A while later, a bowl of water and two black-flour steamed buns were pushed through the narrow gap beneath the wooden door, which was barely as wide as a palm.
Chang Jiu immediately snatched up one of the buns and stuffed it into her mouth.
She had no idea how many days this body had gone without food. It had survived this long solely because its desperate will to live had kept that final breath from fading away.
She had to admit, the food in the mining district might have been rough, but they certainly didn’t skimp on portions.
Each bun was practically half the size of a human head.
Chang Jiu washed it down with cold water and wolfed down the entire thing. Her stomach was already painfully full.
After catching her breath, she finally had enough strength to take a proper look around.
The little hut was completely bare. There wasn’t even a bed.
Using the sliver of light that seeped through the crack beneath the door, Chang Jiu could finally make out the condition of the person lying at her feet.
He was probably another unlucky soul who had suffered damage to his soul from a soul beast and then been casually tied up and dragged here by the one-eyed man to be sold.
His clothes had already been stripped off and sold by that bastard. He had been hastily wrapped in a sackcloth bag, and after lying in the mining district for three days, his entire body was evenly coated in mining dust.
There was no way to tell what he looked like, how old he was, or even what his complexion was like.
Fortunately, his chest was still rising and falling.
He was still breathing.
But if he didn’t get any food soon, he probably wouldn’t last much longer.
Chang Jiu tossed half a steamed bun into the bowl of water and let it soak until it swelled up. After stirring it into a mush, she grabbed the unfortunate man by the chin and poured the mixture into his mouth.
The unlucky fellow was surprisingly cooperative, instinctively swallowing it down.
“I’ve done you a good deed, so it’s only fair that you repay me,” Chang Jiu muttered.
She swiftly tore off one sleeve and used it to blindfold the man.
Then, with considerable effort, she pushed the unlucky fellow toward the door and made him turn around with his back facing her.
Using his body to block the crack beneath the door, she completely cut off the view from outside.
The hut instantly plunged into darkness.
Chang Jiu felt around and casually placed the broken bowl on top of the unlucky man’s head.
That way, she could immediately tell the moment he woke up.
After thinking it over for a moment, Chang Jiu decided to take her caution one step further.
She tore off her other sleeve, slipped it around the unlucky man’s neck, and tied it into a loose knot.
If he suddenly woke up and started struggling, all she had to do was pull hard, and the makeshift noose would immediately tighten.
The world outside clearly wasn’t one where reason mattered.
There was no way Chang Jiu could trust a complete stranger trapped in the same room with her.
Once everything was taken care of, she could finally relax and examine the game system that had suddenly appeared.
The line of text was still floating before her eyes, patiently waiting for her choice.
Chang Jiu decisively selected “Yes!”
The text vanished in an instant.
In its place, four differently colored balls of light appeared and floated before her.
Chang Jiu froze for a moment.
Back when she had been a game tester, she had been responsible for the standard Summoner class.
Its initial summon had always been fixed—a Flame Wolf.
Players had never been given any choice at all.
So why were there options this time?
Could it be that Heaven had taken pity on her ridiculously difficult starting situation and given her a hidden class with a probability of only one in ten million?
She stared at the four balls of light.
Red.
Gold.
Green.
Black.
They quietly floated before her without offering the slightest hint or description, as though they were waiting for her to open a blind box.
【Summoner, please select your initial summon.】
Chang Jiu didn’t hesitate.
She followed her instincts and gave her answer in her mind.
“I want them all!”
The System froze for a moment.
【Sorry, you may only select one summon!】
An exclamation mark even appeared at the end of the floating text, as if emphasizing the rule.
Chang Jiu rubbed her chin regretfully. After hesitating for a moment, her gaze settled on the golden ball of light.
“They say the best stuff always comes in gold…”
She made her choice without hesitation.
“The golden one!”
The golden ball of light slowly drifted toward Chang Jiu’s hand.
【Please confirm your initial summon: ??? Yes/No】
“Confirm!”
【Ding!】
A short, ethereal melody chimed pleasantly in her mind.
In the next instant, Chang Jiu felt a warm, soft presence suddenly appear in her empty hands.
The golden ball of light had actually materialized!
Its brilliant glow illuminated the previously pitch-black hut until it was almost as bright as day.
