"What's this? We fought so hard just for an old piece of leather parchment!"

Peach Blossom pouted, frustrated. She tried to untie the silk ribbon tied in a bow, but it would not budge. After several attempts, she lost her patience and threw the parchment away, not noticing the faint message on the silk ribbon that read,

"Only the true heir can read this."

"Brother, let's go. There's nothing interesting here,"

Peach Blossom said, walking over to her brother, who was still tending to the Lycan.

"Just a moment,"

Siegfried replied, feeding the Lycant another blood crystal.

"How long are you going to torment it? Just kill it already!"

Peach Blossom complained, not understanding her brother's actions. Siegfried sighed in exasperation. He pulled out a beast king pet-sealing ring to explain what he was doing, just as the system notification appeared.

"The level 99 Lycan Beast King has accepted player Siegfried. Would you like to accept it as your pet?"

"Yes!"

Siegfried responded loudly, startling Peach Blossom, who could not hear his system announcement.

"Player Siegfried has accepted the level 99 Lycan Beast King as a pet. Please name your pet."

"Lycan,"

Siegfried replied promptly.

"Do you confirm naming your pet Lycan?"

"Confirm."

"The process of accepting and naming your pet is complete. Since the pet's level is not more than 20 levels above its owner, its full abilities are not restricted. Enjoy your time with your pet!"

With the system message confirmed, Siegfried ordered the Hoop Dragon Ring to release Lycanth. He then gave it more blood crystals and rejuvenating crystals.

"Is it your pet now?"

Peach Blossom asked, still frightened of Lycan, which stood over two meters tall and was both fast and powerful. She would not want to fight it again.

"Yes. Let's go; we don't want to fall behind,"

Siegfried said cheerfully, putting the now-normal-sized Hoop Dragon Ring back on his finger and leading the way.

He had almost given up on this method, thinking it was better than trapping the creature in a ring and starving it until it accepted him as its master. It took longer and might not succeed, but if he had the patience and continued using the method he did, the Lycan would be more loyal than if he had used the ring.

"Wait for me!"

Peach Blossom called, running after her brother, not wanting to be left alone. Lycan picked up the parchment that Peach Blossom had thrown away and followed its new master.

Everyone continued their journey, despite being constantly harassed by beasts. Nothing could stop Chang Long's group. Even though they took breaks for food, they eventually all met at the exit, which was a steep cliff. From their vantage point, they could see a blue ocean below, with a dense grove of coconut trees lining the beach. A stone staircase led down from the exit to the shore. Everyone was thrilled to be back in the sunlight.

"I thought we were going to be stuck in there all day. Whew!"

Lidded Wet Trash Can laughed happily.

"Hey, there's a beast behind Mister Siegfried!"

Kimhant shouted when he saw the amber eyes of Lycan reflecting brightly behind Siegfried.

"Wait, it's my pet. I just captured it."

Siegfried quickly shouted as he saw his friends draw their weapons, ready to fight Lycan.

"A pet!"

Everyone exclaimed in unison, watching Lycan emerge and show itself. Werewolves were one of the notoriously difficult beasts to tame in the game.

"T... that's so cool!"

Kimhant exclaimed loudly, unable to resist taking a picture.

"How did you get it? Where did you find that thing!"

Jane and Hero asked, eyeing the tall, majestic and impressive Lycan with envy and wishing they could have a pet.

"It was in the path we explored. It might seem docile, but it turned out to be quite fierce. Honestly, if it were not for the Hoop Dragon Ring, Peach Blossom and I would not have made it out alive,"

Siegfried explained with a bright smile.

"Yes, it's a beast king. Look what it did to my brother!"

Peach Blossom added, pouting as she turned Siegfried around, showing everyone the long claw marks on Siegfried's back.

"Wow! Those claw marks look intense. It looks serious!"

Draco commented, astonished. Even though the wounds had healed, the game still displayed scars on players' bodies if they suffered severe injuries. These could be removed at the game's beauty salons, but it cost money.

"Yeah, I almost didn't make it. Luckily, my level is high enough, and as a knight, I have a longer health bar than other profession, so I survived,"

Siegfried continued.

"Let's not stand around talking. The sun is setting. We should set up camp on the beach,"

Zhang Yijie suggested. This trip had depleted many of his poisons, as the beasts attacking him were swift and well-camouflaged in the darkness. Without Tai Yang, he doubted he would have made it out.

Everyone agreed with Zhang Yijie and began descending the steep stone stairs to the beach below. Several times, they had to stop and hold onto something due to strong gusts of wind threatening to blow them off balance several times. Finally, they reached the clean, white sand safely.

They moved into the dense grove of coconut trees, looking for a safe spot to set up camp. They cleared an area by chopping down some coconut trees, making enough space for everyone's tents. The trunks and branches were used as fuel, while the sweetly refreshing coconut water and jelly-like tender meat provided an exhilarating treat.

"This is so delicious!"

Peach Blossom and Valentine exclaimed together, each enjoying several coconuts, addicted to its sweet and fragrant taste. The men watched in amazement, not expecting such small people to eat so much.

Soon, Zhang Yijie served a meal prepared from local ingredients with meat and condiment he had brought along. The aroma made everyone's mouths water, and they ate hungrily without saying a word. Chang Long first made sure the two spirits, Hulu, and Kitsune were fed before joining her friends for her own meal.

After dinner, it's time to share what they had found on their respective paths. Chang Long told everyone about the only skill scroll she had found and showed it to them.

"This skill isn't taught by any NPC!"

Oliang exclaimed in astonishment when he saw the skill's name on the scroll.

"How do you know that, Oliang?"

Chang Long asked curiously. The others who had seen the scroll had not made such a comment.

