"One more thing. What exactly are the keys, and how am I supposed to get the one with Kearick?"

Chang Long sighed in frustration, understanding that the game was not designed to hand things to players easily. Just look at the tombs of the Pirate Kings—each one was filled with life-threatening obstacles before reaching the treasure cave.

"The keys are hidden in each of our weapons, one per person. As for Kearick, you'll need to find a way to contact him yourself, my lord. We can't help with that. Right now, we only have the power to enter mirrors, but we cannot cross over into the Land of the Dead until you, my lord, take the throne of the Reaper King,"

Cedric explained. Chang Long nodded, understanding. Even though not all her questions were answered, some mysteries were now clear. Her next task was to figure out how to contact Kearick. Based on what Cedric said, Kearick was likely the only Guardian who still had his full powers intact and might be able to come to her through the mirrors.

Chang Long sat deep in thought until the system alert notified her that she had one hour left before needing to log off. She got up and snuck her way to the offline building as discreetly as she could, given that many players were still trying to track her down over the talking mouse, Brownie.

At 8:00 PM, Chang woke up from the game pod and went downstairs to grab something to eat. She found Moddang waiting outside her room, who smiled at her and followed her to the kitchen. Just as they reached the kitchen, they heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. It was her father, Pichaya, who had just returned home, looking more exhausted than usual. However, upon seeing his beloved daughter, he immediately seemed more energized.

"Chang, my darling!"

 Pichaya called out to her cheerfully, though his face still showed signs of fatigue.

"Dad, you look so worn out today,"

Chang remarked, causing her father to pause for a few seconds.

"Well… there was a bit of a mess at work today, but I managed to sort everything out. Oh, and I have someone I want to introduce you to. (He waved over two men in black suits to enter.) These are your new bodyguards—the best I could find,"

he said in a serious tone. The two bodyguards stopped behind Pichaya, standing with their legs slightly apart, hands clasped behind their backs like soldiers. Chang glanced from her father to the bodyguards, then complained,

"Dad, I don't need bodyguards. Besides, I hardly even go out anywhere!"

"When you're home, they'll patrol the premises. But when you do go out, they'll follow you everywhere,"

Pichaya explained, his voice firm and more serious than usual. Normally, he was incredibly doting and lenient with his daughter. Whatever Chang wanted or did not want, he would comply without hesitation. Luckily, Chang, despite being headstrong, was someone who could be reasoned with. But this time, no matter what argument she made, it was clear Pichaya was not going to change his mind about the bodyguards.

"Dad!"

Chang protested again.

"That's enough, Chang. I won't change my mind. I can agree to anything else, but when it comes to your safety, I absolutely won't compromise. Now, one of these two is a skilled officer trained in almost every form of combat. He's currently on temporary leave, so I've hired him to protect you. Um... what was your name again?"

Chang's father said, gesturing towards the bodyguard on his left—an imposing, muscular man with a solid, athletic build.

"Sixteen, sir,"

the bodyguard responded confidently.

"Sixteen? Is that a code name or something?"

Chang's father asked, confused.

"Yes, sir. It's easier that way,"

Sixteen replied.

"Hmm, and..."

Chang's father turned to the bodyguard on his right.

"Seventeen, sir,"

said the second bodyguard. He had shoulder-length brown hair, fair skin, and was slightly taller than Sixteen, but equally muscular and agile.

"Well, that's easy to remember!"

Chang remarked sarcastically before walking away. Her father shook his head with a smile, then instructed Sixteen and Seventeen to follow a maid to their quarters, which appeared to have hardly any belongings. The two bodyguards promptly complied and followed the maid.

Chang ate only a small portion of dinner, then indulged in her favorite dessert, breadfruit in heavy syrup, which Aunt Im had carefully preserved, ensuring no one else touched it per Chang's strict instructions. Satisfied after finishing the dessert, Chang took care of a few personal matters before logging back into the game.

.....

