Rydel didn’t have a plan this time. Cows only lactate when they have just given birth like humans, it isn’t like you could randomly milk any female cow. He had seen videos of it in his past life and remembered the technique, now he only had to try it.

Rydel encountered a herd of strawberry cows and retracted his presence to the utmost limits, making him look innocent and vulnerable.

“Don’t worry little friends, I’m a thirsty traveler in search of a cup of milk, nothing remarkable.” Rydel smiled and spoke in a confident, gentle voice as if they were truly understanding him.

There was only one calf, and it was currently next to its mother. Rydel approached them with slow steps, making himself visible. He patted the calf and caressed its head, it laid down and closed its eyes in response. Rydel saw it as a good signal and scratched behind its ears. The mother was eyeing him but didn’t make a move.

He played with the little fella for thirty minutes, until he was too tired to continue. Rydel then carefully made his way to the mother and touched her. She mooed in little displeasure but didn’t push him. Rydel continued to butter up the cow with scratches and petting. When he was confident that he had gained her approval, he took a stool and a bucket and sat next to her.

He took a cloth and moistened it, he washed the teat with gentle care, did a few pushes to check that there wasn’t anything strange in the milk, and aimed at the bucket. The milk was white but it had a pale pink tint to it. Rydel whistled a cheerful song and put himself in the mood. The bucket was quite big, but it was filled to the brim in no time, Rydel changed for another one a couple of times until there wasn’t anything more.

He thanked the cow, made a mental note to remember this herd and went back to his cultivation chamber.

Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know what came to him to kill all those rhinos in cold blood. True, they were an irresistible resource and he wouldn't change his decision even if he was offered again, but he did it without a care.

Even then, he very much preferred to just gently milk a cow than to kill random rhinos. Rydel was relieved that comparing both methods, he preferred the less bloodthirsty one.

Not that there was anything wrong with killing beasts in his opinion. Even collecting the hearts of the hunted was a tradition made with giving respect in mind. And all the meat that he was tasked to hunt, would have been consumed in the end by his clan.

In the end, killing was okay as long as he didn’t lose himself in the process. Rydel didn’t want to become an unemotional killing machine.

Rydel then took a 10L bucket and performed the ritual. A red cloud left the bucket before being devoured by moonlight. He still felt that emotion of approval from the silver cloud every time.

Rydel’s greed screamed with desire, and he didn’t hesitate to drink it all. Its flavor was like a strawberry milkshake, it was nostalgic. Rydel felt his pores opening and expelling impurities. His bet was a success, he drank two more buckets before having to stop.

Rydel was able to get enough milk for twenty buckets, so hopefully, he would only need a couple more trips until he feels satisfied.

He repeated the same routine of drinking milkshake and milking his favorite cow, Donut, she had a circular pattern in the shape of a donut at her side, hence the name.

It was a month later that he developed immunity to the effects of the milk. He was a little relieved, as even if the flavor was good and his body craved it, he was someone that got bored of the same food with frequency and just wanted to eat something new.

He was currently the record holder of the only person who was able to lose 10 and a half kilos in a month eating just milkshakes. He felt stronger, but now there was a weird feeling in the back of his mind like something was missing. Even then, he was excited to see if the crown melon crows had any effect on him.

There were more fruit-themed beasts on the cave, like mango chickens, that laid mango-like eggs and kiwi bats, that when they hung up on the ceiling, they hugged themselves and resembled little kiwis. But his instincts told him that he should aim for the crows and if he had to trust in someone then it'd better be in himself.

The strategy for the crows was easy, he used a long rope and captured a couple of flying crows in the 'Indiana Jones' style, he swiftly killed them and went to his cultivation chamber. He still used the first one to eject his impurities, and it was beginning to transform into a deadly trap, if someone didn’t know and just entered without plugging his nose, then he’d get instantly knocked out.

The ritual this time expelled a yellow cloud and Rydel’s gaze zeroed on the T-shaped bone of the crow's head. He pulled it off and put the root in his glabella.

Excruciating pain flooded his entire being, Rydel forgot who he was and what he was doing. He didn’t know anything and thought that if living was about experiencing so much pain, why was it worth it.

He was like a boat in a storm being swallowed by a tsunami. Only the last spark of consciousness held him together, this experience ended in just a couple of seconds. When finished, Rydel blacked out.

***

Rydel had a severe headache, he remembered what happened and shivered, that was close. He didn’t think about his actions, the glabella was thought to be where the soul was housed, so of course, putting an impurities-ridding treasure there would purify his soul.

