We Lease The Kraken! - A LitRPG Pet Shop System Story.

Jeremiah sighed and clicked the [+] on the screen.

A new window appeared, overtop his status as Mero continued.

"A 'skill' — in the context of the System — is crystalized potential. The System condenses, refines, and defines yer presence in reality. For example, this one here —"

Mero pointed to the first of the two' skills,' " — defines yer personal iteration. It might not seem like much now, but it's the core of what the System can do for ya."

Jeremiah looked over the first of the two 'skills' on his screen.

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〖User Skills〗

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Mystical Menagerie

Type: Trait - Iteration - Evolving

Description: Just as there are many people, many lives, and many wishes, the System is designed to take many forms. It is Potential given form, and how we use that potential determines what the System becomes. The [Mystical Menagerie] manifests the User's desire for companionship and deep wonder of the magical. Unlock the power of Friendship!

Grants access to the Beast Bond menu. Increases the User's charisma and appeal when interacting with Beasts of all kinds.

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He read it over and nodded. Made sense. He had been training to be a veterinarian and aiming for a job at the Prima City Zoo, the most famous beast sanctuary on the planet. Maybe even in this part of the galaxy.

That the System wanted him to work with animals wasn't surprising, even if 'Zookeeper' was a totally different field. One thing made him frown, however.

"Mero, I'm not seeing anything here about how my Physical grade jumped two points."

Mero held up a hand. "Cool yer jets, Jerry-boy, we're getting there. I need ya to understand this. If the System is yer base OS, then ya Iteration is the app that lets ya interface with it. Moreover, yer Iteration will evolve and adapt to yer 'play style,' for lack of better words. So the actions ya take interacting with the system, in turn, influence how it interacts with you. Get me?"

Jeremiah folded his arms. "Yeah… this 'skill' records how I interact with the System, then adapts to fit my needs or whatever arcane nonsense it wants me to do. Perfectly clear… What does that have to do with my grade, Mero?"

Jeremiah knew that he was being short with the fairy. Mero had promised he would try to keep Jeremiah in the loop as much as possible. Even so, the thought that the System was somehow… changing him unsettled Jeremiah. That was edging too close to augmentation for his liking.

Augmentation, while not uncommon on Nexus, was controversial even at the best of times. The number one cause of catastrophic Triggers was someone cheapening out on their gene therapy or some other dangerous augmentation surgery. It had become such a major problem that the laws in place made any form of augmentation prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of people.

Sarah had strictly forbidden Jeremiah from having any augmentation done in his youth, and even when he became an adult, he had never really considered it. Be it gene editing, cybernetic enhancements, ritual magic, or any number of other strange and esoteric methods a person could use to make themselves 'better,' there were just so many things that could go wrong.

And the more he learned about the System, the more he drew parallels. Why had Sarah been working on something like this? To what aim?

Mero's voice pulled Jeremiah from his ruminations before he could sink too deep. He would have to worry about whether the System was just another form of augmentation… or something more, later.

"That's right. Now, somethin' ya have to understand is, because of that, a new user would typically start with one skill. Their Iteration. This is their 'foundation' that everything else is built on," the fairy said.

Jeremiah furrowed his brow and frowned. He saw where this was going. "But I have two…" he said, finishing Mero's words.

Mero nodded. "That ya do, kid. See, there was a small… incident during yer registration."

Jeremiah's face paled and the world spun slightly. He grabbed onto the counter to steady himself as all the dozens of horror stories he'd heard about botched augmentations raced through his head.

Mero quickly raised his hands and waved them. "Woooh! Hold up, boy, don't go fainting on me. It's not what you're thinking. There's nothing wrong with ya. We had someone check in on ya, and they okayed the whole thing. Trust me, we've got just as much on the line here as you do. We're not gonna screw ya over like that. If anything, this is a boon for you. Read yer second skill, and things should be clearer."

Jeremiah paused and took several deep breaths while waiting for his racing heart to settle. He then glared at Mero, but did as he was told, reading over the second skill on his list.

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Tempered By The Waves - (G)

Type: Passive - Growth - Blessing

Description: Your body has been tempered by Oceanic Mana. You are stronger, faster, and more durable as a result, better adapted to the rough conditions of life in the waves. This tempering increases when over any body of water, scaling by its depth.

+2 Physical. Up to an Additional + 1 Physical when in/near a body of water whose size exceeds that of a pond or small stream. Scales with User Grade and magnitude of the water body.

Absorb Oceanic energies to grow this skill and increase its effects. The nature of energies absorbed may affect its growth.

Warning: Absorbing more energy than your base body can handle may have adverse effects.

~ The Sea loves her own. May her protection wash over you, her strength flow through you, and her guiding currents always bring you home. ~

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Jeremiah's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped a little further with each line. When he reached the bottom, one thing was certain in his mind.

That… didn't make things much clearer…

Jeremiah turned to Mero as he waved at his screen, "What the hell, Mero, where did this come from!? What does it mean 'tempered by Oceanic Mana? Prima City isn't even close to the ocean! What does this even have to do with my itera —,"

Mero once more held up a hand and cut Jeremiah off. "One question at a time, kid. I get it. It's a lot to take in. I can't tell you much about it, personally. These kinds of magicks aren't my specialty. As for where it came from, that's easier to say. You can thank yer little buddy Billy for that blessing. Rather impressive for someone his age, but the System cleaned it well enough."

