As Kit examined the scroll, he noticed that it was made of a thick cloth. The material appeared old and worn, with water marks and frayed edges. Kit ran his hand along its length, feeling the coarse texture under his fingertips.

A musty smell emanated from the scroll, causing him to wrinkle his nose. It was sealed shut with a red wax seal, imprinted with a bird in flight. Despite his nerves causing his hands to shake, Kit was desperate to see what lay inside. “My hands are trembling too much, I don't think I can open it without causing harm."

"Don't risk damaging the wax seal with your bare hands. Use your knife as a letter opener instead. We can wait until you calm down." Kit looked over at Mars and saw that he was just as thrilled as he was. He noticed the tremor in Mars' hands and the delighted expression on his face as they both gazed at the scroll before them.

Mars wanted to be an adventurer, so this must be just as thrilling for him. Kit sat on the ground, attempting to calm his nerves through meditation. Snowball, sat quietly by his side, knowing not to interrupt. As he slowly regained a sense of serenity, Kit retrieved his knife from his inventory. With steady hands, he carefully slid it under the wax seal and lifted it off the parchment.

Unfurling the scroll cautiously, trying not to damage its contents. Mars radiating excitement at what was about to unfold. On one side of the parchment was a map of terrain with a C-shaped row of mountains and a lake at its foot.

There was also a distinctive rock formation resembling a sleeping cat and a forest bordering it. A small red cross marked halfway up the second tallest mountain.

The other side of the parchment revealed three smaller maps depicting different levels of an enormous area. Each level was a complex maze of tunnels and rooms, making it easy to get lost without a map.

A red cross could be found on each level, and above all three maps were the words "Black winged fire bird cave." Kit pondered if this was just a section or the entire cave system within the massive mountain.

In the top right corner was a glowing gold ring encircling a black bird in flight with red flames trailing behind it; the same symbol imprinted into the wax seal. As Kit ran his finger over it, his finger stuck to the paper and heat began to radiate from the image. The pain intensified until intense heat burst out crawling up his finger all the way to his wrist, leaving behind a burnt symbol on his wrist.

Dumbfounded, Kit couldn't make sense of what had just happened for a moment.

Ding!

[Monak’s Treasure, Epic item]

Many knew Monak as a renowned explorer, but there were rumours that he had turned to thievery. His most infamous act was said to be the stealing of the Blue Bonzart pearl, the prized possession of the southern shifter tribe known as the Bonzarts. Legend had it that this pearl granted them the ability to transform into fierce beasts at will, making them the dominant force among all desert tribes.

"SWEET POTATOES! It's a treasure map!" Kit's eyes widened as he gazed at the old, faded parchment. The pain in his wrist was forgotten in his excitement. "MARS, we have a treasure map!"

His joy erupted, and his hands began to shake while his heart raced. A huge grin spread across his face, and he couldn't stop the laughter of pure elation that burst from his lips. This feeling was something Kit never wanted to forget.

Tears of happiness welled up in his eyes as he turned to Mars, eager to share the thrilling news. But Mars sat motionless, staring blankly at the map.

"Mars, are you okay?" Kit shook Mars' shoulder to snap him out of it. Slowly, Mars turned towards him with a blank expression before turning back to the map.

"Haha! The big pirate rooster can't comprehend the treasure map. This should be amusing once his brain turns back on." As if on cue, Mars' eyes lit up with understanding and he tackled Kit to the ground.

"KIT, IT'S A TREASURE MAP! A FUCKING TREASURE MAP!" Mars eyes held crazed elation. "Shit, is the map, okay?" Mars quickly checked that Kit still had a tight grip on the map. Once he confirmed it was safe, Mars let out another explosion of excitement. "WE ARE GOING ON A FUCKING ADVENTURE!"

Finally calming down from their ecstatic high, Mars rolled off Kit and began laughing like a maniac. Snowball joined in on the fun, bouncing around them both. It took some time for them to settle down from their happy frenzy.

"Mars, if we find this treasure, I can finally open my restaurant wherever I want. Money won't hold me back anymore. And maybe I can even afford to bring my sister along too!" Kit couldn't contain his enthusiasm.

"Slow down, Kit. It won't be that easy. We don't even know where in the world this map leads, or how old it is. There's no date on it. The treasure could have already been found or it might not even exist." Mars felt guilty for bursting both of their bubbles, but he had to be realistic.

After hearing Mars thoughts Kit felt a slight dint in his high, “Do you think it will even be possible to find this place then?” Kit looked at the map without written details of its location. CAL was vast, they could be looking for an eternity.

Mars started chuckling at Kit drooping eyes, “I said it won’t be easy, not impossible. Besides we have some clues to follow. We know this is Monak's map, and he was a famous adventurer, so we can research him. And we have the name of the cave. But we also have to be careful; we don't know if the map is legitimate or just a trap."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Mars reassured Kit with a pat on the shoulder and a warm smile. Though his excitement had dimmed slightly, Kit held onto the map tightly and was determined to find the treasure, even if it meant facing countless embarrassing deaths.

Looking at Mars, Kit could see that he was also eager for an adventure. Perhaps Mars didn't want to get too worked up and was holding back due to his past experiences. But Kit didn't want to dampen his excitement - they joined this game to have fun!

"Mars, who cares about being realistic? We have a treasure map! We are going to be rich!" Stated Kit firmly.

Mars' eyes glittered once again with excitement. “Hell yes, we are! Once we get back, I'll make a list of everything we need for our journey.”