But Chang Jiu didn’t have time to celebrate.
She instinctively looked toward the door.
Fortunately, she had prepared thoroughly beforehand. With the unfortunate man’s body blocking the gap beneath the door, the commotion inside shouldn’t attract anyone’s attention for the time being.
The light in her arms gradually dimmed, and Chang Jiu’s excitement only grew.
The Flame Wolf, the initial summon of the standard Summoner class, wasn’t particularly powerful, but it could manipulate flames and possessed impressive close-combat abilities.
In the chaotic land of Qiuxu, it might not be strong enough to dominate the place, but taking down ten burly men like the one-eyed man would be no problem.
So if this golden ball of light was the initial summon of a hidden Summoner class, there was absolutely no way it could be weaker than a Flame Wolf!
The Soul Realm was far too dangerous.
Having a summon by her side would at least increase her chances of staying alive.
Under Chang Jiu’s expectant gaze, the golden light finally vanished completely.
In its place was a mass of soft, silky fur resting beside her hand.
Chang Jiu cautiously stroked it.
It didn’t resist.
Instead, it tilted its head and deliberately nudged her palm.
Not a reptile.
Not something aquatic either.
Could it be some kind of mammal?
Feeling the soft sensation beneath her fingertips, Chang Jiu quickly ran through all sorts of powerful mythical beasts in her mind.
A Gale Tiger?
A Heavenly-Eyed Fox?
Could it possibly be that panda mascot that had only been available during the internal test?
No.
As Chang Jiu continued feeling around, she suddenly noticed the little creature trying to climb onto her leg.
She quickly scooped it into her arms.
But the moment she felt its weight, Chang Jiu was left utterly bewildered.
This thing was way too small and light…
Even a baby fox wouldn’t be this tiny!
At that moment, the little creature curled up lazily in Chang Jiu’s arms and opened its eyes.
They were a pair of beautiful, round, golden eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness.
Only then could Chang Jiu clearly see what it looked like.
Its body was covered in long, soft, snow-white fur that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light.
A fluffy tail, streaked with alternating golden-yellow and pitch-black fur, dangled beside Chang Jiu’s folded legs and swayed lazily back and forth.
The four paw pads resting against her forearm were just as pink and delicate as its little nose.
It tilted its head slightly and gave a twitch of its triangular ears—one yellow, the other black—as though carefully sizing Chang Jiu up.
Then, tentatively, it leaned forward and licked Chang Jiu’s hand, which was still covered in mining dust.
Before Chang Jiu could even react, the little creature seemed to be disgusted by the taste.
It immediately turned its head away and gave a small, retching sound.
“Argh!”
Hearing that cry, Chang Jiu’s nearly crushed hopes instantly came back to life.
She tentatively leaned closer to the little creature, which looked suspiciously like an ordinary kitten, and asked in a low voice,
“You’re actually a little tiger, not a kitten, right?”
It shook its head.
Under Chang Jiu’s hopeful gaze, it clearly answered—
“Meow.”
Chang Jiu: “…”
“All right. I get it.”
Sure enough.
It really was just an ordinary cat.
The System’s information panel floating in her mind confirmed it.
【Summon: Calico Cat】
【Attribute: Metal】
【Combat Power: Unknown】
【Traits: Unknown】
【Skill: “Golden Eyes”】
【Description: Looks no different from an ordinary cat. However, it should be exceptionally beautiful by feline standards.】
Chang Jiu absentmindedly stroked the calico cat’s chin as she stared at the information panel, most of which was hidden behind question marks.
Her gaze slowly traveled downward.
Eventually, it stopped on an extremely inconspicuous line of text near the bottom.
【Remaining Evolution Count: Unknown】
【Evolution Requirements: Unknown】
It could evolve?!
Chang Jiu’s eyes widened slightly.
The summons of ordinary Summoners couldn’t evolve.
As their levels increased, Summoners usually had no choice but to keep acquiring stronger and stronger summons.
If their summons couldn’t keep up, the Summoner would be completely helpless against practitioners of other classes!
That was why, by the later stages of the game, most of the summons obtained during the early stages had practically become useless.
They were barely good for anything.
But this little cat in front of her could actually evolve?
And judging from the wording of the prompt, it could evolve more than once?!