It was normal for the Star Worm to not be able to elevate its Challenge Level to 1.
If it were that easy, how fast would the Star Worm's leveling speed be?
It wouldn't take long before its Challenge Level would rise to 4, 5.
That was far too idealistic and almost impossible to achieve.
The group carried all the Steel Teeth Pig carcasses into the carriage, all of which were meat!
Although he was no longer short of hunting means now, and it was unlikely that there would be a food shortage again, wasting was still not an option.
The meat of the adult Steel Teeth Pig, well, it certainly wouldn't taste good, but the meat of a few piglets and two subadults definitely wouldn't be that tough.
After carrying the Steel Teeth Pigs back to the carriage, Char glanced at the sky, noticed that dawn was breaking, and decided not to sleep any further. He started processing the Steel Teeth Pigs instead.
First, he drained the blood and started boiling water while doing so.
He used boiling water to soften the pig bristles before plucking them, then he gutted them, cleaning the edible organs to keep and discarding the inedible ones as fertilizer.
The tusks were probably the most valuable part of the Steel Teeth Pig and were also chopped off for preservation.
While he hadn't yet figured out how to use these tusks, they would definitely come in handy later, and if not, there was always the Prayer Altar.
When he placed the tusks on the Prayer Altar, he didn't believe the Prayer wouldn't yield anything good.
With the Prayer Altar, no matter how tough or tricky the Demon Beast was, he could extract every last bit of value from it, turning it into a treasure trove of resources.
However, the task was nowhere near easy. The Steel Teeth Pig's bristles were thick and stiff, and even after being scalded with boiling water, they were hard to remove. The large bodies of the males and females required a lot of effort to flip, turning this into a completely manual job.
The Lantern Fireflies weren't much help with this task, so he had to do it himself.
So, by the time he was almost done with the process, several hours had passed, the day had fully brightened, drawing close to noon, and he was drenched in sweat, his clothes completely soaked as if he had taken a bath.
Drinking a bit of water recently collected from the Lotus Leaf Spring made him feel slightly better.
Char roasted several of the piglets, one of which had already been consumed by him and his Magic Pets, while the rest were reserved for lunch and dinner.
Now, his daily activity level was far greater than before he passed through, necessitating a large energy intake, so his appetite had increased greatly. One roasted suckling pig per meal didn't seem excessive.
The meat of these Steel Teeth Piglets was tender and well-marbled, not gamy or smelly at all, and didn't need various spices. It was simply roasted and delicious.
In contrast, the taste of the larger Steel Teeth Pigs wasn't as good, and Char could not eat them in a short time. Therefore, he chopped several large ones into pieces and strips, smoked them all to dry out the moisture in the meat, then strung them up with ropes and hung them under the cart's eaves.
After completing this grand project, he jumped into the creek for a refreshing bath.
By this time, it was noon, but having eaten an entire roasted suckling pig, along with a few roasted bird eggs and a roasted fish, he wasn't hungry now.
The noon sunlight shone directly, and Char sat on a plank in front of the carriage door. Above his head hung a row of Steel Teeth Pig meat.
The Lantern Fireflies rested on top of the carriage, while the Lotus Leaf Frog was catching fish in the river—an assignment given to it by Char.
As for the Star Worm?
It was playing nearby.
Now Char's heart had gained enough security, and with the Star Worm's strength significantly increased, he had recently stopped confining the Star Worm, allowing it to go out and play.
After all, the Star Worm was smart enough to play nearby and not wander off too far.
Char glanced at Old Ma leisurely munching on grass before him.
Compared to when he had just transmigrated, the temperature had fallen considerably. Even under the bright midday sun, it wasn't very hot.
He withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the vegetable pot beside him, his expression somewhat troubled. The beet seeds had sprouted, but the tomato seeds had not.
He didn't understand anything about growing flowers or plants. In his previous life, although he kept plants to decorate his home and office, it couldn't hide his nature as a "plant killer" – he could even kill a cactus!
As a "plant killer," how did he manage to maintain so many flowers, greens, and succulents at home and in the office? Of course, it was by constantly replacing them with new ones.
As long as he replaced them frequently, no one would notice the many plants he had killed.
It was the same after he transmigrated. He planted beets and tomatoes entirely according to the system's instructions; if it didn't work out, he had no solution.
...
"Ring, ring, ring!"
The sound of wind chimes caught Char's attention, and the Star Worm flew over from not far away. He stood up, picked up his bow and arrow, and his sword, and jumped off the carriage.
He was now generally able to distinguish the different meanings expressed by the Star Worm's calls.
Although the Star Worm's calls always sounded like wind chimes, as if there was a bell gently swinging inside its translucent body, if you listened carefully, there were subtle differences.
Last night's call was purely joyful and cheerful, but the current call indicated that something was up, carrying a hint of urgency.
With the Lotus Leaf Frog on guard at home, Char, accompanied by the Lantern Firefly and led by the Star Worm, ventured into the dense forest.
Hate not having enough when it's time to use.
Although he now had three Magic Pets, a significant improvement from the beginning, he still felt stretched thin when it came to assigning tasks.
His personal safety was the most important thing, so the strongest Lantern Firefly could not leave his side for even a moment, especially when he was out and about.
Besides that, the carriage needed a Magic Pet to guard it, right?
As Char's trump card, the importance of the carriage could be said to be barely less significant than his own life safety. Previously, lacking Magic Pets, there was no alternative but to neglect some responsibilities when going out, taking both the Lantern Firefly and the Star Worm with him, leaving the carriage without any defensive capabilities.
But now, since he already had three Magic Pets, he should certainly leave one to guard the home.
The carriage had not been attacked in the past few days, which was merely good luck, not because the carriage was immune to attacks or would never be damaged.
Moreover, strictly speaking, the carriage did once suffer an attack.
Wasn't that the time with the Green Skull Ghost Spider?
Only, at that time, the Green Skull Ghost Spider's target was him, not the carriage, which is why the carriage remained unscathed.
Previous good luck does not mean the luck will always be good, so leaving a Magic Pet to guard the home is absolutely necessary, and the Lotus Leaf Frog was the perfect candidate for the job.
As for the Star Worm?
Its strength was too weak, whether to guard the home or to act as Char's bodyguard; it fell far short of the requirements to perform tasks on its own and could almost only follow Char around as a companion pet.
"Star Worm, what have you found?"
On the way, Char couldn't help but ask.