Chapter 2: Hoofprints

"There is no true fairness in the world. That which you need most is always the most expensive, little cat."

Like a dream, the crowned corpse's phantom stood with its back to the cat, pointing with a pierced hand as it left behind words both cryptic and prophetic:

"Never trust a demon's temptations."

"The third phase of the final stretch—that's your location."

Behind him, the cat blinked.

Like an apparition from the holy texts, the vision of the Saint's remains vanished in an instant.

BOOM—

"Meow meow meow!" Thunder and storm winds shook the cat into motion. She scrambled her stubby limbs, searching for shelter.

Moments ago, the demon had vanished after granting her wish.

As she prepared to gnaw on the spine, it wriggled like a centipede and stabbed into her comparatively tiny body, ignoring all biological logic, merging with the cat.

Strangely, her starving stomach ceased sending warning signals, and her once-dying body regained its strength almost instantly. Her dried eyes cleared, and the noise in her ears stopped.

That spine, part of a Saint's corpse, triggered a miracle. It teleported Loops—previously trapped in the Devil's Palm—twenty kilometers away into the wilderness, completely removing her from danger.

The inconvenience of losing her whiskers was minor in comparison. She didn't even notice that her former resting place now bore three markings etched into the desert, projected from the spine—clues to the Saint's right hand, ears, and feet.

"Meow."

The cat was lucky enough to find a stone cave to shelter from the rain.

The entrance was narrow, but cats have their talents. Her round body squished through like jelly, sliding in with ease.

Inside, it was surprisingly spacious—enough for her to roll over.

"Meow?" Shaking water from her fur, she finally had time to question the voice in her head.

She hadn't accidentally swallowed any hard little objects today (like Bluetooth earbuds).

She looked down at her collar, which had a 22nd-century pet tracker. Sometimes it would play her mother or grandmother's voice, but not this time.

"Due to the miracle of the Saint's Remains, the host has acquired human intelligence and evolved vocal cords. Speech is now possible."

"Achievement unlocked: [Most Magical Kitty!]. Reward: basic human language (age 7 vocabulary across multiple countries)."

"Meow (^ - ^)~"

This reward was incredibly important to Loops. Until today, she had just been an ordinary housecat from the 22nd century, female, one year old. Her hobbies were eating and sleeping. Sometimes she'd sneak out to pick fights with small cats (real ones) and medium cats (dogs). Every time she met a stranger, she'd smack them first.

The name 'Loops' came from a combination of her distinct circle fur pattern, her tendency to do loops around her owner while they worked, and the owner being a fan of British Rock.

Just yesterday—or so it seemed to the cat—her "grandma" who never took her out had come in with the dreaded pet carrier. Suspecting she was about to be punished (aka taken to the vet for stealing a ball of yarn), Loops used her cuteness and cleverness to escape, planning to return once Grandma cooled down.

And then somehow, she ended up in this desert.

"Meow?" she asked the voice again.

"Dimensional Travel System 2.0 at your service. This system is designed to help the host journey across anime-style worlds."

"Reminder: 'Loops' is not a suitable name for system records. Please change it. Otherwise, for the system's dignity, your name will be redacted."

"Meow!"

"Host refuses to cooperate. System AI will auto-generate a name. Scanning parents' names... New name: Emi."

System display: "Emi (Loops)"

"Meow?" The cat was a little...

"Meow?" the Cat tilted her head in confusion but didn't find the change unacceptable. She just wondered why "Emi" was followed by "Loops" in parentheses—like a dinner bell.

"Meow! I want to go home!"

"The Host can complete Missions and Achievements to accumulate 'Energy' and unlock the next phase of the journey."

"'Energy' comprises System-granted Energy and the Host's own Energy. With the Host's safety assured, their own Energy can replenish 0.1% of the travel requirements. Would you like to replenish now? Note: Do not replenish Energy in dangerous situations."

"Note 2: After the version update, Missions are no longer mandatory. 'Journey' represents freedom and ease. The System acts as a mode of transportation and will not interfere with the Host's actions or choices, nor will it provide excessive assistance. If the Host wishes to grow stronger, they must rely on their own efforts. However, the System will offer convenient tools to compensate for innate shortcomings."

