Book 1: Chapter 41

Aqua After the interview, I don’t even bother taking off the dress. I just enter the dressing room and dispel my System Phantom. No doubt leaving the dress to fall to the ground as my mind reemerges in my body. That dress was hell to put on with one arm, even if it was a dress meant for being easy to slip on. One where I pretty much just slip it on over my head and call it a day. Of course, I understand why they chose it for the job. The dress was a slip-on, so it didn’t irritate any of my injuries. Not the bones sticking out of my stomach or the missing arm. Doesn’t mean it was easy to put on in my state though. Although it took me a little while to realize that I apparently shouldn't even have bones in my stomach. So I'm guessing that's another new change to my body. I glance at my missing arm to find what’s left having grown a little bit more since I last saw it before going to work. But not enough that it’s obvious to viewers that it’s growing back. Not unless they look carefully and specifically zoom in on it, comparing it when it first was eaten to right now. And that interview wasn’t live. It won’t be going on TV until tomorrow. So I don’t think anyone will be looking or asking about it until then. Anyway, after returning to my body, I just lie down for a few hours, staring silently up at the ceiling with my broadcast turned off. Because a certain pushy manager told me to take the day off. And I’m doing just that. Taking half the day off. Yes. Half. My arm will have healed a bit more after around half the day has passed, and I don’t plan on fighting anything during this time. Just going to check out the cavern the shark came from to see what happened there. Although I should be able to fight perfectly fine even with one arm. I did it before when my arm was infected, so I can do it now when I’m missing an arm. He’s just not aware of my regeneration. Otherwise he wouldn’t try to make me take so much time off. With that in mind, I go ahead and lie down staring up at the ceiling while thinking. Which gets boring really quickly. To the point that I end up giving up on that and climbing to my feet to change once more back into the same attire I slept in. Then I go back to sleep, planning on waking up halfway through the day. Only to end up waking up in the evening instead. Well, damn. That wasn’t the plan. After staring at the ceiling for a second again, I let out a sigh and glance down at the bones in my stomach. Finding them now to have almost entirely reentered my body again. Albeit at an angle to the point that they’re still entering. Just that they’re practically parallel with my skin now. So the bones are still exposed even if they’re pretty much in my body again. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Guess that sleep did help some at least. It probably sped up the healing a bit. Anyway, I go ahead and do what stretches I can before putting on my hoodie and armor again. Then I jump down into the water below and begin slowly swimming in the direction of the massive cavern where the shark had previously called home before so rudely barging in and making a mess of my cavern. Ignoring the fact that this cavern used to be its home. I glance at the corner of my vision when the icon for the broadcast lights up, indicating the broadcast is turning on. Then I look at the chat as I carefully swim, seeing it instantly begin to fill with people. [Wait, seriously?] [She’s broadcasting again after all that?] [What the hell is this woman made of to livestream the day after losing an arm?!] [I know I’ve said that some Pioneers not livestreaming after getting some injuries are weak, but livestreaming after losing an arm...? Even I think you should take a break for that...] Pretty much everyone is fussing at me and acting all surprised about my broadcasting again already. But I don’t really care. And besides. “Don’t worry, I took a break,” I tell them with a nod and a lazy smile. “I had a nice nap after working this morning.” That just makes them go off even more for some reason. So I write it off as one of those things I won’t understand no matter how hard I try. I mean, I wanted to take even less time off. But my body said no when I was asleep. Maybe I should see if a sponsor would get me an alarm clock? That would be nice. As I learned early on in life, taking too many breaks can lead to a lackadaisical attitude towards your responsibilities. Regardless of whether those responsibilities are ones you chose, ones life chose for you, or ones you make to improve yourself. If you’re gonna be lazy about something, do it with purpose. That’s what the private tutor taught me in high school after all. And it’s words I live by. The best way to be lazy is to live life in a way that allows you to be lazy. Do everything you can, push through all the work, and time will open up for you. Probably. Anyway, I eventually reach the massive cavern. And what I find is a rather empty place filled with corpses. Both half eaten and uneaten. But I don’t see any living monsters. What I do find though is a new tunnel that wasn’t there before that is now. An obviously artificial one judging by the fact it looks like the wall of the cavern was smashed inwards. I guess that’s where the shark was hunting. Whatever came out of that tunnel. After looking around for a bit and glancing out of the cavern at the tunnel leading towards the exit of the caves entirely, I move over to the artificial tunnel. But I don’t see any monsters inside of it either. Just rubble. Big and small, the tunnel and the surroundings of the tunnel’s opening are covered in rubble from the walls. Lots of rocks. I carefully enter the tunnel before moving further in. But what I end up finding is nothing like what I was expecting. Okaaaaay then... At the end of the actually relatively short tunnel – albeit with a bend in it – I find another cavern. But it’s not a normal cavern as it’s got a bunch of pillars all around the place with very narrow spaces in between the pillars and a very small amount of space in the cavern. And most importantly, the place is full of eels and snakes. I didn’t realize there were snakes down this deep in the water. What’s worse though is that there is a bunch of rubble around everywhere, with marks on the walls, floors, and ceilings that are all similar to the tunnel. Implying that even this cavern was made by something. Judging by the fact that the shark entered my cavern, it either killed whatever made these tunnels, or it was forced to flee from it. Either way, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of finding out while down an arm. So after glancing at the snakes and eels one last time – finding the creatures to be in the high teens and low twenties in level – I head back to the large cavern. Then I continue all the way to my own little cavern before climbing back into my home. That’s all for today. And with that, the broadcast ends as the chat is still going crazy. I go ahead and take off my armor and strip down again before lying down on my backpack now that the broadcast is over. Then I glance at my stomach to find the wounds there having finally scabbed over and started healing with the bones inside of my body fully again. Even if they aren’t in the right position yet. Good. At this rate I should be able to sleep in my shirt again starting tomorrow without it hurting any stomach wounds. I’m not particularly a fan of sleeping in my current attire after all. Not when the broadcast could theoretically start at any moment. Despite my knowing that it won’t actually start when I’m in my underwear. Even if it’s just the top with shorts on. That doesn’t change my minor anxiety though. Anyway, I let out a yawn before gradually falling asleep again. Feeling a lot sleepier than I usually am. Maybe it’s because of all the regeneration I’m doing? That might be it... My eyes gradually droop closed before I fall asleep again for the night.