Jeremiah frowned, then glared at the fairy. "Mero, come on. You can't expect me to believe that a baby octopus somehow did something that would cause —" he waved at the screen, "—whatever the hell this is."

It was Mero's turn to stare at Jeremiah in bewilderment, his eyes wide. "Bloody hell, Jeremiah… Did they tell you nothing at all?" He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, frankly, that mess is none of my business. I have no idea what they're planning, and I don't really care as long as it doesn't interfere with what we're trying to do. But you need to have a talk with whoever gave you that 'octopus.' Sooner than later."

A cold pit formed in Jeremiah's stomach as his mind wandered back to Billy, the baby octopus Mr. Roger had given him as a birthday present. Sure, the tiny creature had always seemed abnormally intelligent, even for an octopus, but Jeremiah had dismissed it as him projecting his own feelings onto the creature. Like how some cat owners would insist their cat did things simply to spite them, or a dog owner might see their dog as the smartest, even though it keeps eating out of the litter box.

Maybe he would have to have a… talk with Mr. Roger later.

Jeremiah sighed, but before he could say anything else, the sound of the doorway bell jingling and the door opening cut him off.

Jeremiah spun around to see Ulrick walking through the room, the giant man calmly wiping his hands on an old rag.

"Sorry to make you wait, lad. The… cleanup took longer than expected,' Ulrick said with a chuckle.

Jeremiah's eyes went wide. Ulrick waved his hand as if to clear the thoughts from the young man's mind. "Not like that, boy! The gangs might think they're in charge, but we're civilized people around these parts. It just took some time finding someone willing to drag those fools back to their base. I'm sure Nic will give that boy an earful. That's more punishment that I could ever give him, trust me." He winked and chuckled.

"I…" Jeremiah stuttered, then sagged, leaning his whole body against the counter, "… Yeah, I'm sorry for insinuating. It's... been a rough day, and I think I'm still on edge. I'm Jeremiah Bridge, by the way. It's nice to meet you… Ulrick, I think it was?" Jeremiah held out his hand for the man.

Ulrick shook Jeremiah's hand, chuckled, and moved behind the counter, pulling out two wooden chairs and sitting one down in front of the young man.

"Aye, that I am. Ulrick Helson, nice to meet you. And I don't doubt it, lad. I saw you fight. A man doesn't move like that unless he's got some frustration to work out," the large man nodded. He reached over and patted Jeremiah on the shoulder. "Though I should apologize for dragging you into my mess. Wasn't right, that."

Jeremiah shook his head. "No, it wasn't your fault. I was just passing by. Someone… else drew them to me. But we worked it out now."

Ulrick threw his head back and laughed. "I heard! Couldn't quite make out what you were saying from behind the door, but I'm glad to see you got it out of your system, lad."

Jeremiah's face flushed red at the man's words. He wasn't aware he'd been so loud. His embarrassment was soon replaced by shame at how he had talked to Mero. Jeremiah knew he was stressed, angry, and frustrated. Hell, he could even argue he was in the right being upset with the fairy guide's obvious manipulations.

Yet… now that his head was a little clearer and he had more information, Jeremiah could understand that Mero had done things the way he had to protect him, in his own way. While Jeremiah still didn't appreciate the fairy's methods, much of the bitterness that had been welling up inside him was slowly eroding away.

Ulrick glanced over Jeremiah's shoulder, then looked around the room. "Though, now that I think about it, where's the fella you were talking to?" he said.

Jeremiah sighed, not bothering to look behind him, as he knew Mero had already vanished… again. Thinking on his feet, the young man came up with an excuse. "I was… on a video call," he said, tapping the side of his head where the HUD jack was.

Ulrick folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and nodded. "Ahh, I see. Never could get used to those fancy HUD gizmos. Give me a good ol' cellphone any day. That said, I hope you learned a lesson about picking fights," the man chuckled. He reached out and grabbed Jeremiah's chin, then wiped off the dried blood coating his cheek where the thug's knife had cut him.

He frowned, then turned Jeremiah's head to the side to get a better look. "Hmmm, strange. Given how much blood there was, I was expecting the cut to be deeper. As it stands, you're healing well. Don't even think you'll need stitches, though it might scar." The man leaned in and gave a cheeky smile, "Though I've heard the lassies love a good face scar," he finished with another wink.

Jeremiah pulled away and shook his head, though a small smile played across his lips. "I'm… a fast healer. Thank you for your concern, though. And yes, I've had my fill for this month. I don't think I'll go looking for more trouble anytime soon."

Ulrick nodded. "Aye. My ma always said, 'Those who often look for trouble are either up to no good… or insane.' However, I've also found that trouble has an eerie way of finding those who least want it. Now, I tend to think I'm a rather good judge of people, and you don't strike me as either. So, tell me, lad, what brings you to these parts?"

Jeremiah leaned back in his chair, stared out the bakery window, and considered what he wanted to say.