The Hidden Treasure Room
Damn it, I really need a job today.
The single-room apartment reeks of stale mold.
I lie on the bed, scratching my unwashed hair that hasn't seen a comb in days, and open the job app.
The entire screen is filled with hunter ads.
Tower exploration support, tower supply transport, monster hide processing...
Everything is either for awakened hunters or limited to them.
Ugh, if they only hire awakened people, where the hell do normal folks even find work?
Experienced newcomers like me!
Knock knock knock.
What? Why is someone knocking so early in the morning—
Oh, 305, you're actually home.
Ah...
What? You live here and still don't answer?
Haa... I messed up. I got the owner instead of the renter.
That's...
Never mind, rent is rising starting next month, so deal with it.
Huh? Suddenly...
If you don't like it, get out! There are plenty of hunters and people who don't need to answer anyway.
...Understood.
In a provincial city like Daegu...
The first tower to rise on Earth brought life back to the area, but for me it was pure disaster.
Because of the hunters flooding in to clear the tower, my rent shot up.
Even the government subsidy is basically gone.
The only steady income I had is disappearing.
If I had known this was going to happen, I would have taken any part-time job the day I left the orphanage.
Unskilled, living off government support— that's me, Kang Hyunwoo.
My bank account now holds exactly 213 won.
I've hit the absolute limit of hikikomori life.
I can't even pay next month's rent anymore.
So this is it...
******
Always Hiring! Labor Recruitment!
The ad flashing on my phone is the forbidden manual labor ad that never leaves the job section.
Damn... I have to do manual labor?
I tighten my eyes and reach for the job application—
Ding!
A cheerful sound, and a square box pops up in front of me.
What the—?
[System] Congratulations on your awakening!
Do you wish to confirm your job class?
[YES]
Wait... what is this?!
[Awakening Window?!]
It actually works?! Grrrrr! Oh god!
Manual labor? Hell no! I'm becoming a hunter now!
I toss the phone aside and stare at the rising window, starting a happy dilemma.
'What kind of job will it be?!'
If possible, I want a safe ranged skill...
Or maybe a healer that lets me live like a noble...
No, that's too greedy. Hyunwoo.
As long as that one job doesn't appear, it's fine.
Out of all the hunter classes set by awakening, the one considered most useless— the despised class.
'As long as it's not Tamer!'
With this lighthearted hope, I press the [YES] button firmly.
Ding!
A cheerful notification sound, and the status window rises.
[Job: Tamer]
Can tame living beings other than yourself.
* If the target's level is higher than yours, you can attempt to tame them probabilistically through the Tamer's Roulette!
The job name that appears is unbelievable.
...
What? Did I misread it?
I rub my eyes and look again at the window. The job name is...
"...Tamer?"
Bust. Damn it.
*******
'I can tame living beings.'
Sounds like a scam, but no— the insane condition "touch with your hand" is attached.
"That's malicious."
In the early days when awakened people were plentiful, every Tamer who tried to tame just charged at monsters and died because of that insane condition.
Even if you luckily touch a monster, if the levels differ, the taming success rate drops to nothing.
"What a wonderful skill... truly..."
Who the hell created a skill like this? Curious.
Half-resigned, I start checking the status window—
Ding!
The system window pops up again.
[System: By the grace of the Supreme God, a hidden skill has been unlocked.]
The Supreme God's grace? A hidden skill?
What is this? Is it a cheat skill?!
No, Hyunwoo. Don't get your hopes up.
You got the Tamer class.
My head suddenly turns cold.
Yeah, they gave me the class, maybe it's a hidden trash skill I can't even imagine.
'Let's check it first.'
[Acquired Skill]
[Taming LV1: Tames the touched target probabilistically.]
'Yeah~ I didn't expect anything from the regular skill.'
I quickly scroll down.
'This is it.'
[EX Taming Master]
[Taming skill becomes area-effect. (Range increases with level — current range: 1m)]
[Guaranteed first-encounter taming per species. (Passive)]
'Let me check.'
Becoming an area-effect taming skill, and the part about guaranteeing one capture...
"Damn, what's with the hidden... it's trash."
Again, bust.
Even as area-effect, you have to get within point-blank range,
and even as guaranteed taming, if you can't enter the taming range, it's the same as not having the skill.
"Is this even a hidden skill?"
Aaaah, oh god!
Eba is here.
*******
'Since I got the awakening and the hidden, I'll try it once.' I decide and climb the tower,
but... "Hey, Nabi, time to earn your meal today."
I barely clear even the Tutorial Tower while scraping by.
"Auuuu~"
A husky-sized wolf follows me quietly, as if it's troublesome.
"I'm going to earn your meal." She turns her head away, pretending not to understand.
Real unlucky... no, unlucky wolf is super unlucky.
The little guy following right beside me is Nabi.
Not long ago, I luckily tamed a lost wolf cub that was wandering the Tutorial Tower.
Normally, monsters that enter the tower should attack hunters madly, but...
'This guy just sat there blankly, staring at something weird.'
And when our eyes met, the wolf cub approached me step by step.
"Is this an offering?"
I tamed her without any aggressive look, just letting her dig into my hand.
--- Taming Roulette ---
Taming success probability: 30% ---
[System]
[Taming successful!]
* Skill: Taming Master activated!
* First-encounter guaranteed taming bonus! (New species 1/1)
A new species? A wolf... isn't it a monster?
I feel a bit weird for a moment,
but... "Wait, even with 30% probability, the first-encounter passive triggered?"
