Chapter 107: How a Veteran Tames a Pet (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: How a Veteran Tames a Pet (3)
Warming them to the right temperature.
Or stimulating them with special items.
While there were usually two or more ways to hatch most eggs, there was one exception.
The 'Ancient Species'.
For them, there was only one set method to bring them into the world.
'Thank you. For giving me such a gift.'
Jinhyuk offered his silent, heartfelt gratitude.
At the same time, he pointed his fingertip toward the black egg.
Anubis flinched, his body trembling slightly.
He was probably thinking, 'No way.'
Of all three eggs, Jinhyuk had picked the absolute best one.
It was too perfect to dismiss as mere coincidence.
However, Anubis only flinched for a moment and didn't show any major signs of panic.
He was confident.
He firmly believed that a mere human could never know how to awaken an Ancient Species.
But what a shame.
'Because I actually know how to wake it up.'
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
In this world, there was no variable that could fluster or frustrate him—even if his opponent was a great deity.
—Because even encountering an Ancient Species is incredibly difficult, almost no information exists about them. However, a few secrets regarding the Ancient Species were uncovered by the great explorer, 'Phesis'.
You could call him a bit of an eccentric.
Phesis loved exploring the Tower.
Unlike ordinary residents, his curiosity about other floors and his desire to uncover their secrets were extraordinary.
And thanks to his pioneering efforts, Jinhyuk had been able to grasp countless secrets of the Tower.
'Aside from myself and the deities, he's practically the resident who knows the most about the Tower.'
He should be on the 20th floor around now...
Jinhyuk figured he should pay him a visit sometime.
With a smirk, Jinhyuk gripped the black egg.
[Lv. 4 'Communion' has been activated.]
An ability that fostered a sense of familiarity even with a target met for the first time.
Back in the labyrinth, the sole reason he had spared Park Ha-na was to acquire this very skill.
Wroooong!
A soft, bright light gently enveloped the surface of the egg.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The heart of whatever was inside the egg began to beat rapidly.
"Hooh."
Rick's eyes narrowed as he watched.
The mere movement of an Ancient Species' egg, which normally never reacted to anything, was more than enough to draw everyone's undivided attention.
Jinhyuk took a deep breath.
'Keep calm.'
Attracting its attention through Communion was only the beginning.
The crucial part was executing the subsequent steps flawlessly, without a single mistake.
While keeping the 'Communion' skill active, Jinhyuk used 'Glacial Shaping' to slowly stimulate the bottom of the egg.
'And if I activate Blessing of the Stars at this exact moment...!'
A faint, shimmering energy rippled on the left side of the egg.
Twitch! Twitch!
The egg's reaction grew significantly more intense.
'That's right. It looks so delicious you can't resist, can you?'
Indeed.
There was only one way to hatch and tame an Ancient Species: capturing its interest with mana, their primary source of energy.
Of course, ordinary mana wouldn't satisfy their desires.
They would easily grow tired of mana that was simply strong or massive.
'I completely understand.'
No matter how delicious a food is, you get sick of it if you eat it 365 days a year.
Whether it was fried chicken, pizza, or instant ramen, the same rule applied.
In that case...
'I'll train you with a diverse course of mana.'
At a buffet filled with thousands of different dishes, you'd never get bored. Especially if it was a first-class buffet, it would be irresistible.
Jinhyuk manifested 'Grave of Swords' and 'Fire Element' one after another. A heavy, dense mana and a scorching hot mana tickled the egg.
Twitch! Twitch! Twitch!
Now, the egg began to thrash about as if struck by lightning.
To the creature inside, this was equivalent to having a feast of delicacies waved right under its nose.
"Give up and come on out."
You should know by now, right?
'That there is no master who can satisfy you other than me.'
And when Jinhyuk unleashed the mana of 'Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method' and 'Daylight' on top of that—
Crack!
Finally, a fracture split across the surface of the egg.
"T-this is impossible..."
"Unbelievable."
"To think he actually hatched an Ancient Species."
Exclamations filled with complex emotions escaped the lips of the three deities.
"..."
Rick seemed completely lost for words, staring blankly from his seat.
But Jinhyuk ignored their shocked reactions and focused all his attention.
What mattered right now wasn't the deities, but identifying what kind of Ancient Species was emerging from within.
A moment later.
"Kyaoo!"
The Ancient Species that emerged from the egg let out a tiny roar.
It was about one meter tall, with an appearance resembling a reptile.
Its amber eyes blinked repeatedly against its obsidian-black skin.
Gulp.
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
'This is way too cute. It's exactly my type.'
Seriously, he wanted to run over right now, scoop it up in his arms, and shower it with affection.
But he had to hold back.
Until he officially engraved a seal on it, the creature was still an extremely dangerous Ancient Species.
If he carelessly touched or hugged it, his life's ending credits would roll right then and there.
Jinhyuk concentrated the mana of all the skills he had used so far into his fingertips.
Wroooong!
The materialized mana began to take a round shape, soon condensing into a small glass bead.
"Kyaoo?"
The Ancient Species sniffed the air and took a few tentative steps forward.
Though it remained wary, the temptation of the condensed mana crystal was too strong to resist.
"This is the first food I'm giving you. If you want to stay with me from now on, you can eat this."
"Fud?"
The Ancient Species tilted its head.
"It's called food. Food."
"Fud!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go with fud."
If anyone else had spoken like that, he would have thrown a fireball at them.
Yet, for some reason, even the creature's clumsy way of speaking felt incredibly adorable.
Was this what a mother's love felt like?
Right then.
Chomp!
The Ancient Species bit down on the food.
[The 'Imprint' has been engraved upon the Ancient Species '???'.]
[If you give it a name, your pet will display even higher loyalty toward its master.]
