Kit immediately snapped to attention, sensing danger. "Hide quickly and don't follow me!" Twix urgently pushed Kit towards a cluster of trees before darting off into the open.

Before Kit could process what was happening, he felt the ground trembling beneath him. Was it an earthquake?

With his horse Pint in tow, Mars grabbed Kit's shirt and pulled them both behind a nearby tree for cover. Peeking around the side of the tree, Kit watched as Twix engaged in a fierce battle with a gigantic creature resembling an enormous earth worm. The beast had sharp teeth and stood at least two stories tall.

Using his staff, Twix shot bolts of lightning at the monster, causing lines of blue electricity to spread over its body. Despite being greatly overmatched, he agilely dodged the creature's attacks while continuously bombarding it with lightning strikes.

Meanwhile, Mars charged headfirst into the fight, throwing flaming knives at the monster and cackling gleefully as they exploded against its massive body.

Content to watch from a safe distance, Kit and Pint enjoyed the show while staying out of harm's way. But just as he was about to cheer on his friends, the monster let out an ear-piercing scream and collapsed to the ground.

"RUN!" Twix bellowed, startling Kit.

Confused by this turn of events, Kit looked over at the defeated creature and noticed it starting to glow. A strong wind whipped around them as it began to stir back to life. Suddenly, it grew in size and started sucking in air before unleashing a powerful blast towards their direction.

In an instant, a blue electrical barrier formed around Kit and Pint, protecting them from the deadly attack. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kit glanced over at Twix who smiled and waved in response. But before he could return the gesture, another blast headed straight for Twix who didn't have time to react.

"Watch out!" cried Kit.

Twix swung his staff swiftly, deflecting the ball of air that came hurtling towards him. The creature seemed to realise that he was a formidable opponent and let out a piercing scream before disappearing back into the ground.

Kit couldn't help but look around at the aftermath of their encounter - trees uprooted, broken branches scattered everywhere. They were lucky to have Twix on their side, as he was much more experienced in fighting these creatures.

Kit's thoughts went back to how grateful he was for Twix's help in getting them to Spartan Fire. He rushed over to thank him, but as he approached, he noticed something was wrong.

Twix's face was pale and his body trembled. He gave Kit a weak smile before collapsing onto the ground.

Panicking, Kit caught Twix and gently laid him on the grass. He couldn't understand what had happened to Twix. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"I don't know. It seems like he may have used too much magic," replied Mars, with concern in his eyes.

Without hesitation, Mars took out a small blue glass vial and poured its contents into Twix's mouth. Kit watched anxiously, waiting for a sign that Twix would be alright.

After a few moments, Twix began to stir and open his eyes slowly.

"Twix, are you okay?" asked Kit with relief.

The young man looked at Kit with a puzzled expression before Mars reminded Kit to give him some time to recover.

Eventually, colour returned to Twix's face as he weakly reached into his pouch and drank a potion to regain his strength.

"Thank you both for helping me recover," he said gratefully.

Kit couldn't help but feel guilty - it was all because of him that Twix had pushed himself too hard and passed out. He could have died if the monster hadn't retreated.

"Do not do that again," scolded Kit, tears welling up in his eyes. "I can respawn at Red Splash Village if I die, but you cannot. And who will guide me through the forest if you're not here? Do you want me to suffer countless painful deaths every time I go inside?"

Kit made sure to emphasise the responsibility Twix had in guiding him through the dangerous forest. He didn't want his friend to risk his life for him again.

"I didn't consider that. I apologise and will be more cautious in the future," Twix replied, Kit felt satisfied with his response.

Twix had become a close friend during their travels to Spartan Fire and Kit didn't want to lose him due to a preventable mistake.

"Good," Kit said. "Once you're feeling better, let's head to Spartan Fire for some rest and food."

It didn't take long for Twix to fully recover and the group was soon on the move again. As they walked, Twix entertained them with stories from his childhood. Kit felt like he knew Twix's family very well already.

As they approached the edge of the forest, Kit caught sight of Spartan Fire and gasped in awe. It suddenly clicked in his mind where he had heard the name before.

It was when Boots had recognised his bag and told Kit that his own bag was also made by Cedula. Excitement shot through Kit's body - he was certain they had come to the right place to find the treasure.

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"Twix, is this Spartan Fire?" Kit asked, taking in the picturesque scenery around him.

"Yes, it's beautiful isn’t it," pride was clear in Twix’ voice.

Kit's eyes scanned the surrounding area - a vast field of green grass with enormous snow-capped mountains in the distance. He counted five mountain peaks covered in snow.

In front of them was a crystal blue lake at the base of the mountains. But what caught Kit's attention was an odd rock formation shaped like a sleeping cat on one side of the lake. The top of the rock was covered in a dark green colour.

Boom!

Boom!

Kit's heart started racing as he realised this was exactly what they were looking for - it matched the map perfectly. Somewhere on one of those mountains was the entrance to Black Winged Fire Bird Cave.

He felt light-headed and his heart was thumping so hard he could barely catch his breath. Adrenaline surged through his veins and his ears began to ring. He couldn't contain the strange laugh that escaped his mouth.

Twix looked at him with concern, "Kit, are you okay?"

Kit couldn't even respond - he was in shock and elation at finally finding the location they had been searching for.

Twix's attention shifted towards Mars as he asked, "Is something wrong with Kit?" But then he noticed that Mars also had a peculiar expression on his face. "Why are you both acting so strangely? I know Spartan Fire is stunning, but this seems out of the ordinary."

