After severing the wild boar's thigh, Kiana went off to gather some dry wood and cleared a small patch of ground to start a fire.
"Yahahah!"
She rolled a small stick between her hands, trying to get a spark, but after several attempts, the tip barely warmed. Sweat dripped down her face, and her bangs clung to her forehead.
"Huh… why is making a fire so difficult?"
Frustrated, Kiana tossed the stick aside and flopped onto her back, arms spread wide like a human letter. She remembered watching survival videos online, where people made it look effortless. But in practice… her hands felt ready to break.
"The hardworking captain is cute too."
"Call me handsome, not cute!" Kiana snapped, glaring at Ai-chan's mischievous little grin on the screen.
"Captain, do you want to make a fire? I have a method!"
"…Fine, tell me. I really can't do this alone."
"Please pay ten crystals!"
"…What?!"
Kiana was stunned. Ai-chan had learned this trick—but ten crystals? Even so, she felt a strange warmth toward the AI. I still love you deeply, okay? Eh… why do I have a question mark in my head?
"Ten crystals? Ai-chan, do you know how precious crystals are right now?"
"Captain, you misunderstand. The ten crystals aren't the price for my advice—they're the cost for renting a weapon."
"Wait… weapons can be rented?"
"Yes! This is Ai-chan's special offer. Thank me later, Captain."
"Any weapon?"
"Yes, but only for one day. After that, it's automatically returned. The rental cost varies with the star level: ten crystals for an initial three-star weapon, twenty for a fully leveled four-star, thirty for an initial four-star, and fifty for a fully leveled five-star weapon."
"Can it be upgraded?"
"Yes, and any upgrades are retained. When you rent it again, it keeps its level. Once you permanently unlock the weapon via supplies, all upgrades transfer as well. Ai-chan recommends renting fully leveled weapons—they're extremely powerful, especially in life-or-death situations."
Kiana thought it over. If she rented an initial four-star weapon and upgraded it to full-level five-star, then eventually drew the same weapon in a supply, it would automatically be at the upgraded level. Draws from supplies start at initial levels, not fully upgraded.
"Ai-chan… one more thing. If I upgrade an initial four-star to five-star myself, does renting it cost the same as renting a full-level five-star weapon?"
"Nope. Since you upgraded it yourself, the rental fee is calculated based on the original star level. So just thirty crystals."
"I see."
Satisfied, Kiana asked, "Can I see the list of rentable weapons?"
"Of course. Happy to help."
Ai-chan vanished from the screen, replaced by a long scroll of weapons. Kiana scanned carefully and noticed a weapon she'd never seen before.
"Ai-chan! Why haven't I seen this one before?"
"This is a new weapon added to the game today. You died a week ago, Captain, and reincarnated only yesterday, so you wouldn't know yet."
"Oh! So the system here is linked to the game back on Earth? Synchronized updates? That means new weapons and armor will appear in the future?"
"Yes, if the game updates, so does this world."
Kiana's eyes lit up. Her limited arsenal no longer worried her; she now had hope for expanding her fighting style.
After a few moments, she selected an initial three-star weapon and armor. Some two-star initial weapons weren't on the list—so they couldn't be rented.
"Then this one it is… Thermal Cutting Edge."
She clicked to rent a Taisao-class three-star weapon. Though it didn't look like a Taisao blade—the black-and-dark-yellow design looked strange—Kiana didn't care. What mattered was the skill.
Dash forward and release scorching energy, dealing physical damage equal to 270% of attack power, igniting the enemy for 140 fire elemental damage every [-] seconds for four seconds.
Perfect. Kiana could finally make a fire. She whispered the weapon skill name like a ritual:
"Come on… Blade of Molten Iron."
She focused the dagger at the pyre and activated the skill. Scorching energy erupted, and in an instant, the dry wood ignited. Flames leapt high.
"It's lit… finally! Ten crystals… actually used to make a fire…"
Kiana shook her head, secretly laughing. No one had ever started a fire like this before or since.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Time to work!"
She grabbed the boar's thigh and carried it to a nearby beach to rinse off the blood and dirt. Sea water would have to do—there was nothing else.
"Maybe it'll taste a little salty after roasting," she said, trying to comfort herself.
Soon, the meat sizzled over the flames, filling the air with a rich, smoky aroma. Kiana sliced a small piece with her large knife, exhaled, and bit down.
"…Ugh. Not exactly gourmet."
Her face twisted. It tasted like a Devil Fruit gone wrong—but she was too hungry to care.
"Guess I'll have to find something plumper this afternoon," she muttered, already plotting her next hunt.