The rain came without warning.

Heavy drops slammed into the forest canopy, drumming against leaves and branches like a thousand fists. Within minutes, the ground turned slick and muddy. The forest that had been noisy and restless earlier grew strangely quiet as monsters fled for shelter.

Inside the pocket dimension, Tyler floated helplessly in the endless black space.

"Yo... seriously?" he muttered, arms crossed. "Of all times. Come on, Rain rain go away...."

Rainwater streaked down Chole and Kristina’s hair and clothes before Serena had dragged them inside. Both mother and daughter were completely soaked, hair and their dresses are clinging to their skin.

Tyler can see through their skins. He saw sneak peek of Pink Pearls.

"Usually, it doesn’t rain this season," Chole said, trying to sound reassuring. "It’s very rare—moo. And don’t worry, it won’t pour again like this."

Tyler turned his head away almost immediately.

"Little Tyler Wants to play" he continued the rhyme "I’m not. Only little Tyler"

Only then did he realize something far more troublesome.

They didn’t have spare clothes.

They don’t have a single extra dress. Everything the mother and daughter had has been destroyed. The soaked fabric clung uncomfortably to them, and Tyler suddenly found the darkness of the pocket dimension far more awkward than comforting.

This is bad...

He thought about copying clothes.

The copper pot could do it. But how was he supposed to explain that? He has to come up with good excuses. And he had already decided, no one would know about the copper pot until he had a way to keep the secret locked tight.

Soul contracts... or something close to that, he thought.

Another idea crossed his mind.

Or I could just make clothes from monster hides...

Tyler immediately dismissed it.

He wasn’t strong enough yet. Picking fights with monsters just for clothing would get him killed faster than hunger ever could.

Eventually, the rain stopped.

When they stepped back outside, the forest felt different. It become Cooler and Heavier. The air smelled clean, but the ground squelched beneath their feet.

Even though it was afternoon, a faint chill lingered.

Tyler crouched and pressed his hand into the soil.

"Oh... the ground looks good," he said.

The rain had softened everything. Muddy, dark soil, perfect for planting of he thought.

"Looks like I’ve got a lot of work to do," Tyler muttered.

---

Exactly one day later...

"Haah... haah..."

Tyler collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped down his face as he reached for one of the milk jugs and drank deeply.

Behind him lay the results of an entire day’s effort.

Crude tools made of wood and stone, a rough axe, a hammer, and several digging tools leaned against a rock. Further back stood a small house. It wasn’t pretty, but it was solid. Wooden walls, a slanted roof reinforced with woods, built with the help of Chole and Kristina.

It was a home.

"Aaah... I’m exhausted," Tyler said, lying flat on his back. "Let’s just plant something before I die."

Chole and Kristina exchanged looks, they were little confused when Tyler began planting.

Tyler worked quietly, methodically, pushing seeds into the softened soil.

Chole noticed something odd.

"Didn’t we give him only fewer seeds than this, Mom?" Kristina asked carefully.

Chole stopped her, "Don’t ask."

Kristina paused.

"...Remember," Chole said after a moment. "It’s not polite to ask other people skills."

Kristina understood. Skills were personal. Some people kept their abilities secret to avoid troubles. She understood that prying could lead to trouble. So they decided not to ask.

Tyler finished planting and wiped his hands.

Next came the fertilizer, that is , his DNA.

At first, he diluted his blood with water in the copper pot and poured it gently over the seeds using the pocket dimension pearl.

He kept the copper pot inside the pocket dimension pearl and used it’s ability to water take water outside, because of that the water in the copper pot just began to copy the water instead of emptying out.

The soil absorbed it.

But the result was disappointing.

The seeds barely reacted.

"...That’s it?" Tyler frowned. "The growth rate is way too low."

He stared at the soil, then at the seeds again.

Chole crouched beside him, studying the ground like a professional farmer.

"...Maybe it needs eggshells," she said slowly. "We used to crush them and mix them into the soil. It helps crops grow stronger."

Tyler blinked.

"Eggshells..." he repeated.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh. Calcium."

He looked toward the river in the distance.

"...I wonder if I can find seashells there," he muttered. "Well —river shells, I guess."

Serena flicked her tail, clearly unimpressed with his terminology.

