Since the vitality gas well was depleted from the second hunt, Euri let the useless Scout Dog and the Brawler Rat cultivate jointly. Both of them sat beside the well and sniffed in the green tendrils peacefully.
There was no other function in the game that he could try out. So Euri exited the game and spent a while scrolling through entertainment networks, daydreaming about the potential of the game in the back of his mind.
Since beast cores from the game could manifest in reality, what about the beasts themselves? They were no less useful than their cores.
Was there any way he could summon them by his side and participate in Dimension diving, or Dueling Coliseums, or even take mercenary commissions for jobs in dangerous territories nearby?
He could even sell the beasts if he needed money. Any Rank-1 beast with a useful ability was worth 3-5 times as much as its core, depending on how docile it was towards humans. Even a Rank-0 beast that had developed a specific ability could be sold for a decent price.
He wouldn't need to attend school anymore if he could just sell one beast per month through this game.
"Tch~ even if the extracted cores could manifest outside my stomach, I wouldn't need to worry about money again in life. I have to repeat the consumption method a few more times and see if it's possible to bring the beast cores outside the game without letting my body digest it."
Just about an hour later, while he was casually checking into the game to see how the dog and the rat were cultivating, he received a notification in the game. A new colorful icon was visible in a corner of the grove, where nothing could be seen except a canopy formed by densely packed trees.
"Secondary Resource!" Euri's eyes were glowing in excitement, having figured out the reason. Sol-Wa had disappeared in this part of the grove with the Scavenger Rat!
After clicking on the mysterious icon, he was presented with a big data window.
[ Sacred Ground Secondary Core: Ambrosia Pool ]
[ Property: After receiving the sacrifice of beasts, beast cores, and common foodstuffs, it can produce ambrosia, which can help improve the Physique of beasts and keep them well fed. Without regular feeding, the beast familiars shall not develop loyalty towards the Sacred Ground! ]
[ Level: 1 ]
[ Current Production: 0 units ]
[ Produce? ]
"So Physique can be improved?! Fuck yeah!" Euri was ecstatic, to say the least. But when he checked the production condition and discovered how heavy the required investment to produce ambrosia was, his enthusiasm waned a little.
"One unneeded beast, one core, one set of common food items... I have none of these in stock at the moment."
Gazing at the dog and the rat in deep meditation, Euri felt relieved that they didn't need feeding three times a day. The dog was here for more than fifteen hours, and it didn't seem hungry or weak. Maybe the vitality gas could keep their hunger in check while he waited for the stock to accumulate.
Another detail he noticed was the lack of an upgrading option for this ambrosia pool. Since it was labeled as a Secondary Core, perhaps its abilities depended on the main core, the gas well.
Meanwhile, Sol-Wa reappeared on the screen, holding the rat over her head like a prized treasure. The rat also stared back at him with large, pitiful eyes, holding both of its front paws in a gesture of begging.
[ Kind Administrator! See what I was talking about? Scavenger Rat is very useful? Can you not kill him? ]
As if it could also read the words in the text box, the black rat nodded repeatedly, appearing very sincere.
[ At least don't kill it until another scavenger rat wanders in ]
The rat immediately looked down at Sol-Wa's face when the second text box appeared. If rats could form human expressions, it would have looked dumbstruck.
"Haaah, they designed the game mechanisms so thoroughly. Isn't this just a method of indirect tutorial that doesn't make the player feel like he's being forced?"
Euri liked it. So Scavenger Rat was spared. But instead of heading out for another discovery, it ran towards the vitality gas well and sat beside Brawler Rat, trying in vain to cultivate. Without Euri's authorization, unfortunately, it would never succeed.
Since he was feeling grateful to the rat, Euri decided it was an appropriate reward to allow it to cultivate as well. So he opened Scavenger Rat's data window....Only to receive a small shock.
[ Scavenger Rat ]
[ Rank-0 Lifeform ]
[ Physique: 0.28 ]
[ Special Attribute: Hyperosmia ]
[ Cultivate/Extract ]
"Wasn't its Physique 0.25 points the last time I checked? It increased by 0.03 units. That can only happen here if..."
Euri's eyes flickered towards the Ambrosia Pool. The current production there was 0 units. Didn't this mean the rat had eaten up everything inside before letting others know about the pool?
Little Sol-Wa, you've been scammed by the rat's innocent face!
Chuckling, Euri clicked on the [ Cultivate ] option and closed the game. His mood had improved after seeing that direct increase of 0.03 points in terms of physique.
If there was an option in the game to extract ambrosia out in the real world and consume it like the beast core...
Gazing at his thin, reedy body, Euri clicked his tongue. Maybe becoming a superhuman wasn't as far away as he had previously assumed! He didn't need to wait for an ability to awaken through devouring numerous beast cores. He could just improve his body through the ambrosia!
"I wonder what the requirements are to be counted as a Rank-1 lifeform in the game. The cosmic notice claimed that the current ceiling for our race has been raised to Rank-2. So can I ascend into a Rank-2 lifeform by relying on this game?"