Chang Long kept calling out the name of one of the Reaper Guardians from the Land of the Dead, hoping he would respond soon. But no matter how much she focused, there was no reply. Then suddenly, a loud explosion startled her, causing her to open her eyes in shock.

Chang Long could not believe it. While she was concentrating on contacting Kearick, one of her four Reaper Guardians, some brazen players had attempted to capture her pet again. But to be fair, she could not entirely blame them. She had been far enough from Kitsune that the other players likely thought it did not have an owner.

"Seriously!"

Chang Long muttered in frustration before spreading her wings. Large gray wings unfurled from her back in an astonishing display, without tearing her clothes, though it caused a slight itching sensation. With one powerful flap, her body shot nearly four meters into the air. She flew straight toward the commotion, where her beloved pet was surrounded by dozens of players. They had split into two to three groups of friends, each vying to subdue Kitsune and claim him as their own. However, infighting broke out between the groups, and soon only a handful of players remained surrounding Kitsune, trying to keep him from escaping.

Hovering about seven meters above her frustrated little fox, Chang Long used telepathic communication to give him instructions. She knew Kitsune had only been running away and had not fought back against the players at all.

'Kitsune, breathe fire onto the ground,'

she commanded. Observing that the area around Kitsune was filled with dry grass, Chang Long figured that setting it on fire would cause the flames to spread rapidly. Even if some players had water magic, they would be forced to flee because Kitsune's fire was not ordinary—it was the sacred flame of a pure-blooded sacred beast. Even though Kitsune's level was still low, his flames had destructive power equivalent to that of an evolved beast.

'Yes, master!'

Kitsune happily obeyed, relieved to finally have a way out after being forced to flee for so long. He quickly opened his mouth and breathed flames onto the ground around himself. The players encircling Kitsune panicked as the golden flames spread rapidly. Despite their efforts to stay and extinguish the fire, they found it nearly impossible to put out Kitsune's sacred flame. Chang Long realized then that these players were lower level than she had initially thought. Even though Kitsune was a pure-blooded sacred beast, his level was still relatively low. If the players had been above level 40, they would have worked together to put out the fire rather than fleeing.

In the end, the players retreated in frustration, angry that they had not been able to capture Kitsune. They were also upset because they had only just realized that Kitsune was not just a rare fox beast but possibly a creature that could evolve on its own once it reached the required level.

.....

Pendragon Guild

"What? Chang's on the Starting Island?"

The startled scream of the young woman made both the storyteller and the person standing next to her jump. Valentine and Aden had just returned to the guild hall after taking guild members to grind for experience points at the Royal Cliff on the Starting Island. The young woman felt both shocked and hurt at the same time. She was Chang Long's close friend in the real world, so why had Chang Long not waited to see her? Or at least called to let her know? She came and left without so much as a word.

"Uh... don't take it to heart, Mi. Chang Long was in a rush. She said she only had seven days to fully resurrect Kitsune,"

Rafael quickly tried to explain on Chang Long's behalf.

"Resurrect Kitsune? Did Kitsune die?"

Valentine was even more shocked to hear that Chang Long's beloved pet had died.

"Yes, but now he's been fully revived and even gained the status of a pure-blooded sacred beast. It's a shame I couldn't go and see it myself, because the guild leader persistently insisted on going, leaving me to guard the guild,"

Rafael replied, leaving Valentine and Aden stunned—not only at Kitsune's new status but also at Rafael's comment about the guild leader's persistence.

"Wow, Chang Long always has something surprising going on,"

Aden chuckled, noticing the look on his girlfriend's face.

"Yeah, exactly. Oh, and by the way, have you thought about what you're going to say to your best friend about your relationship? Chang Long still doesn't know, you know. Everyone else does, but not her. How angry do you think she'll be when she finds out... as your best friend?"

Rafael's words made Valentine and Aden freeze. How could they have forgotten? Initially, they planned to date for a while before telling Chang Long, but now, it had been so long that everyone in the guild knew—except for Chang Long, her closest friend.

"Oh, we're in for it..."

Aden muttered, dreading Chang Long's wrath. He shuddered slightly, picturing the Reaper wielding her scythe, tearing apart any players who dared cross her.

"Yeah..."

 Valentine shared the same vision as Aden. The two now had to seriously consider how to break the news to Chang Long without getting sent to heaven by their best friend. They excused themselves to go find the right words to explain things to her. If they did not handle it well, more than two people might die in the fallout, as anyone involved in keeping the secret would surely get caught in the crossfire as well.

Meanwhile, Kimhant and Cat-Faced Angel, who had been left to their own devices by Chang Long, were busy grinding experience points at the border between Suvarn City and Kirisakura City. Felon, Kimhant's pet, would only fight if the beasts dropped food for it, forcing its owner to stock up on snacks until his inventory was full.

After pretending for a while that the beasts Felon killed were dropping snacks, Kimhant had a sudden flash of inspiration. He decided to use snacks as rewards whenever Felon followed a command. The more difficult the command, the bigger the snack or food he used as motivation.

Cat-Faced Angel constantly laughed at Kimhant and his pet. Although she knew that Felon was not a rare beast, it was pretty close to being one. Diabolos, the type of beast Felon was, could only be found around the Agaz Mountains, an area known to players as a hub for demon-type beasts. These creatures tended to gather in groups of mixed levels, making it quite difficult to fight them. Cat-Faced Angel was not sure how Kimhant had managed to acquire Felon, but she could not help but admire his method of handling his pet's gluttony and stubbornness.

"So, what will you do next, Kimhant? Now that you're not following Chang Long anymore?"

Cat-Faced Angel asked as she watched Felon fight diligently, all for the reward of a whole roasted chicken.

