Fuming, I crossed the street and entered Fizzlewhisper's shop. The gnome was behind the counter, smiling at me.

"Master George, what a balm to the eyes to see you in good health."

"Greetings to you Fizzlewhisper. I am in need of some articles."

"Certainly, I have plenty of articles of all kinds! What is it?"

"I intend to try and tame a wolf pup. I need pet paraphernalia. A cage, blankets, toys, leash, harness, and whatever you believe would be useful."

Fizzlewhisper paused to think. "You seem to be quite flustered, so I'll only make two questions. How pressed for time you are, and is this a wolf pup or a wolf-like pup?"

I grimaced. "Get me the tougher stuff. But it's not the pet that's worrying me."

"Certainly. I don't have everything here with me, so I'll have to send a Runner fetch some items. Would you also need feed and delectable treats to ease the training?"

"Sure, give me enough to last for a while."

"You don't need to worry. Now that I know you have a pet, I will strive to have what your not-wolf needs to thrive."

I sighed in relief. "Awesome, man. Anyway, deliver it to my house, I need to see someone."

"Good. Good. Now go. You don't want to keep the lady waiting too much."

I was about to turn around and leave but the fact that Fizzlewhisper nailed it made me pause.

The gnome broke into a fit of laughter. Once he recomposed himself, he raised a finger in the universal "silence" gesture.

"Don't even bother asking how or why. Dear George, there are only a handful of things that can make a young and fine man like yourself move as if there's a fire under their buttocks! Count on the fingers of my hand. Women, food, women, a bowel close to bursting, and women."

We laughed. Then I ran.

*

*

Kara was manning her booth, as usual. She saw me, became happy, then remembered what happened during my absence and changed gears.

"Hey, Kara," I smiled and waved.

"George," she hissed. "Good to see you are still alive."

Her tone didn't convey joy. Kara stared at me as if demanding an explanation.

"I got stuck in a cave after a landslide for a few days. Had to dig my way out."

Now came the waiting game. I had a lot of experience dealing with a whimsical woman already and believed that Kara would be more rational than Alice.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore," Kara said after several minutes.

"If that's what you feel," I lowered my head and gave her a last look. "I'll see you around."

I spun on my heels and walked away as fast as I could. I had to control my steps to keep myself from running away. Outside the garrison, I broke into a jog, joining the stream of people moving fast down the street.

We weren't dating. It was a one-time thing. This wasn't a breakup. And yet, I had to fight back the tears. At least until I reached my home. Then I cried myself to sleep.

*

*

I laid in bed with the Wolfertinger pup for the entirety of the next day. The little critter was lethargic, content in just lying on the duvet and resting.

It ate the food I offered and drank water so I didn't believe it was dying. Monsters were a tenacious bunch and I had measured the mettle of its species. Even with an arrow through the heart, the Wolfertinger Bitch still fought to her last breath. The other pups were also as ferocious as they could.

No, this little guy would be fine. It might be just weakened and starving. It didn't seem to dislike the pets and scritches I gave it.

I had to do what Alice said. Spend a few days bonding with the critter. I understood her skepticism. It was hard to believe that this half-rabbit, half-wolf winged critter was a fearsome Legendary.

Rarities came in eight types, at least what we knew. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Unique. Power scaled with each step but the last. Unique Classes could be anything in between the other categories and unique monsters were often something to avoid unless one's level was in the late hundreds.

For the non-unique rarities, people gained five Attribute points for each step in that scale. Not to mention earning Perks and other features faster too. As a Rare, I gained fifteen. This little guy, a Legendary, would earn double that. He would also need twice as much Experience but that was irrelevant.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The Experience awards dropped sharply as one rose in levels. Being strong for one's level was how one survived the challenges the world threw at them.

That's where the soft level cap came into play. At one point, taking on things your own level was too risky. Those in that situation often decided to avoid wasting all their development and retired from the Experience grind.

The availability of Experience sources also impacted the soft cap. High-level monsters didn't live near civilization. Or to better put it, civilization didn't go to where these calamities lived. An elder dragon would raze any settlement stupid enough to appear inside its territory.

Getting to the level-adequate zones could take years. This world was fucking huge.

To those who chose to settle, being a big fish in a small pond was better than swimming in the metaphorical open ocean with the Megalodons, Krakens, and Leviathans who could finish them on a whim.

I grew impatient when the pup didn't react. I almost poked and bothered him until I got a reaction but held back. How stupid and impulsive could I get? This was a project that would take years. And if I played my cards right, it could last for a lifetime.

But I felt frustrated. At least a reaction? A tail wag? Not that Wolfertingers had a tail. Just some plumes stuck to its rabbit butt.

Maybe the real prize was the patience training. Dunno.

I got out of bed and went to get some exercise. Weightlifting and agility training.

Then, when I got back, I found that my little buddy left some gifts on my duvet. Boy, I was really hoping it would be pellets like real rabbits did. But noooo. A new dilemma. Should I try washing it or just buy a new duvet? I was about to yell at the pup but then held back. It wasn't its fault, was it? No. I just took the critter off the bed and onto some rags, mentally gifted the duvet to it, then took it to the laundry to wash away the poop.