Rydel felt different, he couldn’t explain how, but everything seemed clearer, like raising his spirit attribute but instead of quantity, upgrading its quality. Rydel didn’t notice because he was unconscious, but a black haze left his head before dispersing in the air.

This was an extreme boon, even more important than ridding his body of impurities. An improved soul could even help him in comprehending the Daos, but he had to do it in moderation to not leave any hidden injuries on his soul.

Rydel only dared to use a T-shaped bone every day, so he spent the next hundred days doing just that. He has already spent almost half a year in the cave.

Rydel didn’t know how, but after this round of improvement, he lost 5kg. There had been theories that the soul had weight in his previous world, and if you weighed a recently dead body, it loses some weight. Of course, it was unfounded, but now though, he wasn’t so sure.

His body felt the same, what he noticed was the clarity of his spirit. It was like day and night, the world in his perspective seemed different, wilder, and more unpredictable. He could even feel a scary undertone that permeated the whole cavern, fighting for supremacy. He didn’t think it was strange, as he had continuously seen it with the silver cloud.

The feeling that even as he became stronger, something was missing only continued to increase and he was beginning to grow worried. Rydel had analyzed himself in countless ways, but he didn’t reach any conclusion. His body was denser and stronger than ever, but he still didn’t dismiss his worries.

The only thing that puzzled him was that his height wasn’t decreasing. If he threw out goo, and his body lost weight, then there were only two options. He either became denser and smaller, or he became like an emmental cheese, full of little holes inside.

His case was neither, he should lose impurities and fill the little holes eating after, having a bigger and more robust constitution. But he did have the second without gaining weight. He guessed that his spiritual energy was somehow holding his body together, but he didn’t know.

Rydel had stayed in the same area, so he hadn’t made any progress on his way to the mini-moon. Rydel was presented with two options now, to continue on his merry way, or to try going for the next level of purification.

What he has been consuming were great treasures, but they were in the end barely above his level. If he could eat a middle E-grade pumpkin rhino, he could reach perfection, ridding himself of all his impurities and becoming one with the heavens. Well, and a middle e-grade bucket of milk and a T-shaped bone to have the trifecta.

Rydel’s eyes shone with greed and indecision. He could try to leave and ask for help, but who knows if it was a one-time event. He had investigated the hares and why they were the only ones that didn’t have a fruit-theme, he discovered that the only hares were the ones at the entrance and they constantly left and came back.

He was probably already affected by whatever lingering energy was in this cave, and maybe he’d be denied access again.

He could die if he fought a middle E-grade being. He had become stronger, even three of his past self wouldn’t win against his actual self, but the differences in stages were truly great. He could probably run away against a middle E-grade but killing it would be a feat.

For now, he went to the easiest target of the three, and for that he recruited some help.

Rydel went looking for a recently middle E-grade strawberry cow mother. He was mounted on Donut and they were accompanied by their side-kick, the calf named Cheesecake. He loved that dessert so he decided to grant him the honor.

They wandered for a week until they found a big herd, the leader was a late E-grade cow. Rydel opted to use the legendary strategy of if you didn’t look at it, it didn’t exist. It was better for his nerves. There were some middle e-grade cows, and thankfully one of them was next to her little baby.

Rydel gently directed his spiritual harness to their objective. When they were a couple of meters away, a stand-off happened. The cow looked at him and Donut with suspicion, it seemed that the cowboy hat didn’t give Rydel any points, a pity. Rydel used his secret weapon.

“Go Cheesecake to play with your friend.” Rydel then directed the little calves together. Their mothers watched this exchange and became relaxed when the children mooed and rubbed their heads. The pair played for half an hour, rolling on the grass, and just chilling.

Rydel hadn’t wasted this time either, with each passing minute he approached the mother cow until he was next to her. He waited until he saw a good opportunity when a fly was bothering her and scratched her.

Both stopped, after a couple of tense seconds, the mother cow just continued trying to hit the fly with her tail. A pleasing gleam passed through Rydel’s eyes and continued to pamper the cow.

He wasn’t just doing it for the milk either, it was a pleasant sensation when you successfully patted an animal and it let you do it.

It was time to the moment of truth, he took the bucket and put himself in position. The mother cow seemed to like him, because she didn’t protest, so Ryder didn’t press his luck and quickly milked two buckets before leaving.

He left mounted on Donut with little Cheesecake tailing them.