Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 52: Purchasing The Manual

Lavayla clicked her tongue. "...There it is."

She leaned back against the cool stone wall, exhaling through her nose. She’d known this day would come—from the first day the system had mentioned that material supplementation would be needed to get finished goods from the system.

It’s just that the problem was not so simple.

"I don’t exactly have a stash of hides lying around not to mention high-grade hides," she muttered.

Aside from the beast Mirek had killed earlier—which they hadn’t touched—she had no idea whether other beasts lived in this place. And she wasn’t exactly equipped to go hunting mid-tier beasts like it was a grocery run.

As if reading her thoughts, Nessa spoke up again.

’To make things easier, the system can accept any beast hide,’ she said brightly, ’as long as it is not lower than high-level mid-tier.’

Lavayla straightened slightly. "Okay... that helps. But I still don’t—"

’And one is inside the cave!’

Lavayla blinked. "...Yeah, you are right."

Her gaze slid instinctively toward the cave.

"But even if that’s true," she said slowly, "how exactly do you expect me to get the hide?"

Nessa didn’t miss a beat.

’Host, you can ask the Beastman to help you with it!’

Lavayla’s lips twitched. "Of course you’d say that."

’After all,’ Nessa continued smugly, ’you saved his nephew. Protected him. Took care of him. Fed him. Bathed him. That is not a small debt. He owes you.’

Lavayla hesitated, unease flickering through her. "Maybe. But what if he asks what I need it for? And if I use it and he doesn’t see it anymore—"

’Host,’ Nessa cut in, tone firm now, ’you need to calm down.’

Lavayla fell silent.

’I don’t think you need to worry about that,’ Nessa said more gently. ’He won’t ask unnecessary questions. You’ll see.’

Lavayla rubbed her temple, exhaling slowly.

Then Nessa added, almost as an afterthought—but with devastating timing,

’Ah! Before I forget—remember the beast core you stored in your space vault?’

Lavayla stiffened.

’Its energy is dissipating,’ Nessa continued. ’Nearly half of a quarter has already faded. If you don’t act soon, it will lose most of its value.’

"...Shit," Lavayla muttered aloud.

She’d completely forgotten.

’You need to purchase the physique-strengthening manual immediately,’ Nessa said. ’So you can absorb it properly.’

Lavayla’s frustration snapped into clarity.

"Yes. You’re right," she said, nodding resolutely. "I need it."

Especially if she wanted to bind the Primal plant.

’So, Host, do you want to purchase it?’

Lavayla paused, chewing lightly on her bottom lip. "Wait. Let me see my point balance first."

’Alright, Host!’

A familiar blue-tinted panel unfolded before her eyes.

[Status Screen – Wild Genesis System]

Name: Lavayla Kingsley

Gender: Female

Status: Alive (Healthy)

Race: Human

Survival Rank: D-class

(This rank indicates the host can survive only with minimal danger exposure and consistent protection from Beastmen~)

System Sync Level: 86%

Current Points: 111,500 Points

Lavayla let out a slow breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

"Okay... wow." She leaned her head back against the stone. "That’s actually not bad."

Despite buying all sorts of things recently, she’d only used 8,550 points.

Not catastrophic. Not even painful.

She closed her eyes briefly, decision locking into place. "Purchase it. Purchase it now."

’Done!’ Nessa chimed instantly.

’The First-Grade Physique-Strengthening Manual has been successfully purchased~! Host, you can find it in the manual inventory of your space vault~’

Lavayla opened her eyes. "Manual inventory?" She frowned. "Since when did I have that?"

Nessa answered smoothly, almost smugly.

’It was unlocked when you purchased your first manual for absorbing condensed primal energy. However, since that manual was assimilated directly into your consciousness upon purchase, it did not appear as a physical item.’

There was a brief pause before she continued brightly,

’Because this physique-strengthening manual exists as a physical copy, it was automatically added to your manual inventory, allowing you to access it anytime! Think of it as a personal bookshelf inside your space vault~’

"...A bookshelf," Lavayla repeated flatly. "Of course."

She opened her second space vault.

The familiar wide expanse unfolded before her—and this time, something new stood out immediately.

On the right side of the vast space was a tall, wide bookshelf carved from pale wood. It was empty except for a single thin booklet resting neatly on one shelf, almost lonely in the open space.

"So dramatic," she muttered.

With a thought, the booklet appeared in her hand.

It was light. Almost deceptively so.

The cover was a simple cream color, unadorned except for black lettering printed in a clean serif font.