Twix waved a hand in front of Kit's face, trying to snap him out of it.

"Hey, Kit, are you there?" Twix started to fidget, growing more worried by the second. "Should I go get Grandpa?"

Kit closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to worry his new friend.

"It's okay, Twix," he managed to say. "Mars and I have been searching for this place for a long time. We're just excited about finally finding it."

"You've been searching for Spartan Fire?" Twix exclaimed. "Why?"

Kit winced internally as he realised his mistake in revealing the location on the map. He had been so caught up in excitement that he forgot Twix was not aware of their plan.

Over the course of their journey from Red Splash village, Twix had become a trusted friend to them both and Kit found himself naturally sharing his thoughts with him.

Despite being an NPC, Kit considered Twix a true friend, especially after his initial helpfulness without asking for anything in return. Kit didn't mind sharing some secrets of the map with him, as he trusted Twix as much as he did Mars after their travels to Spartan Fire.

It shocked Kit to realize that Twix would be the second person he trusted in the game since he started playing. He wondered if Mars felt the same way about him.

"Twix, can you give Kit and I a moment?" Mars asked abruptly.

Twix looked hurt at the request but obediently moved away out of earshot. Kit raised an eyebrow at Mars, wondering what was going on. It was unlike Mars to be rude.

"He's not so bad," Mars spoke up. "I think it would be beneficial to tell him a little bit about our plans. After all, he knows this place very well and we may struggle without his help."

Kit kept his eyes trained on Twix as he replied, "If he comes with us, he will be putting himself in danger. He can't respawn like us. And I already consider him a friend, so I don't want any harm to come to him."

"Kit, he's level 240," Mars said with a sigh while rubbing his face. "He won't be easy to kill." After hearing Mars reply, Kit thought he was right.

"I do agree that he has become a friend," Mars continued thoughtfully. "Even if he is an NPC, I quite like him as well. How about we give him a choice? If he wants to come with us, we can share the map and its treasures. It's only fair if he's risking his life for us."

Kit felt a surge of excitement at the idea of having Twix join their team. He knew it would mean splitting the treasure one more way, but he also couldn't imagine reaching the cave without Twix's help. He hoped Twix would agree.

"Twix, you can come back now," Mars called out to him. Twix approached with uncertain steps, and Kit felt guilty for allowing Mars to send him away so they could talk.

"We have a question for you, Twix," Kit began cautiously. "If we were to go up that mountain, would you come with us?"

Twix paused and actually considered their request before replying, "Yes, I don't think I could rest well at night if I let you go up by yourselves. I would worry too much. But this is a moot point anyways. You can't even pass the entrance to the mountains without being level 100."

The blood drained from Kit's face as he processed this information. 'Level 100? How long would it take to reach that level? And what if my subscription runs out before then?' he thought anxiously. 'Did we come all this way for nothing?'

Mars held his breath when he heard those words, his eyes fixated on the mountains. Kit's legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the ground, feeling weak and defeated. He had put all of his hopes into finding that treasure to save his dreams, but now it seemed like a lost cause.

Twix was taken aback by their reactions and went over to crouch down next to Kit. "Kit, is it crucial for you to reach the top of the mountain?"

Kit could only nod in response. Mars came over and placed a comforting arm around Kit's shoulder. "Alright, we'll do everything we can to get you to level 100 as quickly as possible. I'll ask my grandfather for advice on the best route to take. Don't worry, we'll figure it out." Twix had a gentle smile on his face, and Kit felt grateful for his kind words.

A few tears welled up in Kit's eyes as Twix gave him hope that they could still achieve their goal before time ran out.

Looking at Twix's level, Kit thought it might be possible with help from his grandfather. "Thank you, Twix. That would be amazing!" A warm feeling spread through Kit's heart; it was nice to have friends who cared about him. For the first time in a long while, he felt like some of the wounds within his heart were starting to heal.

"Twix, would you like to join our team permanently? Even if we're not together, you'd still be part of it," Mars suddenly spoke up, surprising both Kit and Twix. Kit turned to look at Twix with hopeful eyes as Mars continued, "What do you think?"

For a moment, Twix had an odd expression frozen on his face before he burst into laughter at the sudden turn of events. "This...let me start again. Are you sure that's okay? I've never been part of a team before."

Kit grabbed Twix's hand and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, it's more than okay. We already consider you a friend." Twix looked from Kit to Mars with joy on his face.

"This is great! I've never had friends before." Kit couldn't help but blink; that sounded oddly familiar. Had he unintentionally formed a group of outcasts? Although in Twix's case, it was likely due to growing up in an isolated area.

As Kit thought about it, he realised he was probably a bit of an oddball himself. So having strange friends shouldn't be too unusual for him. Twix's innocent question broke the moment as he asked, "What's our team name?" Kit burst into laughter while Mars gave him a deadly glare.

"Shut up," snapped Mars as he glared at Kit.

"What did I say wrong?" Twix asked, looking bewildered.

"He hasn't come up with a name yet for the team. It's a sensitive topic for him," Kit explained, still receiving daggers from Mars.

"Ah, I see now." Twix nodded in understanding and sent Kit a friend request before adding him to their party. They were now a trio, and Kit was happy with his decision to add another friend to their team. He felt like he was making progress by allowing someone else into his life, and now he just needed to work on his game character.

"Okay, now that that's settled...Twix, where the hell is this village? I don't see any houses anywhere."

Twix blushed at Kit's words before responding, "Oh right, Spartan Fire is quite small, so we won't see any houses until we get closer. We still have about an hour of travel ahead of us."