Barbaric But Sweet

After tasting the sap that gave him that ridiculous skill, Nathan hopped back across the river.

He saw Domina and Livia wrapping things up with the boar, the river around them now tinted red—like someone had just committed a crime scene there.

"Okay… that looks kinda messed up," he muttered.

The two girls walked off all smiles, like it was just another day. Meanwhile, Nathan realized something way more urgent.

"...Wait. I haven't had a drink since yesterday?"

His throat felt dry as sandpaper. He knelt down and scooped up some river water with both hands.

"Do I get a skill if I drink this too?" he thought, half-joking, half-hoping.

He brought the water up and took a big sip.

Gulp...

He waited.

Nothing.

No ping. No shiny screen. No new skill.

"Huh… guess it's just plain old water," he sighed.

Once he felt a bit more alive, he stood up and took a look around.

"For something that's supposedly inside a tower… this place sure feels like actual nature."

His eyes drifted toward the woods nearby.

"What the hell's hiding in there, I wonder…"

*Rrrr...

Nathan's stomach growled.

"Damn, I'm starving," he muttered, turning around and walking back toward the cave.

There, he spotted Domina crouched down, using a smooth stone while piling up dry leaves on a chunk of wood.

"How are they even starting a fire? Do they have some kind of skill besides, y'know, being stupidly strong?"

He watched as Domina moved with focus, sweat glistening across her chest—which, for the record, looked way too firm and shiny to ignore.

"God... she's ridiculously hot," Nathan muttered under his breath.

A weird mix of hunger and... something else started bubbling up inside him. Not exactly ideal.

Before his thoughts could spiral further, Livia shouted from a distance.

"Domina! I found it!"

She tossed a stone toward Domina, who caught it with ease.

Domina spread her right palm, and with a sharp metallic sound, extended a claw from her fingers. Holding the newly thrown stone in her left hand, she bent her index finger and struck her claw against the rock like she was flicking a lighter.

Srrsnsnggg...

Sparks flew.

The dry leaves caught fire almost instantly. Domina leaned in and blew on them gently.

Nathan stared, part impressed… part something else entirely.

The way Domina leaned over—arching her back like a cat stretching after a full day's nap—did not help. Not even a little.

"Amazing... and also… she's fucking hot."

Just as Nathan was trying to steer his thoughts away from all the horny nonsense, Livia returned—this time carrying a handmade grilling rack. It was built from interlocked branches tied together with vines. Looked simple, sure, but surprisingly sturdy. She had it slung over her shoulder like some kind of pro adventurer.

In her other hand, she carried a large folded leaf, holding it like it was some kind of treasure.

"Domina, I got the sap," Livia said proudly as she placed the leaf down next to the campfire. She knelt and carefully unfolded it, revealing a thick golden liquid inside.

The second it hit the air, a sweet aroma drifted up.

Wait... is that caramel?

"What's that?" Nathan asked, crawling closer like a curious raccoon.

"Cooking sap," Livia replied casually, like that explained everything. "From a glami tree. Makes meat taste ten times better."

"Oh. Yeah. Glami tree," Nathan nodded, trying to look like he totally knew what that was.

A tree I've literally never heard of, he thought.

Domina stayed focused, placing chunks of boar meat over the grill while giving Livia a quick glance.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at the grill.

His brow furrowed. "Uh… you sure this won't catch fire? I mean… it's made of wood."

Domina glanced at him for a second, totally calm. "It's not regular wood. It's from a Kralven tree—fireproof. Actually gets stronger when it heats up."

Nathan froze. "Wait... Kralven?"

His eyes widened. His brain instantly pulled up everything he'd ever seen or read about it.

Kralven wood—the Kralven—was one of the rarest materials in the world. It didn't burn. It was used to make high-end weapons, elite-grade armor, even royal furniture. One log alone could sell for billions. And these two... were using it as a barbecue rack.

"You guys… made a grill out of a legendary tree?" Nathan muttered, half in disbelief.

Domina blinked. "Huh? Legendary?"

Livia chimed in while brushing the sap onto the meat, "Legendary? That tree grows everywhere near the waterfall. We just grab some when we need it."

Nathan pressed a hand to his forehead.

He could explain. He could go on a whole rant about how people outside the tower would kill each other just to get a splinter of that wood—how it was the stuff of auctions and royalty and elite guilds.

But then he looked at Domina and Livia. Monster rabbit girls with insane strength, casually living on the 100th floor like it was no big deal.

He let out a long, defeated sigh.

Forget it. There's no way floor-100 monsters would ever understand market value… he thought.

A mouthwatering smell filled the air as Livia stood up and started walking away.

"W–Where are you going?" Nathan asked.

"I'm going to get some leaves," Livia replied. "The meat's hot. We need something to put it on, so it doesn't burn our skin."

Nathan knew she was probably just answering him like normal, but still… something about the way she said it felt weirdly caring. Like she was actually worried his fragile human hands couldn't handle what was just another regular day for them.

Nathan didn't bother overthinking it or complaining. Instead, his eyes drifted back to Domina, who looked absolutely obsessed with the meat.

He walked off a bit and sat down cross-legged.

"They're pretty savage, but… in some ways, they're also kinda human. Like… cavemen." he thought.

Not long after, Livia came back carrying a stack of leaves. She walked over to Nathan and spread some of them out in front of him like a picnic mat.

Then she returned to Domina.

The two of them came over, each carrying a big leaf loaded with grilled meat. They gently placed the leaves on top of the ones Livia had laid out.

Time to eat.

They used their claws to slice the meat, then stabbed it with their fingers so they didn't have to touch it directly. Efficient, primal... and a little terrifying. Meanwhile, Nathan just sat there.

'Shit, it's really hot,' he muttered, poking one of the chunks with his index finger.

Domina, who was chewing enthusiastically, suddenly paused. She glanced at Nathan, noticing how hungry he looked.

Still holding a piece of meat skewered on her finger, she called out, "Hey…"

She blew on it gently, then offered the meat to his mouth—still balanced on her claw.

Unlike before, Nathan didn't feel awkward. He just leaned in and ate it.

Domina smiled, like a proud mom.

Chewing slowly, Nathan mumbled to himself, They've been treating me pretty well… I should probably stop whining so much.

Gulp.

Nathan swallowed the meat.

[Ding!]