Emi's ears drooped, her expression mirroring the one she had worn when facing the Saint Phantom.

As the System introduced itself, a crude interface materialized before the kitten's eyes, automatically integrating its functions into her mind.

The interface was truly rudimentary. On the left was a gray teleportation portal, and on the right a large spinning wheel for prize draws. A personal information panel occupied a corner, displaying missions and achievements, but there wasn't even a system space.

Activating the spinning wheel revealed that it required Energy to operate.

The sole mission was: Collect all Sage's Remains (1/10).

Mission Reward: Full Dimensional Teleportation Gate Energy Replenishment, Novice Combat Suit (Pseudo), 2m x 2m Space Ring, and one free prize draw attempt.

Note: Only the first mission offers tangible rewards. Subsequent missions typically grant Energy, which Hosts can use for prize draws to attempt to obtain items.

"Newbie bonus: One free prize draw attempt. Host, would you like to use it?"

Emi ignored the System, curling up in her burrow to sleep through the heavy rain.

"Stay right there! Don't you dare come any closer!"

Less than a kilometer from Emi's hiding place, a man with gold teeth rode a horse. He barked the order at the blonde, fourteen-year-old girl standing before him.

His gruffness was understandable. The girl's identity was far too sensitive: she was the wife of Stephen Steel, the organizer of this unprecedented transcontinental horse race.

Yes, this fourteen-year-old girl had a husband in his fifties.

After surviving countless assassination attempts, they had finally pieced together the truth. This so-called historic race was nothing more than a scheme by its primary investor, U.S. President Funny Valentine, to manipulate various factions into gathering the Sage's Remains, only to seize them for himself once again.

Desperate, the girl shouted, "I came here because I heard you two would be on this route, Mr. Joestar, Mr. Zeppeli! Please help me! I have nowhere else to turn. You're my only hope! Save my husband!"

Although Stephen had agreed to the President's plan to use the race to collect the Sage's Remains, he wasn't a cruel man. He'd had a minor disagreement with the President, unwilling to allow any killings during the competition, and had even subtly diverted the hot air balloons monitoring Johnny and Gyro.

Recently, Lucy, who had been learning lip-reading, spied through her telescope and overheard the President plotting to eliminate Stephen, whom he saw as a meddling nuisance.

Lucy was a girl of action. Refusing to wait passively, she had taken a series of small steps that eventually led the President's subordinates to track her down.

Tears still glistened in the corner of her eye. "Mountain Tim recommended I seek you out," she said. "And... he might no longer be alive."

Mountain Tim—a Stand User who had once crossed paths with Johnny and Gyro.

Despite this, Gyro leaned toward his companion and whispered, "What's this little missy up to? Does she think her age will earn her special treatment? Johnny, we can't trust her."

Sensing their distrust, the young girl grew visibly agitated. "I have information about the spine of the Sage's Remains! In fact, it was just in my hands moments ago!"

"What?"

"But... but it was stolen!" Her expression stiffened. "Something that looked like a frog snatched it."

It was something beyond her comprehension—a creature resembling both a toad and a catfish, nearly twice her height, with a tongue that stretched over five meters long.

Lucy felt a wave of relief. If the detective sent by the President hadn't seized the Sage's Remains earlier, she might have been impaled through the torso by that monstrous tongue and met a gruesome end on the spot.

"A frog? Is it a Stand...?"

"Gyro, look!" Johnny suddenly noticed something and pointed.

Three crude, interconnected patterns were abruptly etched into the muddy ground nearby. Despite the torrential rain, the markings remained stubbornly visible, defying the downpour.

"They're directions to the Sage's Remains... but there are three! The Sage's Remains aren't here, so the Stand User who stole them can't be far. Gyro?"

Johnny noticed his companion wasn't listening, his gaze fixed on the edges of the three map fragments, deep in thought.

Following his line of sight, Johnny spotted a peculiar, vaguely hoof-shaped mark. As a prodigious jockey, he immediately recognized it as a fresh hoofprint—but there were only four.

Even when he widened his field of vision, he could only find those four hoofprints. It was as if a horse had suddenly materialized and vanished without a trace. Stranger still, the prints showed no sign of horseshoes.