Hierarchy Established
Is it possible for humans to tame monsters?
Experts might give different answers to this question, but most would probably shake their heads in unison.
After all, it’s about as realistic as saying you want to keep a tiger or a bear as a pet back before the Great Cataclysm.
Even if you somehow force them into submission, they won’t meet the conditions for domestication.
You can’t expect true obedience from them, and their aggression is impossible to predict.
That’s precisely why they’re called monsters.
Of course, it’s not entirely impossible.
In the face of the miraculous power known as magic, common sense loses all meaning.
But even then, such cases are nothing more than rare exceptions.
Moreover—
“Is that really the same giant monster from earlier…?”
“It’s turned into a total dog now……”
No mind-control magic had been used. No high-tech restraints had been applied.
Yet the ferocious magical beast that had been rampaging wildly—
the very boss of a B-grade dungeon, no less—
“Whine……”
was now wagging its tail in complete submission, docile and well-behaved.
The hunters who had been exploring the temple the boss once guarded kept glancing back, doubting their own eyes.
Some even rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.
But the scene never changed.
Ari, squatting in front of the large dog, spoke calmly.
“Paw.”
Tap.
“Other paw.”
Tap.
“Mhm. Good boy!”
Having already finished the paw-shake training, Ari smiled with a satisfied expression.
She stroked the dog’s head and turned to Han Jihyun standing beside her.
“What should we name him?”
“A name?”
“Yes. To be honest, I’m not very good at naming things. Could you recommend something?”
“Well… let’s see.”
I’m not any better at it, Han Jihyun thought, keeping her real opinion to herself.
“Since his fur is completely black, how about Kkami? Or maybe Choco?”
“Hmm, those aren’t bad, but I’d like something more special than the usual names. Oh, now that I think about it—”
Ari turned her head and gestured at the large dog, signaling it to roll over and show its belly.
The magical beast understood immediately and obediently lay down, exposing its stomach.
“No balls. So it’s a female? Looks that way, right?”
“It does seem like it at first glance, but with monsters it could be different.”
“Really?”
“Yes, because it’s a monster. There’s an animal called the spotted hyena. The females apparently grow the same parts as the males.”
Couldn’t the opposite also be possible?
Han Jihyun offered her opinion cautiously. Ari nodded as if that made sense.
“It might be intersex, then. Hmm. If we could actually talk to it, we could just ask.”
She stood up again and stroked the dog’s fur.
As expected of a boss-class magical beast, the wounds it had sustained during the fight with the hunters had already healed considerably.
“Oh, right. Isn’t there an app on smartphones that translates dog barks?”
“……You want to use a dog translator app on this thing?”
Han Jihyun made a strange face as she looked down at the magical beast.
Feeling her gaze, the dog lifted its head.
Grrrr——
It let out a low growl.
“……”
For a moment, Han Jihyun was at a loss for words. The difference in treatment was so blatant!
Well, I can understand why, but still!
Even so, people have feelings. Being blatantly ignored stings.
Whimper!
Right then, the dog that had just been smacked on the head hurriedly lowered it. Ari clicked her tongue softly and spoke in a firm, scolding tone.
“You have no manners. If you dare growl at Jihyun again, you’re in trouble.”
“……!!”
The large dog flattened itself against the ground in absolute submission!
It was strangely touching. Han Jihyun felt a sting in her nose and opened her mouth.
“Ari, I’ll look up the app once we get outside. Machines don’t work well inside dungeons, and the internet is completely dead in here.”
“I see. Alright. For now, I’ll call him Ker temporarily.”
While they chatted, the hunters finished exploring the temple and returned.
Their expressions weren’t great.
They had taken everything that could be sold, but nothing particularly valuable had turned up.
What if Ari gets angry and says this is all there is?
We were supposed to cover the compensation with whatever we found here…
At that moment, Ari rose from her crouched position.
“There’s more luggage than I expected. Shall I help carry some?”
“Oh no, absolutely not! We’ll handle the transportation ourselves.”
“Heavy loads are a man’s job, after all.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Just leave the chores to us!”
The hunters, who couldn’t possibly let the boss Ari do any work, hurriedly blurted out whatever came to mind.
Ari’s gaze shifted toward the back.
The only female hunter on the government team was sweating profusely while carrying a heavy load.
When the others turned their heads, their pupils shook violently.
