Chapter 330: Taming Master (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 330: Taming Master (1)
What burst out from the ground was a crow covered entirely in silver feathers.
He already knew what this was.
The Phantasmal Beast, 'Seuilia'.
The mythical creature that protected the Water Dragon Clan had manifested through a contract.
"Ooooh...!"
A voice filled with awe burst from Phesaktu's mouth.
The opportunity to repay all the humiliation he had suffered so far in one fell swoop had finally arrived.
"T-To think... a Phantasmal Beast would appear here."
"Is it a magic-type? Or a flying-type?"
"We need to at least know its type to prepare for it. Damn it."
The main raid team of the Ssaulabi Guild had a track record of defeating S-rank boss monsters.
A giant-class plant-type monster.
Though it had been tricky to deal with, they had finally succeeded in hunting the boss monster after executing a perfectly calculated joint attack.
But the enemy before them now...
...was on an entirely different level from what they had faced back then.
"Its estimated mana... I can't even begin to guess."
The magic-class Hunters, who possessed relatively high sensitivity, trembled from head to toe.
An aura so powerful it made it difficult to even lift a finger.
"Hyung! The drones in the air... they've stopped working."
"Oppa!"
Neither Lee Tae-min's Mechanical Lord nor Yu Yeon-hwa's Hwarang Heart Method could be properly activated.
Right then.
Rumble!
Along with a frost-colored mist, a chilling mana bound their entire bodies.
[Seuilia activates Lv?? 'Mana Insight'!]
In an instant, a chill ran down their spines.
Goosebumps broke out all over their bodies.
Eyes shining like sapphires felt as if they were piercing straight through their hearts.
"Watch out! It has mental-type abilities!"
A mental-type.
Of all things, the most troublesome type had appeared.
"Don't make eye contact! If you do, you'll get caught in its spell!"
The raid team changed their formation.
To be precise, they were merely keeping as much distance as possible while casting their eyes downward.
If they didn't at least do this, they would have their minds controlled by Seuilia and end up pointing their blades at one another.
"Ms. Yoo Jin-ah!"
"I know!"
The only hope was Yoo Jin-ah.
Only she, who possessed a taming skill, could stand against the Phantasmal Beast.
[Yoo Jin-ah uses her unique ability 'Mentra Taming'!]
A golden light emanating from Yoo Jin-ah's fingertips flowed into Seuilia's body.
It was a power that maximized communion with the target, creating the illusion that they had been together their entire lives.
The skill that had captured the Fish Dragon shone once more.
However.
"How laughable. To think you would oppose me with such a pathetic level of power."
Seuilia let out a light snort.
The golden mist that was seeping into its body dispersed in an instant.
The ability of Yoo Jin-ah, who had made a name for herself as a tamer...
...did not work in the slightest.
"Now, it is my turn. I shall decapitate those who keep their heads bowed, and those who raise their heads to survive shall be made into my puppets, enslaved for eternity."
Just as Seuilia was about to launch its attack...
"Hmm?"
Someone caught Seuilia's eye.
A human who was walking forward confidently even while everyone else kept their eyes cast down.
Seeing him smirk so casually, Seuilia's curiosity was piqued.
"Ho. It seems not all humans are complete cowards. Is that fellow the culprit who tormented the Water Dragon Clan?"
"Y-Yes, that is correct, O Guardian Deity!"
Phesaktu nodded his head.
"He slaughtered our clan and trespassed upon our sacred ground! You must kill him immediately to avenge our clan's grudge!"
"Do not worry. I have no intention of letting an insolent fool who doesn't know his place live."
Seuilia plucked a feather.
The silver-glowing feather gleamed as sharp as a blade.
"Seeing you step forward so boldly, you must possess a taming skill as well. However, it will be useless. I am not one to fall for such a trivial skill."
Even Yoo Jin-ah, a professional tamer, could do nothing.
In essence, it was as good as being immune to all taming skills.
Of course.
Jinhyuk knew this as well.
"It's a bit too early to be so sure. My taming is a little different."
"Different? In what way?"
"You'll see if you look. If you look very closely, that is."
Jinhyuk left behind a meaningful remark.
"I suppose putting on useless bluffs is a characteristic of your race."
Seuilia, who had let out a smirk, suddenly tilted its head.
Wait.
Come to think of it...
...there were some strange-looking creatures beside Jinhyuk.
A black reptile about the size of a puppy, and behind it, a dragon shrunk to a similar size.
Though their sizes had shrunk considerably, there was no mistake.
An ancient species, and the Blue Dragon—an Eastern divine beast and one of the Four Guardian Deities.
"Gasp!?"
In that moment, Seuilia almost shrieked.
To think a high-ranking divine beast positioned far above itself and an ancient species it couldn't even dare to look at were in the same place.
But what was even more shocking...
'Why are those supreme beings... acting as if they are escorting a human?'
For supreme existences to submit to a mere human.
Did that make any sense?
It was utterly unbelievable even as it watched, but it couldn't just deny what was right in front of its eyes.
This was the damn reality.
"I haven't done much taming, but, hmm. For some reason, I have a good feeling about this. I feel like it's going to work perfectly."
Jinhyuk activated a skill targeting Seuilia.
[Lv12 'Communion' is activated!]
An energy of a similar color to when a taming skill was used flowed out.
Of course, its caliber was far below Yoo Jin-ah's.
After all, Communion was merely at a level that evoked a favorable impression from the target.
"That won't work..."
Yoo Jin-ah, knowing this as well, let out a distressed groan.
On the other hand, Phesaktu let out a mad, excited laugh.
