Taming Monster (2)

It might be a hasty decision. But it wasn't made without thought.

This war against Taeseong was something I couldn't have even started without Yeon Woo—not to mention, I might've given up right away even if I had. And now, not just Yeon Woo, but Last Chance had gone out of his way to do me a solid this time...

Setting aside whether their intentions were genuine, I liked the goodwill they'd shown first. Above all, seeing them fight Taeseong in their own ways firsthand gave me confidence they were worth trusting. Sure, I couldn't trust them like I did Hyunjung, but if we could help each other out like in this raid, there was plenty of value in cooperating.

That said, both of them were rare high-rankers, members of top-tier guilds. Hell, Yeon Woo had even infiltrated Taeseong's first-string guild, crawling with Darius's crew. Connections like that weren't easy to force. Since they'd come to me on their own, I figured there'd come a day when I could make maximum use of them.

And so, I formed a three-way alliance with Yeon Woo and Last Chance.

Senior Administrator Holtein. With the Orc Lord raid success behind me, meeting this NPC was the last thing left in the Kaljen Castle region.

"Adventurer Sandro, have you resolved the subjugation I requested last time? I've received reports ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that the assaults from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Red-Maned Orc tribes in the Ashen Mountains have weakened lately, suggesting something happened to the Orc Lord."

"Here, 'Jumbaka's Head.' Check it out!"

"Oh! I didn't dare hope, but you actually succeeded in subjugating the Orc Lord. You truly are an exceptional adventurer! As promised, I'll share the secret tradition passed down in Kaljen Castle."

'Wonder what hidden skill it'll be? If Mana Drain pops up, that's a total jackpot!'

Magic Swordsman ranker #1, Kaiser. During last year's imperial Colosseum tournament where he took first place, the skill that left a huge impression on everyone was Mana Drain.

Once activated, it drained the enemy's mana as long as you maintained a certain distance. Nicknamed "sticking in the straw," getting hit by it starved your opponent of mana while filling yours to the brim, letting you spam skills nonstop. That's how Kaiser, a magic swordsman, beat Hidden Card, the #1 holy knight, in the semifinals.

A powerful counter to my skill tree—and a skill I coveted more than anything.

Anyway, Mana Drain was a special skill that cost 2 skill points per star. If it showed up for a warrior or archer, it'd be trash, but for me? God-tier.

Special skills were random, so landing one that fit perfectly took serious luck. I hesitated a moment before tapping the special skill acquisition button on the quest reward window.

"Ah! What the hell, Taming Monster? Ugh, no wonder my luck felt too good for a scrub like me!"

Taming Monster. I'd hoped for something decent at worst, but this was a dud.

True to its name, it let you tame certain field monsters in the wild and turn them into pets. Perfect for pet lovers in real life, but for me? Useless.

I was all about stealth, pumping points into holy sword skills or gear synergies. Why waste points on a "pet" that wouldn't help much? I was already grinding to catch up on levels—no way was I splitting EXP to raise one. That'd be like shitting on my carefully built character.

Pets were popular for mounts like cavalry or wolf riders, or tanks like dire bears or golems for buffed farming. Disappointing, but as I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reached for the decline button...

The skill description caught my eye—details I'd glossed over before.

A few lines made me hesitate. 'Once summoned, no ongoing mana cost...? That's tempting.'

Thief had great survivability but sucked for solo farming. I'd picked it for the solo war against Taeseong since I couldn't transfer the holy sword, but optimal solo classes were summoners like spirit mages or the undisputed king, necromancers.

Their farming efficiency crushed thieves, but I couldn't even learn a single shared summon skill. Blame Mana Shield—mana drain was like HP drain for me, making summons a pipe dream.

But Taming Monster was different. Summon cost mana, but maintenance didn't—because it created a "pet," not a summon. Tame a good mob, raise it right, and you'd have a minion rivaling summoner jobs.

'Never gave it much thought before, but it looks solid. Even as a mount or tank, it'd pay for itself. Boosts farming too.'

Another reason I wavered: Taeseong's famous griffon rider, "Schumacher." I'd seen it clearly at the coronation, dropping potions from above the castle.

That griffon wasn't some hatched egg drop—it was a Griffon King! That's why I'd made allies, right? No more suffering alone—I had answers now.

Thanks to Yeon Woo, I got key info. Few users had it, so I didn't know—Taming Monster worked on normal mobs and bosses.

Conditions: solo only, target stats ≤ yours. Regular players wouldn't dream of bosses, but I was different. Orc Lord's emblem, ancient vampire noble's sapphire ring set. With holy sword and legendaries, my stats were stacked—I could solo decent bosses easy.

'A boss mob as a pet?' Every gamer dreams it. And it seemed possible.

I searched skill info next. Taming Monster let you have +1 pet per star. Only one summonable at a time, sadly, but swapping by situation? Solid.

Plus, stat limit eased 25% per star. At max 5★ growth, tame mobs 200% your stats. But with holy sword and gear, I didn't need that—just 1★. Its options would make the skill pay off big.

'Might regret it... but let's go. Air mount alone is worth it. Nail it, and my char gets even more unique!'

I committed.

"Excellent choice. Opportunities to learn such a rare special skill don't come often!"

As Holtein finished, my skill window updated with a new "Special Skills" tab.

This Orc Lord raid drove it home again: mobility was king for entering/exiting battlefields. Fragile summon mounts that popped from one basic attack? Useless in combat.

I knew that, hence thief for speed—but constant active movement wasn't sustainable. There were gaps. Taming Monster was the puzzle piece to fill them.

Skill learned—time to test. Strike while the iron's hot: I whispered Hyunjung.