Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: 2-4. Heaven and Earth Great Scripture
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Spreading my black mana wings and taking flight, Yongmasan Peak was right before my eyes in an instant.
Let's see, it was supposed to be around here, right?
Descending a bit lower for a look, I spotted three monsters pacing around the summit.
They all resembled beasts.
Two were massive monster monkeys called Yetis, and the remaining one was a tiger-human known as a Were Tiger.
Perfect, these guys showed up right on cue.
No other hunters had arrived yet.
Having wings really comes in handy at times like this. There weren't many hunters who could actually fly, and even fewer who could fly as fast as me.
Now manifested, I felt utterly fearless.
That Yeti was a Rank 7 monster without a barrier, and the tiger-human was a Rank 6 with one.
Either way, they were no match for me.
Brimming with confidence, I landed right in front of them.
"Grrrrowl!"
Startled by my sudden appearance, they leaped back in surprise. The Yetis screeched like monkeys, while the tiger-human yowled like a cat and crouched low. For all their ferocious looks, their reactions were kind of cute.
They must have all swum across the moat, as their fur was completely soaked. Impressive, given how wide it was. Then again, it wasn't impossible. Humans could swim across the Han River, which was even wider than this artificial moat, and these were monsters several times tougher than any human. A hundred meters was well within their capabilities.
Still, their swimming skills were no joke.
"Grrrowl!"
Intimidated by my manifested form, the monsters hesitated to charge and couldn't flee either, caught in a dilemma.
"Good, good boy."
Saying that, I immediately pulled out my shield and used my new divine skill, Shield Bounce.
Whoosh!
The shield flew off with terrifying momentum, shattering the tiger-human's knee before ricocheting and crushing the legs of the other two Yetis.
"Kuwaaang! Kaang!"
The three monsters collapsed in agony.
I'd deliberately crippled their legs to keep them from running. Retrieving my shield, I cast Monster Domination right away. I'd used it three times today, but manifestation had recharged it.
Using all three casts in succession, their expressions grew dazed, and when they snapped out of it, they began gazing at me affectionately. They tried approaching but tumbled over from their injured legs, groaning.
Oops, better fix that.
I used my upgraded A-Rank healing on all three, restoring them perfectly. This Metatron-brand healing harmed humans or angels but worked fine on monsters—or on me, who was of her kind.
Once their legs healed, they all rushed over, swarming me with affection. Up close, they weren't half bad despite their bulky, rugged builds.
The tiger-human was especially handsome.
Chuckling, I reached out to stroke his forehead.
Crunch.
Gasp...
He bit me. The moment I extended my hand, he chomped down like it was natural prey. The pain was secondary to the hot, wet sensation and the rough rasp of his tiger tongue.
"You little—!"
I snapped, and the startled tiger-human opened his mouth, whimpering subserviently. It seemed like wild instinct at play. Guess you can't pet monsters after all?
I was tempted to give him a good thrashing out of anger, but what did a dumb beast know? I held back. Blood poured from my hand but was already starting to clot.
"Grrrowl, grrrowl."
The tiger-human groveled apologetically, and in the meantime, the two Yetis sidled up beside me, acting like they were different from the tiger.
As if to prove their loyalty.
Hmm, speaking of which, my proficiency didn't go up this time? That means Hellkite was a higher rank, even as a hatchling. Impressive.
"Over there! Up top!"
Just as my manifestation faded and I was about to head back, voices rose from below.
The Yetis and tiger-human beside me bristled with alertness, surrounding me protectively.
Turns out, the city's hunters had finally arrived to deal with the monsters. Defending the city aligned with their affiliated angel families' wishes, but it was good money for them too.
Fighting in the relatively safe sacred grounds, not a hunting ground.
Plus, they could stick together in groups. So hunters roamed like they were boar hunting.
Twenty-five had climbed Yongmasan.
More than I'd expected. Guess they didn't have much else going on.
I checked their titles from afar.
[Gabriel Family], [Overflowing with Sentiment], [Survived Poison], [Literary Boy], [Lost 10 Million Won at the Racetrack], and so on. Nothing impressive.
No high-rank hunters in sight.
Oh?
But one title caught my eye.
[Beginner Tamer].
Someone with domination like me.
"Huh?"
"Monsters?"
The group charging up halted upon spotting me and the monsters, then started murmuring among themselves. No need to introduce myself—they could see my unique title [Metatron's Incarnation] shining like the sun in all its majesty. No one else could have it.
"It's the Incarnation. Lady Metatron's Incarnation. Haven't seen you before, have we?"
"That guy we've only heard about? Whoa, that title's insanely cool."
"And the monsters are already tamed!"
Hunters could distinguish tamed monsters—they glowed faintly to hunter eyes only, to avoid accidental kills.
But the tamer among them rushed over in astonishment.
"Amazing! You tamed all three at once? That's impossible!"
It was routine for me, but apparently freakish to a normal tamer. Come to think of it, I'd somehow become Korea's top tamer. Hiding my bitten hand behind my back, I struck a pose.
"Hahaha. This is nothing. Just some trash mobs, right?"
"What do you mean trash mobs? Were Tigers have barriers! And this taming is perfect—I can tell with my own eyes."
