Chapter 8 The Feast of Thieves

The stream’s gentle babble was the only sound that broke the quiet of the night, save for the rustling of paws and muffled chatter as the cats set up camp. We’d made it to the riverside without a hitch, and now it was time to enjoy the spoils.

I perched on a smooth rock a little away from the group, my tail flicking lazily as I watched Lucky, Butler, and the Squad Leaders distribute the food. It wasn’t long before the carefully gathered stash I’d hoarded for winter vanished into eager paws and hungry mouths. A little pang shot through me—months of sneaking, swiping, and stashing, all gone in a matter of minutes.

But seeing the gang’s faces, hearing their laughter and contented mews… I sighed. It was worth it.

Lucky caught my eye and grinned, a chunk of bread clamped between her teeth. She padded over, dropping it in front of me like an offering. “Now, now, you’ll get your share, Kaiser. Don’t look so sulky. We’re celebrating, aren’t we?”

“I’m not sulky,” I muttered, though I didn’t bother to hide the twitch of my whiskers. Lucky rolled her eyes and returned to her post, where she’d been bossing the other cats around with her usual flair.

A sudden blur of gray fur shot toward me, and Demo came to a skidding halt in front of my perch, his eyes wide and expectant. “Hey!” he called up to me, barely containing his excitement. “You said the best contributor tonight gets three times the reward, right?”

I stretched lazily, savoring the moment before answering. “Yeah, I did.”

Demo’s ears perked up, and his tail wagged like an overeager pup. “So? Who is it? Me, right? I took down three of those adventurers with my squad! You saw it!”

I grinned down at him. “It’s Lucky.”

The wagging stopped. Demo’s jaw dropped. “What?! That’s unfair! It’s favoritism!”

I flicked my tail, smirking. “Suck it.”

Demo spluttered, clearly searching for a comeback but finding nothing. He stomped off in a huff, grumbling to himself about injustice and rigged systems. I chuckled under my breath, settling back into my spot.

From my perch, I could see everything. The riverside had turned into a miniature festival of cats, sprawled out around piles of bread and meat. Most of the food was the dry, crusty kind—the sort you’d expect a thief to hoard. But it didn’t matter to them. They devoured it like it was the finest cuisine in the world.

A group of cats who’d developed a taste for cooked food had even built a small campfire. How they managed to do that, I had no idea, but there they were—paws carefully turning scraps of meat on makeshift skewers. Smoke curled lazily into the air, carrying the mouthwatering scent of charred food with it.

Daisy sat nearby, gnawing on a piece of bread while directing a few younger cats on how to toast their portions. Chunky, of course, was sprawled out next to a pile of food, chewing noisily on a hunk of meat like it owed him money. Scruffy was still pacing—he couldn’t sit still even when eating—but his tail flicked happily, betraying his mood.

This was my gang. My followers. My cats.

I took a moment to savor the sight. It wasn’t every day we got to live like this. Full bellies, warm fires, no threats breathing down our necks. For a stray, nights like these were the stuff of dreams.

Lucky padded back over, a smug look on her face as she dropped a particularly juicy piece of meat at my paws. “Three times the reward, huh? I’ll take this as part of it.”

“Don’t push it,” I said, but I snatched the meat up anyway, savoring the salty flavor.

Lucky just laughed and wandered off again, her tail high.

I let my gaze wander to the Magic Bags sitting in the middle of the camp. Four bags. Four symbols of our success. And one of them was mine. Wait, it was six bags now… with the original Magic Bags we had. I couldn’t help but smirk. This heist had been a gamble, but it paid off in spades. The Golden Apple was mine, and the power it brought with it was still humming beneath my fur. The Kaiser System. My ticket to something bigger.

For now, though, I pushed the thoughts aside. I’d figure out how to use it later.

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“Hey, Kaiser!” Daisy called, waving a piece of toasted bread in the air. “Come eat with us! You’re not too good to sit with your own gang, are you?”

The others chimed in, their voices full of cheer. “Yeah, come on!” “Get off your rock!” “Share the spoils, Kaiser!”

I snorted, but the corner of my mouth curled up. “Fine, fine. Keep your fur on.”

I hopped down from my perch and strolled toward them, the firelight reflecting in their eager eyes. As I sat among my cats—my crew—I realized something.

This wasn’t just a gang anymore. This was a family.

And I was their Kaiser.

The riverside camp was alive with noise and laughter, and for once, I let myself be pulled into it. The food was… decent. Mostly bread, a little stale, but there was enough meat to keep things interesting. I ate my fill while walking around, inspecting my gang like the benevolent ruler I was. The firelight flickered in their eyes, and for a moment, everything felt right. This was what victory tasted like—bread crumbs, smoked meat, and the occasional meow of joy.