Chang Long snuck out of the offline building quietly. She was relieved to find that it was still early morning in the game, so there were not many players bustling about like during the day. She quickly headed out of town and wandered aimlessly, searching for a good spot to hunt monsters and level up. It was going to be tough since there were already four others, including herself, competing for experience point. Luckily, the four spirits she had with her did not need to level up, or else she would be stuck at level sixty-seven for eternity.

Chang Long decided to enter a quiet forest that looked peaceful and perfect for a nap. The atmosphere was calm and serene, with no apparent danger lurking around. She sat down under a large tree, watching the leaves sway gently in the breeze. Her mind felt more at ease, and she began to reflect on what Cedric had told her. How could she contact Kearik? Call him? But Kearik was an AI in the game—how could he have a phone?

"Kearik... Kearik... how am I supposed to contact you..."

Chang Long mumbled to herself, as though she were in a trance. Her focus was sharper than ever as she pondered the question. What happened next shocked her to the core—a voice suddenly echoed in her mind, a cold and irritated male voice.

"Who's calling me? How annoying!"

Chang Long was so startled that she fell backward, her head hitting the large tree behind her with full force, bringing tears to her eyes. Her concentration was completely shattered by the strange voice that had responded to her. And as her focus broke, the voice in her head seemed to vanish as well. While she was still processing what had just happened a moment ago, another voice suddenly spoke in her head. This time, Chang Long almost jumped back in shock again, but the familiar sound of the woman's voice kept her from panicking.

"Player Chang Long has fulfilled the basic requirements for beginner profession. You have achieved the special skill: Advanced Telepathic Communication."

It was an announcement from the system, which often came at the most random times. But at least this one helped Chang Long realize that she had just successfully used advanced telepathic communication. Maybe the voice that had responded earlier was Kearik's.

"Wow, this is awesome. What exactly does this skill do?"

Chang Long was excited about her new skill, and driven by curiosity, she immediately raised her wrist to check the details.

"Special Skill: Advanced Telepathic Communication (Single level). Requirement: Must possess the special skill Telepathic Communication. The player can communicate telepathically with other players who have the Advanced Telepathic Communication skill, AIs, or NPCs that possess this skill, even over long distances, such as being on separate islands or within special quest zones. This requires intense concentration and consumes 50 mana points per minute. This skill also affects any pets in the player's possession..."

"Wow!"

Was all Chang Long could say before she heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby bush. She quickly stood up, drawing her sword and gripping it tightly, her eyes fixed warily on the source of the noise.

Thud!

Something small, cute, with fluffy fur and long ears leapt out from the bushes. It looked far too adorable to be a threat, but that was just Chang Long's opinion.

"Paprika Rabbit Beast, level 25 has appeared."

The system notification left Chang Long utterly bewildered. She could understand the fiery red fur of the rabbit, but a Paprika Rabbit? That name reminded her of a snack she used to enjoy as a child. The Paprika Rabbit stared at her with large, round, sparkling red eyes, looking more cute than dangerous.

The little creature let out a squeak, and soon another Paprika Rabbit appeared from the bushes. Then a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth. Before she knew it, around twenty Paprika Rabbits were gathered in front of Chang Long, all staring at her with curious eyes. Some of them even trembled slightly in fear. Not wanting to bother with them, Chang Long turned to walk away, but the moment she turned her back, chaos erupted.

Fwoosh!

A blast of scorching flames shot toward Chang Long from behind. She quickly turned and raised the Sovereign Sword to block the attack. The situation unfolded so rapidly that she thought for sure she was about to suffer serious injuries. But, surprisingly, all the intense flames that had been aimed at her were completely absorbed by the Eye of Fire.

The Paprika Rabbits, although visibly startled, were not ready to give up. They continued to bombard Chang Long with bursts of fire. However, the result remained the same—the flames were all absorbed by the Eye of Fire embedded in the Sovereign Sword. Eventually, the Paprika Rabbits ran out of energy, each one standing there panting, their once fluffy fur now drenched with sweat, making them look like they had fallen into a pond. Even their health points were gradually depleting.

