The body of the sacred beast, the Flame Fox Kitsune, emitted a soft golden light as the system announced that it was about to undergo its first evolution. Chang Long knew that if she agreed to the evolution now, she might end up scorched, recalling the intense flames that surrounded Kitsune as it hatched. Those flames were so hot they burned the grass and leaves nearby to a crisp.

    "Kitsune, move back to that open area over there,"

    Chang Long ordered, pointing to a clearing where they had fought monsters a moment ago, which was about five meters from their current position. Kitsune nodded and moved away as instructed.

    "The sacred beast, the Flame Fox Kitsune, has reached the threshold for Stage 1 evolution. Would you like to initiate the evolution now?"

    The system's voice prompted Chang Long again for a response when she had not replied to its query.

    "Yes."

    "Initiating evolution will take a total of ten minutes. Player Chang Long, please step back from your pet for safety."

    This was the system's final warning before Kitsune was enveloped in golden flames.

    The golden orb of flames encasing Kitsune gradually expanded, radiating intense heat throughout the area, forcing Chang Long to retreat with a mix of worry and excitement.

    "Wow, if Stage 1 evolution is this intense, what will the next stages be like?" Chang Long mused as she continued to back away, sweating profusely as dry leaves around began to catch fire, expanding the blaze.

    The golden orb of flames surrounding Kitsune spun faster and faster, resembling a whirlpool of golden lava. When the temperature reached its peak, heat and smoke blanketed the area, reducing visibility to just the sight of a glowing golden ball floating about a meter above the ground. Chang Long began to choke on the smoke, crouching low, and trying to see Kitsune, now completely hidden by the golden flames. Players in the Pine Forest, who were hunting beasts to level up, hastily fled the scene, fearing a wildfire. The lower-level beasts also scrambled for safety, while higher-level players attempted to penetrate the thick smoke to see what was happening but to no avail.

    Boom!!

    A loud explosion sounded as the golden flames enveloping Kitsune burst outward, igniting a widespread fire. Kitsune's form, now evolved, slowly descended to the ground. It had grown from the size of a Chihuahua to nearly the size of a Golden Retriever. Its fur was glossy orange with golden highlights, fluttering like flames. its keen golden eyes immediately sought out Chang Long as soon as it reached the ground.

    "The evolution process is complete. The sacred beast, Flame Fox Kitsune, can now use the transformation skill. Having collected 100 souls, the sacred beast, Flame Fox Kitsune gained an additional tail."

    After the system's announcement, Chang Long noticed a second tail slowly growing next to the first, reaching the same length within a minute.

    "Master, we should leave this place quickly before the fire blocks all our escape routes,"

    Kitsune, with a slightly deeper voice, advised Chang Long. She nodded, quickly packed her belongings into her leather backpack. They both hurriedly moved to an area less affected by the fire.

    They kept running straight ahead, unaware of what lay in front of them, as flames chased closely behind. Chang Long noticed several grumpy beavers trying to douse the fire with water, but their efforts were futile against the rapidly spreading blaze. As the fire approached, they scattered in panic.

    With her swift movement skill at level 7, Chang Long maintained a significant distance from the wildfire chasing them. Encountering a row of low bushes blocking her path, she decided to leap over them.

    "Woahhh!"

    Chang Long screamed upon realizing what lay beyond the bushes. Kitsune, who jumped right after her, was equally shocked. They both frantically tried to claw their way back to the other side, but it was useless. They fell into an abyss, five hundred meters deep, screaming as they watched the fire consume everything above them.

    "Sob... Is this my first death experience?"

    Chang Long lamented, as she plummeted down at high speed.

    "Master, watch out!!"

    Kitsune cried, seeing something close below, but it was already too late.

    "Huh?"

    Thud!!

    Chang Long crashed onto a large rock ledge protruding from the cliff face, which caused her immense pain. Kitsune, more agile, managed to land gracefully like a gymnast.

    "Ouch, ouch, ouch!!"

    Chang Long jumped around, clutching her buttocks where she had hit the rock hard. Tears streamed down her face as her health dropped significantly due to the impact.

    "Master! Stop jumping around, or else..."

    Creak, crumble...

    Before Kitsune could finish its warning, the rock ledge they were clinging to, began to shake violently and started to detach slowly from the cliff. Chang Long, wide-eyed with fear, scrambled for something to grip on, while Kitsune, with its short and fluffy toes, struggled to hold onto the slippery rock. It began to slide down gradually.

    "Kitsune, use your transformation skill to turn into a human, hurry up!"

    Chang Long ordered upon seeing her furry companion in trouble. Kitsune immediately activated its transformation skill.

    "Secret Technique: Transformation!"

    A bright flash surrounded Kitsune, and when the light faded, there was a handsome young man with sharp eagle-like golden eyes. His long flowing hair was orange with golden highlights. His skin was as white as snow, and he would have looked like a deity if not for the fact that he was only wearing strawberry-patterned boxer shorts. Of course, nothing was perfect.

    Before they could react to the sudden transformation, the large rock they were holding onto broke away from the cliff and plummeted down the abyss at high speed.

    "Eeeek! Stay away!"

    A female player's terrified scream echoed as she was cornered by a group of level 45 fire lizard beasts. Despite their small size, which was only two feet, their elevated level and numbers made it impossible for her to fend them off. As she tried to escape, they cornered her.

