I sat down in the first alley and took a break, squatting on my hard-earned bread to catch my breath. The croissant was cold but quite warm inside. A wisp of steam rose from where it had been bitten while running, swirled gently in the air, and then disappeared.
I would so happily eat a meal that was all bread. Haha, I tasted the croissant and the soothing taste filled my mouth, let's enjoy this meal for as long as possible. Proper pace was boring though, and I hadn't eaten all day and hurriedly devoured the remaining croissants and felt better, given my much smaller body, the croissants were more than enough to satisfy me even without Steak, I won't starve to death tonight.
The sun was setting. I really didn't want to wander around an unfamiliar city in the middle of the night, but staying in an alley didn't seem wise either. According to every novel I've ever read, alleys are the go-to places for thugs and muggers.
There was a slight drop of water on the roof, making the ground a little uncomfortably damp. Of course there is a slight red stain on one wall. Of course, it's mostly rotten food scraps and the stench means the alley hasn't been properly cleaned up in at least a few years.
Having said that, the sounds of chatter and cheerful laughter drifted off the walls of one of the buildings, and the view of the night sky was beautiful, with stars twinkling between the rooftops. As far as alleyways go, this one almost feels like a home.
Looks safe, or maybe these threats are really good at hiding and ambush. But hopefully not the latter. Well, if there are threats waiting to kill me, they are stupid. I slept outside and I had to learn how to fight back, but staying one night probably wouldn't hurt.
I looked around the only slightly seedy alley that would serve as my (hopefully temporary) home. The ground was wet and uneven and I couldn't get a good spot on it and I would wake up groggy and covered in gravel at best. They had a couple of wooden crates on the sides that were perfectly sized for me and looked pretty comfy, the gaps in the wooden boards would have allowed the crates to dig into my body and I would be a mess in the morning. A blanket will do the trick But these aren't exactly in the alleys. If only I had stolen the baker’s tablecloth too…
Putting aside my regret at not being a worse person (a worse cat? Neither felt right), I continued to look down the alley, when I saw a dark box covered with a faint My eyes lit up when I saw the glowing runes. It looked similar to what a baker would use as an oven, although it was larger and the runes seemed to be a darker red. The ground around it wasn't as damp as the rest of the alley, and warmth radiated from the box. That's it! I can curl up next to it and keep my fur dry all night while basking in the box's welcoming aura. I'll still get stuff stuck in my fur, but I'll be comfortable.
The alley is clearly not well maintained, the ground here could have been stepped on by anyone ten years ago and still hasn't been cleaned. The ground being stepped on is the best situation. What if someone peed on the ground around the warm box, or spit on it, or people did other disgusting and unspeakable things in the alley? I have to remove all the dirt, sand, and pebbles from my fur myself in the morning after sleeping in what is probably an extremely disgusting place. How do cats usually groom their fur? Are they licking it? . repeatedly.
I'm not stupid or crazy enough to lick off decades of filth. If I lick the alley floor, if I want to sleep warm tonight and not die from 20 new diseases tomorrow, I have to climb on the box.
Jumping up isn't an option, and it's a few inches larger than my previous desk, but such a small hindrance doesn't prevent me from achieving my ideal night's sleep.
I ducked behind a crate, put all my measly weight behind it, and managed to flip it onto its open side, forming a stepping stool. success! Barely able to move a small box, after a few minutes of pushing and mild humiliation it was in place. I climbed on top, leaned back on my hind legs, gave myself a moment to brace myself, and then jumped.
As I jumped, I felt a sharp pain in my left hind leg, but I didn't let it get me down. I leapt from the air with precision and speed, and this time, all four of my legs landed gracefully on the target. I put it on top of the box.
My paw screamed in pain as I pressed hard on it, what the hell was going on there? Still not fully used to my body? I struggled to bring it into my vertical view, and part of the box I jumped off followed me uninvited. Stupid pieces. There was no use biting it, it was impossible with my claws, it was stuck so firmly in my claws that I had no way of pulling it out. How convenient. ha. The pained cat gave a long, mournful cry.
"This is the end of the day," I muttered to myself as I huddled against the box, falling asleep almost immediately. It was warm to the touch and indeed a rather comfortable place for my paws. Chaos aside, now comes the best part of the day: bed. . . . . .
I returned to Radia's room, for a peaceful dream was simply not something I could ask for. The goddess didn't seem particularly happy.
She slowly began to speak in carefully chosen words. "So, I admit that something may have gone wrong during the summoning process."
"Oh, wow, really? I barely noticed." I spat.
Her brows furrowed in annoyance, but she continued. "Your soul is supposed to occupy the body prepared for you, and it looks for the most suitable container near the summoning arch. Generally speaking, we take precautions to ensure that there is only room for you to occupy the body prepared. Someone is lazy and doesn't. Noticed the body of a cat nearby, which is obviously better for your soul." Okay, so I'm saying this because someone didn't clean up the site of a weird interdimensional, soul-stealing necromantic ritual. great.
"Can you fix this?" I demanded.
She shifted a little on the throne. "My power over that world was temporarily greatly weakened. It was a very important and costly ritual. I may occasionally dream, but I can't do things like transplanting the soul into another body. .”
"So I'm stuck like a cat in a strange world with no way out. That's cool, thank you very much."
"I'm really sorry. It's rare but it happens. However, we're running out of time and you missed a lot of needed information." She looked really sorry and I wanted to know more. Very informative, so I listened carefully. "The world you live in now is used to train your skills and levels, which you can check by paying attention to your status. You can acquire skills through training and strengthen them through repeated use.
Different skills can lead to different careers for you, and just like your skill level, so can you. Higher levels will be associated with more and stronger skills. If you want to kill the Demon King, improvement in these two aspects is essential, so——"
"Wait, wait, wait." I interrupted her, was she serious? "Do you still want me to kill the demon king and stop the war? After all this? What the hell?
She narrowed her eyes and looked at me coldly. "Indeed. You have received the gift of another life. Even if there are some complications, you will abide by your agreement."
"What if I don't do this?" I challenged her. She's wrong here, we all know it.
She actually dared to giggle. "When your life ends in this world, you will cease to exist. There will be no second chance." She said proudly.
Is she kidding? I could be just as smug. "Okay, it's okay."
"Excuse me?" She said incoherently.
"If I don't do this, won't I 'cease to exist' or something? I'll just live your comfortable life and that's it." Sure, ceasing to exist sounds scary, but once it happens , I wouldn’t have to deal with it. My favorite part of the day is sleeping.
Radia rose from her throne and towered over me. "No. This is not allowed. I have resurrected you, mortal, and you must defeat the devil.
"I really think she's overestimating the battle between cats and demons. "That's the rules, that's how everything works. This is not a free afterlife vacation for you, life is at stake. Don't let me interfere. "
"But you just said your power was greatly diminished, right? You can't influence the world? Go ahead, intervene. I bet you."
I felt a slight shiver and Radia disappeared for a second. Is something wrong? Am I too arrogant to be rude to a goddess?
"Are you kidding me? You haven't been out for two hours! Why now?" Radia complained.
certainly! This is a dream and my body is about to wake up! I no longer have to argue with my least favorite new guy!
"Well, it was nice chatting, it was really eye-opening, and I'm glad we got to meet each other like this. I have to go, bye!" I told the goddess excitedly, and she started to get lighter and lighter, and she and the room around her All become translucent.
"No, stop it! Don't leave like this mortal. We have a lot to discuss, you hear me?"
I did hear her, but she didn't need to know. As my dreams faded and I woke up, I waved her warmly goodbye, leaving Radia and her empty threats behind.
