Chapter 3: Developing a Dependency on Tom

Tom eagerly nodded his head. As a cat, nothing provides more security than having an owner. A stray cat without an owner is bound to get bullied.

Besides, he already felt a natural fondness for Shen An, and with no one else around, even if Shen An hadn't asked, Tom would have stuck with him.

Seeing Tom's response, Shen An broke into a smile. With a divine pet like Tom in hand, the world is mine. With Emperor Tom at my side, Douluo Continent will be as smooth as a paved road.

Shen An looked at the fallen black bear with some hesitation. Leaving a kill unlooted feels wrong somehow.

He couldn't absorb the soul ring, being only at the ninth level of soul power. But even if he could, Shen An, with his limited knowledge of Douluo's plot, wouldn't dare to absorb such a low-tier soul ring.

As a system-bound transmigrator, I can't embarrass my peers. A mere ten-level soul ring? I'd be dragging down the standard for all of us!

Feeling unsafe in this unfamiliar forest, Shen An decided to slice off some bear paw meat for emergency rations and then get out of there.

He summoned his grass martial soul, multitasking by carving the bear's paw while checking out his system interface.

System Host: Shen An

Soul Power: Level 9

Initial Companion: [Tom Cat] (A miraculous cat)

Martial Soul: [Grass] (Renameable) (A top-tier martial soul. Young one, have you ever heard of a blade of grass cutting down all foes?)

Fame Value: 1 (As of now, you're only known to a black bear in Sunset Forest. Host, please work hard to spread your name across Douluo Continent.)

Note: Fame Points can be exchanged for a lucky draw every 1000 points.

Shen An mused, So this fame system seems to be the core mechanic. But it's way too simple. It doesn't even hint at what kinds of rewards I can draw.

Still, to earn fame, he'd have to interact with people, and spreading his name meant he needed to find human settlements quickly.

The wilderness was no place for a man and a cat. That aligned perfectly with his plans.

Personal Inventory: 30 cubic meters (Items: [Gold Soul Coins: 1000])

Item Slot: [Martial Soul Evolution Essence] (Can only store system-drawn items)

As Shen An browsed the storage menu, he suddenly paused. A thought struck him, and he mentally issued the command to store the bear carcass.

The massive bear corpse vanished into thin air.

Shen An froze. I'm such an idiot. I knew I had a storage space, but I still went through the hassle of cutting off a paw. What a waste of effort!

Seeing the bear's sudden disappearance, Tom panicked. The cat circled Shen An frantically, looking highly agitated.

"Such a huge bear! I risked my life to take it down—where did it go?!"

Shen An laughed and reassured Tom. "Don't worry, I've stored it away."

Tom calmed down, seemingly accepting the explanation without much thought.

After all, Shen An reasoned, if a cat can pull items out of thin air like it's no big deal, then me storing a bear isn't anything strange in comparison.

Shen An turned to Tom and asked, "Tom, it's too dangerous here. Can you help us find a human settlement?"

Tom gave him a helpless shrug, as if to say, I'm just a regular cat. What do you expect me to do?

Shen An pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. "Fine, we'll leave it up to luck and pick a random direction."

Glancing around, Shen An muttered, "But how do I ensure we stick to a single direction in this wilderness? It's way too easy to get lost."

Just then, a compass appeared in front of his face.

"Thanks!" Shen An exclaimed joyfully, grabbing the compass. With this, I won't have to worry about getting turned around!

Wait… Where did this compass come from?

Shen An turned to Tom, who grinned sheepishly and tried to look innocent.

A cat carrying a compass? That's totally normal, right?

Normal, my foot!

Shen An stared at Tom in silence for a moment. He studied the cat from head to toe. The little red guard uniform Tom had been wearing earlier was gone, leaving him with no visible place to stash anything.

In the end, Shen An decided to let it slide. If it works, it works. No need to overthink it. After all, Tom's a cartoon character. Trying to apply logic will just drive me crazy.

Shen An knew only a little about Douluo. He had casually watched some episodes of the anime with his college roommate, but he wasn't a hardcore fan or familiar with the full plot.

But that didn't matter. With the system and Tom at his side, Shen An was confident he'd carve out a path on this continent.

He let Tom pick a random direction to head toward. Trusting the cat's instincts more than his own, he checked the compass. West it was.

"Let's go! Douluo Continent, here we come!"

On the road, Shen An inspected the Martial Soul Evolution Essence in his inventory.

When he tried to extract it, a small slip of paper appeared in his hand.

Unfolding it, he saw neat, elegant writing:

[Martial Soul Evolution Essence: Cannot be removed. Can only be applied to the host's martial soul.]

Note: Using it will result in unknown changes. Please find a safe location before applying.

"Great," Shen An muttered, tucking the paper away. "Guess I'll hold off for now."

The journey westward continued. The forest was dense, the trees tall and imposing. Tom took the lead, ears perked and eyes wide open, staying alert.

Eight ears to hear, six eyes to see.

Tom's catlike vigilance kept them safe, avoiding any further encounters with dangerous creatures.

By nightfall, the two were utterly exhausted. They found a quiet spot to rest, slumping together like a pair of deadweights.

Soon, their stomachs began to growl. Shen An and Tom exchanged helpless looks. Shen An sighed and opened his inventory to retrieve some bear meat.

But then he realized something. "Damn it. I don't have fire! How am I supposed to cook this?"

At that moment, a lighter appeared in front of him.

Shen An smirked. "Knew it. You always have everything, don't you?"

Excitedly, Shen An gathered some branches and prepared to light a fire.

"Meow!"

Tom yelped and quickly stopped him.

"What's wrong?" Shen An asked, puzzled.

Tom scratched the ground with his paw, neatly writing out in block letters:

"Lighting a fire in the wild will attract beasts."

Shen An froze, then smiled awkwardly. "Right, of course. Thanks for the reminder."

How embarrassing. I got schooled by a cat.

Still, with Tom being Tom, Shen An quickly let go of his shame. There's no shame in learning from the best. Tom is Emperor Tom, after all.

With the fire plan scrapped, Shen An flopped onto the ground in despair. "What now, Tom? Are we just going to starve to death out here?"

Tom, after a moment of rummaging through his fur, produced a block of ham and a bottle of milk.

Proudly, he presented the items to Shen An, like a child showing off a treasure.

Shen An's eyes lit up. Laughing, he planted a kiss on Tom's head.

"Best. Cat. Ever!"

Though Shen An eagerly tore into the food, Tom's own stomach growled loudly.

Tom looked at Shen An apologetically but still pushed the food toward him.

Shen An's eyes misted. How can such a wonderful cat exist?