Chapter 2
**CHAPTER TITLE: I Tamed the Demon King and Hero... But?**
I snapped back to my senses and found myself lying sprawled on a cold stone floor.
“Ouch…”
I pushed myself up, and what greeted me was the inside of what looked like an ancient castle.
“Eh? Where am I?”
Beyond a long flight of stairs stood an imposing chair that radiated overwhelming presence.
And on top of it… a woman with horns on her head?
“!@@##$%!@”
“What did you say? Ah, I can’t speak English.”
Even I wasn’t sure if English was the right language here.
“#@!#%$%@!#”
From behind came another barrage of foreign words. I turned.
A man in silver armor glared at me like he wanted to kill me.
‘What the hell? Why are you staring at me? Was my pronunciation that bad?’
Right then, a window popped up right in front of me.
【Quest: Escape the Throne Room】 【Success: Return to the original world】 【Failure: Death】
What? Failure means death?
I’d just gambled my life and lost.
Soon after,
The two of them slowly raised their swords toward me and—
Clang!
They charged forward at insane speeds, swinging their blades.
“ Nabi!”
At my desperate shout, Nabi charged straight at the crazy guy in silver armor.
“Kyaa!”
A single kick sent Nabi flying into the wall and crumpling.
“ Nabi!!!”
If this kept up, I was dead for sure.
‘What should I do!’
I stretched both hands toward the approaching pair.
‘This skill alone can save the situation!’
The one skill I had that could fix this mess.
“Gwaaaaah!! Damn it! Taming!! Taiiiimiing!!!”
Then, something felt like it was tearing out from inside my body.
Puk!
A single thread of light floated and shot out.
“What kind of trash is this skill!”
Range? This isn’t a range skill!
‘Ah… I’m doomed.’
My strength drained completely. I collapsed onto the floor.
The two idiots noticed my lost will and raised their swords at me expressionlessly.
Damn it… I’m going to die like this.
“Ah…”
I closed my eyes without even thinking about running from death itself.
At that exact moment, the thread that had slowly been flying toward them.
Even though they were laughing and not dodging, it still “tocked” against them, and a cheerful sound rang out.
---
~Taming Roulette~
Taming probability: 0%
(Cannot tame due to level difference.)
---
It worked!
The Taming Roulette always pops up whenever a Taming attempt succeeds!
Even though the probability was 0% right now!
If it was the hidden skill’s effect!
---
Ding!
The system window appeared.
【SYSTEM】 【Taming successful!】 * Skill: Taming Master activated! * First-ever guaranteed Taming bonus! (Human race: 1/1) * First-ever guaranteed Taming bonus! (Demon race: 1/1)
I got them!
You crazy bastards!
**************
【Taming successful!】 【Tamed the human hero!】 【Tamed the demon-race Demon King!】 【Level increased!】 【Level increased!】 【New skill acquired: Kin Communion】
Countless notification windows popped up in front of my eyes along with the alert sound.
I’d check them later.
“Hah… I almost died for real.”
I’d used up my one and only guaranteed Taming attempt, but whatever.
As long as I didn’t die, I was ahead.
“Well, whatever…”
First, let’s check out the ones I caught.
The crazy ones who’d charged at me to kill me were gone.
Instead, two little kids stood there.
“What the hell is this?”
The two kids who looked like they were around elementary-school age.
‘Blonde boy, red-haired girl.’
“You two are the crazy ones from earlier?”
Their armor and robes lay scattered on the floor, and they were dressed in whatever clothes they’d been wearing.
“This is… what?!”
“This is what?!”
‘…Huh? Korean?’
Their earlier foreign words had suddenly become Korean.
Before I could even process it, the two kids started yelling at each other.
“Just like I thought. Trashy demon race. Level of a damn interruption!”
The blonde boy tried to raise his sword, but he kept grumbling because he couldn’t even lift it.
“…What? Where’s the aura?”
“Don’t play dumb, Hero! You’re the one who brought an interrupter! Pathetic human race!”
The red-haired girl spread her hands and writhed in an odd posture.
“What? Why is my magic power so weak?!”
“W-well…”
They ignored me and charged at each other.
“With this level of power, I can still kill you!”
“You’re underestimating the Hero? Dream on!”
They swung their tiny fists at each other and started brawling.
Heh heh… complete chaos.
When things get messy, first I need to figure out the situation.
‘Let’s start by figuring out where we are.’
The person who knows this place best…
‘There they are.’
The two still-fighting kids.
I took a deep breath and yelled.
