Slowly, time passed like a rocket, and once again, the name Hum&Puss emerged in the market, alongside the Comandante's Cousin Chamber of Commerce.
If before, Puss and Humpty were seen as the heroes of San Ricardo, now they were loved like fairy-tale princes.
Year after year, the people of San Ricardo lived more comfortably thanks to them and the many opportunities they had created with their inventions, and their gratitude couldn't be higher.
Inspired by the people's appreciation and with his financial situation now much better, Humpty began to work even harder on his inventions and studies.
Following some of Puss's suggestions, he improved the sewing machine, allowing it to create different types of stitches beyond just the simple ones. This led to Hum&Puss Deluxe Edition clothing conquering noble fashion and being sold worldwide.
Puss didn't even know how much money he had anymore.
There was so much of it, and it was so complicated to store—not to mention dangerous—that he had to spend some time creating his own bank, GoldenClaw Bank. This business didn't carry the Hum&Puss name, both because Humpty wasn't involved and because Puss thought it was too dangerous, even for himself, to let people know he was the bank's owner.
Of course, Puss's management was lax—he merely shared ideas he had read about banking in his past life with the Commander's Cousin, who, over the years, had proven himself a trustworthy man. Puss didn't involve himself much beyond that.
He didn't want to be bothered with these things—if he had to deal with them personally, he would rather just bury the gold or give it all to the poor or something like that.
In fact, he already donated a lot to the poor, but he was still earning more than he could invest in them. And once again, he didn't want to waste too much time on these matters, so the money just kept piling up.
Puss wasn't even worried about the bank failing and losing all his wealth. After all, with his skills, making more was easy.
So, as the carefree cat he was, he simply continued doing what he wanted and left the rest to fate.
And speaking of fate, aside from training and combat, Puss had spent these years practicing various other skills—dancing, playing musical instruments, singing, gambling, cheating, and all sorts of things.
Thanks to his Mutant Cat talent, which allowed rapid learning, he quickly became a master.
Moreover, being loved by the people of San Ricardo and the surrounding areas, he even managed to find professional teachers who taught him how to gamble, cheat, and… other questionable activities.
And it was during these games of chance that Puss made a surprising discovery.
The first time he gambled and won, he instinctively checked his panel and noticed a new line on it:
[Lucky Feline (Silver): Level 8 (Progress: 0% → 0.2%)]
That's when he realized that this talent had never asked for his permission to level up like the others did. Puss hadn't thought much of it before, but now, seeing a progress bar, he understood—the Lucky Feline talent wasn't skipping permission. It was evolving on its own, outside the system's control, which was why Puss never had to authorize it.
It was his very own protagonist's luck growing stronger as he followed his destiny.
After that, he kept gambling, and while the talent only progressed when he won fairly—without cheating—it still advanced slightly whenever he experienced small strokes of luck in the games.
Another recurring issue was thieves trying to rob the orphanage, Puss, and Humpty. But now that guards were stationed around the orphanage, they were doomed to fail.
However, the truth was that most of the time, Puss himself got there first and took down the criminals before the guards could even react.
Because of this, his reputation as a hero and warrior spread even further. And now, fifteen years after his reincarnation, as if fate itself had decided it was time for him to leave and begin his adventure, a desperate plea for help arrived from another town.
Apparently, a giant monster was terrorizing the city of San Riqueza, where the messenger was from. When all hope seemed lost, the man had heard rumors of a great warrior and hero in the region, making Puss his last ray of hope.
When Puss heard this, he accepted without hesitation. He had already learned everything he wanted—it was time to start his adventure. And what better way than to challenge a giant monster and save a city in crisis?
Puss opened his backpack and checked his supplies. It was his first expedition, and he didn't know exactly what to expect, so he packed a small bag with a few essentials.
After verifying everything and making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he looked up to check his status.
[Host: Puss in Boots
Age: 15 years
Status: 9 Lives Remaining
Talents:
- Mutant Cat (Gold): Level 6 (Progress: 92%)
- Natural Swordsman (Gold): Level 6 (Progress: 92%)
- Furry Lover (Silver): Level 1 (Progress: 0%)
- Lucky Feline (Silver → Gold): Level 2 (Progress: 76%)
Equipment:
- Leather Belt (Ungraded → Bronze)
- Corinthian Boots (Ungraded → Bronze)
- Musketeer Hat (Ungraded → Bronze)
- Black Cape (Ungraded → Bronze)
- Cheshire Sword (Bronze)]
Over the years, he had grown taller and matured into a fully grown cat. His equipment had to be adjusted to fit his size, so he took the opportunity to send it to Cheshire's craftsman for some upgrades, offering a generous payment. That's how all his gear had been enhanced to bronze-grade.
Unfortunately, he hadn't found anyone capable of improving them further—bronze was the best he could get.
From what he had deduced, his equipment had reached bronze because of minor enchantments and better-quality materials. So, to upgrade them to silver or higher, he would need materials from powerful magical creatures or a blacksmith with superior forging and enchanting techniques—neither of which were easy to find. His only hope was to come across such things during his adventures.
Another important thing to note was that Puss had turned 15 years old a few days ago, which unlocked Furry Lover. It seemed the system had determined that his feline body had reached maturity.
"Looks like I'm an adult in both body and soul again. Maybe it also has something to do with my Mutant Cat talent, reaching full maturity at fifteen in this body," Puss thought upon seeing the talent reappear.
Without worrying about it, he left his room—his personal space for years now, thanks to the orphanage's improved conditions… and also because he was naturally favored for everything he had done.