After the battle ended, the squad members dug out crystal cores, stripped hides, and each organized their own haul.

When they heard Cen An request a complete mutant beast carcass, they said nothing, merely taking care to carry it back for him.

On the return journey, Cen An learned that the recent period was the dark rain period.

The so-called dark rain period marked the final stretch of the rainy season. From now on, for the next two weeks, the rain would fall incessantly, growing heavier and heavier. The torrential downpours of the final week would be so severe that people wouldn’t even be able to step outside.

Thus, few ventured deep into the mountains lately. Instead, everyone stockpiled extra food, timber, and hay to weather the coming gloomy rains.

Once the gloomy rains passed and the rainy season ended, temperatures would rise, ushering in summer.

Only then did Cen An understand why so many villagers were gathering today. “Is today’s beast tide related to the gloomy rains?”

Qu Yue frowned and shook her head. “Not really. We’ve never had a beast surge during the rainy season before—this is the first time. Thankfully, it was only a small one.”

Cen An nodded. It seemed he’d need to stockpile more supplies over the next week.

The dark rain period, huh? Plenty of items could be useful, but it all came down to luck…

By the time he returned to the village, dusk had fallen.

His team members helped carry the mutant beast carcasses back, still keeping their distance and leaving them near his home.

Cen An watched them depart before stowing the carcasses into his backpack.

He hadn’t achieved any of his goals for the day, yet his haul was surprisingly rich.

The transported mutant beast carcasses were all his bounty—37 in total. Beyond those he’d personally slain, the mutant beasts killed by the Azure Blast Crystal Pill were also credited to him.

Within the entire Ability Squad, no one else could have gathered more.

He wasted no time, processing the haul right there on the spot.

Extracting crystal cores, skinning—he’d become quite adept at these tasks.

“Huh? Why does the Roaring Rabbit have two crystal cores? Could it be that Level 2 mutant beasts have two cores?” Cen An examined the cores in his hand, puzzled, then fetched another Level 2 mutant beast carcass.

Sure enough, he extracted two more crystal cores.

It clicked. No wonder the Ability Squad members were so well-off—the number of crystal cores increased with the mutant beast’s level.

So, did Level 3 mutant beasts have three cores? Level 4 mutant beasts four? Or could there be variations?

Putting this question aside, Cen An finished processing this batch of mutant beast corpses.

Thirty-seven mutants: twenty-nine Level 1 mutants and eight Level 2 mutants. Total haul: forty-five crystal cores, thirty-seven portions of beast meat, plus twenty-five hides, three portions of duck down, and three portions of bird feathers.

A truly bountiful haul!

Cen An tanned the hides and furs on the spot, then retreated to his small, dilapidated hut. He stuffed the hearth with plenty of wood, boiled two full pots of hot water, and enjoyed a steaming bath.

His clothes were washed and dried. Feeling refreshed, he wasn’t in a hurry to go to bed.

There was still one important task left.

He retrieved the obsidian statue and placed it carefully on the table.

Yesterday’s conflict was behind them. Today, they would get along well again.

The rule with the obsidian statue was clear: the more precious the offering, the greater the chance of receiving something valuable.

He’d planned to search the mountains for rare materials today, but the beast tide had disrupted his plans.

No worries, though—he had another trick up his sleeve.

Today’s fresh game meat lay in his backpack, combined with his stockpiled rodent meat, totaling 48 portions.

Cen An carefully selected ten different types of mutant beast meat from the pile, then opened the recipe.

Ten different types of mutant beast meat can be combined into a dish called “Ten Delicacies Meat Blend.” Depending on the mutant beast’s level, this dish is further categorized into “Low-Grade,” “Mid-Grade,” and “High-Grade.”

Using mutant beast meat as ingredients, this dish was obviously inedible… Thus, it served only one purpose: as an offering to the divine statue.

【‘Ten Delicacies Meat Platter. Low-Grade’ Crafted!】

A large meatball appeared in the wooden bowl before him. A rich, sauce-brown color, glistening with a bit of juicy glaze, it looked perfectly normal.

Cen An… Cen An couldn’t help but swallow hard, craving meat…

He cleared his throat lightly, placed the wooden bowl radiating meat aroma before the statue, and began his prayer.

After all that incense burning and ritual bathing, surely it’s time for something worthwhile?

The obsidian statue emitted a streak of silver light.

White light signified common items, silver light meant rare treasures, and golden light heralded legendary artifacts… Could this be the turning point?

Cen An’s spirits soared!

As the silver glow faded, an object appeared before the statue.

“This is…” Cen An froze.

It was a jade-green vessel, somewhat resembling a dew-catching dish—simple yet exquisite. Its inner walls were engraved with intricate cloud-and-rain patterns, while its outer rim was encrusted with a circle of raindrop-shaped gems, adding an air of mystery and nobility.

【You have obtained the ‘Rain Dew Essence Cup’.】

【Rain Dew Essence Cup:

Rarity: Rare

Type: Utensil

Function: Collects the essence from rainwater. Place the cup outdoors during rainfall to automatically gather energy from the rain, transforming it into Rain Dew Essence. Consuming Rain Dew Essence restores significant HP and partially replenishes special abilities.