“Okay, I’ll start by asking Iris if she knows anything about Monak. We should head back anyways to sell our items and help with the dinner service for the last time. Snowball, do you want to come with me?” Snowball let out an excited yap before pausing and looking back into the forest behind him. He then turned his attention back to Kit.

“He seems unsure what to do, Kit.” Stated Mars.

Kit thought for a moment before addressing the little fluff ball. "Snowball, do you have someone you need to say goodbye to first?"

The tiny dog barked and bounced around in response. "I'll take that as a yes. How about I come find you tomorrow so you can decide if you want to join us?"

Snowball waddled over to Kit and nudged his leg. Kit bent down and gave Snowball a pat. "I'll see you tomorrow, my cute little friend."

Snowball licked Kit's hand before scampering off into the darkness. Kit hoped he would be able to find him again tomorrow; he really wanted Snowball as his pet. As he wiped his hand to remove any slobber, Kit felt a slight sting on his wrist where he had been burned earlier.

"Oh right, I forgot to show Mars my new mark." Thought Kit.

He pulled up his sleeve and showed the symbol on his wrist to Mars. "Is that the same symbol from the map? How did it get on your wrist?" Mars turned his wrist getting a good look at the tattoo from all angles. Kit explained what had happened.

"I'm not sure why it burned onto your skin, but we should cover it up. We don't want anyone seeing it and recognising what it is." Mars pulled out a first aid kit and found a white bandage sticker to cover the symbol and hide it from view.

"That should work for now. We'll need to get you a wrist guard to cover it properly. Damn, now I want a mark on my body too." Mars pouted while looking at the sticker. Kit couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

"Let's head back. We have a lot to do before we leave, including helping with dinner service tonight like we promised Iris." Kit reminded Mars.

Before returning to the Inn Kit turned in his harvest from the forest and earned 210 bronze crowns. He had decided not to sell the stones he traded with Snowball; Mars thought it would be better to wait until they were in a city so they could get them appraised first.

"Mars always gives good advice. If it weren't for him, I probably would have run back to the village and exposed my map. Or worse, put myself at risk of being robbed by selling those stones in a small village. I'm lucky to have met such a nice guy on my first day playing this game." Kit thought.

They arrived back at the inn with some time before dinner service. Mars went off to ask around town about Monak, and Kit headed straight to the bar where Iris was. "Hi Iris, how was your day?"

"Good, Kit. And yours? Anything exciting happen in the forest?" Iris queried.

"It was okay; unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to use my new sword. But hey, there's always tomorrow. Speaking of which, have you ever heard of an adventurer named Monak?" Kit kept the details of his adventure today to himself, both to save himself from embarrassment and in case someone overheard and tried to steal his map.

“Congratulations on your new sword. It looks like you did well in the forest if you didn’t have to use it. Monak...the name sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. Is he a current or former adventurer?”

“I'm not sure, unfortunately I didn't get much information about him.” Kit sighed, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to get any information on the adventure easily.

"Well, if he's still an adventurer, you can look him up at the guild and send him a message there. If he's a famous retired adventurer, you can find information about him at the library in Flower Fields town, which is about a three-day walk from here." Kit felt his excitement roar listening to Iris, he now had another led!

As Kit thought about Iris words another realisation came to him, he would be leaving tomorrow. Kit became a little sad at the thought of parting with Iris. he would miss her warm smile. Before they left, Kit decided to ask Iris for some advice. Now that they were friends, he felt comfortable asking her about opening his own restaurant.

"Thank you so much, Iris. I actually want to open my own restaurant one day. Do you have any advice for me?" Kit shifted his whole attention to the middle aged lady, he didn’t want to miss a single thing related to restaurant information.

"Hmm, my biggest tip would be to make sure you buy a large plot of land. That way, as your restaurant grows and upgrades, you'll have more space to work with. I know a few owners who regretted buying a smaller plot because of this factor. And also, invest in hiring a good server - they are the face of the business and will interact with your customers the most."

"Thank you, Iris. I'll definitely remember that." Kit was very thankful for any advice.

"And when you do open your restaurant, please send me an invitation! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Iris smiled warmly at Kit.

“Of curse I will!” Just as Kit replied, a customer hollered for Iris. Kit decided not to bother Iris further and moved to a vacant table to wait for Mars.

While waiting Kit noticed that the hole in his pants had gotten bigger. "I can't believe I forgot about the hole. I should fix it now while I remember."

He took out a needle and thread from his inventory and sat down, placing his foot on his opposite thigh to reach the hole easily. Sewing was something he had plenty of practice with, so he wasn't worried about doing a bad job.

After stitching up the hole, he examined his pant leg and was satisfied with the result - it was barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

Ding!

[Skill learnt: Novice Stitching]

Player can make basic repairs to clothes. Player can now fix all the holes he makes in his clothes!

+ 3 Agility

+ 2 Intelligence

Another useful skill to add to my collection for future adventures. As Kit stashed away his needle and thread, a new batch of customers walked in. Mars followed close behind them and Kit greeted him with a wave before grabbing his apron and heading over to take their order.

The night progressed in a similar fashion to previous nights, with both Kit and Mars kept busy throughout their shift. Despite his face hurting from constantly smiling, Kit couldn't contain his excitement to use the magical food platter.

As closing time approached, Kit was grateful that his shift was finally coming to an end. Just as on previous nights, Kai returned before Iris closed shop.