DSMC Chapter 14

The black cat’s figure vanished, replaced by a tall, well-proportioned young man standing in its place.

He looked to be somewhere between a teenager and a young adult, with a pair of beautiful amber eyes that are slightly different in shade from his feline form. His hair had a natural wave, his nose was straight, his skin fair. He looked exactly like a well-behaved freshman in college.

The screen in front of him reflected his current appearance. Yan Jiyun reached up to ruffle his wavy hair, stunned to find that his face was almost exactly the same as before, right down to the small mole on his right cheek. If not for the countdown timer of the Human Form Time Card ticking in the top right corner, he might have thought nothing had changed at all.

The card even came with clothes. He was dressed in a floral beach shirt and shorts to match the background, with a straw hat in his hand.

Yan Jiyun inwardly exclaimed, ‘I am human again!’

While he was still in awe of how terrifyingly powerful the game [Destiny] was, he flexed his limbs. Having walked on all fours for nearly a year, he only hoped he hadn’t forgotten how to walk upright. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously stepped forward with his right leg and made a small circle before heading for the red door to the game’s Central Zone.

The moment he stepped through, the temporary rest area vanished behind him.

Five minutes wasn’t enough to probe for information about the game from other players, but it was long enough to take a stroll in human form!

The Central Zone was nothing like he had imagined. It was crowded with people and as noisy as a marketplace.

As soon as he appeared, he drew curious glances from all directions.

“Hey, another newbie fresh out of the newcomer instance.”

“Wasn’t the newbie instance that just ended the ‘Going Home After School’ hard mode? I saw nearly ten people come out from there. Is he one of them?”

“No idea. I remember a few from the Holy Dragon Society came out just now. Maybe we can ask them.”

“I asked already, they said this guy isn’t one of them, and never saw him in the instance.”

“Should we recruit him to our guild? He’s good-looking, and his wavy hair is cute. I think he would boost our livestream views.”

“Recruit him!”

Even as a human, Yan Jiyun’s hearing and sense of smell were still as sharp as when he was a cat. The group approaching him made him a little uncomfortable.

A pretty girl handed him a brightly colored flyer.

“Xiao Gege, we’re from the Dawn to Dusk[mfn]not literal translation, the original name is 朝夕公会 (zhaoxi gongyun. 朝夕 literally means morning and evening, and can be used in a lot of varying context. I chose this name simply because it sounds fancier orz[/mfn] Guild. Interested in learning more?”

A small, thin man followed with a card printed in ink-brush style.

“Why not join our Hurricane Guild? We’ve got all kinds of talent to take you through instances and rack up points, including deduction instances, puzzle-solving instances, roleplay instances— you name it. We’ll match you to the perfect instance based on your stats. Newbies even get a dedicated companion. Joining us means you’ll have peace of mind. Would you consider it?” 

“Pick our Lucky Fortune Guild! Our guild—”

“Join us! Join us!”

Yan Jiyun quickly took two steps back. He hadn’t spoken in so long he almost forgot what his voice sounded like. Clearing his throat, he said, “Thanks, everyone, but I won’t be joining any guilds for now, I’ll look around first.”

His diction was clear, his tone clean, magnetic, and gentle.

Even after stating his refusal, he still ended up with a handful of flyers.

With only five minutes of human form, he couldn’t waste time here. Besides, he didn’t want to transform back into a cat in front of everyone and give himself away.

Once he slipped free of the crowd, he finally saw the real Central Zone. He was only at the small part of the newcomer instance exit.

Ahead lay a bustling commercial district, packed with people. It was a world of its own, much like a real-life city, except instead of RMB, the currency here was points earned from instances.

As he walked, he overheard snippets of conversation from passing players.

Suddenly, a wave of people surged toward one direction. With limited time left, he didn’t dare follow. What if he turned into a cat right in the middle of the crowd?

Still, his sharp ears picked up the talk clearly.

“Someone just triggered a new instance ending!”

“The dust-covered Favorability Ranking finally changed. Someone got 100% favorability from an NPC.”