Note: Essence collection speed correlates with rainfall intensity—heavier rain accelerates gathering.】

Truly a rare item!

And it collects rain essence… Perfect for the rainy season!

Cen An sprang to his feet, heedless of the downpour outside—or rather, precisely because it was raining!

He grabbed his raincoat and conical hat, then dashed outside carrying the Dew Essence Cup.

The virtual protective scene outside had never been deactivated. He didn’t even need to worry about this rare item being stolen if left outside. He placed it just three steps from the shack, completely exposed above—guaranteed to collect the maximum rainfall!

The small blue cup sat on the ground. As raindrops fell into it, the cloud-and-rain pattern on its inner wall seemed to activate, glowing with a faint blue light. It appeared to be collecting tiny specks of blue radiance.

This looked like a slow-burning process. Satisfied it was working, Cen An went straight back inside.

The Rain Dew Essence could restore substantial health points. His medicine shelf now held another remarkable potion with extraordinary effects.

Holding onto hopeful anticipation, he drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day, the rain indeed intensified. If yesterday had been a misty drizzle, today it had transformed into a steady, fine rain.

Cen An finished breakfast in ten minutes flat, then rushed outside to check. The essence cup now held a tiny pool of rainwater—perhaps four or five drops—shimmering blue like streaks of flowing light.

He felt strangely like he was playing a casual idle game.

But today, he had serious business to attend to.

The rainy season had arrived. He needed to take advantage of the lighter showers from the previous days, when going out was still possible, to stockpile as many supplies as he could.

Food was the top priority.

The house had plenty of vegetables—a few heads of bok choy remained, and nearly twenty white radishes.

But the wheat flour was down to just three containers—enough for only five meals if rationed carefully. As for meat, there was none at all.

Thus, meat and starch were his most urgent needs.

And with the rain’s duration uncertain, fuel like wood and dry grass were naturally welcome in abundance.

He had to go to the bamboo grove.

Cen An donned his straw raincoat and conical hat before heading up the mountain.

More villagers were present than yesterday, including many elderly who usually dared not venture up.

Cen An had inquired yesterday: after a beast tide, the next one rarely came immediately. On the contrary, with the mutant beasts drawn by the beast tide dealt with, the mountains were actually safer than usual at this time.

He retraced his steps along yesterday’s path.

Sure enough, he didn’t spot a single mutant beast. In just over an hour, he reached the spot where yesterday’s beast tide had erupted.

He didn’t linger; instead, he consulted his map and continued onward.

This bamboo grove lay hidden in a valley between mountains. Before he drew near, Cen An caught the fresh scent of bamboo.

On the map, this terrain was already highlighted, with local specialties marked around it.

“Bamboo, bamboo shoots, bamboo partridges, and bamboo worms…” Cen An studied it carefully. “Fruit trees, too? Not sure what kind of fruit they bear. Never mind, better start cutting bamboo first.”

He flipped his hand to draw his axe and swung it at a sturdy bamboo stalk on the edge.

Having grown undisturbed for years, the bamboo forest had become impenetrably dense.

The nearly ten-meter-tall bamboo stalk fell swiftly.

【Congratulations! You have obtained Bamboo x3】

【Congratulations! You have obtained Bamboo x2】

The system announcements rang out tirelessly. Cen An shook the raindrops from his hands and moved on to the next bamboo.

Occasionally, he’d pause to dig up any bamboo shoots poking through the ground.

As for bamboo worms and bamboo chickens, whether due to his poor eyesight or his own loud movements, these little creatures seemed to have been scared off. In any case, he hadn’t spotted a single one.

By the end of the morning, his backpack was already filled with 50 pieces of bamboo.

Without pausing for rest, Cen An reached into his bag and pulled out some dry grass.

Two portions of dry grass could make one thin grass rope, while three portions could make one thick grass rope.

Cen An first crafted over a dozen thin and thick grass ropes, then retrieved the bamboo.

Now came the main event.

Two portions of bamboo plus three thin grass ropes could make a small trap.

8 pieces of bamboo plus 4 thick ropes could make a medium trap.

As for large traps… he’d put those aside for now. After all, bigger traps meant catching larger animals, which he couldn’t handle yet.

Cen An made 10 small traps and 3 medium traps in one go.

The advantage of having a map became apparent. He consulted it, placing traps in areas where animals frequently roamed.

To increase his chances of catching prey, he also placed bait inside.

One portion of mutant beast meat could yield three portions of bait. Cen An prepared thirty portions of bait, placing several in each trap.

The bait, heavy with the scent of blood, added an unusual note to the quiet, rain-soaked mountain forest.

Traps require patience. Cen An ran off to dig up a dozen bamboo shoots, then set his sights on the “fruit trees” marked on the map.

Having been here this long, he’d eaten meat several times, but fruit? Not even once.

He was craving it.

Since he had to wait anyway, Cen An decided to go take a look.