Taming is a unique skill that allows you to bring a monster under your control, enabling you to bond with it and, in rare cases, tap into its abilities. The possibilities with Taming are as broad as the skill level and creativity of the tamer. However, it is not regarded as particularly powerful; even if you manage to tame a strong monster, your own strength remains limited. Attempting to wield the monster's abilities without sufficient skill or level can even be deadly. This is why tamers typically avoid direct combat, leaving the fighting to their monsters. Unfortunately, this reliance often leads to a grim fate, as a tamer's vulnerability can easily result in their downfall.
Vell remained on the ground, feeling the players sensing his power rising rapidly as he glared at the one who punched him. The little weasel glowed, causing them all to jump back and raise their guards.
He slowly got up, wiping the blood from his mouth; his eyes were fully glowing now. The weasel jumped onto his shoulder, and he scratched her under the chin with his finger while shifting his gaze to his other hand.
"Why do I feel so much stronger? Isn't this just a taming skill?"
[Master, what did I tell you when we first met?]
He thought for a moment and answered, "Right, you said you are a beast evolution forge. If what I am thinking is correct, then you evolve the tamed species, forging them into stronger versions of themselves."
[I like how smart you are. You are correct; that is my main function, but it requires a lot of mana. Your little friend over there is in the process, but she can't evolve until you approve it. I'm not sure it's a good idea to do it right here. What if she uses more mana than expected?]
"Hmm, yeah, let's see if talking can still work. That guy annoys me, though. I want to kill him."
[Calm down, Master. We talked about this, and he is too strong for you.]
"Tch."
He calmed down, and his eyes stopped glowing.
"Sorry about that, but I'm sure you can understand why I got angry."
The group looked at the one causing the trouble, and he felt pressured to back off while the rest of the team offered their apologies.
"I'm sorry about him; he has some anger issues."
She noticed him still casting bloodthirsty glances at the guy, and her instincts urged her to stay on guard.
"Well, it's fine. Should we continue where we left off?"
The smart one chimed in, taking a seat on a nearby rock.
"Corrupted mana. I'm not sure why you're so curious about that, but there isn't much known about it. What we do know is that it's the mana found in dungeons and monsters. Unlike normal mana, it's very dirty and destructive. It can also corrupt humans if they are exposed to it for too long; that's pretty much all we know. Humans can't wield it; some have tried, but it didn't end well."
After listening to him, Vell scanned them all and wasted no time expressing what was on his mind.
"Got it. Do you all know that you have corrupted mana inside your bodies?"
Jolly snapped upon hearing this and grabbed him by the throat, her hair beginning to float as she manifested her power.
"You better have a good explanation for what you just said."
'Hahaha, look at her. Guess she has a temper too.'
"Think about it. Why did we repel when I sent my mana into your body?"
She tightened her grip, still wanting more.
'Ugh! Do I have no choice? I thought she was different, but in the end—'
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw her release him and take a seat. The others, who had been on edge, also relaxed and sat back down, though they still felt uneasy.
"So you're saying the association is poisoning us?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that the orb they were trying to use to register me sent a tiny amount of corrupted mana into my body. My body rejected it, and it was shot out, breaking the orb. That is why I ran."
The one with anger issues approached while the others stared at him, their gazes warning him not to do anything stupid. To their surprise, he simply sat next to Vell. He was now also interested in the topic.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked, looking far more serious than he had been.
"Wanna test it out?"
He stretched out his hand, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before he finally grabbed it. Vell smirked and transferred more mana than necessary, causing a stronger feedback that sent the guy flying.
Jolly glanced at Vell, smirking with the same bloodlust gaze, but she didn't say anything.
"You asshole, you did that on purpose."
"No? Maybe you just have more corrupted mana?"
'This fucker, I know he did that on purpose. I will get him back.'
He approached, slowly drawing his sword, and Vell's began to glow as well. He licked his lips in anticipation, but Jolly demonstrated that going against her wishes was a bad idea. She released her aura, causing both of them to collapse to the ground, with Vell feeling the brunt of it since he was weaker. She stared at him and then stopped.
"That is your last warning, both of you. Now, let's continue."
'Damn, she is scary. I guess she is the leader.'
He sat back up and rubbed his throat while glancing at the other guy, who was drooling. He couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Okay, enough messing around. If what you're saying is true, can you remove it?"
He didn't respond right away; he had to ask his system. 'Is it possible?'
[Yes, with your level of mana control, you can easily push out the corrupted mana. It will take a while, but it's definitely possible.]
'Good to know.'
"No, not as I am right now. I am too weak, and I can't enter dungeons because I don't have a license."
"...What can we do to help?"
"Jolly, you can't be serious. He is wanted by the association—THE ASSOCIATION. Do you know what will happen if they find out we helped him?"
The guy shot up to his feet, pointing at Vell, his anger nearly at the boiling point.
"I know, but if what he's saying is true, this is not something we can just overlook. We can always do our own research later; there's nothing to lose."
"But the prize money…."
"We can make that much in a day. Stop whining."
The other girl finally spoke, staring at Vell and assessing his character.
"I agree with Jolly. We should help him, but this guy... he gives off a bad vibe. He may be weaker than us, but I still see him as someone dangerous."
'She is sharp as ever, and she's right too. He is dangerous. I don't know what his ability is or what his real motives are, but we should be careful around him,' Jolly thought, also staring at Vell and waiting for his answer.
"Hmm, since you want me to remove the corrupted mana from your bodies, and I need to get stronger, why not help me get into dungeons?"
They didn't expect that answer and all looked at each other, dumbfounded, unsure how to respond.
[Master… you are truly a scary man.]
'Sshh, I am on a roll right now.'