Kit's body hummed with a mixture of anxiety and excitement as he woke up before the sun rose. In just thirty minutes, he and his team had gathered at the entrance to the Devouring Ranges.

An enormous arch loomed over a narrow dirt path leading towards the base of the mountain in front of him. Kit's gaze was drawn to the entrance, but it didn't stop there; it continued upwards towards the sky as he took in the size of the daunting mountain ahead.

Thick forest covered the base of the mountain, gradually thinning out to scattered trees as the mountain rose in height. Halfway up, Kit could see sparkling white snow starting to cover the rocky peak, although the top was obscured by misty clouds.

The sight gave Kit pause and made him question if climbing this mountain was a wise decision. But then he shook his head, determined to continue on regardless of how dangerous it may be. He had to keep playing CAL, no matter what.

Kit turned to look at his team behind him. Mars, Twix, Grandpa, Snickers, Peaches, Cadbury, Dove and Cupcake all had their heads tilted back as they stared up at the daunting peak behind the arch. Grandpa was the first to lower his head. "Are you sure about this, Kit? We can still retreat and wait until you've gained more experience as a swordsman."

Kit nodded firmly. "I have to do this now, Grandpa."

The old man sighed. "Very well, but be prepared for death." He held up his hand before Kit could object. "I know you, Mars and Peaches are blessed by CAL, so I'm reminding the others to prioritize their own safety instead of yours."

"Don't worry, I'll gladly let Kit die," Snickers chimed in with a joyous blink of her big round eyes. "And then I'll constantly remind him how he died!"

Kit's eye twitched as he stared at Snickers, knowing she was still holding a grudge for his previous disappearance. "Thanks, Snickers." His sarcasm dripped from the words.

"You're welcome, Kit," Snickers replied sweetly.

Grandpa chuckled at their exchange. "Now that we've had our reminder, let's go!" He motioned towards the arch in front of Kit.

Kit turned back to the path ahead of him, feeling his heart rate increase and anticipation build. With determination, he stepped forward and crossed the invisible threshold into the Devouring Ranges.

Ding!

[CAL]

[Map Found: Devouring Ranges.]

Rewards: 5,000 experience, 100 Forsaken State reputation points.

A feeling of joy filled him as the notification popped up. This was his confirmation that he was finally going to discover the long-awaited treasure! A wide grin spread across his face as he looked at his companions, but his attention was quickly diverted when a bright yellow object caught his eye.

Before he could even react, a scream from Snickers and a sudden force knocked him off his feet, causing him to fly through the air. Kit hit the ground with a painful thud, knocking the breath out of him.

- 1000 damage

Kit lifted his head to see what had attacked him, but Twix was already taking care of the opportunistic creature with a bolt of lightning. Smoke rose from the dead body.

Mars came over and helped Kit up, beaming with excitement. "This place is going to be so much fun! You didn't even take one step inside before angering a monster!" Kit's mood clashed with Mars' joyful one. Grandpa had warned him that as they climbed higher up the mountain, the monsters would only get stronger.

"That was just a warning shot from the Pulda beast," Grandpa reminded them, "if it had seriously attacked, you would have been dead." He cautioned them to be vigilant in this dangerous place.

Kit's nerves rattled at the thought that even a warning shot could do so much damage; he mightn’t make it through the first day if he wasn't careful. Luckily, he had guzzled some Spiritual moon juice magic before entering, giving him extra health that would surely come in handy.

This idea was confirmed when Grandpa handed him a stack of health potions and advised him to stay in the middle of the group for now. Kit took the potions gratefully and watched as Grandpa walked back to the rest of their group. He couldn't help but wonder if Grandpa had purposely let him take that hit so he could learn about the dangers firsthand. From now on, Kit made a mental note to pay attention at all times and not let any distractions cause him pain again.

After the rest of the group finally entered through the entrance, they took a moment to survey their surroundings. Kit followed their gaze and noticed movement amongst the tightly-packed trees ahead.

As he paid more attention, Kit noticed he had goosebumps pebbling his arm thanks to a sudden drop in temperature. Did just crossing into the Devouring ranges cause such a drastic change in weather? What other changes would they encounter on this journey?

It didn't take long for Kit to find out. Less than fifty steps in, he tripped over a vine that had wrapped around his ankle. Even the plants seemed to be against him in this area! Mars chuckled as he came to Kit's rescue and cut the vine with a knife.

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"Looks like the Devouring Ranges have it in for you, Kit," Mars joked. "You've already been attacked twice in less than five minutes. Don't worry, I'll stick by your side where all the action seems to be happening!"

But Kit wasn't comforted by his friend's words as he brushed off the broken vine and stood up. "I don't want to engage in any fighting, I just want to collect some new ingredients and find that place marked on our map." He complained.

Mars patted him on the shoulder. "Well then, consider one of your wishes granted by me, Mars." He clapped his hands together and nodded his head towards a group of rocks nearby. "Tada!"

Kit followed the direction of his outstretched finger and spotted a thin tendril of vine. His gaze traced the stem back to the base of the plant, where a massive tangle of stems, leaves, and large round melons came into view. The sight of the new fruit caused an immediate surge of desire in Kit. It looked exactly like a watermelon. "Mars, you're like my personal genie," he exclaimed.

He longed to rush over and grab the melons, but hesitated as he remembered being tripped by something earlier. He was certain that obtaining these fruits wouldn’t be as simple as walking up to the plant and cutting off the attached stems. This was a high-level area after all.

