After roasting it for a short while, Faye Yardley smelled the strong aroma of food. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to eat it now.
She couldn't help but swallow. Still, Faye Yardley insisted on flipping the meat to roast it a little longer. As soon as the surface of the Snake Meat started to turn golden brown and drip with fat, she immediately removed it from the fire. Placing it on a wooden plate, she poked it with her chopsticks, blew on it twice, and then, no longer caring about the heat, took a bite.
'Who would have thought the meat of that terrifying giant snake would be so sweet and succulent? It's just a little hot on my tongue.'
As soon as the Snake Meat hit her stomach, Faye Yardley could clearly feel a surge of energy building inside her. After she finished the large piece, her Satiety Value had maxed out at 100, but the energy still felt like it was just shy of something.
'If I want the benefits, I can't be afraid of overeating,' she thought. She took out another piece of Snake Meat and placed it on the fire to roast.
This time, Faye Yardley couldn't even wait for it to be roasted golden brown before she impatiently stuffed it into her mouth.
She wolfed it down in huge bites.
The energy in her body finally reached a critical point. Faye felt a POP inside her, and then a system notification chimed. [Congratulations, player. For consuming Snake Meat rich in energy, your Constitution has increased by 1.]
"Holy crap! This stuff actually increases Constitution!" 'Is it because my base Constitution was so low that I can still get a boost from eating Snake Meat, even after using a Body Refining Pill?'
Faye Yardley decided to tell Zachary Pierce about it, since he had Snake Meat too. He should give it a try. At the same time, she'd remind him to sell her a couple of vials of Antidote first, if he managed to make any.
Zachary Pierce was stunned by the news. 'Something this good actually exists?!'
As for giving her priority for the Antidote, that was a given. He had already planned on making some and just giving her a few vials for self-defense.
'But my Constitution is already over 10,' he thought. 'I'd better pick a teammate with lower Constitution to try it. I'd hate to waste something so valuable.'
As Zachary Pierce was sending his reply, Faye Yardley was lying on the ground, drenched in sweat and writhing in agony.
Faye Yardley felt that this Body Refining Pill was even more painful than the first one, the torment more intense.
She wondered if it was because her Spirit had increased; the pain felt magnified, yet she could endure it longer. It was much harder to pass out than the last time.
'I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much! AARGH!'
Nothing could alleviate the pain, not even rolling on the ground and banging her head.
After three long, agonizing minutes, Faye Yardley lay on the ground, unwilling to move even a muscle.
'Thankfully, all I have to do is think to call up the system.'
Her agility increased by 1, and her Constitution increased by 2.
'I can't believe my Constitution jumped all the way to 9. That's a huge surprise.'
Once she felt better, Faye Yardley thought, 'I can do this again.' So she took another Basic Body Refining Pill and tossed it into her mouth.
After consuming all three Basic Body Refining Pills, Faye Yardley was as drenched as if she'd been pulled from the water.
"System, show me my Attributes."
Name: Faye Yardley
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Talent: None
Constitution: 6+1 (Snake Meat) +3 (Hey, you're pretty tough now!)
Strength: 4+3 (You're bursting with energy! Go pick a fight!)
Agility: 7+1 (Who can even catch you now?)
Spirit: 8+1 (Pulling an all-nighter won't even hurt you.)
Luck: 9
Charm: 8
Skills: None
Satiety Value: 100 (Don't you feel like you're about to burst?)
'Looking at these attribute values,' Faye Yardley thought, 'I could endure any amount of pain.'
'It's only the second day of the game, and I've nearly maxed out my stats for the First Tier.' (All Attributes must reach 10, though Luck and Charm don't count toward tier promotion).
"System, put both free attribute points into Strength."
In the end, her Constitution was 10, and her Strength reached 9.
'It's a shame the Body Refining Pills add attribute points randomly, regardless of their grade.'
'The lower the attribute value, the better the effect.'
'The Intermediate Body Refining Pills can only be used after I reach the Second Tier, so it's safer to leave them in my inventory for now.'
Forcing herself to her feet, Faye Yardley stumbled out the door and into the rain again.
Rain splattered against her face, mixing with the tears that slid down her cheeks. She didn't understand why her best friend from her old life, Hailey Miles, would want to hurt her. 'The hike was her idea. And when I was pushed off the cliff... I think she was right behind me.'
She also had no idea why she had transmigrated into a book.
She might seem incredibly lucky in this new world, but that didn't mean she wasn't terrified.
The black-and-blue bruises she'd gotten from dodging the giant snake in the Dungeon were still there. The truth was, she was terrified of pain.
At that moment, she couldn't fight the urge to cry. In the rain, she could lie to herself and pretend she was strong.
The rain was freezing cold, but Faye Yardley didn't want it to end.
But then, just as it was coming down, the rain suddenly stopped.
Faye Yardley's sorrow only deepened.
"Seriously, System? Are you trying to mess with my head?!"
'This is infuriating!'
Fuming, Faye Yardley went back into the house, but she still remembered to dry her hair, using the heat from the fireplace.
Zachary Pierce: "Yardley, you were right. Eating Snake Meat really does increase Constitution. The lower a person's Constitution, the more significant the effect."
The small group chat was buzzing with activity. The other three members seemed to live in the chat, their messages easily topping 99+.
Faye Yardley didn't even have the energy to scroll up through the history, so she just read the latest messages.
Bonnie Callahan: I upgraded my raft to Level 3 today. Now that I've built my Wooden House, I finally have a place to put all my furniture.
The mention of furniture reminded Faye Yardley that she had a Simple Sofa blueprint. She quickly went to the trading market and exchanged some of the food she'd caught for wood and cotton, then crafted the sofa.
When the two-seater sofa with natural wood armrests and a pure white cushion appeared, Faye Yardley's eyes lit up.
She placed it in front of the fireplace, and the wooden crate could finally be honorably retired.
After arranging the sofa, Faye Yardley suddenly remembered something. 'I have a bathroom now! Why did I run outside to shower in the rain?'
'Was I afraid the bathroom wouldn't come with a shower?!'
Her hair was just starting to dry. After a moment's thought, she turned and went to the bathroom in the back. To her surprise, it had separate wet and dry areas. Not only did the shower have hot water, but it even had a drying function for after she was done.
The game world's defiance of logic amazed her once again. But it was for the best. 'Clean and fresh after a shower, this is so refreshing!'
'As for the bruises that still faintly ached, I'll just ignore them. I don't have any medicine anyway, so I'll just have to endure it until they fade.'
Now in a much better mood, Faye Yardley posted in the group chat: Bonnie Callahan, you should upgrade your Wooden House with a Basic Wood House Upgrade Voucher. It'll come with its own bathroom with a separate wet and dry area. It's a huge quality-of-life improvement!