To use the taming device, Max had to get the monster's acknowledgement first. The wooden token was just a saddle compressed into a small space, a wonder of strange technological advancement in this game world.
'In short, it's just useless junk that didn't help the taming process at all.'
Facing the growling Catlapu, Max tried to find out its strengths and weaknesses. The monster circled against him, walking near the fence covering the large field. For some reason, it didn't run away.
Old Man Rig overseed everything to ensure nothing went wrong.
"You can start anytime, fool!"
Hearing his words, Max rushed forward. He knew nothing would change just by standing around doing nothing. He would test the Catlapu directly.
His sword tore the air. He could now swing it as easily as swinging a wooden one. The weight felt so light.
Seeing the attack, Catlapu moved its head forward and blocked the sword with its study horns.
Clang!
Spark flew everywhere, and Max's sword bounced off. He saw the monster already attacked with its sharp claws that jutted out from its paw.
"Meooow!"
It was fast. Nothing seemed to be able to stop it.
Facing it, Max rolled forward and dodged the attack. He immediately sent a counter slash from below its belly.
"That won't do, fool!"
Just as he heard Old Man Rig's shout, he noticed three tails had already swung toward him. He couldn't react to it and got hit.
"Argh!"
His body was sent flying a few meters away. He only stopped after rolling a few times.
"Catlapu looks chubby, but it's fast. There is a reason why mercenaries love to have it as a mount! Use your brain! You are there to tame it, not to kill it!"
Tame it and not kill it.
Max's eyes widened slightly as he realized what he did was wrong. He was going to show his strength by injuring the Catlapu. But that was a wrong choice. That was why the monster retaliated strongly.
'Come to think of it, this Catlapu didn't attack me and just circled around me as if observing me.'
At that moment, he remembered Old Man Rig's words. There were two ways to tame the monster. One was through fear, and the other was with food.
"I understand now." He exclaimed and sheathed his sword.
"Heh, it seems you're not as big as a fool. Do it, small fool!"
— What fool?
— Fool -> Courageous Fool -> small fool. The title has increased again!
— What did he realize? Am I stupid for not understanding it?
— Don't worry, we are all big fools. We have small brain.
"How can you not understand it, chat?" Max shook his head in disappointment and shrugged his shoulders. "It's so simple. The clue is with Old Man Rig's words and what he showed me before giving me the wooden token. It's also written in the quest's reward."
He walked toward the Catlapu that purred and licked its paw. It seemed to forget about Max already. Or rather, it didn't really care and had no intention to hurt him from the start. All he did was simple.
"Yahoo!"
For him, this was like a rodeo, something he often played with his friends before he got into an accident.
"Come on! Is this your limit? You're pretty weak, huh?! I thought you were stronger!"
"Grrr!" Catlapu growled in displeasure and began to jump around. It shook its body in order to get rid of the annoying person on its back.
— What is this?
— A rodeo! It's a rodeo!
— Breeze: Fork it, I will just ride it. Get over here, you little cat!
Catlapu kept thrashing around for a while. It showed an irritated expression that slowly changed into a playful one. Before long, it slowed down and actually ran around the field.
"Look at that. You can do it!" Old Man Rig laughed loudly when he saw what happened. "Now, use that wooden token, fool!"
"Yeah!"
Max immediately pushed the wooden token on Catpalu's back and activated the mechanism. Instantly, it expanded and bound the monster's belly with a sturdy rope. The back part became a squishy stable. When he sat on it, he couldn't really feel the vibration from Catpalu's movement anymore.
[Old Man's Favor completed!]
[Reward: 1,500 Gills, 1 tamed monster.]
[Mutated Catpalu has been tamed! It will now follow your command.]
[Now you can name Mutated Catpalu.]
A notification rang, and so was his chat. It moved so fast with some suspicious text.
— TOO EASY!
— Tame it by riding it. Come on baby
— Move your back! I am on top of you, sweetheart!
— Guys, stop it! Seriously! It's a freaking fat monster cat!
— Tsk tsk tsk, boys be boys. But damn! He did a rodeo and actually tamed that Catpalu!
— I need that mutated Catpalu too! On my way to creating my second world!
The chat could be ignored right now. Max focused on reading the notification and tried to command it.
"Stop."
The monster actually stopped and sat on its four legs, lowering its back. He climbed down and stroked its fur happily.
"Good job, Catpalu. You're tamer than I thought."
"Meow~" The monster replied as if it could understand him. It turned to face him and licked his body.
"Hey, that tickles!" Max exclaimed, "And it's gross. Your saliva now covers me."
Even so, he laughed. He looked at the notification that was still hovering in front of him.
'A name, huh?' He mused.