A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 330

In front of everyone, Demi grabbed one rock and smashed it against another. After a few quick hits, both stones started to split apart. She picked up two thin, jagged pieces and walked back toward the stunned group.

"Our teacher taught us this. If you're in the wild without a knife, you can make a stone blade," Demi said casually.

"He did say that," George nodded, taking one of the blades from her and examining it in awe. "But he also said the beginner method—just smashing rocks together—has a super high failure rate.

"Success is basically pure luck. Seriously, did you just smash a few times and get two perfect blades? And this one's sharp as hell!"

Chad took the other piece.

"I guess I got lucky." Demi smiled.

Once George and Chad had checked them out, the rest of the group passed them around, all wearing the same expression—disbelief and admiration.

The netizens began fangirling over Demi.

"Okay, seriously—what can't Demi do?"

"I thought they were gonna trade for supplies from Herne's team. I underestimated her again."

"She says it's luck, but come on... there's gotta be some secret technique, just like the way she started that fire last time."

"She surprises us every episode. What other hidden talents is she holding back?"

The stone knives were legitimately sharp. In no time, George and Chad had the chicken and rabbit completely cleaned and ready.

Everyone else got busy building a fire pit and prepping the other ingredients.

...

While Demi's team was already grilling meat, Herne's team was still struggling to light a fire.

"Maybe we should just trade for supplies with Demi's team," Thomas said, eyeing the smoke rising from the other team's camp.

"With what? We barely have anything. If we trade, we'll be out of luck," Ana frowned.

"We can give them the cookware. We'll eat grilled meat, too," Thomas insisted. "Our chicken's already prepped."

"Let's hang in there a little longer," Ana replied firmly.

Eventually, Herne did manage to get a fire going, and they started cooking.

"I'll do it. You guys take a break," Ana offered.

With the team's approval, she decided to make a pot of soup using seafood, wild greens, and mushrooms. The chicken was going on the grill.

But then came the issue—a big one. They didn't have any drinkable water.

Saltwater obviously wasn't an option—setting aside possible contamination, it was loaded with metal ions like magnesium and potassium. It was bad news for the body.

Everyone turned their eyes toward Demi's team and that barely-touched jug of clean water.

"We'd like to trade... half a jug of Demi's water," Herne called out to the staff.

"That's allowed." The staff nodded. "You'll need to negotiate with the other team."

Herne waved toward Demi's side. "Demi! Can we trade for half your water?"

She glanced at the jug, then replied, "Sure."

"What are you offering? Fresh water's gold out here," Maria said.

"You can pick one of our tools—the pot, the ladle, or the cleaver," Herne said after looking through their supplies. Honestly, that was all they really had to offer.

"We want the pot," Wendy said immediately.

"No way! If we give away the pot, how are we supposed to cook soup?" Ana objected.

"Don't forget—we still need a pot and clean water," Vivian reminded.

"Yeah, we got to have both." Harold nodded.

"If anyone spots a rabbit or chicken, don't rush it. Call everyone over. It's easier to trap them as a group," Herne said.

"I was about to suggest the same," Ollie agreed.

"Sounds good."

"Got it."

"Let's do that."

Everyone was on board with the idea.

Herne's team was on edge, laser-focused on catching something. Demi's group, on the other hand, was taking it easy. They knew they weren't going to starve as long as Demi was around.

While using the surround-and-trap method, Herne's team managed to catch a rabbit after about 30 minutes.

The group erupted in cheers.

Ana threw her hands up to celebrate—then suddenly felt a cold touch on the back of her hand, followed by a sharp sting. She froze for a split second, then instinctively looked down. The moment she saw it, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and started flailing her hand like crazy.

At the same time, a brightly colored snake—about as thick as a baby's arm—was flung from Ana's hand, landing near Vivian's right side.

Startled by Ana's scream, Vivian looked up just in time to see something flying straight at her. She instinctively covered her head, but the next thing she felt was a sudden chill on her arm—followed by a sharp, burning pain.

A second later, when she looked down and saw what it was, she screamed too—loud and panicked—flailing her arm in a frenzy.

Then, just as the terrifying snake was sent flying through the air again, a pale, slender hand reached out and caught it in midair without the slightest hesitation.

Everyone turned to look—and saw that it was Demi.