Arthur came back home, let his mother rest, and then went outside.
Unexpectedly, he heard a yowl—more like a broken meow.
Arthur stopped when he heard it again—a faint, cracked meow echoing through the alley.
He followed the sound, stepping over piles of broken bricks and discarded trash bags. At the edge of the construction site, near a busted sewage pipe, he saw her.
A tiny kitten, fur matted and soaked, curled up beside the rusted pipe as the stench of rot and filth clung to the air.
"What the hell…" he muttered.
She let out another cry—a shaky, hoarse meow that sounded more like a whimper.
Arthur crouched down slowly. "Hey, it's okay… I got you."
Without a second thought, he pulled her to his chest, shielding her from the cold air.
He turned and saw a familiar face. A cute girl—his neighbor, and the only one who tried to help Arthur when he was getting bullied.
Her short height, cute face, stunning smile, and warm brown eyes… her small nose and naturally red cheeks gave her a constant blush. She looked like an angel.
She hurried up to Arthur—she hadn't seen him in weeks.
"Arthur! How've you been?" she smiled, tapping his back.
Arthur smiled back, his heart beating a little faster. He knew he liked her—but he wasn't ready. Not yet.
"Oh yeah, I've been doing fine. What about you, Lay?"
"Oh, school's been okay. Not the best without you around, but yeah—by the way, I heard you found a job—" she noticed the cat. "Oh! Who's this cutie?"
"Just found her. She was hurt, I think. I'm going to take care of her." He tried to explain while noticing how close she was—her pretty face, her glasses—he forgot what he was even saying.
"Nice. I like how sweet you are with animals."
"Um—yeah…" He looked away quickly, flustered.
Lay said goodbye and rushed off to school, already late.
Arthur felt great. He hadn't seen Lay in nearly two weeks, and she was doing fine.
Arthur went to his yard, gently cleaned the kitten, afraid of hurting her, and then gave her some milk.
He stayed there, watching her as she drank, as if they shared the same pain. He decided to call her Lay.
He started talking nonstop while she drank.
"You know, Lay… do you think I'll ever achieve something in this life? Something I'll be proud of? I used to want to be a policeman, but… I think I just want to help people. People who need rescuing. People with potential, but no possibilities. Maybe it's impossible. But I'll help whoever I can."
Arthur took a heavy breath—as if he knew he was one of them.
The kitten rubbed her head against his leg, then slowly lowered herself and began licking his skin, like she was saying thank you.
"Thanks for listening, Lay."
Later, Arthur went to the city again. It was his rest day, and he wanted to try his luck finding a night job. He didn't want his sick mother to work—especially after what the doctor said.
After a long search, he found Raul in a store.
"Hey kid, how are you?"
"Oh hey, Raul. I'm doing great. Actually… I'm looking for a night job."
Raul smiled proudly and laughed quietly. He knew Arthur needed the money.
"You're lucky, kid. You came to the right place. My brother needs a night worker here."
"Wait—your brother owns this place?"
"Yep. I'll talk to him."
Arthur thanked Raul. Now he was sure they'd have enough money.
The shop owner asked if Arthur could start right away, and he nodded.
It wasn't supposed to be a work day, but he didn't mind. He liked the vibe—people coming in, buying stuff. It felt good.
At 11 p.m., Arthur locked up as instructed and headed home, excited to see his kitten, Lay.
When he arrived, he found his mother holding the cat. She didn't even know where the kitten came from, but she still cared for her.
"Hey son, you sure stayed late today, huh? I was worried."
"Don't worry, Mom. I found a night job—but it's easy. I actually like it. I'm a shopkeeper now."
His mother was happy and told him he should return to school.
Arthur replied, "Um… actually, I can't return right now. I'll have to wait until the start of the next school year."
"Sorry, son. It's all because of me," she said.
"Don't worry, Mom. It's just one year. Not a big deal."
He took Lay to his room and went straight to sleep.
That night, his dreams were quiet. No nightmares.
It was just a white room. A bed. A TV in front of him.
"What the hell is this?" he muttered.
He knew he was dreaming, but everything felt real. He could move. He slapped himself—and it hurt.
Suddenly, a robotic voice echoed.
[User #02 has unlocked the Evolution System.]
"Who are you?! Where am I?!"
[Analyzing host...]
[Congratulations, Arthur Cain. You are officially a player.]
He stood there in silence, thinking about the book he had been reading.
[You are now bound to the Evolution System.]
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he asked—though he secretly hoped it wasn't.
>>First Mission <<
Confess your true feelings to your neighbor, Lay.
Reward: Full access to system.
Punishment: System will search for another host.
Good luck.
The system screen vanished. He woke up instantly. It was 7 a.m.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered.
He was confused. Could a book affect him that much?
He got ready for work as usual, said goodbye to his mother and the kitten, and headed out.
As he walked, he noticed the city's beauty again—despite the skyscrapers, chaos, and crowds. It had its own kind of art.
But he couldn't stop thinking about the dream.
"What if it's real? What if I really am like the main character?"
There was only one way to know.
"System access," he said.
A screen appeared in front of him:
>>Complete the mission <<
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hey everyone, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, I am still trying to improve and I will