Elemental Cats

The island of trees had been a lot smaller when Toz and the cats first entered the Void. And it wasn't weird that such a small piece of unnoticeable wood didn't attract a lot of void beasts. At that point, the group also hadn't learned how to discern what the various spots of light in the distance were. So it was very likely that they had been drifting close to swarms of void beasts who just weren't interested in the island.

However, now that they had spent a lot of time in the Void and gotten used to the environment, Toz and the cats could tell that every single source of light in their surroundings was a star.

No one noticed it at first, or if they thought about it once, they didn't think about it twice. They had entered an area of the Void without void beasts. And since they still had an abundant storage of food, they didn't have to worry about it. But as time passed and the food dwindled, Mindle wasn't the only one wondering where all the void beasts were.

There was still a heap of food left which would last some time, hopefully until the next time void beasts attacked them. But they still decided to begin rationing what was left. The Void was notoriously unpredictable, and it would be a shame if they starved because they were confident they would be attacked by void beasts again.

Since most of the island's inhabitants weren't doing any strenuous exercise, the smaller portions each time they ate didn't leave them any hungrier than usual. The one exception was Joan, who was working with vigor on Toz's coat as much as she could.

The others understood her situation. And how she didn't exactly have anything else to do, so she still got almost a regular size portion. If they had been on the verge of running out of food, Joan wouldn't have gotten that much, but since they had a lot and Joan was the only one, no one minded the preferential treatment aside from Joan herself.

The only reason Joan accepted and ate the plate of void meat was that she knew she needed it to do her best while trying to figure out how to fix or make Toz's coat. The repeated reaffirmations and the addition that Joshua would get to eat his fill also made it easier for her to accept the decision. Since Joshua was a growing boy, no one minded that either. The suggestion to eat less was just a precaution in case they don't encounter any void beasts for quite some time.

Toz and the others didn't have a solution or know the reason why there weren't any void beasts close to them. So the only thing they could do was continue what they were doing while keeping a vigilant watch over their surroundings.

None of them were overly familiar with the nature of the void beasts and life in the Void in general, but Toz, the cats, and the two pirates were all at least slightly familiar with the habits of wild beasts.

And from what they knew, there were only a few reasons that could make beasts completely vacate a larger area.

The place was inhospitable, and most beasts weren't able to survive there. But there were usually stubborn or rare beasts who could survive even the harshest of conditions that could be found in places where other beasts didn't even think of stepping foot. Toz and the others hadn't noticed anything different with the region of the Void they were drifting through, but it might be something that only affects void beasts.

Another situation was something that Toz and the cats encountered a while ago when Mindle's egg began showing signs of waking up. Most likely due to sensing the incoming disaster, that was the Scorched Earth Rats. Mindle's egg had been so rich and full of pure fire mana. It would have served as a great tonic for any beast that managed to get its hands on it. Her egg's attraction had been enough to draw away a multitude of beasts and leave the other regions of First Ignition mostly empty of wild beasts.

And then there was the case where the area wasn't accommodating to beasts, not because of the environment itself, but due to another factor. A predator was scaring all the other beasts away. And if the predator was scary enough to intimidate even the high level brainless jellyfish, the island might be in a pickle.

Although Toz and the rest of the island's inhabitants might not be enough to take down something frightening enough to empty out an entire area of the Void even if they see it in advance, maintaining vigilance was all they could do in their current situation.

The anxiety on the island was on the rise as the food dwindled, and there were still no signs of any replenishments coming to visit the island. They weren't in a state of emergency just yet. And compared to when Toz and the cats first entered the Void, they had a lot of time left before they began starving for real.

However, Joan and Joshua began eating just as little as the others.

Toz focused more on training his mana than on improving his mastery over the fireball spell. He didn't get hungry as quickly while training, so it made it easier for him to eat less and increase how long their supply of food would last. Joan also wasn't working quite as hard anymore and, aside from occasionally fiddling with the enchantments and fabric, spent most of her time watching Joshua play and train with his bubbles.

While Joshua could convert and absorb mana to train, he had discovered that it wasn't quite as effective as when Toz or one of the cats did it. At first, he wondered if it was due to the difference in talent, but when Toz watched him train for a few moments, that option was ruled out. Toz could sense that Joshua was far from reaching his potential in how quickly he could train his mana, and he wasn't just a few notches slower than Toz and the cats. If Joshua continued at the same pace as he had trained with since he first awakened his inclination, it could take almost several years for him to reach the next level, and it would only take more time for each level.

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