Pets and Party Rules
Reina’s party finally made it back to Belio City.
They immediately headed to the spot where the beggar had given them the quest earlier, but the old man was nowhere to be found.
“He’s not here,” Rian said, looking around.
“Wasn’t he always somewhere around here before?” Mina asked.
Reina scanned the surrounding streets as well. If this were still an ordinary game, a quest-giving NPC should have remained at a predetermined location. But ever since they had awakened in the world of Cosmia, the NPCs no longer behaved like characters who simply stood around waiting for players to approach them.
They had lives of their own.
“Let’s split up,” Reina said. “Search around Belio City. If anyone finds him, use Party Chat.”
The six of them went their separate ways.
A few minutes later, a message appeared before them.
[Party Chat — Han]
I found him. Near the military training grounds. He’s sleeping.
The entire party immediately headed toward the location Hana had given them.
Sure enough.
The old beggar was fast asleep beside the wall of the military training grounds. His body rested against the wall, while a tattered blanket covered part of him.
Reina stood in front of him.
“Sir.”
No response.
“Sir... wake up.”
The beggar remained asleep.
Reina sighed.
“Huh... Back then, all I had to do was move the cursor over an NPC and press a button. Now I actually have to wake him up.”
Tanaka chuckled.
“At least now you know what it’s like to wake up a real person.”
Reina looked at him.
“Then help me.”
After being called several more times, the beggar finally stirred.
“Hmm...?”
His eyes slowly opened.
Reina showed him the items they had brought.
“We completed your request.”
The beggar’s eyes immediately opened wide.
“Oh! You really did it!”
Reina handed over everything they had collected.
Turnip ×60
“Thank you! Thank you!”
The beggar eagerly accepted them all.
However, when he pulled back his blanket, something strange could be seen moving beneath the tattered fabric.
“Hmm?”
Mina stepped a little closer.
The beggar pulled out a small egg-shaped creature. Its body was patterned in blue and yellow, with a pair of tiny wings on either side. Strangely enough, the egg also had eyes and a tiny mouth.
“Here. Eat up.”
The beggar gave some of the food to the creature.
The little creature’s eyes lit up.
Nearly everyone in the party stared at it in amazement.
Only Reina seemed unsurprised.
Mina frowned.
“I thought you asked for the Turnips because you were hungry.”
“I am hungry.”
The beggar chuckled.
“But my little friend needs to eat too.”
Reina studied the creature.
“A Pet...”
Hana immediately turned toward her.
“A Pet?”
“Yes.”
Reina remembered one of the old features from Cosmic Online.
“In this world, players can have companion creatures called Pets. Some can be obtained as eggs or seeds, then raised until they evolve.”
Rian moved closer, curious.
“Can Pets fight?”
“That’s not their main purpose.”
Reina pointed at the egg-shaped creature.
“Once they evolve, Pets can provide additional stats to their owners. The stats depend on the type of Pet you raise.”
Yukio looked interested.
“So if we get the right Pet, our character stats will increase too?”
“Exactly.”
Reina went on to explain that these creatures were connected to the same power responsible for the existence of the various Mostro throughout Cosmia. Certain eggs or seeds, however, could be raised and eventually grow into companions for humans.
The beggar listened to Reina’s explanation before suddenly smiling.
“Sweet girl, come here.”
Hana pointed at herself.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Hana approached hesitantly.
The beggar lifted his Pet and handed it to her.
“I have a feeling that once this little one evolves, it will possess abilities related to Magic and Mana.”
Hana’s eyes widened.
“Magic and Mana?”
“You’re a Mage, aren’t you?”
Hana nodded.
“Then those two stats will be very useful to you. Take it and raise it well.”
Instead, Hana took a small step back.
“But it belongs to you.”
“It’s fine.”
The beggar practically pushed the Pet into her arms.
“Consider it a reward for helping me. Besides, so far, you’re the only ones who have been willing to accept my request.”
Hana finally accepted the creature.
“Thank you, sir.”
The little Pet blinked up at its new owner.
Rian immediately walked over.
“That’s not fair. Why does only Hana get one?”
Yukio stared at the Pet as well.
“I want one too.”
Hana quickly hugged her Pet tighter.
“Go find your own.”
Mina laughed at the three of them.
Before they could leave, however, the beggar gestured for Reina to come closer.
“There is one more thing.”
His voice became quieter.
“You’ve already been to Loki Forest, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you happen to see someone wearing a black robe? He looks somewhat like a priest.”
Reina shook her head.
“No.”
The others gave the same answer.
The beggar stroked his chin.
“I see...”
“Why?” Rian asked.
“I’ve heard reports about that person several times. He’s been seen in a place where you wouldn’t normally expect to find a priest. I don’t know what he’s doing there, but his presence is rather suspicious.”
The beggar pointed toward the outskirts of Belio City.
“If you want to investigate, travel beyond the area where the Turnip Mostro roam. Eventually, you’ll find a rocky hill with a single large tree.”
“He’s there?” Mina asked.
“Usually.”
The beggar then gave them a warning.
“But be careful. That area is surrounded by Level 15 Rabbit Mostro.”
At that moment, a window appeared before all six members of the party.
[COSMIA HISTORY]
Reina fell silent.
She read the information again.
Something felt different.
This wasn’t in the game I used to play.
Reina still recognized most of Cosmia’s rules. The locations of its cities, the types of Mostro, the leveling system, skills, items, even the Pet mechanics were still almost identical to Cosmic Online.
But certain details were beginning to differ from what she remembered.
The beggar moving from place to place.
NPCs sleeping.
Pets that actually needed to be fed.
And now, a conversation about a mysterious priest that she had no memory of whatsoever.
Was this part added to Cosmia Online?
Reina looked at the beggar.
Or perhaps there was another possibility.
