Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 248: My Astrology System

Ren’s hands flew up with lightning speed, desperately crossing over her bare chest and crotch in a frantic attempt to cover her nakedness.

"What the hell?!" Ren screamed, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Why were you underwater?! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Kaelen didn’t even flinch at her screeching. He just stood there, the cool pond water dripping from his long white hair. He looked down at her, his head tilting slightly to the side. A deeply thoughtful, almost scholarly expression crossed his devastatingly handsome face.

His white brows raised slightly.

"It is red," Kaelen stated smoothly.

Ren froze, her hands still clamped protectively over her body. She furrowed her brows in absolute, bewildered confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

"The hair on your vagina," Kaelen responded, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "It is also red."

Ren’s brain completely short-circuited.

Her face instantly ignited, flushing a shade of crimson.

"Get out of the water, you creep!" Ren screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking a massive splash of water directly into his face.

To her surprise, Kaelen didn’t argue. He simply nodded, turned around, and waded out of the waterhole exactly as she requested.

As he stepped out onto the mossy bank, Ren kept her burning, mortified gaze locked securely on the bright blue sky above the canopy. She refused to look down. ’Why?’ Ren agonized in her thoughts, wishing the pond would just swallow her whole. ’Why can’t I meet anyone normal in this prehistoric nightmare world?! Just one normal person! Is that too much to ask?!’

After a few moments, Ren realized he hadn’t walked away.

Kaelen was still standing there on the bank.

"Are you afraid of me?" Kaelen’s deep, baritone voice drifted over the water. "After what you saw me do?"

Ren finally lowered her gaze to look at him, intending to answer his surprisingly vulnerable question.

But as her eyes landed on his completely bare form, she immediately squeezed her eyes shut so hard it hurt, as if the sheer sight of him naked had physically burned her retinas.

Because, of course. Of course he was incredibly, absurdly well-hung. He was Kael’s brother, after all. The universe obviously loved to test her willpower at every single waking moment.

"Why are you still naked?!" Ren shrieked, keeping her eyes clamped shut.

"You are also naked," Kaelen argued logically, sounding genuinely confused by her outrage.

"I am bathing!" Ren defended defensively, gesturing wildly to the pond around her. "You are just standing there airing yourself out like laundry!"

Ren let out a long, exhausted sigh. She slowly opened her eyes, deliberately focusing her gaze on a single, tiny green leaf floating harmlessly on the surface of the pond.

"To answer your question," Ren said quietly, the panic leaving her voice. "I was a bit scared then. When your eyes were red, you looked like a monster. But... talking to you right now, like this? No. I’m not scared of you, Kaelen."

For a moment, there was only the gentle rustling of the morning wind through the trees. The silence stretched between them, strangely peaceful.

"Are you afraid of yourself?" Ren asked softly to the floating leaf.

Her question was met with absolute silence.

Frowning, Ren finally turned around and looked at the grassy bank. Kaelen was entirely gone. He had vanished into the thick brush without making a single sound, pulling a complete, feline disappearing act.

"Well, that was incredibly rude," Ren grumbled to herself, dropping her arms.

Alone at last, Ren finally got to work.

She purchased the 5 XP zesty, citrus-scented orange soap from her System interface and scrubbed herself clean. The bright, tangy scent was a massive relief, cutting through the heavy morning and leaving her skin feeling refreshed and energized. Once she was squeaky clean, she waded out, dried off, and pulled a brand-new brown deer-hide dress from her inventory.

Sitting alone on a smooth rock by the edge of the waterhole, Ren reached up with her right hand and gently rubbed the inside of her left bicep. Right under the skin, she could feel the tiny, matchstick-sized piece of plastic. Her birth control implant.

Her mind was suddenly screaming at her to take it out right now.

Things were changing. Fast. She had a small army of eager stray beastmen and loyal females ready to build her a brand-new village. If she were to get pregnant now, the baby wouldn’t be born in a cold cave or a temporary tree hut; it would have a permanent, safe home, and plenty of other stray cubs to play with.

But that brought up a massive, terrifying question: she needed to decide who she would let breed her first.

It would be her very first pregnancy. She desperately wanted the absolute simplest, easiest childbirth to be her first experience. But there weren’t exactly ’What to Expect When You’re Expecting Beastly Babies’ books lying around the forest, so she had absolutely no idea what to expect.

’System,’ Ren called out. ’How does pregnancy work with different species? Like... if I got pregnant for Kael, Syris, or Altair?’

[System: Excellent question, Host! Analyzing biological compatibility... If you conceive with the White Tiger, you will experience a standard mammalian pregnancy. However, tiger cubs are born quite large and heavy to ensure their survival. Labor will be intense and physically taxing. If you conceive with the Snake King or the Golden Eagle Prince, congratulations! You are oviparous!]

Ren blinked. ’Wait. Oviparous? You mean...’

[System: Precisely! You will lay eggs! Snake eggs are soft-shelled and incredibly pliable, making them exceptionally easy to pass through the human birthing canal. Eagle eggs are hard-shelled but relatively small compared to a full-term tiger cub. Egg-laying is highly recommended for first-time mothers seeking a lower-pain experience!]

Ren stared blankly at the water. She was going to lay an egg. An actual, literal egg. Her life was a complete fever dream.

[System: And, for future reference, if you were to get pregnant for a Fox...]

"Stop right there," Ren interrupted, her face deadpanning. She knew exactly what the perverted System was insinuating.

[System: Fox beastmen are known for massive litters. You could expect anywhere from four to six incredibly needy, fluffy kits at once—]

"I said stop!" Ren shut it down instantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I am never having sex with that manipulative Fox, much less giving him the opportunity to breed me! I have standards!"

[System: If you say so, Host.]

Ren frowned. She really didn’t like the incredibly smug, knowing way the system had just said that.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ren asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing at her own holographic interface. "Can you see the future? Do you see me and Vex together in the future?!"

[System: When did I become a mystical astrology system? You should be much more concerned about selecting your next mate from the tournament if Kael loses.]

Ren scoffed, standing up from the rock. The very idea was ridiculous.

"Kael isn’t going to lose," Ren stated confidently, her chin raising with stubborn pride. "He will win," she declared to the empty clearing. "He has to."