From what he said, typical tamers handled Rank 8 or 9 monsters. With real effort, maybe one Rank 7 Yeti.
Yet here I was, casually dominating one Rank 6 and two Rank 7s, leaving the tamer in awe.
"As expected of Metatron's Incarnation. I'd heard the rumors, but seeing it in person is incredible."
"You're embarrassing me—enough with the praise."
As we chatted, the other hunters lost interest and started heading down one by one.
"Something black zipped by in the sky earlier—it was this guy."
"Kid looks young, but damn. How do you fight someone who flies like that? Let's go."
They all left like that, but the tamer lingered by me. With no choice, I descended with him.
"What's your name?"
"Im Sang-pil. Twenty-three, with the Raphael Family."
"Got it. I'm Yoo Je-a. Twenty-five, Metatron Family, as you can tell."
"The first Archangel Incarnation to appear."
According to Im Sang-pil, I was all the rage lately because of the Incarnation thing.
"Really?"
"You don't check the internet much? Bro? Can I call you bro?"
"Sure. Yeah, I barely touch the internet."
"No wonder. Angelic Family Net is blowing up right now."
Angelic Family Net was a site for hunters, full of useful info.
I'd missed it since I avoided the web.
"What's your hobby, bro? No internet means no online games, huh?"
"Yeah, don't play. Hobby's... hiding my face with fantasy novels to sleep?"
"Huh?"
Im Sang-pil looked baffled, then burst out laughing, assuming it was a joke. It wasn't. It was the only way to meet my busty blonde dragon-girl heroine in dreams.
When would VR even come out?
Actually, maybe I didn't need it. Reality was fantastical enough these days.
"You're funny, bro."
"At your age, anything sounds hilarious."
"We're only two years apart, bro. Feeling the generation gap is weird."
Sang-pil was a good kid—cheerful, straightforward, no pretense. With my decade of people-reading experience, I could spot the rotten ones instantly. He was just fangirling over my domination skill, eager to learn—or pure admiration for power.
In this world, that made him adorably innocent.
Almost spotless, like our team's youngest, Sang-sik.
"Bro, how's your domination so strong?"
"Metatron's the Angel of Domination. If you're all-in on taming, you picked the wrong family. Should've joined Metatron instead of Raphael."
"They didn't recruit."
"True enough."
You couldn't just join the Metatron Family on a whim.
"Jealous?"
Teasing a bit, Sang-pil looked genuinely envious.
"Especially since I suck at taming. Would it have been better in the Metatron Family?"
"You that bad?"
"Yeah. And taming's all I can do."
He admitted he was on the verge of expulsion. Harsh for a hunter.
Archangels could only support so many. Their power was the source, and mana supply limited.
Typically hundreds per Archangel, with underperformers cut when new talent emerged.
"I'm second from last in Raphael Family. Haha."
He laughed awkwardly.
"You must really suck."
"Yeah."
The shadow on his face was pitiful. But what could I do?
Suddenly curious about his stats. No way to check others', though.
Then it hit me.
Right, True Sight from the shield—might work.
"Ahem!"
Clearing my throat pointlessly, I suggested he pet the Yetis and tiger-human.
"For real?"
As expected of a tamer, he lit up at monsters.
"Just don't stick your hand out to the tiger."
"Come on, bro. Like I'd forget that as a tamer."
Sorry, you're the only one who doesn't know...
Sang-pil, still boyish, frolicked with the Yetis. Being dominated, they were tame and played along, shoving arms like kids horsing around.
Perfect opening.
I stealthily drew my shield and activated True Sight, firing the light at Sang-pil's back while he focused on the Yetis.
His status window appeared.
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Name: Im Sang-pil (Vassal of Raphael Family).
Age: 23.
Class: Tamer (Common Class).
Level: 5.
Hunter Rank: Rank 8.
Class Perks: Monster Affinity, Wisdom Boost.
#Strength 10
#Intelligence 21
#Wisdom 23
#Agility 19
#Vitality 16
#Will 39
#Charisma 17
#Luck 5
Special Abilities: Monster Domination (B-Rank, once every three days), Monster Affinity (C-Rank, once per day), Monster Tracking (C-Rank, three times per day)
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Average as hell.
Compared to mine, hard to believe we were both hunters (I fell under the category).
A hundred Sang-pils charging me? I'd shred them. Pitiful stats, but his Will at 39 stood out for a Rank 8.
Rank 6 hunters hovered around 40, so not bad.
Still, overall meh.
Losing interest, I spotted one more line.
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*Note - Legendary Tamer Aptitude. Wrong Family Choice.
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Huh? What's this?
Normal status windows didn't show notes like that.
The shield's power?
Puzzled but hooked on "Legendary Tamer Aptitude," which had a brief description.
-Possesses potential to unlock hidden class: Legendary Tamer.
Oh?
Impossible to spot without this.
Intrigued, I checked "Wrong Family Choice."
-Domination skills bloom in families of angels specializing in domination as primary or secondary trait.
Jackpot.
Decision made: Somehow poach this guy from Raphael Family into... Yoo Je-a Family? No, Metatron Family.