And then—
“It’s good to work hard, but there’s no need for a weak C-grade mage to overdo it. That’s what role division is for.”
The Temporary Team Leader scratched his shaggy hair roughly as he stepped in.
He swiftly took the luggage from her.
The motion was so natural that Ari didn’t even think to question it.
After they left the dungeon,
the government hunters—except for Han Jihyun—praised Ari’s strength and beauty before hastily leaving the isolation room.
Standing near the exit, Ari remained still and thought to herself.
Maybe it was because she had become a beautiful girl, but the world had become incredibly kind.
There had been many similar situations the last time she went out for some fresh air.
She let out a soft chuckle and turned to look beside her. Han Jihyun was fiddling with her smartphone.
Soon she launched the dog translator app and handed the phone to Ari.
Ari alternated her gaze between the screen and the large dog, then spoke.
“Ker, I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
Whine.
Save me.
“Huh?”
Whiiiine….
Save me.
The same translation kept repeating.
Ari tilted her head and spoke again.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I’m just saying I’ll be counting on you.”
Whine.
Save me.
Is the translator app just bad?
Maybe it’s because he’s not actually a dog but a magical beast?
To test it, she tried something else.
“Ker, look over here.”
Ari pointed at Han Jihyun with her finger.
This time, Ker reacted differently.
Whine?
Shall I bite?
“Jihyun, I think this app’s performance is pretty terrible.”
“I-is that so? Ahaha……”
Han Jihyun laughed awkwardly. Ari handed the phone back to her.
“That gate over there will disappear soon, right?”
“Yes! Since the boss Ker has come out, it’ll slowly collapse and vanish.”
“Then Ker will have to stay here temporarily. Could you prepare a dog house for him? You can deduct the cost from the compensation.”
“Understood. I’ll pass that along.”
She’s really treating a magical beast like a pet dog……
It was truly befitting of a calamity-class boss. Han Jihyun asked without thinking.
“Um, may I ask why you want to raise him…?”
“It’s nothing special. He looks like the doll that was in my room, doesn’t he? Now that I think about it, he seems kind of cute.”
“That black dog doll?”
They don’t look alike at all!
Han Jihyun screamed internally.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Management Bureau.
The bureau was swamped with work and barely had time to breathe, but the highest priority of all was the Resocialization Project for the calamity-class boss Ari.
They were searching for and recruiting experts from various fields,
while simultaneously creating a curriculum and coordinating the schedule.
Opinions on how to handle boss Ari were still divided, but a general outline was gradually taking shape.
They would hurry and begin resocialization first.
Depending on the results, they would either accept her as an Otherworldly Migrant or send her abroad—to the World Hunter Association or anywhere else!
After endless debate, the officials had finally reached a point of agreement.
Of course, everyone knew there was a trap hidden in that plan.
If Ari wanted to live in Korea from the beginning, sending her overseas would be impossible.
Though no one said it out loud, even the high-ranking officials all acknowledged it.
Boss Ari existed outside the bounds of the law. She was essentially an extraterritorial being.
Unless they found some kind of weakness…….
“Is the preparation for the doll gift going well?”
“Yes! We’re preparing a wide variety—from mass-produced to handmade dolls, in all sizes and types!”
“How much have we figured out about her food preferences? You’re keeping the data updated, right?”
“Based on Hunter Han Jihyun’s reports, we’ve meticulously organized her preferred foods, foods she avoids, portion sizes, and what she leaves behind!”
“What about the dog house?”
“We’ve decorated it so that the magical beast—er, the dog—will live better than most people!”
“Good, good. Keep proceeding exactly like this.”
And so, instead of trying to dig up weaknesses and risk provoking her reverse scale, the Korean government decided to focus on building favorability.
It was clearly the more reasonable approach.
Even if Ari left for another country, it didn’t mean she couldn’t exert influence over Korea.
Besides, if things went well, she might even use that overwhelming power for Korea’s benefit.
“The invited instructor has arrived at the research center.”
“Hoo… so it finally begins. I really hope this goes well……”
They were currently controlling the spread of information about boss Ari as much as possible, but they couldn’t keep it sealed forever.
It would leak eventually.
They absolutely had to complete her resocialization before that happened.
And so, the eyes of countless people turned toward the upcoming one-on-one tutoring sessions.
It was the moment the Resocialization Project for boss Ari officially began.
— What? You’re saying I can’t take Ker with me when I move later and raise him? Why not?
“……”
“……”