“That’s insane, and it’s a newbie too. Let’s see which instance it was!”

“We should recruit them. Anyone who can max an NPC’s favorability is worth having.”

“Could be a fluke. Most NPCs either hate players or ignore them entirely, it’s not that easy to grind. And does it even help? I remember a top guild leader did it before. It boosted favorability but barely helped with instance completion.”

“Let’s go see for ourselves.”

Yan Jiyun checked his timer. He has three minutes left.

He wanted to follow the crowd, but ahead was a large, open plaza with massive screens looping footage. He wanted to get closer, but there was no cover. He might transform in full view. Instead, he stopped at a fried pork rib shop nearby, the mouthwatering smell making his stomach grow.

He couldn’t resist. “Boss, one order of fried ribs. Please make it quick.”

The chubby boss pointed at a sign. “Ten points a serving.”

Following the posted instructions, Yan Jiyun transferred the points. It was quick and easy, no need to add friends, just input the provided number.

After a whole year, he finally tasted the salty, savory ribs again!

As he gnawed the bones down to the last scrap, three players from his first instance — Yang Xue, Wang Mian, and the hoodie-wearing young man — passed by.

The hoodie-wearing young man said, “We waited at the instance exit forever and never saw this Yan Jiyun. Does he have invisibility or something?”

Yang Xue frowned. “Don’t you think it’s strange? Yan Jiyun never showed his face the whole time.”

Wang Mian said, “Maybe he just had tons of invisibility props?”

The hoodie-wearing youth scoffed. “Are you stupid? We’re only allowed three props, and he should be the same. If he was constantly gaining Li Muyang’s favorability, that means he was completing tasks the whole time. He must’ve used up more items than us.”

An image of a black cat flashed through Yang Xue’s mind. “Not necessarily. Maybe he’s just that skilled.”

Wang Mian shook his head. “We really lost out this time. He took almost all the points.”

After a moment of silence, Yang Xue said, “Don’t you think that black cat was kind of suspicious?”

Hoodie-wearing youth: “Wasn’t that just Li Muyang’s pet?”

Yang Xue thought for a moment. “True, maybe I’m overthinking it.”

Yan Jiyun quietly edged toward a nearby alley. This Yang Xue was sharp, she almost guessed his identity.

With less than thirty seconds left, he darted into the empty alley.

[System: Human Form Time Card time has ended.]

Back in his feline body, he hid behind a trash bin until the sound of their footsteps faded before letting out a breath of relief.

Five minutes was far too short. There’s no need to waste points on a human form now.

Near the trash bin, he spotted a small storage area piled with wooden planks and an old barrel with a hole. Squeezing inside, he entered his personal space.

Wandering the game in his cat form risked running into fellow instance players, something he’d rather avoid. His presence here was an accident, and if word got out, who knew what trouble it might bring.

His personal space was tiny. It was less than a tenth the size of the temporary rest area outside the instance. But for a cat, it was more than enough for resting.

The young man’s voice from the system sounded again:

“Would you like to furnish your personal space?”

Yan Jiyun very matter-of-factly bought himself a king-sized bed. Even though he was a cat, he refused to sleep in a cat bed — he had to sleep on a real bed.

He’d just eaten a little too much, and now that he’d relaxed, drowsiness began to set in.

It was daytime in the Central Zone at the moment. With his pitch-black fur, he could easily attract the attention of other players. He couldn’t guarantee that the people who went crazy in the game were all decent folks. Better to go home and rest for now. He hadn’t had a proper sleep for twenty-four hours, and he really couldn’t hold out any longer. Once night fell in the Central Zone, he could sneak back to his pooper scooper’s nameplate.

Yan Jiyun: ‘How do I log out?’

The young man told him, “Just send me the signal to return to reality.”

Yan Jiyun thought in his mind: ‘Return to reality.’

The next second, his body felt weightless again, his consciousness disappeared, and when he opened his eyes, he was back on the sofa where he’d been before entering the game.

