<h4>Chapter 110: Viin Simtor, Ch 109</h4>


    The orca, however, showed no sign of leaving. Instead, it circled a few more times as if waiting for Lucas to approach.


    "Could it be..." Lucas ventured, testing the waters, "you want to give me a ride?"


    "Ar-ar!"


    The orca nodded eagerly.


    "Well, I won''t say no, then!" Lucas leaped onto its back. "I''m counting on you!"


    [Skill: Ride Anything Activated—This creature is now designated as a mount.]


    Only then did Lucas recall that he possessed this strange talent, allowing him to consider any creature weaker than himself as a "mount," which he could then control skillfully.


    [Please name this mount. Upon naming, a contract will be established.]


    "Hmm, a name... Since it''s an orca..." Lucas mused, "I''ll call you Oga!"


    "Ar-ar!" The orca seemed to like its new name very much.


    [Mount sessfully acquired.]


    [Oga]


    [Grade: B]


    [Species: Orca]


    [Skills: High-speed Swim, Charge, Killer Whale Punch]


    [Description: A highly intelligent orca with a friendly disposition toward humans.]


    What is this, a Pokémon temte?


    And why does an orca have a skill called "Killer Whale Punch"? You don''t even have fists!


    Before Lucas couldin, Oga took off, swiftly swimming toward the location he had indicated. Its speed even outpaced a regr yacht by a considerable margin.


    The ocean breeze brushed against Lucas''s face, bringing him a sense offort so pleasant that he couldn''t help but shout with excitement.


    As apex predators, orcas had few enemies in the wild. Thus, their journey was smooth, with almost no obstacles in their path.


    Sure enough, before long, Lucas spotted his first missingpanion.


    A young girl with golden pigtailsy sprawled on the beach, looking rather worse for wear. Her luck seemedcking; she must have been randomly transported to the ocean near the ind, where the waves eventually carried her to shore.


    "It''s Barbara!" Lucas called out, quickly signaling Oga to stop. He jumped onto the shore and turned to the orca. "Could you look for the other two for me? I''d appreciate it!"


    "Ar!" Oga gave an affirmative nod and dove back into the water.


    "Barbara! Barbara!"


    Lucas gently shook her shoulder. Her face was pale—clearly, she had drowned.


    Without hesitating, he quickly untied the bow at the front of her swimsuit and began rhythmicpressions on her chest. After a few presses, Barbara spat out a mouthful of seawater and slowly regained consciousness.


    "Cough, cough..." Barbara hacked a few more times before she could speak. "What...happened?"


    "It''s the effect of the board—we were all split up," Lucas exined quickly. "I only managed to find you thanks to that orca."


    "How could this happen..." Barbara murmured, but her voice trailed off as she noticed a cool sensation at her chest. Looking down, she saw that the bow from her swimsuit was still hanging off Lucas''s arm.


    "Aah!"


    Barbara quickly covered her chest, her face flushed red. "You...what did you do to me?!"


    "Just CPR," Lucas replied calmly. "I only loosened your clothing to make sure your breathing wasn''t obstructed."


    Barbara, though embarrassed, was not unreasonable. Realizing that his actions were meant to save her, she lowered her head and extended a hand toward him, mumbling, "Anyway...please give it back."


    "Oh...right" Lucas realized what she meant and quickly returned the bow to her.


    "So..." Barbara, tying the bow back on, hesitated, then asked shyly, "Did you, um...touch anything?"


    "As you can see, the seawater didn''t magicallye out of your mouth on its own." Lucas didn''t hold back. "Rx, though—I didn''t feel anything."


    His response was meant to reassure her, but to Barbara, it sounded almost like an insult.


    "Oh, sure, sure," she replied, unimpressed. "You guys must prefer girls like my older sister with a more...mature figure."


    "Not necessarily," Lucas replied, trying to sound thoughtful. "Everyone''s taste is different. Think about it like dumplings: some people like big pork buns, others go for char siu buns, and some even prefer... soup dumplings."


    "Is that so..." Barbara murmured, narrowing her eyes as she pondered this. Then she caught herself and red at him. "Wait—who are you calling a soup dumpling!?"


    "I never said you were a soup dumpling!" Lucas shot back immediately. "If I had to pick, you''re more like a soup bun that''s lost its filling."


    Barbara wasn''t exactly as "in" as he''d said; he was just teasing her for fun.


    Barbara stomped her foot, shouting, "Fine, a soup bun is one thing, but saying it lost its filling is just too much...grr!" But her angry retort was cut off by a loud rumble from her stomach.


    "See what happens when you keep talking about dumplings?" she muttered, clutching her stomach with a miserable look. "Now I''m even hungrier than before."


    The gnawing hunger Barbara felt wasn''t from an empty stomach; it was a deeper, spiritual hunger, gnawing at her to the point she could hardly stand. Her vision blurred, her knees buckling.


    "Careful!" Lucas quickly caught her, concern filling his eyes. "Are you alright?"


    "... So hungry..." Barbara murmured weakly. "Do you... have any food?"


    Food?


    Lucas nced down at his swimsuit-d self, helplessly shrugging. "Do I look like I''ve got any food on me?"