*

*

In the afternoon, something shook me out of my boredom. No, it wasn't more monster poop. Several Runners came to my doorstep to make deliveries. My suit of armor, the pet stuff from Fizzlewhisper, and a real Courier with my enchanted items.

Runners were youngsters who ran errands in town. They delivered messages, goods, groceries, anything, really. Except for the more expensive and sensitive stuff. Most of them got the Class, though it was a Common one. The people who had the means went for the Courier Class instead, of Uncommon rarity. A Courier could be trusted with said expensive since they had the Skill to handle and secure those. They also were freaking fast. Both Classes had Perks to navigate obstacles like foot and vehicle traffic in a city and to find the destination of their parcels.

I used my Guild badge to sign the receipt for the enchanted items. In the next moment, the Courier was gone. The Runners wanted tips and I handed out a bunch of copper coins.

After taking the boxes and crates up two floors, I opened the ones from the Kitsune enchanter. The cloak was neatly folded, with a perfumed envelope on top. Reading the note, I discovered it was the instructions to test the enchantments. The System offered no help with identifying items or people. The only way to know the Class (or species) and level of a creature was to kill them. Not highly informative as they were now dead. The same went for items. Some scholars suggested that the System could offer such functionality but decided not. Since it witnessed the crafting and even awarded some Experience points to the crafter, it knew what the item did but refused to share the information.

Seven-Leagues stride was easy. I just needed to time myself as I walked a good distance with and without the boots. I should try to keep the same level of exertion. Since I was very aware of my movement speed, this one passed with just a few laps around the rooftop. Surefooted demanded I walked on some loose debris, marbles, or pebbles if possible. Cat's paw was a bit harder. I needed to go to a silent room and walk with normal boots and the enchanted set. If my perception wasn't so high, I would have doubts but it really muffled the sound. And for Trackless Step, I just needed to walk on some loose substrate to see if I left any footprints. This one was a doozy. The common enchantments were also easy to test. I fired an arrow at both boots, mundane and enchanted. After that, I checked the damage. Passed. Self-repair took some MP from me but mended the arrow hole.

This pair of enchanted boots would serve me very well. At the bottom of the note, it said that the bearer of one boot would be able to sense the direction to the other boot but this enchantment demanded a lot of MP if they were too far apart. It was intended as a convenience to find the boots in one's own house, not as a tracking device.

Then, the cloak. This one was a bit trickier to test. The antimemetic enchantment needed an observer. Likewise for Chameleon. Environmental protection required water to be splashed on the worn cloak, then getting near a source of heat and cold. The other two specific enchantments all required a spellcaster.

*

*

I knew just where to find one. I put the Wolfertinger pup in a pet carrier and crossed the street. Living across the street from work had its perks. Only to find that Alice was away for the day and couldn't meet me. She was doing her job for once, what novelty.

With a groan of frustration, I left the Guild Hall. As I walked past the quest board, I noticed that all the quests I had scouted had the most up-to-date information I had scouted tagged on them and three were missing from the board already. If things went well, I would get sweet growth notifications from my Parallel Progression soon. Or not.

Inside the pet carrier, the Wolfertinger pup seemed to be asleep. The little guy woke up only to eat, drink, and poop. I was woefully unprepared to take care of a pet, much less a monster. While my father was thorough in my education to become a Scout, he never taught me how to do that and we never had a pet.

Fizzlewhisper waved at me after I crossed the road. I walked to meet the gnome.

"Hey, George, how did it fare with the lady? Not good, judging by your face."

I flinched. "Yeah, no. She said she would rather date an ogre."

The gnome Shopkeeper nodded empathetically. "That bad, eh? Well, that's good. If you have to deal with rejection, better rip that bandage sooner rather than later. It's not the end of the world. There's plenty of women out there, more by the day as the men cull themselves in the wilderness."

"Yeah."

It was a well-documented fact that men tended to pick combat Classes more than women. It was more evident in well-populated centers. It wasn't an enormous difference but enough to be noticeable. It also led most men to die earlier than the fairer sex, causing the population brackets to skew toward the female side as age increased. Then the age pyramid suddenly shifted, with more men than women at ages two hundred and more. At least for human-centric population centers.

The reasons for that escaped me. I think I didn't pay much attention to these lessons.

Fizzlewhisper chortled and grinned. "Now, go out and find your next heartbreak. Toughen these love muscles up."

I returned a wry smile. "Thanks for the advice."

The gnome's eyes shifted to the carrier. "No, thank you for your patronage. Love advice is a free service. Is that the little one under your care?"

I looked inside the carrier. The blanket I wrapped the pup with was still tightly wrapped around the lazy monster. "Yes, it is."

"A wolf pup? It looks a little sick."

"It was the weakest of the litter."

"You should take it to the Veterinarian. Do you know one?" He asked. I shook my head. "Let me refer you to one I trust."

Minutes later, I was walking to the address Fizzlewhisper gave me.