It's a lucky taming probability, yet the passive applied without fail.
"In games, even 0.1% works? It's fine."
30% is free money.
No wiggle room in the passive.
'Since I caught it, I should at least give it a name.'
'Let me see, it's a wolf but has a puppy-like feel... '
'Nabi?'
'Awoo!'
She seems to like it, so...
'From today, you're Nabi.'
I decided to think positively about the capture.
'A full-grown wolf in the tutorial tower was a boss, so if I raise it well, it might become a strong combat power.'
...That was the grand plan.
Until dinner time.
"Grrrrrr auuuu!"
"No more! You ate even my share!"
"Auuu!!!"
'Do you know how much pork belly prices have risen lately? What you just ate is three days of my food!'
She doesn't care, and with dissatisfaction, Nabi repeatedly pokes the bowl with her nose.
Is it because she's a growing wolf?
Her appetite is insane. She ate 5kg of meat sitting there.
And she still wants more.
...
The reward from clearing the Tutorial Tower is not enough.
No, earning 100,000 won from the tower but losing 150,000 on meat? Doesn't make sense.
If this continues, I'll have to dip into my room deposit.
Even the last government subsidy was wiped out on Nabi's food.
On my phone, the account is empty.
'Should I abandon Nabi?'
'Awoo?'
As if she doesn't know I said that, she puts her head on my foot.
'No, snap out of it, Hyunwoo. How much money have I fed her?'
Yeah, how much meat have I fed her...
I shake my head hard and snap out of it.
'It seems I have no choice...'
No risk of death, and since I can enter the Tutorial Tower anytime with the skill, I leave it...
'For the Beginner's Tower.'
The monsters that appear are almost identical to the tutorial tower's.
The only difference was that they can actually hurt and kill you.
Since the structure is the same as the tutorial, if I just do what I always do, maybe it's possible.
No, I have to do it.
'First, I need to earn my meal. Right, Nabi?'
'Au~'
So I step toward the Beginner's Tower.
*********
'Tamer party, please! I have a wolf!'
'Ugh... Tamer. Don't look me in the eye.'
'Turn your eyes away, we're our party.'
'Hey, that guy's party members are walking by!'
'That bastard is harsh!'
...Bastards.
This is the reality of the trash job.
I stand up from my seat and head to the entrance of the Beginner's Tower.
'That Tamer is going alone into the tower?'
'Does he think he's an S-rank hunter?'
'Jin Seah's solo tower clear video, trying to follow?'
'No way, that stupid?'
Those bastards, while not letting anyone join their party...
The hunters gathered for a party all look at me with mocking eyes.
'Watch this.'
'Just like an S-rank hunter, I'll clear it alone.'
*****
'Why are everyone running away?!'
The strange thing started the moment I entered the tower.
The monsters that should be attacking hunters upon seeing one are fleeing.
'Don't run! Fight me!'
Exactly, the goblins fleeing in panic after seeing Nabi.
'Bite! Nabi!'
The moment Nabi runs toward the goblin's neck...
'Kihih, stand back!'
A fast arrow hits the goblin's head.
What? Steel? Who the hell is playing manners in a tower?!
I look in the direction the arrow came from— a hunter aiming a bow with a mocking smile.
Clearly expensive gear. An E-rank hunter around level 7-8.
'I won't get tangled with him as much as possible.'
Suppressing rising anger, I speak politely as possible.
'Here, I came first, right?'
'What, you're in the way?'
That hunter glares at me.
He has no manners at all.
But I can't say anything. If a fight breaks out over it, I'll lose 100%. I'm a newbie, and I'm a Tamer.
'...Let's go, Nabi.'
'Grrrr!'
I turn my back, and a voice with mockery comes from behind.
'See, that bastard can't even talk.'
'Kihih, what kind of hunting is a Tamer doing? Wasted experience, get out~'
...Trash bastards.
No, the trash is my job.
So I move toward a place where other hunters won't be.
At that moment, Nabi's ears stand straight, and she starts sniffing around.
'Kinkinkinkink!'
'Nabi? What's wrong?'
Is there a monster nearby?
'Awoo!'
Tap tap.
Without answering, Nabi dashes off like an arrow.
'Hey, where are you going?!'
If I don't have you, I'll call myself a normal person, you brat!
I hurry after Nabi's running direction.
In front of a golden door that glows, Nabi is panting and sitting.
'What is this? A golden door?'
It sparkles with gold, as if inviting me to come over.
'Is there something like this in the beginner's tower?'
Is it a trap? If I touch it, it moves somewhere?
'Awoo~'
- Thud thud.
But even though Nabi scratches the door hard, it doesn't react.
As if it's not a trap.
'Auuu!!'
Now she pulls at my clothes, urging me to go in.
'Why is she like this?'
Haa, what am I supposed to do?
At that moment, Nabi jumps and grabs the golden door's ring, opening it.
Paaaah!
Golden light pours out from the door.
'Awoo!'
Nabi enters with her tail wagging.
'Hey! Nabi!'
I stomp my feet looking at the door Nabi entered.
- It might be a trap, think carefully.
- Then, ignored, getting monster steel while sucking my finger?
- Without Nabi? How can I live as a hunter?
'Tch, let's go in.'
Other than that, I have to bring Nabi...
The first kin I tamed,
'How much meat did I feed you for?!'
She's family!
Thinking that, I step toward the golden door.
'Please, hidden treasure room. Do you hear me? God.'
I pray quietly.
[##$%$# Connected to the dimension.]
[Special Dungeon: Entering the Throne Room.]
...What?