Josh had a serious problem right now. It was a problem with his face. The smile on it just wasn't going away! He was suffering from acute happiness. In front of him was the kneeling Boss. 

How had all this happened? He actually wasn't sure as he had been sleeping. But, as soon as he woke up, the situation was like this with the Tower Protocol chiming in too. 

[Mission: Summon the Prime Nightmare. Completed!] 

[Subsequent Mission: Defeat the Nightmare. Failed.]

[Added Hidden Mission: Tame the Nightmare. Success!] 

[Reward: Added Guardian to pet window.] 

Josh now kept looking at his pet window. It was glorious! He wouldn't mind doing only puzzles for days if it meant more pets. 

#Pets#

<Corrupted Godly Pseudo-Pet Rat>

???

<Prime Nightmare The Untamed>

Guardian of Floor 17 ~ ?! Untameable ?! Power reduced without the support of the Tower. Power close to Nil outside the Tower. 

He couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the window. Both pets had question marks in their descriptions. The Tower Protocol was still as confused. Well, flaws were normal. How hard must it be to create a world?

One had to note that his pet was the size of a regular horse. The scary appearance had been toned down too. It still had a shadowy appearance, but it could easily be mistaken for a real live animal without careful observation. 

Now, it was time for some testing. First, Josh began to use the summoning function. It was pretty much instant, but there was a spawn time. Nightmare would appear, crossing a very illusory dark portal. It was so flimsy-looking that holograms looked more tangible.

Then Josh tested its exit. Somehow it would just disappear in a puff of smoke. Couldn't it just do the same for the entrance? Apparently not. To be certain of how it worked, he tried it a few times while snapping his fingers exaggeratedly. 

It's only when Nightmare started swishing its tail in annoyance that he gave it a rest. "Alright, let's try and see how fast you can go, shall we?" Josh climbed atop its back and signaled it to run, and run it did! 

They instantly covered a big distance, bringing them toward the other Nightmares in the process. Josh couldn't help but raise a brow in surprise. They had been carefully observing the lifeless rat before, but now they were playing with it. 

Have you ever seen beach volleyball? Well, that's what they were doing, and the rat was the ball. They would playfully push it with their muzzle and sometimes kick it to high Heaven. It made arcs in the air, with others catching it with their maws or bumping it right back with their heads. 

They would even pass the ball around. He dismounted and came near them. How amazing this was! He had no clue why, but they weren't hostile. This sure was a heartwarming scene. It felt fresh and peaceful. 

The group of creatures would part to let him through. Was this a single-time bug? Was there hope for a larger, not as black and white world in the latter Floors? He couldn't help but picture the possibilities of making NPC friends. Nightmare kept running.

"I told you I'd tame it. I'll walk it in your stead for now. But, as soon as I revive you, it will be your job." Josh couldn't help but murmur. He had only promised her in a dream but still. Knowing her, she would likely take on this duty. She'd even do so with stars in her eyes. 

CLIP CLOP! CLIP CLOP! 

"Alright, let's leave." Josh unsummoned Nightmare and teleported out. He imagined how big of a reaction people would have if he just appeared on a horse. Right now, pretty much only Rankers had pets, and he hadn't seen any.

The plaza seemed tranquil, and as usual, it was filled with tons of random people. Just as he was leaving, a man blocked his way. He was well-dressed, clean, and seemed eloquent. There were two men behind him. 

"Hey, brother. You've heard about the Very Happy Farms, right? I jokingly suggested that there was an infinitesimally small possibility that the whole endeavor is one big practical joke. Would you agree that it would be possible in theory?"

"Of course! It's very possible." Josh replied honestly. That made his companion sigh as they transferred some credits to their friend. Why bet on such useless stuff? One guy even complained. 

"Hey, that's cheating! Of course, if you say it like that, he'll agree! No one can 100% deny anything about such a mysterious topic. I could even argue that there is an extremely small chance that these guys are from D.L, undercover." He pointed at random people. 

"I wouldn't believe that one bit," Josh admitted honestly. 

"Why not?!" The man seemed at a loss. 

"Why would I?" 

"Here, look at this! Straight from Very Happy Farms" He excitingly pulled a video on his UW. Josh was getting curious. 

It was a very short interview with the old farmer and that one journalist. All Welner did was talk about farming itself while profusely repeating that he was only a humble farmer. 

Every time there was a question about Dimensional Legion itself, he would either change the subject, or straight-up admit that he had no idea. He was getting called 'Humble Welner' and was hailed as a secret expert in the comments.

