The red stone in Kit's hand glowed with a pulsing energy. Its rhythm quickened until it was practically throbbing in his palm. Suddenly, the stone began to disintegrate, crumbling into a fine powder that trailed through the air like a crimson mist.

Kit took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he watched the swirling powder drift towards him. As it entered his mouth, panic set in. Had he made a mistake? But before he could do anything, a tingling sensation erupted in his chest and spread throughout his body. With each beat of his heart, it grew stronger, making him feel like tiny ants were crawling under his skin.

The sensation continued to intensify, reaching a point where Kit couldn't bear it anymore. He gasped in pain and thought he might not survive it. Suddenly, the pain exploded from his chest and red threads shot out from his body towards Snowball.

The dog was engulfed in the threads and disappeared from sight. A heart-wrenching yip was heard before the threads dissipated into red crystal powder. The air around Snowball seemed frozen in time, with red particles suspended in mid-air.

Then, with a whoosh, time resumed and the particles flew towards Kit and Snowball. Kit observed as the fine powder covered every visible patch of his skin before slowly dissolving into it.

Ding!

[Hoarder of precious things]

A unique hybrid beast mixed with the blood of a mythic beast. It finds hidden treasures by instinct. When fully grown will develop a pocket dimension to store it precious treasures.

Name: Snowball

Bonded to player Kit.

Kit's jaw dropped in amazement. Snowball was truly extraordinary. He was a skilled treasure hunter, which explained his exceptional tracking abilities. Kit gazed down at the small ball of fur and wondered how long it would take for him to reach full size.

One day, Snowball would have his very own pocket dimension. How useful that would be. He would never have to worry about someone stealing his pouch again. And he could even store living creatures inside. Snowball was like a walking storage unit.

"Snowball, I had no idea you were this incredible!" Kit exclaimed with joy.

He scooped up Snowball and showered him with kisses. In response, Snowball yipped excitedly. But even with his amazing abilities, the best part for Kit was the official bond between them. It made his heart swell with love and affection for his furry companion.

Snowball was now Kit's! He would have the little ball of joy by his side for all of his time in CAL. Even if Snowball came with no other abilities, this one fact was like a precious treasure to Kit. Snowball was an amazing treasure on his own, and Kit wouldn't trade him for anything else in all of CAL.

"Snowball, we are officially family now."

Kit continued to hold onto the fluffy creature in a tight embrace.

"Family? You consider him family. Do you even understand what you're saying?" The moon sphynx looked at Kit with a shocked expression.

Kit's elation at gaining Snowball was momentarily interrupted by the white cat's words.

"Of course. Snowball is more than just a pet; he is family." Kit remembered how Snowball had worried about him and comforted him after the death fish incident. To Kit, that was what family was supposed to do. So in his eyes, Snowball was family.

Kit felt a warm sensation on his skin after speaking to the white cat. He glanced down and noticed the red crystal powder that had disappeared earlier had returned, sparkling on his arms. But just as quickly, it vanished again.

Kit raised his eyebrows in surprise, not understanding what had just happened. He went back to petting Snowball.

"You're an odd human," remarked the cat. "I can see why he chose to bond with you, even though you're a bit slow."

Ignoring the insult, Kit replied, "Thanks."

"It will soon be time for you to depart. Until you find a piece of land to bring back, you can only enter the grove for 24 hours every three months," informed the cat.

Kit assessed the ingredients he had gathered, wondering if they would be enough to sustain his stall for three months. He believed he had enough, but if he ran out, there was nothing he could do about it. It was time to prepare for their journey to the forsaken state.

"Thank you... I'm sorry, I don't actually know your name," Kit said timidly.

"My name is Bai yue master," replied the cat with a slight bow.

Kit felt uncomfortable being addressed as "master." He didn't want anyone to feel subservient to him.

"Actually, can you just call me Kit? The title makes me uneasy. Can we just be friends?" he asked sincerely.

Bai yue gave him a puzzled look before bowing his head in acquiescence. Kit wasn't sure if the cat truly understood his request. Snowball, on the other hand, was barking excitedly at Bai yue.

“I would be honoured to be Kit’s friend.” The white threads on Kit’s wrist glowed and then disappeared.

Kit smiled, knowing they had just changed their agreement verbally, as he had done with Snickers. “Thank you, Bai yue,” he said with relief. Now he wouldn’t have to endure being called "master."

With things settled between them, Kit felt it was time to leave. “We’ll depart now. We have preparations to make for our journey to the forsaken state,” announced Kit.

“Kit is going to the Forsaken state?” The white cat sounded surprised once again.

“Yes, we have some business to take care of there.” Kit replied vaguely.

“In that case, I will see my friend Kit once he has acquired some land.” Bai yue dismissed him with a blink of his sapphire eyes. Kit thought the white cat might have something else to say about the forsaken state, but he seemed to be mistaken.

