Now that the threat had passed Angela had time to sort out her thoughts as well as read through the notifications she missed.

[Assimilation complete, total island size: 100m², total island creation value: 1360]

[achievement: we are as one (first assimilation), rewards: +0.2 anima/h, deconstruction menu unlocked, floral record unlocked]

[hidden quest complete: a test of wills, rewards: +0.4 anima/h, quest menu unlocked]

The number of functions she had just unlocked overwhelmed Angela slightly but the system seemed to have taken pity on her, giving tutorials for each function.

[deconstruction menu: objects placed in here are reverted into a pure anima state, cleansing the impurities and adding to your current anima total, maximum anima is increased by 10% of anima gained in this fashion.]

[floral record: a record of plants, to register a new plant place a part of the plant into the 'register' box (warning: the plant matter will be consumed). Registering a plant will give a description, 3D model and allows you to create the plant for anima. Seeds of registered plants will also be available for creation through the 'life' category of the creation menu."]

[quest menu: here you can complete quests and hand in special 'requests' to earn rewards]

Angela checked each function, the deconstruction menu was quite simple while the floral record was similar to the bestiary but with an input function. The quest menu, however, was something new. There were 4 quests currently available; one request.

Quests:

Kill 5 rank one demon beasts: 4/5, reward: 30 anima, +0.1 anima/h

Register 5 rank one plants: 3/5, reward: herbalist's bench

Explore rank one demon island and retrieve its core: 0/1, reward: system help function, anima gathering pool schematics

Construct a rank one anima gathering pool: 0/1, reward: magika arcanus

Requests (note: items gathered for requests cannot be produced directly from anima):

Hand in 5 rank one soul fruit: 0/5, reward: rank two eternal heart fruit

With the new windows out of the way, Angela decides to start exploring the island. She first tests the register function of the floral record using one of the shrubs near the edge.

unranked cat tail bush: The cat tail bush gets its name from the shape of its long, circular leaves that wave similar to a cat tail in the wind. While it possesses no medicinal or cultivation benefit, the cat tail bush is in fact entirely edible, though it has limited nutritional value.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

anima cost: 1

Seeing this Angela picks a leaf and puts it into her mouth; it had to be better than the mudball. Surprisingly the plant didn't taste bad, in fact it tasted quite good with a minty taste and a texture similar to celery.

Now that Angela had seen the register function in action she continues inwards, chucking leaves of unfamiliar plants into the floral record as she goes. Sadly after she has travelled around twenty meters she still hasn't found any rank one plants; though she was building up quite a salad.

After another twenty meters of travelling Angela pauses and cocks her ear, straining her hearing Angela faintly picks up the sound of running water. Moving in the direction she hears the sound from Angela is filled with a growing hope as the volume increases.

Finally she reaches a small stream, almost loosing control of herself. There isn't enough water here to properly wash anything so she heads upstream looking for more. After about thirty seconds of walking Angela finds what she is looking for, a pond about 5m². This time she rushes forwards and jumps in, not even bothering to take her clothes off.

The refreshingly cold water envelopes her body and she drinks big gulps, almost choking herself. Coughing, Angela surfaces and begins to clean herself and her dress. She starts with her. feet, slowly and methodically removing the dirt and blood to reveal soft, jade-like skin and small, rosy toes with little dainty toenails. Working her way up her long and slender legs she starts to wash her dress, taking care not to wear it out.

After most of the stains are worked out - the water seems to have incredible cleaning properties - Angela gets to work on her arms and face, taking especially long on the parts she can't see. She lets her hair down and is startled to see that her hair has changed from her original dull brown colour to a shocking silver.

Now that she thinks about it, her legs and arms never used to be this slim and dainty before, and her chest is heavier than she remembers. From what she has seen of herself so far she looks like a beauty from the tales she read, one that would put even models to shame. In fact the difference is so drastic that, if her face has changed too, she would have a hard time even recognising herself, never mind her siblings.