"I've already thought about it. After parting ways with master, I plan to start an organization focused on gathering information in this game. I'll publish a newspaper and even offer secret news for sale. Believe it or not, when I first started following master, I published several articles that could've sold really well, you know?"

Kimhant replied with a serious tone.

"Huh. You have your own newspaper?"

Cat-Faced Angel furrowed her brows in surprise. Sure, she had seen Kimhant jotting things down in a notebook and often taking pictures with his camera, but she did not think he had the capacity to run a newspaper. Even if he did, publishing a paper would require a lot of money.

"Of course I do. Right now, I need to gather information and find trustworthy players to join me. It's going to be tough if the Journalists and Writers Association catch wind of this. I've already got the funds, but I'm still looking for reliable colleagues. I'll probably travel like master for a while, and maybe, if we meet again, I'll be able to support master properly,"

Kimhant replied happily. Although he had been following Chang Long in the odd role of one of her pet's subordinates, Chang Long had always treated him well. If he was not imagining things, he felt that Chang Long valued him as a friend.

.....

The young woman, seeking to upgrade herself and her pets, walked along a wide grassland that spanned the area between two cities—Kirisakura and Longshan. Along the way, she attracted the stares of both players and beasts. It was not her they were focused on, though; it was the flame fox that trotted behind her. Everyone's attention would first go to her pet, and only then would they glance back at her. Beasts of lower or similar levels to her pet instinctively backed away, so she did not face nearly as many attacks as other players would along the same route.

Growing increasingly irritated by the constant stares, the woman turned onto a path marked with a sign reading, "Purple Forest—Undead Beast Zone," the red letters standing out boldly. However, Chang Long paid no attention to the sign and continued walking straight ahead.

The Purple Forest was dim and gloomy, with trees and leaves tinted in dark shades of purple and red, some even black. The trees were tall and dense, their thick foliage blocking out any light from the outside. As Chang Long ventured deeper, the light gradually faded until the path ahead became completely engulfed in darkness. She hesitated, looking around. For the first time since entering the forest, she was struck by a strong curiosity—what kind of place was this?

Farther ahead, though she could not tell exactly how far, Chang Long noticed a battle taking place. Fire magic lit up the darkness, supposedly aiming at something in the dark. The glow of swords reflecting off the flames flickered erratically, while the voice of the group's leader echoed louder. Shadows—both of players and strange, horror-movie-like creatures—loomed in the dark, tall and menacing. Chang Long realized she had accidentally wandered into a dangerous area.

Whoosh!

The sound of movement behind her heightened Chang Long's awareness. She felt an eerie sensation, as if something was watching her, which made her annoyed. The darkness was impenetrable, and even the touch of Kitsune brushing against her leg startled her. Suddenly, a pair of cloudy, white eyes appeared in front of her, staring unblinkingly and slowly moving closer.

Chang Long knew she had to act, but what could she do in such pitch darkness? The distant screams of players, wracked with pain, reached her ears. It seemed that some of them had already fallen to the beasts. Both Chang Long and the creature with cloudy eyes froze at the sound.

"Kitsune, breathe fire!"

Chang Long commanded. Kitsune obediently breathed out flames, though they were only half as large as usual. However, the fire was bright enough to reveal their surroundings, and the source of those eerie eyes.

"Level 38 Zombie Girl Beast has appeared."

The creature was indeed a zombie girl, wearing a sleeveless white dress. Her short hair barely reached her neck, and her skin was pale, almost gray. Her lips, along with her fingertips and toes, were black. Her eyes had a vacant, drifting look, as if she were perpetually lost in thought. Startled by Kitsune's fire, she jumped back, her movements so springy that it seemed as if she had springs attached to her ankles. Chang Long quickly scanned the area and realized they were in what looked like an abandoned village, but she had little time to examine her surroundings. Kitsune's flames flickered out as quickly as they had come, lasting only a few moments longer than the fire spells cast by distant mages battling nearby.

As darkness closed in again, more pairs of cloudy white eyes began to appear. Chang Long sighed in frustration—fire was proving to be less effective here, and the zombies moved far faster than the ones in movies. Without light, even the most skilled players would not stand a chance and would likely meet their end before they even had time to react. Kitsune tried his best to ward them off with more fire, but this seemed to only enrage the zombies. With each burst of flame, their once vacant stares turned increasingly hostile.

"Ah!"

Chang Long suddenly remembered something. She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a black orb, about the size of a palm fruit, as dark as coal. The moment she let go of it, the black orb ignited and hovered in the air. Soon, a soft blue-white light radiated from it, illuminating a three-meter radius around the fire. The light kept the zombie girl beast at bay, preventing it from attacking Chang Long.

In the distance, the commotion from the group of players fighting could be heard, though it was hard to determine how far away they were. It seemed that they had spotted the light from Chang Long's Guiding Flame and were now running toward her. Chang Long waited until the players, who looked as if they had been through a fierce battle, came into the light's range. The first two to arrive were a mage and a healer, both being protected by their teammates. The mage threw fireballs at the beasts chasing their group, clearing a path for everyone to reach the safety of the light. The healer immediately began using skills to restore health and heal the wounds of their comrades.

The group, now safely within the radius of the Guiding Flame, seemed relieved to have survived. They were so focused on recovering that they did not notice where the light was coming from. It was not until nearly twenty minutes later that they began to take note of Chang Long.

The players formed a circle, sitting together and exchanging nervous glances as the player who was among them did not seem to pay them much attention. They had finally realized that the mysterious player with a small fox on her lap was the source of the floating, glowing orb that had saved them. Just as one of them was about to ask her something, they hesitated as Chang Long let out a wide yawn. This caused everyone to fall silent again, exchanging glances, trying to urge one another to be the first to speak with her.

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