Chang Long watched them with mild amusement, but what left her both speechless and utterly bewildered was what happened next—the rabbits pulled out something and began eating it. It was chili peppers. Big, bright red ones. As they devoured the peppers, their red fur, which had looked as though the color was washing off due to the sweat, became fluffy again. Their depleted health bars also refilled completely.

"Rabbits eating chilies!"

Chang Long muttered to herself, incredulous that she had come across such bizarre creatures. She watched as they finished eating and then resumed breathing fire at her. Unfazed, Chang Long continued to effortlessly deal with their attacks by absorbing all the flames into the Eye of Fire. After playing around with the Paprika Rabbits for a while, she grew bored and remembered that she had many things to take care of before the game's server went down for the new patch update.

"Water Bullets,"

Chang Long chanted, activating a skill from the Eye of Water. Numerous water bullets, each the size of a tennis ball, shot out from the Eye of Water and flew straight toward the wide-eyed Paprika Rabbits, who were frozen in shock. With a single attack, all of them were wiped out and sent back to respawn.

"Player Chang Long has slain 17 level 25 Paprika Rabbit Beasts, earning 43,250 experience points, 11,900 coins, 8 Giant Chili Peppers, and 5 Rabbit Hides."

Chang Long collected the loot into her bag and walked away, not wanting to encounter such strange rabbits again anytime soon.

"Come to think of it... when I fight alone, I get the full experience points, not split four ways,"

she mumbled to herself as she strolled along. To be sure, she raised her wrist and checked the experience bar. This time, she had received the full amount as the system had indicated. It was different from when she was in a party or when her pets were nearby. In those cases, although the system displayed the total experience points earned, it was always divided among the group members, as reflected in the experience bar on her wristwatch.

Eager to test her theory further, Chang Long summoned Kitsune from her ring. The ring she used to seal Kitsune was a plain silver band. When Kitsune was outside, it was just a normal ring, but when she sealed Kitsune inside, it transformed into the shape of a tiny fox with orange-gold fur, wrapping itself around her finger.

Chang Long and Kitsune continued walking together, searching for monsters to test her theory on, regardless of their level. As she experimented by slaying various monsters along the way, each with different levels, her suspicion was confirmed: the experience points were divided by two, not by four as she had previously thought. This was something that professional beast trainer players likely knew but had not shared publicly. It was widely known that pets had many unexpected advantages, but most players hesitated to own more than one, mistakenly believing that it would slow down their leveling progress. Now that Chang Long had clarified this misunderstanding, she realized she did not need to summon all of her pets at once. She only had to summon the one she wanted to level up, ensuring it gained experience without unnecessarily splitting it. This way, the pet could also level up faster.

Before long, Kitsune reached level 18 and gained perfect control over fire, a far cry from when he was just an ordinary sacred beast. However, since Kitsune was now a pure-blooded sacred beast, his first evolution would not happen until he reached level 50. If Kitsune failed to evolve by then, Chang Long was not sure if the skills he had gained so far would remain usable. Some of those skills could be unlocked when the pet reached the required level, as indicated by the system's announcements.

Chang Long found a location populated by level 20+ monsters for Kitsune to handle on his own. Meanwhile, she decided to try using her Advanced Telepathic Communication skill again. She searched for a safe spot where no monsters would disturb her concentration and where she could still keep an eye on Kitsune. Sitting down comfortably, she cleared her mind and focused on the name of the person she wanted to communicate with. This time, it took her longer than before due to the occasional noise from Kitsune's distant battles, which disrupted her concentration. But Chang Long did her best to ignore the distractions and finally managed to calm her mind.

"Kearik... Kearik... can you hear me?"

Chang Long began calling out the name of the person she wanted to reach. But everything remained silent—there was no response. She did not give up. After all, the first time she communicated with Kearik, it had happened unintentionally. Now that she was focusing so intently, she was sure that she would succeed in reaching him.

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