Chapter 14: Pablo The Pet Beast

Watching their exchange from the side-lines, the burly man saw that now was a good time to interject into the flow of conversation, and so he added in cheerily: "So, have you guys finally sorted things out? Who will be the owner of the pet?"

Renan turned his head to look at the shopkeeper, who was eagerly awaiting their reply with itchy hands. But rather than answering him, he posed a question instead.

"By the way, how much does it cost to commission you to tame a pet for us?"

"Hmm? The cost you say… Well usually, it would vary from each pet's rarity. But since it's your guys' first time coming here and requesting me to tame a wild pet, I will do it free of charge just this once!" The burly man responded with a good-natured expression.

"So what you're saying is, each and every player is given this once in a lifetime favor if they enter the shop asking you to tame a wild pet for them?"

"Yep, that's how it works. And in this case, because there are two of you the one who will own this pet will naturally use up that opportunity."

"I see… It's like redeeming a coupon." Renan nodded his head to show that he understood him. "Well then, please assign this pet to my friend right here."

"Okay, and is that your final decision?"

"Yes."

But when she heard this, Ars quickly tried to intervene by saying something, and yet was immediately silenced when she saw Renan giving her a hard look. Nevertheless, she made multiple attempts to open her mouth and speak; but ultimately, she let loose a sigh and did nothing more to interfere.

When he was certain that the girl resigned herself to this outcome, the burly man closed his eyes and placed his palms hovering over the child beast. Finally, he began to recite a cryptic incantation that they didn't understand a word of. Strangely enough, the child beast started to glow an iridescent color that filled the whole room with a magical radiance. The child beast let out a cute cry before turning into motes of sparkling light that headed towards Ar's.

[System Notification: Do you wish to accept this Child Beast as your familiar? Yes/No?]

Obviously, she pressed the yes option and instantly, the static particles floating around her were beginning to be absorbed into her being and becoming a part of her.

[System Notification: Congratulations on acquiring your very first pet in the game! What would you like to name it?]

Seeing that she was required to name her new pet, Ars had a thoughtful expression on her face then looked towards Renan, asking for his opinion on the matter.

"Umm… It's asking me to input a name for the pet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"A name, huh? Then how about Chewbacca?"

"Sorry, but it's a weird name so… no. Any other ideas?"

"Okay. How about Furry then?"

"Hmm… It's cute but really generic. Next?"

"Sven…?"

"It sounds like something a Swedish man would name his dog."

"…Sully?"

"Oh, that's sounds nice!"

Upon hearing her say those words, Renan's eyes flashed and he heaved a sigh of relief. When he was just about to open his mouth and say "Then—", his words were abruptly cut short by her next sentence.

"Charming name, but I think we can do better! Anything else?" Ars smiled sweetly at him.

His jaw was left hanging wide-open that you could probably fit an entire egg inside of it; then, he swallowed hard on his words and released some hot air through his nostrils as he tried to calm his aching mind down.

'It's just a name… Nothing more than a damn name, so why you gotta be like this?!' He cried out inwardly in his head.

Closing his eyes, he pretended to earnestly think of a name while displaying a serious, contemplative expression. Fortunately, just when he was about to flip out and could no longer take this stupid situation, Ars shouted out all of a sudden.

"I got it!"

Her eyes flashing in pure excitement as if she just thought of something amazing, she looked to the window in front of her and began typing on it. Realizing that he could finally drop the act, Renan's hands moved to massage his temples as he waited for the chosen name of the pet.

"And… there! All done."

"So, what did you name the little guy?"

"I named him Pablo!"

"Pablo…?"

"Yes, Pablo!" She said so with a proud expression adorning her cute face. "You think it sounds cool too, right?"

"Huh? Uhh… yeah. I'm reliev—I mean happy, I'm quite happy for you and… Pablo."

Honestly speaking, he was just glad that they could finally put this dumb naming thing out of the way and get to more important matters.

"I congratulate you, adventurer! May you and your new pet work towards prosperity together." The burly man chimed in at this opportune moment to offer his well wishes, and of course, he didn't forget to advertise his products while he was doing it. "By the way, can I perhaps interest you with some items sold in my shop? It can really help your new pet grow in the future."

Ars didn't see any reason to refuse him outright, so she nodded her head and simply said: "Okay, please show us your goods."

"It would be my pleasure."

Subsequently, a new window manifested and appeared in her view along with Renan. Listed in the merchandize window were all sorts of stuff that players needed in order to take care of their pets. Additionally, there was even a special page sectioned out for Beast tamers to buy items that could aid them in their beast taming.

Since he was also granted the merchandize window by the shopkeeper, Renan didn't mind browsing through the stock to get an idea of what was being sold and their corresponding prices. So far, it was nothing out of the ordinary: pet food, pet accessories, pet skill books, etc., and the list goes on. But, what mainly caught his attention were the various pets sold in this place. The majority of them were normal breeds and only a few could be dubbed as magic and rare—there were no unique breeds of a pet up for grabs though.

'Wow, these pets are hella expensive. Never mind buying myself a magic or rare one, I can't even afford a normal breed.'