[The great achievement of being the first to tame an Ancient Species will be recorded in the 'Hall of Fame'.]
[All existences within the Tower pay close attention to your achievement.]
[The Ancient Species and spirits look upon you with...]
A barrage of status windows popped up one after another.
...It worked!
Jinhyuk cheered inwardly.
In the past, he had only ever fought them as enemies and failed to adopt one as a pet. Now, he had finally fulfilled that long-held wish.
"Fud!"
After swallowing the glass bead, the Ancient Species shivered slightly. Its short, stubby tail wagged back and forth.
This meant it was in a good mood.
Eat up and grow big and strong.
Later, I'll boil down that crying Anubis over there and feed him to you, too.
'Looks like one wasn't enough.'
Jinhyuk crafted another mana crystal. He watched with a warm, satisfied smile as the Ancient Species happily munched on its meal.
By the way...
'I need to give it a name.'
To raise its loyalty, he needed a proper nickname.
He couldn't just keep calling it "Ancient Species" or "Fud" forever.
"Hmm..."
After pondering for a moment, Jinhyuk slowly spoke.
From the very moment he laid eyes on the creature, one name had come to mind.
Black skin and bright yellow eyes.
"Your name will be Goguma."
Yes. It looked exactly like a well-roasted sweet potato (goguma).
"Gokuma?"
"No, Go-gu-ma."
"Goguma!"
As if it liked the name, Goguma opened its mouth wide in a grin.
That's right.
From now on, your name is Goguma.
* * *
Time flew by, and Jinhyuk headed toward the gate leading back to reality.
Horus, who had been rejected by Jinhyuk, looked quite disappointed.
"If you ever change your mind, let me know anytime. The Egyptian deities will always welcome you."
Seeing how he kept pushing until the very end, he must have really wanted Jinhyuk.
Well, at least his hawk eyes weren't just for show.
He certainly knew how to recognize a promising prospect.
"Thank you for the high praise, but my answer remains the same."
Jinhyuk offered a gentle smile, politely reiterating his refusal.
On the other hand, Anubis, who had been outsmarted once again, was nowhere to be seen—likely too furious to show his face.
It made sense; it must be hard to swallow his anger.
Everything he planned had gone down the drain, and he had even lost the Ancient Species' egg.
Finally.
"This was another fascinating encounter. I didn't think a human could surprise me anymore, but I suppose you've changed my mind, Jinhyuk. I never imagined a player could hatch and tame an Ancient Species."
Rick approached Jinhyuk to bid him farewell.
"Well, there are always a few special humans in the world."
"Haha. I believe what you've accomplished is far too absurd to be described as 'a little special'... But hearing you say that only makes me look forward to our next meeting even more. I will be waiting. I hope that day comes sooner rather than later."
Excitement and anticipation.
And beyond that, a deep yearning to witness the future of this single human.
Not as a librarian of the Great Magic Library or the owner of a merchant group, but as a resident of the Tower.
Right then.
[Intermediate Administrator 'Rick Hennessy' has 'subscribed' to your channel.]
[You have acquired 10,000 Coins.]
[Your platform fee rate has been reduced from 90% to 80%.]
A golden status window appeared.
"...Huh?"
This time, even Jinhyuk couldn't help but be taken aback.
* * *
The Tower of Trials Community.
With over a hundred thousand videos uploaded daily, this place was the ultimate hot spot among hot spots.
Naturally, only a tiny fraction of those countless videos were actually worth watching.
'I'd be lucky if there were even a fraction. Damn it. Most of the time, it's just a waste of time.'
Choi Hee-jae, a PD at KDS Broadcasting Station and the head of the program Climbing the Tower of Trials, despaired over the fact that he hadn't found a single decent video despite staying up all night.
The stack of empty coffee cups on his desk seemed to reflect his deep misery.
Just then—
Clack!
"S-Senior? Don't tell me you haven't gone home yet?"
The door swung open, and a woman in a suit with long, straight hair walked in.
It was Kim Da-eun, who worked on the same program.
"I need to find something before I can go home or hit the sauna. This week is a total bust."
"Is it really that bad?"
"I'm not just whining. It's bad enough that even my kindergartener son would change the channel. The vanguard has already reached the 6th floor, but most of the videos are still about Goblins and Orcs on the 1st floor. Why would viewers care?"
Greater stimulation.
Flashier, more intense action.
That was what they needed.
To captivate viewers whose senses had already been thoroughly desensitized.
"Because of all this useless trash flooding the site, we TV folks can't even go home! Seriously, my kid saw me the other day and asked why the mister next door was coming into our house. At this rate, I'd believe it if someone told me my wife was a hermaphrodite!"
Choi Hee-jae, venting his frustrations in a rapid-fire rant, massaged his eyes with his index fingers.
Meanwhile, Kim Da-eun moved her mouse.
"Uh... Senior. Have you seen this?"
"I've seen everything. All night long. Have you even been listening to me?"
"But this video was just uploaded."
"What?"
At Kim Da-eun's words, Choi Hee-jae bolted upright.
It was real.
The hatching of an Ancient Species.
And the first player to ever receive a subscription from an Administrator.
Two absolutely massive, unbelievable pieces of bait had been dropped at once.
Thanks to this, the community boards were on the verge of exploding with hooked viewers.
"Holy crap!"
Choi Hee-jae grabbed the monitor with both hands.
He nearly slammed his forehead against the screen trying to verify if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"The two people who uploaded these! Recruit them immediately! I'll squeeze the budget out of the director somehow, got it? If you can't, kidnap them if you have to!"
Choi Hee-jae shouted urgently.
However...
"S-Senior."
Kim Da-eun's voice trembled slightly as she verified the information.
"They're both from the same person."