With a nod to the white cat, Kit and his companions made their way back to the cave entrance, ready to leave the pocket dimension. Surprisingly, they didn't encounter any monsters on their journey back to town.

As they passed by the stalls near the western gate, Curt spotted them and approached with a hopeful expression. "Do you have anything for me?" he asked eagerly.

Kit chuckled and pulled out three bottles of the special Moon juice that had helped them defeat the creatures earlier. He was grateful for Curt's helpful information. Raising an eyebrow, Curt accepted the glass bottles and opened one to take a sip. His eyes widened in surprise at the taste.

Ding!

Reputation with guard Curt has increased 40 points.

Player Kit is now friends with guard Curt.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“How did you make this? I've missed the taste of it. The aftertaste is so unique,” Curt exclaimed, eyeing the bottle with hesitation.

Kit chuckled, knowing that Curt hadn't tasted this drink in a long time. He was certain that the flavour would be different from what Curt remembered.

“If you ever need anything, just let me know. I'll help if I can,” Curt stated with a smile.

“Thank you, Curt. I'm glad you're enjoying the drink,” Kit replied with a smile of his own.

Curt nodded, “I have to get back to my post. See you tomorrow when you set up your stall.”

Before Kit could explain that he wouldn't be here tomorrow, Curt had already left. Kit gazed at Mars and wondered what he should do next.

”What now?”

Mars suggested, "We should make a stop at the market to gather all the needed supplies. Then, we can head back to the Inn and finalise our plan before logging out."

After their trip to the market, Kit felt completely drained of energy. He collapsed onto the bed in their shared room, his face landing on the soft pillow.

"Don't lay down or you'll fall asleep," warned Mars.

Kit mustered up enough energy to sit up. "I know. Let's decide when we should log back in so we enter the game together."

"I have about an hour left before I'm kicked out for too much gameplay time. In real time, it'll be around 7 am," Mars thought aloud. "I won't be able to log back in until 7 am two days from now."

After much contemplation, Kit decided on logging in at 7am. This would give him time to take care of any tasks he may have forgotten about before diving back into the virtual world. As an early riser, Kit usually woke up at 6am.

"I think 7am is a good time to log in. What do you think?" Kit asked Mars.

"Sounds perfect," Mars replied with a grin stretching from ear to ear. "I'll log out now since I'm close to the forced logout time. See you in two days."

Kit nodded as Mars' body began to shimmer and fade away, leaving him alone in the room with Snowball. The small dog let out a whimper, but Kit reassured him that they would only be gone for six days and would return shortly.

"Snowball, how about you go stay with Bai yue while we're away? I'm sure he would love the company," Kit suggested, hugging his furry companion tightly. He was worried about leaving Snowball alone, the dog would fret so he wanted someone to keep him company during their absence.

Snowball cocked his head to the side, appearing lost in thought at Kit's question. Then, with a small yip, the little dog responded. Kit couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable creature.

"Okay then, it's settled. I’ll disappear for six days, just like Mars, I’ll disappear from sight. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," Kit reassured Snowball, who responded with another yip. Kit patted him affectionately and felt a pang of reluctance to leave. He knew he would miss Snowball during his two-day absence.

Suddenly, Kit hugged Snowball tightly, overcome with emotion at the thought of leaving him behind. Snowball sensed his owner's feelings and began licking his face tenderly. It made Kit even more reluctant to part with the little fluff ball, knowing that he understood Kit without words.

Kit took a deep breath, realising that if he didn't leave soon, it would only become harder to say goodbye. He gave Snowball a final kiss on the head and one last hug before placing him on the bed. "Take care and stay with Bai yue while I'm gone, okay?"

Snowball let out a soft yip and nudged Kit gently. This small gesture of comfort from the fluffy black creature almost brought tears to Kit's eyes. He steeled his determination to log out now, and he pulled up his menu to initiate the process.

As he was about to start logging out, Kit noticed some new tabs that were now available. One for companions and another for contracts. He decided to save exploring these tabs for when he logged back in later. He didn't want to risk losing track of time and being late to meet up with Mars and Snowball in the game. Kit searched for the logout option but couldn't find it anywhere among the tabs. Maybe he needed to ask CAL directly, so he said, "CAL, can you help me log out?"

"Player Kit, please confirm your selection for the logout option," replied a gravelly voice.

Kit spoke out loud, “Confirm.” Suddenly, he felt his body becoming weightless. His eyelids grew heavy and he couldn't resist the urge to close them. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the gaming capsule. With a soft click, the glass lid began to open.

Kit sat up slowly, expecting to feel weak after being in the game for so long. But to his surprise, he felt completely energised, as if he had only taken a short nap. The exhaustion he had felt inside the game had disappeared and his body now felt refreshed.