"It's the color of the scroll. If it's a regular non-restricted skill scroll, the scroll would be blue with black grid patterns. If it's a basic profession-restricted skill, the scroll is blue with the black profession symbol in the middle. Special non-restricted skills are purple with black grid patterns. Special profession-restricted skills are purple with the black profession symbol in the middle. The rarest are secret skills. Non-restricted ones are pure white, and restricted ones are pure black!"

Oliang explained knowledgeably.

"That's amazing. How do you know all that, Oliang?"

Kimhant could not help but admire. He wrote down every word Oliang said in his notebook.

"It's not really a secret. Only few people have come across every type of scroll. I know because I exchange information with friends who play this game. But none of us have ever seen a golden skill scroll like Chang Long's,"

Oliang explained.

"Chang Long just got another rare item!"

Aden said with a smile.

"That's so cool. Jane and I only found two and a half golden chests, each about the size of a palm,"

Hero said, showing three small golden chests filled with gold nuggets. The third chest was only half full.

"Wow. Finding that much raw gold is pretty impressive!"

Zhang Yijie commented.

"And what did you and Tai Yang find, Brother Jie?"

Peach Blossom asked the doctor.

"Hehe, my interests are different from yours. I found lots of poisonous mushrooms and rare herbs. Oh! And I found this,"

Zhang Yijie pulled something from his bag.

"A tiny Caduceus!"

Everyone exclaimed together, except Jane and Hero, who saw it as just a golden brooch shaped like a staff with two entwined snakes. Siegfried was the first to examine it closely.

"Did you find this in the cave, Brother Jie?"

"Not exactly. I found it on a human skeleton I came across. Judging by the clothes, it looked like a pirate, possibly a leader,"

Zhang Yijie replied.

"Then there might be..."

Wet Trash Can's eyes widened in excitement.

"None!"

Davy-chan appeared suddenly, dashing everyone's hopes.

"But it might still be worth exploring. But you would have to survey by yourself, because Davy-chan and I can't be more than 50 meters away from our master,"

Hisa-chan added as he also appeared.

"In that case, can I have it?"

Siegfried asked Zhang Yijie, who nodded in agreement. The doctor was more interested in herbs than in treasure.

Draco and Firetail found three regular skill scrolls, which Draco did not think were very valuable. However, they could fetch a high price if sold or auctioned. Skills were rare findings and always in demand. Valentine and Aden found a large black key shaped like a skull, but they had no idea what it could unlock. Kitsune and Kimhant found a black beast egg about the size of a chicken egg. Oliang and Wet Trash Can discovered a chest filled with various gemstones.

"And what about you two? Did you find anything besides that big werewolf?"

Draco asked the siblings, noting that they had not shown any loot like the others. Siegfried turned to Peach Blossom, who was looking rather annoyed, and asked,

"So, Peach Blossom? You've been exploring for ages. Find anything interesting?"

"I just found an old leather parchment scroll, but I couldn't untie the ribbon, so I threw it away,"

Peach Blossom replied.

"What!"

Everyone exclaimed in unison, staring at Peach Blossom in disbelief. How could she be so ignorant!

"What. Why are you all looking at me like that? If it was tied up and I couldn't open it, what use was it!"

Peach Blossom glared and protested, annoyed by their accusing stares.

"Do you even know what you threw away!"

Jane asked, barely able to contain her disbelief.

"No!"

Peach Blossom answered.

"It was a map!"

Jane's response left Peach Blossom gaping. She might have thrown away a treasure map or a clue to the tomb of one of the pirate kings. Why had she not considered its potential value? Because the parchment looked old and unimpressive, and the golden silk ribbon did not seem so golden. So, she did not notice its perfectly hidden value.

"Brother..."

Peach Blossom turned to her brother for help, her voice barely a whisper.

"Alright, there's no point blaming Peach Blossom now. I'll go back and check it out tomorrow,"

Siegfried said, appearing indifferent, but everyone knew he was protecting his sister.

"Yes, tomorrow we can split up. Some of us can explore the beach while others retrieve the scroll,"

Oliang agreed.

"What's that your dog is holding so lovingly, Siegfried?"

Chang Long asked, glancing at the pets. They were chatting merrily, except for Hulu, who kept nudging Chang Long for more elemental crystals.

"Hmm?"

Everyone turned to look and saw Lycan holding an old parchment scroll.

"That's it. That's the one I threw away. I recognize it!"

Peach Blossom exclaimed excitedly. She did not expect Lycan to pick up the scroll she discarded.

"Great! But it looks like it's guarding it fiercely. Who's brave enough to ask for it?!"

Wet Trash Can remarked, hesitant to approach Lycan for the scroll.

"I'll do it!"

Siegfried volunteered, knowing Lycan might somewhat respect him as its master.

He walked over to the group of pets, which included Kitsune in human form, the Miracle Doctor's large tiger Tai Yang, and his own pet, Lycan. The group watched anxiously, as Peach Blossom had mentioned that Lycan was level 99. If it got upset and attacked Siegfried, it could be disastrous.

"Lycan, uh, can I borrow that scroll for a moment!"

Siegfried asked calmly, extending his hand towards Lycan. The creature stared at him, seemingly not understanding. Siegfried pointed to the scroll in its hand.

Roarrr!

Lycan growled loudly, tightening its grip on the scroll. Everyone quickly backed away, preparing for the worst, in case the owner and the pet would fight. Siegfried had just acquired Lycan as his pet, and its loyalty was not high. It might accept him as its master but was not fully loyal.

"Lycan says, 'Even if you take it, only the true heir can read it,' "

Kitsune translated.

"...But if I don't check it, how will I know if there could be someone here who is the true heir? ...If none of us can open it, I'll return it to you immediately. Deal?"

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