“Let’s team up! Go!”
At my shout, they both turned to me with surprised faces.
Mmm. Nice.
Now it’s finally quiet.
So then,
“So where the hell are we?”
“Gimme the info.”
*****
“So… we’re in another world…”
I rubbed my pounding head.
‘Was I not hearing it right?’
But
“Which time are you going to make me repeat it, you idiot! This is the Demon Realm, you fool!”
“I knew it. You must be a demon because you’re acting so stupid. I can’t even look at you as a human!”
“…”
They glared at me. It felt like they were waiting for something.
Hold on. Hold it.
“So you’re the Hero from the continent of Estera.”
“Right. Got it now?”
“You’re the Demon King from the Demon Realm next door.”
“You finally understand. You idiot!”
……
“It’s another world, you crazy bastards!”
This isn’t Earth! What the hell is Estera? What is Estera!
“Don’t yell!”
“You almost scared me to death!”
I covered my head while the kids kept squealing behind me.
‘Another world?’
Then that quest location from earlier was real?
【Quest: Escape the Throne Room】 【Success: Return to the original world】 【Failure: Death】
“Hah… So is this the Throne Room?”
“Correct, you idiot!”
“You act like a monkey!”
The endless bickering kids…
I wanted to smash their heads together!
‘Wait, why can I talk to them?’
Earlier they’d sounded like total gibberish.
No way? New skill?
‘Come to think of it, I did hear about a new skill earlier.’
Once the thought hit me, I immediately opened the status window.
Lv3 Kang Hyunwoo Class: [Tamer] Skills: [Taming], [Kin Communion] Kin: [Nabi], [Hero], [Demon King]
【STATUS】 Strength: F Agility: F Magic: F Luck: D
“Whoa, nice.”
A brand-new skill had appeared since earlier.
“Let’s see what it does.”
I tapped the skill window. The description popped up.
Let me check…
[Kin Communion] You can communicate with your tamed kin.
It didn’t disappoint.
The skill I learned from leveling up was… just a “talk to my kin” skill?
“Ugh, my life is cursed.”
I should’ve just become a regular hunter and done some labor instead.
********
So, to survive, I had to complete the quest to leave the Throne Room.
‘And the ones I tamed were the Hero and the Demon King.’
The exit door… oh, there it is.
I got the situation.
Then my action plan was simple.
“So, Your Majesty the Demon King, Hero-nim. You two take care. I’ll be going now.”
I said my goodbyes coolly and turned to leave.
Two kids who couldn’t even swing a sword properly… Tamer? Triple the salary?
Pfft, no way.
‘Just keeping myself alive is already tough, and this side is even worse.’
I naturally turned and walked toward the door.
—Tap tap tap!
Right then, two kids blocked my path with the sounds of their footsteps behind me.
‘Better run quick. I need to file my resume.’
As I thought that, I was about to walk past them.
“Restore everything to normal!”
“Restore it right now!”
The two kids shouted.
“Huh?”
What the—?
“Because of you, my body is tiny, and I can’t even feel my aura or holy power!”
“Because of you, the infinite magic power that should be overflowing in my body is completely gone! Give it back!”
They both started scolding me at the same time.
“Why is it because of me?”
“You got hit by your own skill!”
“It happened because of your skill!”
Eh?
Taming shouldn’t weaken me, right?
“It’s not my fault though?”
Should I check the status window?
Lv3 [Hero] Skills: [Swordsmanship], [Body Reinforcement] [STATUS] Strength: F Agility: F Magic: F Luck: D
* Currently restricted! * The restriction will gradually lift as the Tamer’s level rises!
It’s true. That’s why the Hero felt weak.
The word “restriction” was right there.
Everything about these kids being small and their stats being weak was because of some ridiculous restriction.
But it said the restriction would lift once the Tamer leveled up…
‘Then things are different.’
Even though they’re kids right now, once I level up, I can control the Hero and Demon King, right?!
I had to take them no matter what. These little cuties!
“What did you find out?”
“Can it be undone?”
The kids were pretty sharp.
They saw my smile and knew I’d figured something out.
I grinned and told them.
“Hehe, it’s because of me, right?”
“I knew it!”
“Right!”
“…”
How should I tell them this happy news.
“Why are you just standing there? Restore everything to normal.”
“Hurry up and restore it! We have to defeat the evil and carry out justice!”
While the Demon King and Hero urged me like that, I scratched the back of my head and replied.
“There doesn’t seem to be a way to restore it.”
Not right now, anyway.