On An Jin’s way back to the tribe, her eyes were drawn to some small wild fruits in a bush.
The fruits were a deep purple, looking as if they were lethally poisonous. This was likely why no one picked them, despite them growing abundantly at a low height.
Their skins were perfectly smooth, without a single insect bite.
The system hadn’t issued a toxicity warning, either.
Curiosity piqued, An Jin bent down. She reached past the low thorns, her arm extending into the bush that was covered in sharp, aggressive-looking spines. Using her thumb and forefinger, she applied a little pressure.
She plucked a small, deep purple fruit.
She popped the fruit into her mouth. The instant she bit through the skin, a flavor so sour it was numbing exploded on her tongue, making her shudder. But that shiver was followed by an irrepressible joy!
’The flavor isn’t exactly the same, but it’s so much like vinegar!’
An Jin suppressed her elation and looked around. With no container to hold anything, she decided to hurry back to the tribe and weave a large basket for the fruit.
Many trees grew beside the stone house. With just a simple tug, she could pull a handful of slender, pliable vines from them.
After an entire afternoon and countless failed attempts, An Jin had only managed to weave a single, ugly little basket that could barely hold anything.
She sighed. She had no choice but to be patient, sitting quietly in the stone house and learning through trial and error, all while enduring her aching wrists.
After another half-day of work, she finally managed to make a decent-looking basket.
Without a moment’s hesitation, An Jin quickly changed into her soft, animal-hide shoes, slung the large basket onto her back, and returned to the bush from before.
She didn’t pick too many of the small purple fruits, just selecting five or six plump ones here and there to put in her basket.
’After all, vinegar is just a condiment.’
[Ding—Exploration Index +1. Total: +5]
She filled most of the remaining space in the basket with other wild vegetables and fruits.
After all, unlike the Beastmen, An Jin couldn’t eat only meat for all three meals a day. She needed to eat fruits and vegetables to supplement her diet with vitamins.
Once the large basket was full, it was so heavy she could barely lift it.
An Jin picked a few large leaves from the ground and used them to cover the opening of the basket, preventing the wild produce inside from falling out.
’This fruit... well, let’s just call it a fruit for now.’
Unlike other wild fruits, it wasn’t perfectly round. Instead, a long section protruded from one end, making it look a bit like a chili pepper. Even its color was an uncannily similar, vivid red.
The system didn’t issue a danger warning.
So An Jin plucked one and tasted a small piece. Instantly, the spiciness made her mouth go numb and her eyes stream with tears.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—"
An Jin dropped her basket and ran for the riverbank as if her life depended on it. Bending down, she gulped mouthful after mouthful of river water until she finally managed to quell the deadly, fiery sensation in her mouth.
’This is, without a doubt, a chili pepper!’
’And it was way hotter than any chili pepper she had ever eaten before!!!’
[Ding—Exploration Index +1. Current Total: +6]
An Jin chugged several more mouthfuls of water until the spicy taste was completely gone. Only then did she get up, go back, and pick a few more of the peppers to put in her basket.
’There’s no joy without spice,’ she thought. How could she pass up such a great seasoning?
Back at her home, An Jin mashed the purple fruits and chili peppers into separate pulps. She mixed each with salt and a bit of clean water, then put them into containers. She sealed the openings by covering them with large leaves and tying them shut with thin strips of animal hide.
The next evening, the Hunting Team returned to the tribe. Under the thick blanket of night, a huge bonfire blazed in the square, driving away the darkness and filling the air with a passionate energy.
The Beastmen gathered with their families before the massive bonfire, singing and dancing. Holding torches, they circled the flames in a special ceremony to welcome their mighty warriors and the bountiful food they had brought back.
In their excitement, many of the Beastmen transformed into their beast forms.
Under the vast moonlight, the howls of wolves and the roars of tigers, bears, and lions—the cries of all manner of beasts—pierced the clouds, echoing without end...