"Puhahaha! Perfect! At least I can drag you down to hell with me!"
But then...
"Ugh... Ah... This power!"
Seuilia trembled all over.
Anguish practically dripped from its entire body, as if it were being subjected to an irresistible force.
Though the acting was a bit clumsy, no one in this situation noticed.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"W-What is this?"
A flurry of bewildered reactions erupted.
It was only natural to be bewildered, seeing Seuilia struggle so much against a mana that was visibly weak.
However, for Seuilia, this was currently the only way it could survive.
-Hmm. The crow is crawling on its own. I won't even need to bring out my dragon orb.
-Mogi-mogi.
Seuilia was forcibly synchronizing itself to match Jinhyuk's lacking skill.
Trying to get tamed on purpose was no easy task.
But it had to be done.
It absolutely had to.
If it dared to refuse...
...it would die.
'They are high-ranking divine beasts who don't even bother to manifest their true forms in front of me.'
Against those two beings, mental-type abilities would surely be completely useless.
Hummmmm!
The light grew increasingly intense.
And finally...
[Taming successful!]
A status window announcing the success appeared.
'Nice.'
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
If it had known about his actual mana situation and the restrictions on Goguma's true manifestation, it probably would have resisted to the death.
But thanks to Seuilia being clumsily quick-witted, things had gone smoothly as planned.
'It's a shame I can't make it a subordinate like Squishy Black Crane.'
Unfortunately, Seuilia could not be made to submit through the 'Brand of the Flame Soul'.
Because its mental-type abilities were so outstanding, even the constraints of the brand could not bind it.
Furthermore, since it held the role of the guardian deity protecting the Water Dragon Clan, the limit of what he could do was to be satisfied with utilizing it appropriately in this raid.
As soon as Jinhyuk succeeded in taming it, the surroundings fell dead silent, as if cold water had been poured over them.
Yoo Jin-ah, in particular, was staring at Jinhyuk with a face filled with awe that went beyond mere shock.
"That's... amazing. Truly. Just how well do you understand monsters to tame a Phantasmal Beast without even having a dedicated taming skill?"
She, too, had lived with countless animals before the Tower appeared.
That was also how she had obtained the Tamer class.
Because of that...
...she knew better than anyone else how difficult it was to tame a high-ranking species.
And how much love and care one had to give to monsters.
She knew it better than anyone.
'...I completely misjudged him.'
Yoo Jin-ah's gaze softened warmly.
At the same time...
[Yoo Jin-ah's favorability rises to the maximum.]
[Successfully copied the ability.]
[Mentra Taming]
Acquisition Difficulty: AA
Description: Guarantees the taming of monsters of the same rank or lower. (Depending on skill proficiency, more powerful monsters can be tamed. If a higher-ranked monster is tamed, the skill's own rank can be upgraded.)
A special skill capable of self-growth depending on conditions.
With this, he had acquired yet another ability.
* * *
While everyone's attention was focused on the island that had appeared off the East Coast...
...a Gate that no one had noticed was opening on the rooftop of a high-rise building in Seoul.
Hummmmm!
Someone emerged from the red Gate, which glowed with an ominous light.
Thud!
The owner of the heavy footsteps looked down at the panoramic view of Seoul from the rooftop.
"Is this outside the Tower? The humans out here live huddled together in damn massive numbers."
Muscles that looked ready to burst.
Golden hair and a bushy beard.
It was none other than the Thunder Lord, 'Thor', one of the strongest chief gods of Norse mythology.
And standing beside him was a handsome man with crimson hair.
"Loki. Are you sure that human came out of the Tower?"
"Yeah. He just left Murim to stop Shub-Niggurath. I heard it through the intermediate administrators, so it's reliable information."
Loki nodded.
The two deities had visited the country of South Korea for one sole purpose.
"Kang... Kang... Damn it. I forgot his name again."
"It's Kang Jinhyuk. At least memorize his name properly. It's a name that came up several times during the council of the chief gods. How can you forget it?"
"Damn it. Anyway! We just need to find that bastard, right?"
"Exactly. He's the key figure in this matter. Hold on a second. I need to locate him first."
Loki's eyes narrowed.
'Loki's Eye'.
Thanks to his eyes, which could see over a thousand kilometers away, he could scan the entirety of South Korea even from the rooftop of a building.
But right then...
Throb!
Loki's face contorted.
"What is it?"
"No... It's nothing to do with our mission."
"Nothing to do with it, my foot. Just looking at your face, it's obvious something went wrong. I might be simple-minded, but I'm no idiot."
At Thor's words, Loki spoke with a heavy voice.
"The Valkyries sent to the middle floors have been annihilated."
"...! You mean 'Beretina', the high-ranking Valkyrie, is dead?"
"It's those Greek bastards. And it seems that 'monster' himself took action. I heard he wiped out an entire legion of Valkyries all by himself."
A man capable of destroying the world with his bare hands.
Heracles, Greece's strongest warrior and demigod, was a disaster-like existence even to the Norse deities.
"This has become troublesome. At this rate, even if we find the crown, retrieving it won't be easy."
"If we get cornered, Thor, I think you'll have to buy us some time."
"I suppose so. After all, I'm probably the only one who can go toe-to-toe with that guy."
However, all of this was only possible if they successfully secured the crown.
The top priority was finding the exact location of the crown.
And according to the prophet who could see the future...
...the one who knew the location of the 'Crown of Hegemony' was currently in South Korea.
Loki's eyes gradually became dyed in gold.
At that moment...
"Found him."
His gaze locked onto a single spot.