drenching her from head to toe.
Wu Yao expressionlessly cast Water Condensation to draw the disobedient water elements off her body.
Since that was the case, she might as well directly turn Waterball into a localized downpour. Not only would it cover a larger area, but it might also save energy.
She reloaded her save once again, climbed over the earth wall, and stood before the Moon-Silver Wood. The trees near her territory had already been purified, so she walked a little further out.
She tossed the spinning water ball in her hand into the air, controlling the elements to scatter and fall as a light drizzle. The fine droplets fell like silver threads, weaving a translucent curtain that enveloped five trees.
The grayish-black on the bark washed away in large patches like running ink, and the fine roots dissolved completely in the rain.
This light rain could purify five Moon-Silver Wood trees at once. Although it required more patience to control than Fireball, her efficiency in obtaining wood had increased yet again.
The more she did it, the more enthusiastic she became. She continuously condensed water balls and tossed them into the sky, sending shower after shower down upon a corner of the forest.
【Satiety: 10/100. You are feeling hungry. Stamina consumption +50%, Stamina recovery rate -50%. Please eat as soon as possible!】
The warning had turned red. Only then did she notice her Satiety, and she immediately began rummaging through her Inventory.
Surely you couldn't starve to death in this game?
The things in her Inventory that could even remotely be considered food were pitifully scarce. The three pieces of Rotten Flesh made her wary even while they sat in their inventory slots.
All that was left was the Basic Ingredient Pack from the closed beta gift pack, which she had kept in her Inventory without opening.
Although she hadn't built a kitchen yet, cooking shouldn't be restricted, right?
Worried that she wouldn't have enough inventory slots once she opened it, she dragged her flashing-red Stamina bar all the way back to her territory and opened the Basic Ingredient Pack in front of her Safe.
【Congratulations! You have obtained: 5kg Bagged Rice ×20, 1kg Bagged Flour ×20, 3kg Bagged Potatoes ×20, 3kg Bagged Sweet Potatoes ×20, 500g Bagged Table Salt ×5, 500g Bagged White Sugar ×5】
“Roasted potatoes! Roasted sweet potatoes!” Wu Yao cheered. The other items were hard to prepare, but she was highly familiar with potatoes and sweet potatoes!
Wu Yao took out a bag of potatoes and a bag of sweet potatoes, tearing open the sealed bags in a few quick motions. Potatoes and sweet potatoes rolled out all over the ground.
Based on her shallow life experience, cooking first required starting a fire, and starting a fire required wood and fire.
She only had Moon-Silver Wood on hand. She placed 2 pieces of wood on the ground and tossed a Fireball at them, and a roaring fire quickly blazed to life.
Next was the cooking phase.
Wu Yao squatted by the fire, holding a potato in one hand and a sweet potato in the other, falling into deep thought.
Should she just throw the potato and sweet potato directly in?
Would they burn?
Rate on N.U.