Tyler stood up, brushing dirt from his hands.

"Alright," he said. "Now, let’s gather some."

---

A few hours later—

"RUN! RUN! RUN!"

Tyler sprinted through the forest, shouting at the top of his lungs. Behind him, Chole and Kristina ran as fast as their legs could carry them, breath coming out in short gasps.

The ground shook rhythmically.

Behind them, the River Lobster charged forward, its massive claws snapping in irritation. On land, it wasn’t nearly as fast as it was in water, but its size alone made every step terrifying.

"Hahaha!" Tyler laughed even as he ran. "I didn’t expect us to be this lucky!"

Inside the pocket dimension pearl, a giant lobster shell floated quietly.

Kristina glanced back nervously. "D-do lobsters really shed their shells like that?"

This time, Tyler answered before Chole could.

"Yes. Lobsters molt," he said between breaths. "They shed their hard shell so they can grow a new one. The new shell starts off soft, which is why they hide afterward."

Kristina listened carefully, trying not to trip.

"They absorb water to expand," Tyler continued, clearly enjoying explaining. "The old shell cracks open, and the lobster crawls out. After that, the new shell hardens over days or weeks."

Chole nodded while running. "They also eat their old shell for nutrients," she added calmly. "It’s an important part of their growth."

Tyler glanced back and shouted, "Which means we stole its nutrient supply!"

The lobster let out an angry screech, but after chasing them for a while, it slowed down. Once they crossed a certain distance from the river, it stopped completely, snapping its claws in frustration before turning back.

They didn’t stop running until they were safely back near their house.

Tyler bent over, hands on his knees, panting.

"...Okay. That was worth it."

Chole caught her breath and shook her head. "That’s dangerous —moo."

Kristina laughed nervously. "But it worked... moe."

Once they recovered, Tyler stepped inside the pocket dimension pearl. He grabbed a stone hammer and floated toward the massive lobster shell resting against the copper pot.

"This thing’s tougher than it looks," he muttered.

He raised the hammer and brought it down.

Clang.

Nothing happened.

He struck it again.

Clang.

Tiny cracks appeared.

After several exhausting minutes of repeated strikes, the shell finally shattered into large pieces. Tyler wiped the sweat from his brow, then carefully placed the fragments into the copper pot.

Next came the grinding.

He used the hammer again, crushing the shell pieces again and again until they turned into a fine white powder.

"Perfect," he said quietly.

Tyler exited the pocket dimension and returned outside.

He walked across the land they had cleared earlier and began scattering the powder evenly across the soil, letting it mix naturally with the damp earth.

A soft glow appeared before his eyes.

[You have gained +2 EXP]

Tyler froze.

Then he smiled.

"For the first time... I gained EXP without using my skill," he said slowly. "That means it’s working."

Chole covered her mouth in surprise.

Kristina jumped excitedly. "It worked! It worked!"

The two of them clapped, then instinctively high-fived each other before cheering.

"Yes!"

"Moo!"

"Moe!"

Tyler chuckled, feeling a strange warmth in his chest.

Then—

Drrrrrrrr.

A sharp sound cut through the moment.

Tyler turned around.

Both Chole and Kristina had frozen in place, faces red, hands pressed tightly against their clothes.

Their dresses had torn slightly during the frantic escape earlier —fabric strained and ripped from running at full speed.

Tyler swallowed hard. Now he felt something hot and tight in his pants

"...Ah."

He immediately turned around. "I’m not looking."

Chole cleared her throat awkwardly. "I-I guess running from a giant lobster wasn’t great for our clothes— moo."

Kristina peeked through her fingers. "This is embarrassing... moe."

Serena, sitting nearby, flicked her tail like she’d expected this outcome all along.

Tyler stared at the forest ahead.

"Thank goodness, I already made copy of their clothes when they dried it in sun." Tyler muttered.

"Mom, do you think Tyler will turn into beast and jump on us?" Kristina asked in low voice but not with fear, but with expectations.

"He won’t" Chole was not sure because, Tyler did secretly took their clothes when they were not looking.

She coughed, "Well if that happens, I will shield you. You can run..."

"Say that without blushing. " Kristina pouted.

Both didn’t notice Serena is rolling her eyes at them from behind.