Kit handed sandwiches to his two visitors and ushered them out the door. He then joined Kat on the couch, feeling anxious about telling his sister that he had quit his job. They had finally managed to stabilise their finances, but now he wouldn't be contributing a steady income.

Before logging out of CAL, Kit briefly checked the restaurant's previous sales and discovered a sharp decline in revenue that hadn’t recovered for over a month. As a result, he was unable to earn enough to supplement his wage from his job at this time.

"Kat, I quit my job," Kit blurted out, feeling a mix of anxiety and relief. He hadn't intended to be so direct, but there was no way to sugarcoat it.

"Congratulations!" Kat exclaimed, leaning over to give him a tight hug. "My little Kitty is becoming quite the savvy businessman. And when Mars offered you that big chunk of money from your restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised at how much you had earned."

Kit's heart stopped as Kat spoke, a sense of dread crawling up his spine. "Your restaurant is thriving, so covering your portion of the expenses won't be an issue. Too bad my new job doesn't pay as well, or I could still treat myself." Kat locked her shining eyes onto Kit. "But soon enough, my little brother will be making bank and can spoil me!"

Kit's face drained of colour as he remembered Kat's reduced earnings from her new job. They had only paid rent for the next two weeks with the money he received from Mars. His hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He considered lying to his sister about the restaurant's profits, but quickly dismissed the thought.

With lowered eyes, Kit recounted all that had happened in the game while he was away. The room fell silent when he finished speaking, and Kit anxiously waited for Kat's response. A deep sigh broke the stillness, and then a small hand slipped under his own. "Kit, I have faith in you. Just do your best to get your restaurant back on track."

Kit's eyes lifted in surprise, and he felt a warmth spread through their clasped hands. His sister, Kat, truly was the best. "Thank you so much, Kat. I promise I won't let you down." She playfully ruffled his hair before sending him off to top up her snacks.

Kit couldn't help but smile as he hugged his sister goodbye, feeling grateful for such an amazing sibling. After restocking the refrigerator for Kat, Kit headed downstairs to meet his friends. As soon as he knocked on the door, it swung open as soon as his knuckles rapped on the door.

Peaches grabbed Kit's arm and pulled him into the room with an urgent look in his eyes. "I can't continue reading this book, Mars. Kit wants us to go back into CAL immediately. Right, Kit?" Kit surveyed the small apartment that was a mirror image of his own.

His gaze landed on two hand-bound books sitting on the table. He had a feeling he knew what they contained. "Yes, we have to go back right away. I'll log in within five minutes." Before anyone could intervene, Kit hurried out the door, said goodbye to Kat, and logged back into CAL.

Kit's eyes snapped open to a still room, and he immediately scanned the space for Snowball. Disappointment washed over him as his faithful companion was nowhere to be found. Before frustration could fully set in, Cadbury sauntered into the room. "Time to go, Kit. Everyone is waiting for you at the training grounds."

Kit's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. How did Cadbury know he had just returned? He had only logged in a moment ago.

Cadbury caught onto his expression and flashed a mischievous grin. "As your knight, I will always sense when you have completed your CAL duty and returned to this realm."

Kit mulled over this new information, realising it could either be a blessing or a curse for the twins to always know of his arrival. But before he could dwell on it further, Cadbury was already heading out the door.

As he left his bedroom, Mars and Peaches joined him in the hallway, and they all made their way down to the training grounds. A shrill cry caught Kit's attention, and he saw a new addition to the area - a large enclosure with unfamiliar creatures inside. Crackers was darting around, evading balls of fire that were being spat out by the creatures. "You evil old man! Get me out of here!" Crackers shouted at Grandpa, who was thoroughly enjoying himself. "Just three more minutes," Grandpa chuckled.

Kit's face lit up in surprise as he watched Crackers' furious expression. He quickly scanned the rest of the training grounds and his eyes widened in shock. A third of his staff were scattered around, practicing in various areas.

"I never expected the training grounds to be this popular," Kit said with a hint of amazement.

"Everyone is trying to secure a spot for the expedition to the Devouring Ranges, except for Crackers." Cadbury informed him.

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Confusion washed over Kit. "Expedition? To the Devouring Ranges? What's that all about?" Had something happened while he was away from the game?

Cadbury raised an eyebrow at Kit's question. "Don't tell me you're not planning on going to the Devouring Ranges soon?"

Kit's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wait, you're all coming with me?" He started to shake his head in refusal. He had only planned on taking a small group: Mars, Twix, Grandpa, Peaches, and Snickers.

But Cadbury was insistent. "No, if you're going into the Devouring ranges, Dove and I will be joining you. It's non-negotiable." Kit opened his mouth to argue, but he could feel Doves' piercing gaze on him and he quickly changed his mind. After all, Cadbury had proven himself trustworthy enough for Kit to share the map with him. And Dove was a skilled and experienced member of their team. The pressure emanating from the two men was palpable.