Lying on the soft sofa, Yan Jiyun’s whole body relaxed. In the instance, he had to stay on high alert at all times without letting his guard down for even a moment. Now that he was home, his mind loosened, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he didn’t even feel like lifting a paw. A few seconds later, he drifted into a deep sleep.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun came home almost one after the other. Yesterday, after Qi Feng returned, the little fellow had disappeared somewhere and hadn’t come out at all. Qi Feng guessed it was because this instance run had taken too long — the cat food had run out before he got back, and the little guy was angry.

His cat Caramel had a quick temper but also cooled off quickly.

Still, it was strange. Caramel had never hidden away for this long before. This time, Qi Feng had searched all day without finding him. He’d even gone out again today to look around, asked the neighbors, and checked the security cameras, but still couldn’t find it. 

It seemed this time the little guy was really mad about him being gone for eight days.

Now that the instance was over, there was no rush to jump into another one. Qi Feng could rest properly, spend some time with him, maybe make some homemade cat food and coax him back.

He’d adopted Caramel by pure chance. One day last year, he’d just happened to see a tiny newborn kitten on the roadside, so he brought it home to rescue it, and ended up keeping it. One more cat didn’t affect his life. He provided food and water, and the house gained a bit of warmth.

When he returned to his study, Qi Feng saw the little black cat sprawled out on the sofa, limbs spread wide, belly up, fast asleep. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If he’d come home, it meant he wasn’t mad anymore.

Qi Feng found Caramel’s favorite little blanket and draped it over his belly.

When Yan Jiyun re-entered the game world later, it was still four or five in the afternoon there — but in reality, a full twenty four hours had passed. He slept deeply, but suddenly woke up.

Not from hunger, nor from a nightmare, but… from a stomachache!

‘Damn it, why does my stomach hurt so much?!’

The moment he opened his eyes, he bolted straight into the bathroom.

Qi Feng, reading in the study, heard the commotion and looked over, seeing the black cat — who’d been out all day — push the bathroom door open with practiced ease. Ten minutes later, he heard the toilet flush.

Caramel really was smarter than other cats. It seemed to understand human speech, and some of its behaviors were very human-like. Maybe it was because the cat had been raised in a human home since birth, with Qi Feng as its role model, or perhaps even as a mother figure.

That was why Qi Feng felt his cat had grown up like a human. He’d bought him all sorts of litter boxes — big, small, enclosed, half-enclosed, semi-automatic, fully automatic — but in the end, Caramel preferred a human toilet, and would even flush it itself. The cat is clever enough to make Qi Feng think it was more like a person than a cat.

This time, though, he stayed in the bathroom a little too long.

A moment later, Caramel came out looking a little out of sorts.

Yan Jiyun padded over toward his shit-shovel officer. Qi Feng didn’t yet know he’d been into a game instance.

He’d always pretended to be an ordinary cat in front of him, never revealing he was actually human. How should he tell him about entering the game?

Wouldn’t it be creepy if he just started typing on a computer to talk?

Forget it, it’s best not to make himself seem too cutting-edge for now. They’d just been chance acquaintances in life. Becoming a cat after death was his stroke of luck; stumbling into the game was his fate. Whether he lived or died didn’t really matter.

Just as he was about to jump up and ask for some comfort, Qi Feng reached out to rub his chin. But then Yan Jiyun’s stomach growled loudly, a fresh wave of pain hit, Qi Feng’s hand froze midair, and Yan Jiyun turned tail and dashed back into the bathroom.

Qi Feng: “…”

The warm pet-owner moment was broken, and there was no picking it back up. Yan Jiyun stayed in the bathroom for half an hour, suffering both diarrhea and vomiting.

From its sorry state, Qi Feng was certain the kitty ate bad human food while out. He called the vet, made an appointment, shoved Caramel into the car, and drove to the clinic.

After a blood test, the vet diagnosed acute gastroenteritis.

The vet said, “Mr. Qi, your Caramel’s stomach is more delicate than that of an average cat. Never let him eat overly greasy human food.”