Once I’d stuffed myself, I retreated back to my perch, finally ready to indulge in something I’d been itching to examine.

The [Kaiser System].

I let the screen come up in my mind’s eye. By isekai standards, it was pretty straightforward. Clean interface, clear options, no annoying tutorials or mascot characters screaming in my ear. It revolved around my followers. The more I had, the more Kaiser Points—or KP—I’d earn daily. KP was the currency I’d need to unlock skills, abilities, or items from the Kaiser Shop.

Simple enough.

I browsed the shop again, just in case. Still expensive. Nothing under 1000 KP.

“Figures,” I muttered. My current KP count sat at a miserable 2. I wasn’t even close to affording a healing potion, let alone something game-changing like enchanted gear or fancy magic spells.

I tried poking around for any other features, but the System didn’t seem to offer much else yet. That was, until something caught my eye—a tiny tab sitting quietly in the corner of the interface.

[Kaiser Gacha]

I froze, my ears perking up. “Gacha?”

My tail flicked. Every instinct in me screamed gambling trap, but curiosity had already sunk its claws into me. I tapped the tab, and the interface shifted.

[Kaiser Gacha: Test Your Luck!]

Cost per Pull: 1000 KP

I sighed. “Of course it’s 1000.”

My miserable KP count stared back at me, mocking my ambitions. Still, as I was about to close it in disappointment, I noticed something else.

[First-Time Bonus: One Free Pull with Guaranteed Quality!]

A free pull. Guaranteed quality. My whiskers twitched. This was it. The universe was giving me a chance, and who was I to turn down a freebie?

I tapped the button.

The screen shifted again, and suddenly, a virtual lootbox—one only I could see—bounced into existence before me. It hovered there, glowing faintly, waiting for my command.

The cats around me were too busy feasting to notice me sitting stock still, eyes glued to the invisible spectacle. I took a deep breath and muttered, “Alright. Let’s see what I get.”

I tapped it.

The lootbox quivered, then exploded into motes of golden light, scattering in all directions. My heart pounded in my chest as words began to materialize in front of me.

[Thank you for using Kaiser Gacha!]

[Congratulations!]

[Gained: Pyromancy]

I blinked. Pyromancy?

Before I could process what that even meant, a tingling sensation spread through my paws. Heat. Real heat. I looked down and nearly fell off my perch.

Flames flickered to life from my paws. Actual flames. I was on fire.

My fur stood on end as panic surged through me. I scrambled backward, flailing my paws in a futile attempt to put the flames out.

“W-What the—?! Someone get this off me!”

The cats around me noticed immediately.

“Look! Kaiser’s on fire!”

“Douse him! Quick!”

“Aah~! Run! He’s gonna explode!”

“Why is the boss burning?!”

Lucky’s voice cut through the chaos like a knife. “I’ll save you, Kai!”

“No, wait! It’s not—”

Before I could finish, Lucky darted to one of the Magic Bags, rifling through it like a cat possessed. My eyes widened in horror as she pulled out a scroll, her claws tearing it open.

“Lucky, don’t—!”

Too late.

A jet of water exploded from the scroll, hitting me like a tidal wave. I was blasted off my perch, my world spinning as the freezing water knocked the air out of me. I tumbled through the grass, landing in a soggy, shivering heap.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then…

“He’s out!”

“Lucky saved him!”

I groaned, coughing up water. “I wasn’t dying, you idiots…”

Lucky trotted over, her fur puffed up with pride. “Don’t thank me, Kaiser. I did what had to be done.”

“I won’t thank you,” I muttered, dragging myself to my feet. My fur was soaked, my pride bruised, and my newfound flames completely extinguished. I shot her a glare. “Do you have any idea what you just did?!”

Lucky tilted her head innocently. “Saved your life?”

I sighed, shaking water from my ears. The other cats started to gather around, clearly more curious than concerned now that the “danger” had passed.

“Boss, what was that?” Scruffy asked, his eyes wide. “That was magic, right? Like real magic?”

“Of course it was magic,” I grumbled, flicking my tail. “It’s called Pyromancy.”

The crowd gasped in awe. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t deny the flicker of pride swelling in my chest. Pyromancy. I had fire magic now. Real, honest-to-goodness fire magic.

I turned my paw over, summoning a small flicker of flame just to test it. The orange light danced on my fur, illuminating the cats’ astonished faces.

“Kaiser can use magic…” Daisy whispered, her voice full of reverence.

“Kaiser’s invincible!” Demo cheered, already back to his usual loud self.

“Long live Kaiser!” someone yelled from the back.

I smirked, letting the flame fade away before Lucky could hit me with another water spout. My fur was still soaked, but it didn’t matter.

I had Pyromancy.

Awesome…