Kaito Varga's life was ruled by spreadsheets, and his only source of excitement was a RAM memory upgrade. That day, he didn't even get that.
On a supposedly normal day, Kaito woke up a little late for work. He rushed to the bathroom, looking in the mirror.
"Man, it's already eight-thirty," (Kaito grumbled, his voice sleepy, looking at the clock with annoyance). "Again. Come on, Kaito. The coffee won't make itself."
When he got to his data analyst desk, his boss, Mr. Roberto, was already standing there with a stack of papers.
"Varga! Glad you made it. Remember that risk analysis for the Omega project?" (Mr. Roberto asked, his voice loud, not giving Kaito a chance to breathe).
"I remember, Roberto," (Kaito replied, sighing deeply, his voice full of resignation). "I just need the last sales report, but I'm almost done."
"Almost done? Kaito, that was due yesterday!" (The boss said, gesturing with the papers, his anger almost palpable). "I need this on my desk by ten! And this whole pile here! Figure it out, Varga. The deadline is tight!"
"Ugh, this is messed up!" (Kaito muttered, frustration building, but he managed not to talk back to his boss). "Okay, Mr. Roberto. I'll stay as long as it takes."
The result? Kaito was stuck with those spreadsheets until almost midnight.
Exhausted, he finally grabbed his backpack and walked out into the dark street, the smell of cold coffee clinging to him.
"What a day, what a day," (Kaito complained, walking down the sidewalk, his voice low and tired, his frustration turning into a mumble). "Seriously, my 'Exhausted Analyst' Status must be maxed out now. I could at least get a passive Skill for 'Infinite Caffeine,' right?"
He looked at the street. Going home the normal way would take about twenty minutes.
"You know what? Screw being safe," (Kaito thought out loud, changing direction, deciding to take a risk). "I'm cutting through the alley. I'll gain five minutes of sleep, and safety can explode for all I care."
He turned the corner and stopped. The exhaustion instantly vanished.
In the middle of the trash, under the weak light, there was a wolf. Silver, huge. And pinned to the ground by an arrow that pulsed icy-blue.
"My God, what is that?" (Kaito asked, breath held, eyes wide, his body frozen in shock).
The wolf let out a hoarse sound of pure agony. The sight was terrifying, but to Kaito, it looked like a rendering error in reality.
"Calm down, Kaito, calm down," (He muttered, taking a deep breath, trying to make sense of the absurdity). "It's just a wolf. But that arrow… it's not from here."
He ran forward. The gamer instinct seeing a legendary item was stronger than the fear. He reached out and touched the arrow.
The alley flashed with icy-blue light. Kaito was thrown backward, feeling a strong electric shock.
(Kaito groaned, scrambling on the ground, his breathing heavy from the impact).
The wolf's yellow eyes locked onto his. And a powerful, feminine voice screamed inside Kaito's mind:
"Pactum! Eternal Servitude! Wulfrina, General of the Frost, demands vassalage from the nearest human to survive!"
The arrow vanished, and the pain in Kaito was replaced by the bizarre feeling of connection.
He got up, staggering. And he saw the screen.
"No… This can't be real," (Kaito said, almost a whisper of pure excitement, his eyes fixed on the floating screen). "It's a Status! I got a Cultivation System! Holy cow!"
"Wait, Kaito, am I going crazy?" (Kaito mumbled, shaking his head hard, trying to wave away the sight, thinking it was a side effect of too many hours in front of the monitor).
[PROGRESSION SYSTEM – ANCHORED MASTER UNLOCKED]
[Pact Alert: General Wulfrina (Eternal Frost Lycan) Servitude Link Active]
[Status: Loyal 100% | Potential: UnlimitedCondition: Severe Soul Wound]
The wolf transformed into a tall woman, with torn armor and silver-white hair. Wulfrina, the Lycan General.
"Master," (Wulfrina said, breathing heavily, her voice deep, full of shame for being weak). "I am your servant. Wulfrina. I will clean. I will protect. I will do whatever is needed. Where is the hygiene area, please?"
Kaito held onto her. The shock was still there, but the desire to master the game was bigger.
"Listen up, Wulfrina," (Kaito replied, trying to sound like the final boss, his voice getting firmer, with determination). "Rules. Zero killing. The bathroom is over there. And third…"
He pointed to her Status. Severe Soul Wound.
"…Third," (Kaito said, giving a strategic smile, already optimizing the situation), "we have to farm a way to heal that wound of yours, and fast. Because if I'm your Master, you are my first and only Status buff, General."
"A buff?!" (Wulfrina hissed, anger in her voice, looking at him with offense). "My suffering is not a 'buff,' you… human! It is a disgrace!"
Kaito's phone vibrated. It was a System notification.
[Invasion Alert: Wolf's Enemy (Rank S Dark Frost Lycan) has entered your Sector.
Mission: Survive. Reward: Master Level +1.]
(Kaito grabbed Wulfrina tighter, the adrenaline now turning into pure excitement and urgency).
"Oh, great," (Kaito sighed, the gamer smile turning into pure focus). "We have a Rank S boss heading this way. The main quest has started. We have to level up, and fast."