    "I feel like... I''m about to starve," Barbara whispered dreamily. "I think... I see myte grandma, standing on a bridge, waving me over with a spicy hot pot... Grandma, wait for me..."


    "Hey, let''s not go that way!" Lucas shook her gently, trying to snap her back to her senses. "And don''t burn yourself on that hot pot!"


    At this rate, finding her something to eat would be best. But where? Ah! The Serenitea Pot! There must be food stored there.


    Even if the Raiden Mai didn''t need to eat, surely the Hilichurls couldn''t go without food.


    However, just as he prepared to enter the Serenitea Pot, a message appeared in midair:


    [Leaving this realm is not allowed until the game isplete.]


    So, there''s a restriction? But that made sense. The Serenitea Pot was only A-rank, while this storybook was S-rank. It seemed the pot''s "permissions" couldn''t override thetter.


    "Oh no... can''t... hold on..."


    Suddenly, a surge of strength swept over him. Starving Barbara had managed to muster up astonishing power and knocked Lucas t on the sand, pinning him down.


    Human potential truly was limitless— even gentle Barbara could pin him down when desperation kicked in.


    Drool trickled from Barbara''s lips,nding on Lucas''s chest.


    "So... hungry..."


    Her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes, but he could see a faint red glow shining through. "I... need food!"


    "W-Wait!" Lucas stammered. "Barbara, stay with me! Th-that..."


    ...


    "Mmm..."


    When Barbara opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in her favorite snack shop.


    A golden light cast a dreamlike glow over everything.


    And all around her were delicious, mouth-watering snacks.


    "Barbara?" Jean''s gentle voice drifted over. "You''ve been working so hardtely. Go on, pick out anything you''d like— it''s on me."


    "Mm-hm!"


    Barbara nodded eagerly, reaching into the freezer and pulling out a bright red popsicle, her face lighting up. "I can''t believe it! A super-spicy cheese-filled ice cream bar! Sister, can I have this?"


    "Of course." Jean smiled. "You can have as many as you''d like."


    "Here I go!"


    Barbara tore open the wrapper and took a big lick. The fiery spice, mixed with the creamy cheese vor, was oddly satisfying.


    She took a nibble but found it surprisingly tough, so she could only gaze longingly at the cheese filling inside.


    "Sister..." Barbara pouted. "Why is this popsicle so hard? It seems like it''ll never melt."


    "It''s a new brand," Jean exined. "I think it''s called... Bell Rock. I heard you could hold it over a fire, and it still wouldn''t melt. It takes a while to get to the filling."


    "No problem! I''m determined to finish it!" With renewed resolve, Barbara bit down, giving it her all.


    After over twenty minutes of intense effort, she finally wore down the tough shell. The cheesy cream filling burst onto her tongue, rich and delicious.


    The vor was a bit strange but... unexpectedly good!


    Greedily finishing off the cheesy filling, Barbara reached for another treat, but the dream around her started spinning, the scene peeling apart.


    "No, wait! Sister! More ice cream! Don''t leave me!"


    ...


    With a start, Barbara sat up, her scream fading into the salty breeze.


    There were no snacks, no Jean, only the vast ocean and Lucas.


    "You''re... finally awake," Lucas said, looking somewhat drained. "Feeling any better?"


    "Weirdly enough..." Barbara touched her stomach, surprised. "I don''t feel as hungry anymore."


    "Yes... yes, that''s it!" Lucas quickly exined. "When you passed out, I gathered some oysters and mashed up the meat to feed you."


    Oysters?


    Barbara wrinkled her nose; no wonder her mouth tasted faintly of seafood.


    "Is that so?" Though she often had issues with Lucas, Barbara felt a deep gratitude for his continuous help. Nodding, she said, "Thank you."


    "No problem!" Lucas stood, though his steps were unsteady. "We''re all in this together now."


    "Are you okay?" As a deaconess, Barbara could see something was off about him. "You look a bit weak. Are you feeling alright?"


    Weak?


    Well, wasn''t that her fault?


    Did she think the "food" he fed her was really oyster juice?


    It had actually been sea cucumber.


    But Lucas wasn''t about to tell her the truth. She''d probably be mortified.


    "I''m fine," he replied, shaking his head. "I''ll just go gather some more food. After a break, let''s continue searching for Jean and Klee."


    "Hold on." Barbara stepped closer, cing her hands on his shoulders.


    A blue glow pulsed from her palms, and Lucas felt as if cool water was washing over him, refreshing him and vanquishing all the fatigue from his body.


    "Huh?"


    Before Lucas could say anything, Barbara frowned. "Odd... My healing feels... stronger than before?"


    Barbara possessed a "Hydro Vision."


    Among the seven elemental Visions, each had its own unique characteristics: Geo typically focused on defense, Anemo on speed, and Hydro, like Barbara''s, on healing.


    People who awakened Hydro Visions often dedicated their abilities to support and healing.


    Barbara was no exception. She had healed countless people suffering from wounds and illness, so she had a good grasp of her healing powers.


    Yet when she used her skill on Lucas just now, she clearly sensed a far more potent force welling up from within her than ever before.


    ----


    Author''s Note: Ooops.. Sorry forte Chapter


    Biker''s Fault... I mean WN''s fault