Kit couldn't help but laugh at Cadbury's insistence, even though he knew it would be pointless to refuse. He could tell from the determined look on Cadbury's face that he and Dove would just follow him anyway. Resigning himself to their involvement, Kit decided it was time to share the secret of the map. After all, Cadbury and Dove were like his loyal knights, and he felt he could trust them with this information.

"I recommend taking at least one more employee with us, Kit," Cadbury suggested. "It will not only encourage their training, but also boost morale."

Kit felt a twinge of guilt at Cadbury's words. He knew they weren't meant as a dig towards him, but he couldn't deny that the dip in staff morale was partially due to his extended absence. He had caught glimpses of unease in his employees' eyes while he was away.

Mars had informed him that they often worried about whether Kit would ever return and if the restaurant would close down without him. None of them wanted that to happen, so they had worked extra hard in his absence.

A shaky breath escaped Kit's lips as he replied, "I want to say yes, Cadbury, but I can't. There are still some employees I don't know very well yet, so I wouldn't feel comfortable taking them along." It pained him that he couldn't fully trust all of his employees yet.

Cadbury pursed his lips thoughtfully, "I highly doubt you'll have to worry about that. I can already tell that Cupcake, Bundt, or Mud will be our chosen employee for this mission. They all possess impressive skills and a relentless determination to come out on top."

The three of them were Kit's original employees, and they had earned his trust over time. "Well, if it's one of them, then that would be fine with me."

Kit scanned the training grounds for the three mentioned employees and spotted them all competing on the obstacle course. His eyebrow raised in surprise when he saw Mud trip Bundt, only for Bundt to retaliate by throwing something at Mud and causing him to fall. He observed their playful behaviour for a moment before shifting his gaze elsewhere.

Eventually, his eyes drifted back to the new pen nearby. "By the way, what is the purpose of those creatures?" He knew that Grandpa wouldn't have added the pen without reason.

"Those are the Fire spitting furry bloms. Grandpa brought them in to help us improve our dodge skills." Cadbury chuckled as he watched Crackers jokingly raise a fist towards Grandpa. "Looks like Crackers is almost finished, then it's your turn."

Kit took a step back and shook his head vigorously. "No thanks, I think I'll just head to the obstacle course." The thought of being around the fiery creatures didn't sound appealing to Kit; he wasn't in the mood to get singed today.

"Nonsense, come on!" Cadbury grabbed Kit's arm and pulled him towards the pen.

After Kit's training session was over, he had gone through five healing potions. Those damn Fire spitting furry bloms were experts at predicting his movements. It felt like they could read his mind!

As they prepared to leave, Mars approached him. "I talked to Grandpa about speeding things up; he's taking us to a place with higher level monsters. We'll be gone for three days, but by the end of it, you should reach level 99."

A wave of relief rushed over him. The test wouldn't be too far away now. The three days passed quickly and when they returned, a stranger was knocking on the boarding house door.

"Hello, can I help you?" Kit asked.

The middle-aged man with streaks of grey in his bushy brown hair turned. "Ah, hello there young man! I'm looking for my apprentice. Does someone named Mars live here?"

"You must be his instructor. Mars will be back soon; he was just dropping off his horse. Come inside and wait if you'd like. I'm Kit, by the way." Kit opened the door and went to usher the man inside.

Kit's senses tingled with a sudden feeling of danger, causing him to immediately turn and see a silver blur hurtling towards his face. With wide eyes, he swiftly dodged to the side, grateful for the gruelling training he had undergone. Otherwise, he knew he wouldn't have been able to react in time.

The blur of silver turned out to be a sword that struck the front door with a loud clang, snapping Kit out of his surprise. He was now face-to-face with a middle-aged man who had a steely gaze fixed on him before lunging forward. Without hesitation, Kit started sprinting at full speed towards Mars' house. If this was the instructor Mars had warned him about, then he truly was insane!

As Kit ran, he couldn't help but yell for Mars' help. He could feel the madman hot on his heels as he shouted, "Mars! Help me! Your instructor is crazy, he's trying to kill me!"

At that moment, Mars stepped out from behind his house with his own sword drawn. "Get behind me," he commanded. "He won't give up easily." Kit quickly followed Mars' instructions and watched as his friend engaged in a fierce sword fight with the madman.

Kit's eyes widened as he watched the chaotic fight unfold. It was clear that neither of them were fighting fair; Mars attempted to gouge the man's eyes while the instructor aimed for a kick to the groin. All of this was happening amidst clashing swords.

Kit was initially fascinated by their skill and agility, but after thirty minutes of watching, he grew bored. He couldn't believe they were still going at it. "I think I'll head back to the boarding house now," he said. "Mars, make sure you don't let this guy inside if he's going to try to kill me."

"Don't worry, Kit. We won't let him in," Mars replied, narrowly avoiding another attack.

"Hey! Don't talk like I'm not here! I told you I won't try to kill you!" The man's protests fell on deaf ears as both Mars and Kit ignored him. Kit knew better than to trust anything coming out of that crazy man's mouth.