{Physique-Strengthening Manual}

First Grade

No symbols. No flair.

Lavayla flipped it open.

The first page greeted her with a dense block of text.

{To practice the strengthening of the physical body, one must also strengthen one’s will. The ambient energy is plentiful on the Beast Continent, but not everyone knows how to use it to their advantage. Naturally, as creations of the world, Beastmen absorb ambient energy from birth, granting them strength and power. Humans, however, are weak. Their bodies cannot smoothly accept ambient energy.

Thus, to absorb it, humans must first shed their weakness—of body and of mind.}

Lavayla stared at the page for a moment.

Then she closed her eyes.

"...Wow," she said dryly. "That was condescending in record time."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes—barely.

"Humans are weak. Yeah, yeah. I get it," she muttered as she flipped the page. "Can we get to the part where you actually tell me what to do?"

She turned to the second page.

And finally—

There it was.

The real content.

Immediately, she looked around for a place to sit.

Lavayla folded herself down onto a relatively flat rock near the cave wall, crossing her legs and bracing her back against the stone. The constant hush of the waterfall filled the background, steady and grounding, as she lowered her gaze to the manual again.

She started reading in earnest.

The first paragraph was a definition—dry, clinical, and unsurprisingly blunt—explaining what physique strengthening truly meant.

{Strengthening the physique meant both the body and the internal channels.

It was not merely the accumulation of strength, nor the hardening of flesh, but the alignment of muscle, bone, blood, and will.

A strengthened physique allows the body to endure ambient energy without collapse, to circulate it without rejection, and to retain it without loss.}

Lavayla frowned slightly, eyes moving more slowly now.

"So... not just muscles," she murmured. "Basically rebuilding the whole system."

She continued.

{For humans, the first stage of physique strengthening begins with acceptance.

The body must be taught to recognize ambient energy as nourishment rather than intrusion.

Before attempting absorption, the practitioner must first awaken dormant channels through repetitive stimulation of muscle, breath, and circulation.}

Her brows lifted. "Dormant channels..."

The next section finally shifted from theory to instruction.

{Step One: Grounding the Body}

{Sit upright. Align the spine. Relax the shoulders.

Breathe in through the nose for four counts.

Hold for two.

Release slowly through the mouth for six.

Repeat until the heartbeat stabilizes and the mind clears.}

Lavayla automatically adjusted her posture, straightening her spine and rolling her shoulders back.

"...Okay, that part I can do."

She followed the breathing pattern once. Twice.

The cave seemed to grow quieter—not because the waterfall stopped, but because her awareness sharpened.

She turned the page.

{Step Two: Sensory Awareness}

{With the breath stabilized, extend awareness inward.

Do not search for energy.

Do not force sensation.

Observe.}

Lavayla raised a brow. "Observe? Observe what?"

But as she kept reading, her expression slowly sobered.

{Humans fail at this stage most often due to impatience.

Ambient energy is everywhere on the Beast Continent, but it does not answer force.

It responds to stillness.}

She paused.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the page.

Stillness.

Lavayla leaned back, exhaling slowly, and closed her eyes again.

"Alright," she murmured under her breath.

Just as she was about to start—

A soft babble cut through the hush.

Lavayla’s eyes flew open.

...Vai?

Why was she hearing the baby’s voice? He should’ve been with Mirek, deeper inside the cave.

Wait—

Was Mirek looking for her?

She shot to her feet immediately. With a quick thought, she returned the manual to the shelf, the booklet vanishing back into the pale wooden case inside her space vault.

Lavayla turned and followed the sound.

Sure enough, a few meters from the cave entrance, she spotted them.

Mirek stood near the edge of the wider cavern, one arm securely wrapped around Vai. The baby was utterly delighted, tiny fingers tangled in one of Mirek’s damp red braids as he tugged at it with reckless enthusiasm. Every pull earned him a low, resigned huff from Mirek—and another happy babble from Vai.

Lavayla slowed her steps, tension easing from her shoulders.

As she approached, Mirek turned.

The moment his eyes landed on her, his brows knit together.

"Why did you take so long?" he asked, his voice carrying a faint edge. "I thought something happened to you."

Lavayla blinked, then let out a small breath. "...I was taking care of something."

She stopped a short distance away, hands loosely at her sides, then glanced around the cavern—the water, the stone, the way the place felt sealed off from the rest of the world.

"So," she continued, tilting her head slightly, "what are we going to do now?" Her calm gaze returned to him,"Are we staying in this cave? Since we can’t get out of here for now?"