Chapter 50: Die

The discussion about what exactly to pack in the tiny luggage bag is still ongoing.

"Speaking of Cat, a tent… for a brand‑new adventurer… um, for a solo dungeon‑crawling newcomer, isn't it a bit too luxurious?"

Witch Miss stared at the camping‑tent components she had prepared, and for a moment her mind fell into contemplation.

"ummmmm"

And the questioned Cat also let out a thinking sound.

Seems like that's the case, huh?

Going solo in a dungeon, how big a heart does one need to comfortably sleep inside a tent?

If it were him, he'd definitely be unable to sleep.

Both inside and outside the tent, unless you give him a few defense and concealment arrays above the tenth tier, his heart won't settle.

Of course, that's only when he's in human form.

Cat, however, isn't human.

After all, once he's asleep, he can send Xiaohei 4 outside to watch the gate duck.

With that thought, Cat stretched its tail, followed the shadow, and dragged the sleeping Xiaohei 1 from the storage box at the bottom of the bedroom bookshelf over.

"Meow~~"

Cat thoughtfully recommended Xiaohei 1 to Witch Miss—a unit that doesn't need sleep and self‑destructs when danger appears.

As for why not number 4, Cat could only admit sheepishly that it feared the sub‑unit, which weighs under 5 jin yet somehow sprouts 7 jin of rebellious bone, might catch him off guard with a 'self‑destruct'.

When near Witch Miss, as long as it doesn't involve true self‑destruction, it would never release number 4.

Sigh, there's no other way.

It's because the little kitten's soul is innately a bit proud, unruly, and loves freedom, and Xiaohei 4 happens to possess those Rebel Son traits.

After all, who doesn't enjoy some fun?

Even if it's his own drama, as long as he watches it from an outsider's perspective, he gets excited!

(p≧w≦q)

Thinking that, Fun Cat once again resolved never to release Xiaohei 4 and preferably assign it out as a black slave.

"Little cat, are you recommending that I have it stand watch?"

After spending some time together, Witch Miss can now understand most of Cat's brainwaves.

She glanced at the wise‑looking Xiaohei 1, then at the proudly‑faced Cat,

"Hmm… let me think."

Looking up, looking down… in short, from any angle, this little black cat doesn't look like someone you can rely on with your back.

But… Cat's letter mentioned that this little cat self‑destructs when danger approaches…

If detection magic assists this Cat called number 1, altering its mechanism to rush and self‑destruct upon spotting a monster nearby, it might indeed serve as a useful waste‑basket.

The sound of the self‑destruct would certainly wake her from her rest in the tent and buy some time.

Moreover, Cat's night‑vision is innately superior to humans', and in dim underground chambers or pitch‑dark tunnels, those eyes are not to be underestimated.

Beyond those objective factors, the most important thing for Witch Miss is that this substitute is indeed a good early‑death, extra‑life candidate.

Although she knows this is a sub‑unit Cat uses to protect her.

But…

If this sub‑unit serves even a single day, doesn't that mean Cat is away from her for a day!

Die.

The more she thought about it, the angrier Witch Miss became, and she outright sentenced Xiaohei 1 to death in her mind.

(#‵′)

Witch Miss lifted her proud head, gazing coldly down at Xiaohei 1 that Cat had tossed before her,

"Fine, Cat, that suggestion is indeed good."

"Could you tweak its parameters for me? Add a detection spell, and make it rush to self‑destruct when it encounters a monster."

"Meow~"

No problem~

Cat readily agreed, though he always felt that Witch Miss's familiar blank face bore something off.

With the odds and ends left, Cat and Witch Miss had no need to argue; the package was quickly packed up.

The school‑issued 'New Adventurer Backpack', which includes a tiny spatial spell, looks like an ordinary hiking pack yet surprisingly can hold a lot.

After covertly confirming its market price, Cat thought his path to riches now had a new business.

Now that modest hiking pack contains a tent, pot, dishes, a small amount of dry grass and wood for fire, rice, air‑dried meat, air‑dried vegetables, two sets of spare sportswear and change‑of‑clothes, a set of blood medicine and a set of blue medicine.

Cat thought, for a backpack, staying alive isn't easy.

To make Witch Miss's load lighter, Cat attached a 'Lightweight' spell to it.

Rated A, the spell is Tier‑1, essentially no casting difficulty or barrier, and the mana cost scales with the degree of weight reduction.

That Cat really is a damn genius!

(ฅ'ω'ฅ)

While Cat circled the pack, marveling at his own genius, Witch Miss returned to her room to change into the clothes she'd wear tomorrow.

"Cat, later accompany me to the courtyard for a quick activity? I'll see if it fits and if there are any issues." m.

Witch Miss's call made the Cat inside the bag poke its head out.

Unlike the usual uniform style, tonight Witch Miss sported a limited‑edition athletic look.

Her long hair was tied with a simple black cord into a tidy high ponytail, she wore a sports vest and light chest armor underneath, and a half‑zip long‑sleeve waterproof sports jacket on top.

Below, she wore athletic shorts, knee‑high sports socks, and black sneakers.

(￣▽￣)／Sure!

Judge Cat, regarding Witch Miss's outfit, wagged its tail to show approval.

Although in the 2D world the less you wear the higher the defense, Cat thinks that in a crowded, watchful dungeon, wearing more pants and more fabric is more important than anything; we aren't lacking that bit of defense (heavy fog).

This lightly‑armed appearance made Cat realize that in this dungeon expedition, Witch Miss is preparing to test her own limits.

After all, if she were just a carefree magician, the outfit most fitting for her might be to arm herself as a humanoid Gundam.

Or putting herself inside a mango box fitted with armor is also a decent choice.

Ahem.

While walking outward with Cat, Witch Miss stretched her arms and asked Cat,

"Cat, how about wearing like this for three days? I brought two sets of matching replacement clothes."

Considering that the clothes will inevitably get stained with enemy blood, taking extra garments for a decent swap, Cat thought Witch Miss was very thoughtful.

"Meow~"

That's very elegant.

Cat evaluated.

Although all this propriety could be entrusted to the great magical cat to provide Witch Miss with convenient cleaning magic, since Witch Miss didn't mention it, Cat continued to play dumb.

One can fly, but the process of walking and running alone still has to exist.

This is Cat's usual viewpoint in nurturing Witch Miss.

The evaluation was unilaterally terminated by Witch Miss after Cat's overwhelming victory.

Because she has to get up early tomorrow and undergo three consecutive days of Schrödinger's high‑intensity dungeon test, today's Witch Miss went early to the shower to wash up and prepare for sleep.

Whoa—

The familiar warm light, the familiar showerhead, the familiar foggy mirror, the familiar melody echoing in the shower without lyrics.

"Tomorrow... will be a day recorded in history."

"Meow~"

That day, the great witch Bai Yan officially began to venture into the dungeon and challenge the gods, right?

(ΩДΩ)!!!!

"Cat!! Could you not suddenly burst through the door!!!!"