"There you have it! Even experts agree that he is not simple. No regular farmer would dare order so many Climbers around. Who are we to say that there couldn't be any other humble members hiding in plain sight?" He argued.

How would he react if Josh were to spill everything he knew? He probably wouldn't believe him. That's when Josh's UW Beeped. 

It was Dario wanting to meet. Talk about awesome timing! This would allow Josh to connect with the people of Draconic (show off). While Nightmare was probably weak compared to higher Floor pets, it remained an amazing mount!

As he entered the guild facilities, a team ambushed him. He remembered these guys vaguely. They were the ones that had reacted to his initial post back when he was looking for training partners for his disciple.

"Sir! I'll say it straight. Please have mercy!" He pitifully bowed as he asked that with the others copying. 

"What is this all about?" Josh raised an eyebrow. But, just as they were about to reply, Dario hollered at him. 

"Hey, Josh! Welcome back. We need to discuss something real quick." He guided him back to his office, where awaited Jack the Healer. Ah, so it was about that! Dario continued.

"As you know, you previously asked to have him kicked out of the guild. Is it fine with you if he joins back, or is there something else he needed to do to convince you of his value? I feel like today is a good day to bury the hatchet." Dario tentatively asked.

Jack was doing puppy eyes by the side. Except he didn't look cute at all. Oh well. Josh would handle this like a proper adult. He would compromise. "Alright, I'll forgive you with one condition."

"What is it?" His tone was hopeful. 

"I'll give you a simple task. You can come back to us when it's done. Just get my disciple to personally testify that you helped him train." Josh grinned as he said that. 

"That's impossible! He's in the Tower! He went there with 100 days worth of food too! Am I supposed to wait that long?!" There was both helplessness and anger in Jack's voice. 

"If you can't even do that, then do you truly want to be in Draconic?" On that note, he shooed him away. 

"You! There is no way that— !" He began shouting, only to be interrupted by Dario. 

"Leave us alone for now." The man commanded obedience. Jack left dragging his feet, dejected. 

As soon as they were alone, Dario sighed. "What is this really about? He barely talked back to you once, right?" 

"I just dislike his overall vibe. He went from begging to anger too fast. The last time he was berating us both for abuse of power too. Me for bringing visitors and you for letting me get away with it." 

"Yes, but such is the folly of youth." Dario sighed once more. 

"Which is exactly why he needs a break to get his head straight. It's not just about pissing me off and more about his childishness." Josh explained. 

"I see. There is also something else. I heard that you were all training for the VR competition. Tell me, what is your plan with Dimensional Legion and the farm? That's related to you, right?"

"What am I planning? Absolutely nothing. It's just a farm. Boring, simple, but especially peaceful. It serves as a great retreat to get out from the woes of life."

"That's it?! There is no grand scheme? What about all the people working there as we speak?"

"What about them?"

"What do you plan on doing once they all learn about this? I'm not going to leak your identity, but what if it comes out?" 

"It's going to be fine. We never claimed to be D.L in the first place. All we did was pick it as a dream guild. Anyway, I want to talk about something else. How many pets can one possess?"

"One each since we get taming emblems from the first clear of Floor 45." 

"I mean, there are alternate ways to get pets. I got one in a Tower Item Box, and then the other I just tamed somehow, no emblem. Here look." That's when Josh summoned both the rat and Nightmare. 

"What?! That's impossible! How did you do it?!" 

"I rode its back untill it decided to capitulate." 

"Actually, there is something weird. Nightmares usually become smaller and weaker when captured. I heard someone complain about his looking like a poney. Yours somehow avoided that fate. How lucky!"

"Oh, no. This one is the Boss. That's why it's bigger." Josh replied very naturally. 

Dario couldn't believe his ears. What did this mean?! This was insane! He took a cold breath. 

"Others are scared shitless of Hellish, and here you are taming bosses! Josh fucking Malum, the one and only!" He seemed to ponder for a second before continuing. 

"So, you plan on raising an army of pets? I'll look into it on my side. As for D.L. I'll trust you but be careful." 

"No worries. I'm always careful." Josh gave a thumbs up. 

Dario couldn't help but stare as Josh left. Careful, him?! What crazy stunt would he pull next?...

Creator's Thought

Picture this. First is a man, a Ranker struggling to clear Floor 45 at a high difficulty for that sweet taming emblem. Then he happily goes to Floor 17 to use it on a Nightmare. After all, they do look great and noble. Then, he only gets a poney. How embarrassing!