Slipping out of the gaming capsule, Kit took a moment to readjust to reality. He looked around his small room and then headed out to see if Kat was home.

As he made his way into the lounge area, he glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 4 am. Kit realised that he had logged out earlier than planned so that he wouldn't see Kat waiting for him.

Kit quietly approached Kat's room and opened the door a crack. He could see his sister sleeping peacefully and couldn't help but smile. He decided to surprise her with breakfast, so he made his way to the kitchen to prepare some food.

However, when he opened the refrigerator, he was surprised to find that there were only a few meals left from the ones he had prepared before entering the game.

Kit laughed to himself and then went to take a shower in the bathroom. Once he was dressed, he headed downstairs to go to the market and restock on fresh ingredients for the fridge.

As Kit walked back into his apartment, he found Kat sitting on the couch and sipping on a cup of coffee. "Good morning, Kat," Kit greeted her with a big smile.

Kat's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly put down her cup before jumping up to hug her brother. "Brother, did you miss me so much that you came out early? I wasn't expecting you until later today."

Kit raised his hands to display the grocery bags he was carrying. "That's right, I logged out early because I missed my sister so much."

Kat wrapped her arms around his and followed him into the kitchen. "My dear little brother, are you going to cook breakfast for me?" "Yes," Kit replied with a chuckle.

He knew it was only natural for Kat to ask for food first thing. However, he noticed her giving him a strange look. She moved away from the counter but didn't return to the couch. "Kit, you seem different and you just chuckled. Did you really enjoy the game that much?" Kit simply replied, "It was good."

Kat's gaze remained fixed on him with an air of curiosity. Her eyes roamed over his body, carefully watching for any changes in his facial expressions. "You look more vibrant, Kit. Something seems different about you. Did you make any friends in the game?"

Kit proceeded to tell Kat all about his experiences so far in the game while she stood and listened, without interrupting. After he finished his tale, they both finished the breakfast he had prepared.

"Wow, Kit, I've never heard you talk so much before. It sounds like you had a lot of fun. I wish we had gotten you playing earlier. If I knew it would improve your mood this much, I would have worked harder to save money."

Kit felt guilty after hearing Kat mention his mood. He knew he hadn't been the easiest person to communicate with over the past two years. Reflecting on his time in CAL, Kit realised that his mood had definitely improved since meeting Mars and Snowball. He wasn't avoiding people as much as before; although he still felt uncomfortable around new people, it was something he could manage.

He also trusted Mars to a certain extent, but only because he knew how desperately Mars wanted a friend. Kit acknowledged that he still needed to work on his trust issues.

First, he would focus on working through his trust issues with Mars before tackling any problems with other people.

Although Kit was proud of himself for even wanting to address these issues instead of avoiding them, he still had doubts about whether or not Mars would ultimately betray him. After Kat's words resonated with him, Kit recognised that Cal had made a positive impact on his life.

He felt happier overall, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why – perhaps it was the novelty of CAL or the newfound friendship. Either way, he didn't dwell on it and was just grateful to feel better in himself.

Suddenly, Kat interrupted his thoughts by expressing interest in playing the game as well. Kit could see the disappointment hidden behind her smile and made a mental note to make enough money in-game so that she could join him inside CAL. He knew she had sacrificed so much for him already and he wanted to repay her in some way.

He was determined to ensure she never lacked for anything if he could make his dream come true. If he could turn his restaurant into the renowned level 5, they would never have to worry about financial stability again. Unfortunately, he was still far from achieving that goal.

Kit began planning for his return to gaming. The first step was figuring out the conversion rate of CAL currency to real life money. He looked at his sister's cheerful expression.

"Kat, I promise I'll find a way for you to play too, one day." Kit was resolute in his belief that he could make it happen. Kat gazed at him.

"Kit, I have faith in you." She then hugged him and laughed. "As much as I'd love to stay and catch up, I have to go to work. See you when I get home."

Kat left after slipping on her shoes. Kit went to his room to locate his phone but found it dead. He quickly plugged it in to charge and grabbed a piece of paper to calculate the amount of money he would need to continue playing the game once the three-month period ended.

He made a list of all the necessary expenses and divided it by two for his share each month.

Utilities: $150

Rent: $750

Food: $200

Miscellaneous: $50

CAL subscription and nutrient supply: $2,000

Total: $3,150

Kit reread the note he had scribbled, calculating the amount he needed to earn: 3,150 dollars. He grabbed his phone and turned it on, searching for the current conversion rate.

His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw the staggering amount of in-game currency he would need to make for his living expenses. 1 platinum was equivalent to 1,000 dollars, and he was only making a few silvers each day.

The thought of acquiring 3 platinum and 150 gold crowns seemed impossible. Kit's heart sank at the realisation. The dream of opening his own restaurant now took a backseat to his desperate need for the hidden treasure within the game.