Twix appeared beside him. "Do you want those melons, Kit?" he asked. Kit nodded eagerly in response. Twix cocked his head thoughtfully as he gazed at the plant. "Harvesting this plant is actually quite difficult," he explained. "If the Sneaky trembling vine senses any threat, it will explode all its melons as a defence mechanism."

"What? Why?" Kit felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. If they attacked the plant, he would lose all the melons, but if they got too close, he was sure the plant would retaliate.

"Can't we just use a stun bomb on it then?" Mars chimed in.

Twix shook his head. "It's immune to all stun attacks."

Once his heart was set on the melons, Kit was determined to get them. He scanned the area for any clues on how to acquire the coveted fruit. A chirping sound caught his attention, and he noticed a small lime green bird making its way towards the vine. Kit watched with curiosity as the bird extended one wing and began to swish it back and forth against the closest vine.

The vine trembled, and a small developing melon fell from the stem. The bird quickly pecked at the skin of the melon before scurrying away with its newfound treasure still clutched in its beak.

Kit couldn't help but burst into laughter at the absurd sight of a tiny bird struggling to carry a melon twice its size. But now, thanks to this clever bird, Kit had an idea of how to obtain the melons. "Does anyone have any feathers?" Twix and Mars shook their heads, so Kit went to ask the others with no luck.

"Give me a minute, Kit," said Dove as he pulled out his bow and nodded at Cadbury. Cadbury picked up a rock and hurled it at a nearby tree, causing a group of lime green birds to squawk and fly away. Dove expertly shot his arrows through the air, bringing down the birds one by one until they were dropping like flies.

Dove and Cadbury swiftly retrieved the dead birds, leaving Kit and the others with a handful of feathers. Kit also managed to gather some bird meat before they brandished the feathers as makeshift weapons and attacked the vine.

After the onslaught, the vine wriggled and released melons, which Kit eagerly collected. He was grateful to find more vines along their journey.

As night approached, Kit felt exhausted from their encounters with various creatures throughout the day. He had lost count of how many battles he had fought. The attackers were known as Ground Scurries, resembling overgrown rats.

Grandpa had warned him that they were common at the base of the mountain but would disappear once they cleared the forest. Kit overheard Twix and Grandpa discussing where to camp for the night.

Taking a moment to look back, Kit could barely make out the entrance arch in the distance. This realization made him pout; their progress seemed painfully slow. If things continued at this rate, it would take them months to reach their destination marked on the map.

Finally, Grandpa and Twix settled on a camping spot and created a schedule for nightly watches. "I don't think we'll be attacked here; this is one of the safe spots on our route. But just in case, we should still be prepared," Grandpa assured them.

Now that they had stopped, Kit decided to voice his concerns. "Grandpa, will our pace remain this slow for the whole journey?"

Grandpa smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, my boy. Once we clear the base of the mountain, there won't be as many monsters to battle. Our pace will pick up then. And right now, we're only fighting to give you a buffer level in case you die. Mars told me that dying results in losing a level as punishment."

A surge of gratitude flooded through him as he realized why they had been fighting so fiercely instead of avoiding the creatures. He had thought they were simply clearing them out to ensure safety for the group.

"Thank you, everyone," Kit beamed at his companions.

The following week went by in a blur. Kit's pouch was overflowing with new ingredients - seven types of meat and several new plants. Each night, he diligently wrote down a list of what he had collected for future reference. However, despite their constant battles with monsters, Kit had only managed to gain one level as a swordsman.

Upon consulting with Mars, he learned that after reaching level 100, experience points became much harder to come by. The monsters suddenly became stingy with handing them out. To gain substantial amounts of experience, one would need to constantly grind against high-level monsters, participate in dungeons or raids, or take on difficult quests.

This is why lots of people joined guilds - for protection while leveling up. Fortunately for Kit, he wasn't too concerned about his speed of progression and didn't feel the need to join a guild.

Looking around their current campsite, Kit took in the rocky terrain, gnarled trees, and scattered flowers. In the distance, the sparkling lights of Spartan Fire could be seen. He pulled his warm coat tighter around his body; the higher they climbed, the colder it got.

Sitting by the small fire, Kit's hands were warmed as Dove joined him. "We'll be staying here for a week so you can fulfill your CAL duties," Dove informed him.

Kit's head snapped up, realizing he had forgotten about his obligation to log out. A concerned frown creased his brow at the thought of his companions being stuck in one place for so long.

"Don't worry, Kit. This is one of the safer rest stops on our way up the mountain. And the creatures at this level aren't a threat to us," Dove reassured him, patting his shoulder.

Kit felt some relief knowing that their group was skilled in fighting and hadn't encountered any serious issues with the creatures they had come across so far. But he still couldn't shake off his worry about Snowball's whereabouts. "Dove, will you keep an eye out for Snowball while I'm gone?" he asked.

Dove clicked his tongue in affirmation. "Of course, we'll watch out for the little fluff ball."

Kit felt more at ease now that he had confirmation. "Are you planning to leave for your CAL duties tonight or tomorrow morning?" Dove inquired.

Mars interjected, "It would be better to leave tomorrow morning."

There was no need for Kit to explain how long they would be gone; their group was used to his disappearances lasting six days. The next morning, Mars and Peaches entered Kit's tent and without much conversation, Kit pressed the logout button and returned to his apartment. He spent the following two days catching up with his sister and showing Mars and Peaches around the area.