Yan Jiyun had just suffered the indignity[mfn]it’s because a cat’s temperature is taken from the anus. RIP Yan Jiyun[/mfn] of having his temperature taken, and had been jabbed with an anti-emetic injection, and he was in great pain. Now he covered his face with both paws, refusing to look at anyone, utterly miserable.

The vet continued, “See? Caramel looks very weak. That’s the result of eating the wrong thing. For the next few days, soak its kibble in water before feeding.”

Qi Feng could only nod. “Can I give it chicken breast?”

The vet: “That’s fine, but no canned food. Most on the market contain appetite enhancers.”

Qi Feng: “Got it.”

The vet prescribed anti-diarrheal medicine and even gave him a neatly prepared medical report.

Yan Jiyun regretted it bitterly. He’d thought using the Human Form Time Card meant he could eat and drink whatever he wanted. But in the end, he was the one who had to suffer!

It would probably take two or three days to recover fully. Truly, what a hardship for an ordinary little black cat. Misfortune never comes alone.

Being human was better. They could eat whatever they wanted.

Back home, Yan Jiyun stuck close to Qi Feng, not going anywhere. He was a pure black cat without a single stray hair, and now that the vomiting and diarrhea had stopped, he turned his attention to hygiene. He could feel just how dirty he was — digging dirt, sneaking into a cafeteria, climbing trees… he’d been everywhere in the instance and picked up plenty of dust.

He began hinting wildly for Qi Feng to give him a bath.

After over a year together, Qi Feng had finally learned to read his little signals.

Qi Feng’s voice was slightly stern. “You’re sick right now. If you take a bath and catch a cold, what then?”

Yan Jiyun just squatted at the bathroom door and refused to move. In the end, Qi Feng gave in and ran him some bathwater. He’d never seen a cat that loved bathing this much.

Of course, Qi Feng had never owned another cat.

After scrubbing him clean, Qi Feng noticed the bathwater was filthy. “Where on earth did you go to get this dirty?” he muttered, dutifully rinsing and blow-drying the little black cat, working up a sweat in the process. After showering himself and returning to the bedroom, he found the cat had already claimed a small corner of the bed, sprawled on the soft covers, fast asleep.

Qi Feng gently flicked its upturned, soft and squishy, black paw pad. The cat was clearly exhausted.

Where had it even gone during that day’s disappearance?

After three days of rest, Yan Jiyun was once again a lively little black cat.

But he regretted leaving the game!

During his recovery, he’d tried to use Qi Feng’s nameplate to get back in and check for news, but every time he reached for it, Qi Feng would push his paw away immediately, never letting him touch it.

Yan Jiyun was dumbfounded — this wasn’t how he’d imagined things at all! If he’d known, he wouldn’t have left the game in the first place. Now he couldn’t get in at all!

Watching the time inch closer to when he’d last left the instance, his anxiety grew.

Once three days were up, he’d have to go back into the game. But without the nameplate, there was no direct way in. All he could do was pace around the house to ease his nerves. And now, Qi Feng had gone out for dinner with friends.

Time ticked by. Yan Jiyun lay by the window, waiting for his shit-shovel officer to return, tail lashing in frustration.

When he heard a car pull up downstairs, he decided to charge straight at Qi Feng as soon as he came in, climb onto his shoulder, slap his paw on the nameplate, and use the remaining time to both enter the game and scout the instance rules. That way, he could enter smoothly and also make Qi Feng aware he’d been going in.

However, just as he leapt down from the windowsill, his body suddenly felt weightless again. Before losing consciousness, the only thought in his mind was: ‘Shit, I’m going into the game again!’

Qi Feng returned home, but saw no sign of his cat. He’d clearly seen it by the window downstairs just a moment ago. How had it vanished as soon as he came in?

“Caramel, I bought your favorite salmon.”

When the cat food was ready, Caramel still hadn’t come downstairs. Qi Feng searched the whole place, but found nothing.

The cat has just freshly recovered from illness. Where had it gone off to this time?

– Arc 1 Finished – 

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Since today is Thursday, I’ll be taking a day off from updating! See you on Monday~