After almost six months of Hum&Puss springs on the market, that particular night marked Puss''s first birthday.


    Puss hadn''t grown much more during this time, and its growth seemed to slow down even further as time went on.


    ''It looks like I''ll still be the size of a normal cat when I''m fully grown. That''s a relief… Maybe a tall cat among cats because of the Mutant Cat evolutions.'' Puss thought about his size.


    But one thing had changed in Puss''s appearance: around his waist, a beautiful leather belt held a finely decorated rapier. On the hilt, a small, cute cat head was carved.


    Puss rested his paw on the sword''s hilt with satisfaction.


    ''To make this sword, I spent a fortune hiring the best blacksmith I could find. Well, it was the Comandante''s cousin who found him for me. Some sort of fairy blacksmith or something like that. But I am satisfied.''


    Puss thought with a smirk.


    He had just returned from the barracks. Puss had been training with the guards ever since he got familiar with them, and it had become easier and easier to win fights, even against groups.


    But apparently, because the fights had become too easy, the rapid progress he was making from real battles had been slowing down more and more. Still, it was better than training alone.


    Not that he had stopped exercising as usual—he had simply added sparring with the guards to his routine.


    [Host: Puss in Boots


    Age: 1 year


    Status: 9 Lives Remaining


    Talents:


    - Mutant Cat (Gold): Level 2 (Evolvable)


    - Natural Swordsman (Gold): Level 2 (Evolvable)


    - Furry Lover (Silver): Level 0


    - Lucky Feline (Silver): Level 7


    Equipment:


    - Leather Belt (No Grade)


    - Cheshire Sword (Bronze)]


    Looking at his panel, he was very satisfied.


    A new tab had appeared when he equipped himself.


    So far, the only piece of equipment he had found with a grade was his sword, which he had named Cheshire. That''s why he was so pleased with the weapon he had spent so much money on.


    Another change, which had just happened after finishing his fight with the guards, was that his talents could be upgraded again.


    Because of that, his plan was to have dinner at the orphanage and then head to the bell tower again to evolve his talents.


    But as he was nearing the orphanage, his eyes narrowed. From the shadows, some suspicious figures emerged.


    Jumping onto a rooftop silently, Puss approached them from above.


    "They say that orphanage is filthy rich, and two kids in particular have the most money. Our target tonight is to take everything—I don''t want any mistakes."


    A burly figure at the front spoke seriously to his companions as they quickly approached the orphanage.


    "Boss, what do we do about the kids?" one of the bandits hesitated slightly.


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    The boss turned his head back, and a cruel smile formed on his lips.


    "Kill any that scream."


    "Hahaha!"


    "The boss is wicked!"


    "That''s why we follow him."


    The group, except for the one who had spoken, had satisfied, malicious grins on their faces, greed shining in their eyes.


    But just as they were about to reach the front of the orphanage, a small figure was waiting for them, stopping the steps of the dozen bandits.


    "Se?ores, I don''t think this is a good time for a visit."


    With his arms crossed over his chest, Puss spoke indifferently, his cold gaze fixed on the bandits.


    "Heh! It''s just a stray kitty. Let me help you find your way."


    One of the bandits laughed at Puss''s small appearance and felt fearless. Unsheathing his sword from his waist, he rushed forward, eager to end the life of the cat who dared to block his path.


    "Slow." Puss said indifferently, dodging with ease.


    Drawing his own sword from his belt, he swung it lightly, and with sparks flying, the bandit''s weapon flew from his hands.


    The last thing the man saw was a flash of the sword''s light before his consciousness sank into darkness.


    Bang!


    The bandit''s body hit the ground heavily in front of Puss, who simply lifted his foot and stepped on his head.


    The thief was still alive, only knocked out by Puss. As much as he wanted to kill all the robbers, he still didn''t have the stomach for it—nor did he want to kill anyone right in front of the orphanage.


    Leaning his body slightly and resting his arm on the paw pressing down on the bandit''s head, Puss looked at the thieves with a slight smile—but his eyes did not seem to smile along.


    "Now, I''ll give you a choice. Drop your weapons and surrender… or I will make you surrender—and it will hurt a lot."


    He stared at the thieves, his slit pupils gleaming.


    Some of the weaker-hearted bandits recoiled under his gaze, fear creeping into them.


    Seeing this, the boss boiled with rage.


    "What are you fools doing?! It''s just a cat! Attack together!"


    With their leader''s shout, the bandits seemed to regain their nerve. Like a herd, they all rushed at Puss, shouting.


    "HAAAAAA!!!!"


    Puss rolled his eyes.


    ''So discreet. I suppose you''re afraid the whole town won''t hear you''re here.''


    Despite his thoughts, he didn''t hesitate. He ran straight into the mob with his sword in hand.


    "MEEEOOOW!"


    With a leap and a spin, he clashed his blade against the bandits'' swords that tried to skewer him, clearing a space for him to land.


    Planting his paws on the ground, he didn''t play around. With claws unsheathed on one paw and his sword in the other, he showed no mercy.


    With his claws, he skillfully slashed—either cutting clothes, making pants drop and causing them to trip, or slicing through flesh, making them scream and collapse.


    With his sword, he disarmed them effortlessly, knocking weapons away or cutting hands.


    The battle seemed chaotic, with everyone trying to bring the cat down, but no blade touched his agile and flexible body. He was like a machine—wherever he passed, he left the messy bandits falling in his wake.


    He was used to taking down trained guards; these untrained thieves were no challenge.


    The only difficulty compared to the guards was that these men truly wanted to kill him and fought dirty to do so. Tricks like trying to blind him with sand and other low methods were common during the fight.


    But Puss enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. He never said he only wanted to fight fair—some of these dirty tricks would become part of his own fighting style.


    It didn''t take long before all twenty or so bandits were lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. But Puss was not pleased—he scanned the fallen thieves carefully.


    ''The leader isn''t here! He ran!''


    Realizing this, his eyes turned cold, and he prepared to jump onto a rooftop to pursue. But the sound of a door opening stopped him.


    "Peque?o, what happened?!"


    Imelda, appearing at the door with Humpty at her side and several other children, looked in horror at the crowd of people lying on the ground.


    "There''s no time, mama. These people are thieves, and their leader escaped. The guards should be here soon—I''ll catch the leader first."


    Saying this quickly, he hesitated no more and leaped, vanishing into the shadows.


    The last thing he heard was Imelda''s frightened and worried scream.


    "Peque?ooo!!!"