Had this world changed because it was truly alive now?
For the first time, Reina’s knowledge of the old game gave her no answer.
They decided not to start Quest 2 right away.
The mysterious priest wasn’t going anywhere, while their group was still too weak. Reina also needed to reach a much higher level if they were serious about their plan to establish a guild.
So, for the time being, they decided to focus on leveling.
From noon until evening, the six of them continued hunting as a single party.
They started in an area inhabited by Level 12 Pea Mostro, then moved on to Level 13 Chicken Mostro before eventually reaching an area filled with Level 14 Worm Mostro.
Their formation grew more organized with every battle.
Tanaka was beginning to understand how to draw the Mostro’s attention and withstand their attacks on the front line.
Mina kept everyone’s HP up while maintaining their buffs.
Hana attacked from the rear with magic.
Yukio made use of his area attacks whenever several Mostro gathered together.
Rian fought at close range alongside Reina.
Meanwhile, Reina moved constantly from one side of the battlefield to the other, attacking while keeping an eye on the condition of every party member.
Ting!
Something glittering dropped from one of the Mostro.
Yukio immediately picked it up.
Yux obtained Crystal ×1
“Ms. Reina! I got a Crystal!”
Yukio’s face immediately lit up.
He pulled out his starter weapon and opened the enhancement system.
The moment Reina saw what he was doing, she stopped attacking.
“Yukio! What are you doing?”
“I’m going to enhance it.”
“Don’t!”
Yukio flinched.
Reina walked over to him.
“That’s a Level 1 weapon. You’ll replace it in a few more levels.”
Yukio looked at his weapon.
“So?”
“You’d be wasting a Crystal on a weapon you won’t be using much longer.”
Yukio fell silent.
He looked at the Crystal in his hand, then at the starter weapon he was carrying.
“Oh... right.”
“Save materials like that until you have equipment that’s actually worth enhancing.”
Yukio immediately put the Crystal into his inventory.
“Okay, Ms. Reina. Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Not long after—
Ting!
Another Crystal dropped.
Riz obtained Crystal ×1
Rian picked it up.
For a moment, he looked at his own sword.
Then he glanced at Reina.
Reina was already looking at him.
Without saying a word, Rian immediately put the Crystal into his inventory.
Reina nodded in approval.
“Good.”
Rian let out a relieved sigh.
The hunt continued.
Krsssh!
One of the Mostro Reina defeated dropped something different.
Plop.
An egg fell into the grass.
The entire party turned toward it as a notification appeared.
XOXO obtained Bird Egg ×1
“An egg!”
Hana was the first to rush over.
Yukio and Rian quickly followed.
“Ms. Reina got a Pet!”
Reina picked up the Bird Egg and examined it.
It resembled the Pet the beggar had given Hana earlier, although its pattern was different.
But Reina didn’t keep it.
Instead, she called someone over.
“Mina.”
The Cleric pointed at herself.
“Me?”
Reina handed her the Bird Egg.
“Take it.”
Mina looked surprised.
“For me?”
“Raise it for now. We don’t know what kind of Pet it’ll become. Its stats might be suitable for a Cleric.”
Mina hesitantly accepted the egg.
“What if it isn’t?”
“Then we can give it to another member who needs it more.”
Mina continued staring at the egg.
“But this was your drop, Ms. Reina.”
“It’s fine.”
Reina then looked at the entire party.
“There’s something all of you need to understand if we’re really planning to create a guild someday.”
They turned their attention toward her.
“Not every job has the same opportunity to obtain items.”
Reina gestured toward Mina.
“Clerics spend most of their time in the back. Their main job is to keep everyone’s HP up and provide buffs. Since they rarely land the final hit or participate directly in dealing damage, they have fewer opportunities to obtain certain kinds of drops.”
Mina listened carefully.
“But imagine that last battle without Mina.”
Rian looked at her.
“We would’ve used a lot more potions.”
“Exactly,” Reina said. “And when you’re fighting Mostro far stronger than yourselves, a Cleric can be the difference between whether the entire party survives or not.”
Reina remembered something she had implemented many years ago.
“That’s why I used to have my own rule when I led a guild.”
“What rule?” Hana asked.
“Ordinary items can belong to whoever gets them. But if we find a rare item that would be especially useful to a particular member, we discuss it first.”
Reina looked at each of them in turn.
“We shouldn’t let someone spend all their time helping everyone else grow stronger while falling behind themselves just because they chose a job that isn’t focused on attacking.”
Mina looked down at the Bird Egg in her arms.
Rian nodded.
“That makes sense.”
Yukio agreed as well.
Hana then lifted her own Pet.
“If I get something that suits Mina later, I’ll give it to her.”
Mina smiled.
“Thank you.”
Reina smiled faintly as well.
To her, a guild wasn’t built solely from high-level players or those with the best equipment.
If they truly intended to create one someday, they needed to learn how to grow stronger together from the very beginning.
Tanaka, who had been listening the entire time, quietly nodded.
But this time, he wasn’t simply going along with whatever Reina said.
Little by little, he was beginning to understand how Reina had once managed to lead a guild all the way to the completion of the Main Quest.
It wasn’t only because Reina understood the game.
She also understood the people who played alongside her.
Tanaka looked toward the four students as they prepared to continue hunting.
Somewhere along the way, the anxiety that had followed him ever since arriving in Cosmia had begun to fade.
He still thought about their original world.
He still wanted to go home.
But for the first time since waking up in this place, Tanaka was beginning to enjoy their adventure.
Reina opened the party window.
Six names were lined up before her.
XOXO.
Taka.
Riz.
Mina.
Yux.
Han.
They didn’t have a guild yet.
They had no headquarters, no emblem, not even a name to unite them.
But without realizing it, something far more important had already begun to form between the six of them.
Trust.