Leo signed the form.
Elois verified their forms, she smiled, and in a finality, she rose.
"Now I can definitely say it to both of you," she exhaled, "Welcome to the Silver Mane Guild!"
Just like that, it was official.
Leo was still seated when he remembered something.
He accessed his system window.
With a few smooth gestures, he summoned Ai and the cats. The room shimmered briefly, and then they were there.
"Ai!" Leo grinned, rising to his feet.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Ai and the cats, ignoring the surprised squawk from the former and the irritated mewling of the latter.
"You're smothering me," Ai muttered, flat as ever.
"Missed you too," Leo replied, eyes stinging a little. He didn't expect to get emotional, but here it was. Home wasn't a place, it was people, and some of them happened to be digital constructs and magical cats.
Ai dusted herself off with practiced annoyance. "Well. Now that your emotional malfunction is complete, can we proceed?"
Everyone laughed, even Amanda, who had stepped into the room with a bowl of fruit. The cats lounged across the bed like royalty, purring as Amanda offered them slices.
That evening passed in laughter, simple conversations, and the kind of peace Leo didn't realize he'd been craving.
No enemies. No blood. Just life.
The next morning, Leo woke before the sun. The world was quiet.
He sat up, stretched, and exhaled slowly. His body felt lighter, stronger, even. He glanced at Amanda, still sleeping beside him, one arm tucked under her pillow, her expression soft and unguarded.
His smile lingered as he shifted out of bed and opened his system.
Ai didn't waste a second. "Do you want to activate VIP Level 1 now?"
No morning greeting. No witty remark. Just straight to business.
Leo blinked. "Good morning to you too, Ai."
She raised a brow but didn't reply. He chuckled quietly, motioning for her to sit.
Surprisingly, Ai jumped off the bed with energy that nearly toppled it. The loud thud as she landed made Leo wince. He glanced back, Amanda didn't stir. Close call.
Ai crouched beside him like a kid about to see a magic trick. "Shall we?"
"Let's do it."
The system window responded instantly to her presence. Ai navigated the menus for him, the interface flickering with quiet efficiency.
There it was.
VIP Level 1 — Locked.
Requirements:
Adventurer level 10
100,000 gold coins
He tapped the button.
[System Notification] Successfully unlocked VIP Level 1!
[System Notification] 1,000 VIP coins received!
A new screen unfolded in front of him, smooth and clean.
"Tap to show previous VIP perks," he muttered, skimming past it.
VIP Level 1 Perks:
Combat Power +5%
He nodded. A steady start.
Auto Pots — Enables automatic potion use based on set HP threshold.
"Oh wow," Leo said under his breath. "Can you set it for too?"
"Done," Ai replied without blinking.
[System Notification] Auto Pots set at 50%. Lowest potion grade prioritized.
This alone would save him in a tight battle.
The next perk lit up in silver font.
Wardrobe 1 — Select armor appearance. Conceals equipped gear.
"Fashion and deception," he said with a grin. "Just like the old times."
Finally, the last line made him pause.
Immunity 1 — 10% immunity to all negative status effects.
"Immunity, not just resistance..." he whispered.
He clenched his fist, feeling a flicker of strength return. In a world where system users were hunted or worshipped, any edge was survival.
And yet, the curse mark on the back of his hand still glowed faint red. A silent reminder.
As if on cue, Ai leaned in. "Leo, your weekly quest. It's better to complete it inside the VIP dungeon."
He looked over. "There's a VIP dungeon?"
Ai nodded. "Entrance costs 50 VIP coins. It doubles with each attempt per day. You can choose the type: Exp Dungeon, Boss Raid, Mirror Duel, Horde Mode."
She leaned closer, her voice dropping. "The Exp Dungeon is designed for rapid growth. Controlled environments with scaled enemies."
Leo's eyes gleamed. "We're doing that. But maybe tomorrow. Today's for warm-ups."
Behind him, Amanda stirred. He turned just in time to see her yawning, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Morning," Leo said, his voice soft.
"Morning," Amanda replied, her smile slow and sleepy. "Morning, Ai."
The cats chirped their greetings, padding toward Amanda for cuddles. She obliged, half-awake, as one of them settled on her lap.
They had breakfast at a small café tucked into a quiet corner of the guild district. The sun peeked through hanging ferns and glass panes. Steam rose from Leo's noodles as Amanda dipped her bread in soup.
Ai sat beside the cats again, feeding them with military precision. Leo sipped his coffee and leaned back, taking it all in.
"You heading to the guild?" he asked Amanda between bites.
She nodded, eyes alert now. "Boris wants to officially form the elite squad. Now that we have a system user, we qualify for the World Tower."
Leo paused mid-sip. "The what?"
Amanda leaned forward, elbows on the table. "The World Tower. No one talks about it unless they're serious."
"Why?"
"Because every floor is its own world. Shifting rules. Adaptive enemies. Most people don't make it past floor five without proper planning. The rewards are insane. But so are the risks."
Leo felt a cold rush of anticipation. "You've never been?"
She shook her head. "But now, it's only a matter of time."
A familiar figure approached. Leo spotted her first and waved.
"Talia!" he called out.
Talia walked over. "You two heading to the guild?"
"I am," Amanda answered, brushing crumbs from her lap. "Boris has plans for the elite unit."
"Sounds exciting," Talia grinned. "Can't wait to see our list."
Leo drained the last of his coffee, then stood.
Amanda followed.
Ai hovered beside Leo, the cats perched like fluffy bodyguards.
He looked at them all—Amanda, Ai, Talia, even the cats.
This wasn't the end of anything.
It was just the beginning.
"Let's get to work," Leo said.
And this time, the path forward didn't feel lonely at all.