    The fire lizards, with their fiery-colored bodies, advanced on her calmly. The player attempted to defend herself with her staff, but they were undeterred and continued their slow approach. Trapped in a dead end, she had no way out.

    Whoosh!!

    The fire lizards’ breath, a hot gust, made the air unbearably hot, causing the player to sweat profusely. As she wiped the sweat from her brow, the fire lizards seized the opportunity to attack. However, their plans were thwarted as a large rock, hurled at high speed, crushed them.

    Bam!!

    The impact sent debris and dust flying, killing five fire lizards instantly, leaving the female player unconscious and severely injured.

    Struggling, Chang Long managed to get up from beneath the rubble that nearly buried her, to hear the system announce her acquisition of a new Mystic Gust skill. Kitsune, who was less injured and now in human form, quickly helped clear the rocks off her.

    "Kit..sune, are you alright?"

    Chang Long asked with difficulty. Her body was in pain all over, bruised and cut in several places.

    "I'm fine, Master. Please don't move too much. I'll fetch some blood crystals for you."

    Kitsune said while reaching into Chang Long's backpack and pulling out two medium blood crystals for her. Since Chang Long did not have a strength to chew, she let them dissolve slowly in her mouth.

    "Kitsune, did you hear someone screaming when we fell?" Chang Long asked shyly, sitting next to Kitsune.

    "Uh... I did,"

    Kitsune replied, his cheeks turning a faint red as he felt her gaze examining his body. Chang Long chuckled as she rummaged through her snake leather backpack.

    "Here, put this on, and carry this backpack on your back. It will make you look like one of the players."

    Chang Long handed over a complete set of beginner adventurer's outfit, with shirt, pants, belts, gloves, shoes and a 500-slot backpack she got from the player service building to Kitsune. Kitsune accepted it shyly before finding a suitable place to change. Returning to Chang Long, who was feeling much better now.

    "How are you feeling, Master?"

    Kitsune sat down next to Chang Long, asking about her condition with concern.

    "I'm much better now. But where could the owner of that scream have gone to?"

    Chang Long looked around for the source of the scream but found nothing except the remains of some beasts lying not far away.

    "We might have been hearing things... huh?"

    Kitsune got up to investigate the surroundings and noticed something shining from a large termite-mound-like rock. It had been struck hard by the rock Chang Long clung to as they fell, revealing much of its interior.

    Following at a distance, Chang Long also noticed and approached the rock with curiosity. What they found was a glowing silver sword with a handle and blade partially exposed. The sword, made entirely of pure silver, had a skull at its hilt and wings spread as if in flight. A small part of the blade visible had a crystal ball that looked like it contained eternal flames.

    "This looks interesting. Let's try to extract this sword from the rock together,"

    Chang Long suggested, and they began their excavation.

    Hours passed without success, leaving them exhausted and breathless. Chang Long remembered they had not eaten since noon and pulled out the dining set and the Horn of Abundance.

    "Kitsune, what would you like to eat?"

    Chang Long asked, holding the Horn of Abundance, shaped like an animal's horn.

    "Anything is fine. In this human form, I can eat anything a human does. Preferably meat,"

    Kitsune responded.

    "Some steaks then."

    Instantly, a large, freshly cooked steak emerged from the Horn of Abundance. Chang Long instantly caught it with a plate. The delicious-looking steak with dark brown sauce made both the master and the pet salivate.

    Repeating the process, Chang Long produced another delectable steak. Without further ado, they began eating hungrily. Chang Long did not forget to bring out honey liquor she got from the drunk honey bears. Enjoying its sweet aroma, they drank merrily until they eventually fell asleep intoxicated.

    "Whew! That was close. I never thought the Southern Abyss would be this dangerous,"

    a male player said as he sat down with his friends at a small restaurant in the starting town.

    "Raphael."

    One player turned to look at the caller. A group of eight male players was waving and walking towards him. The young man smiled and then said,

    "Everyone made it back safely, huh?"

    The rest of them nodded and then sat down at Rafael’s table. They ordered a variety of foods while talking about the experiences that had them running back to the town nearly breathless with excitement.

    "I can't believe it was that brutal there. We are all level 40 and up, you know!"

    One of the players said with terrified look on his face.

    "True! I was attacked by 3 fire lizards, barely breaking through their encirclement. It was a close call."

    Another player said, nodding his head.

    "If it's this brutal, we need to plan more carefully from now on,"

    Rafael said seriously, sipping his tea.

    "Yes, we need to find 2-3 more mages to join our group if we want to have a better chance of survival and make it easier to explore that area. Speaking of mages... Aren’t we forgetting something?"

    The big male player sitting next to Rafael said thoughtfully.

    "What did you forgot Draco? We're all here, aren't we? I think we better plan our next move to the Southern Sea Abyss. If we're lucky this time, we might reach the Pirate's Cave and get rich for sure. Maybe we'll even find the legendary Pirate King's outfit set."

    A player in the group said dreamily.

    "Hmm... but I think we're really forgetting something important, something that could get us in big trouble,"

    Draco said, still pondering.

    "What could we forget that would put us in big trouble, Draco?"

    Another player asked, eyes fixed on the food being served to their table.

    "I think... We are missing someone from our group?"

    Rafael felt something tucking in the corner of his mind as he started scanning the entire table. Every player began to look at each other awkwardly, nervous when they realized what or who they had forgotten, that could seriously jeopardize themselves and their group.