Taming was a weird skill. It let you bond with a monster, bring it under your control, and if you were really lucky, maybe even borrow some of its abilities. Most people thought it was a weak skill, though. Even if you tamed a powerful beast, you were still just a squishy human hiding in the back. One wrong move, and you were dead. That's why most tamers ended up as monster food sooner or later.
But Vell wasn't most tamers.
As he lay on the ground, spitting out blood and glaring at the guy who'd punched him, the air around him started to hum. The players all felt it—a surge of power, way stronger than it should have been, radiating from him. The little weasel on his shoulder glowed with a faint, purple light, and they all jumped back, raising their guards.
He slowly got to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. His eyes were fully glowing now, a predatory, amber light that seemed to see right through them. The weasel chittered, its own tiny eyes burning with the same intensity.
"Why do I feel so much stronger?" he muttered to himself, his hand flexing as he felt the new power course through him. "Isn't this just a taming skill?"
[Master, what did I tell you when we first met?]
He thought for a second, then it clicked. "Right. You're a beast evolution forge. If what I'm thinking is correct, then you don't just tame beasts—you evolve them. Forge 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 you expect?]
'Hmm, yeah, let's see if talking can still work. That guy annoys me, though. I really want to kill him.'
[Calm down, Master. We talked about this. And he is still too strong for you.]
"Tch."
He took a deep breath, and the amber glow in his eyes faded. The weasel's light dimmed too. He forced himself to look apologetic, even though every part of him wanted to tear the punchy guy apart.
"Sorry about that," he said, his voice steady. "But I'm sure you can understand why I got angry."
The rest of the group shot a dirty look at their hot-headed teammate. He grumbled but backed off, clearly feeling the pressure. The girl, Jolly, stepped forward again, offering an apology on their behalf.
"I'm sorry about him. He has some… anger issues." She noticed Vell was still shooting daggers at the guy with his eyes, and her own instincts told her to stay on guard.
"Well, it's fine," Vell said, waving it off. "Should we continue where we left off?"
The smart one sat down on a nearby rock, his interest clearly piqued again. "Corrupted mana," he said, picking up the conversation. "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're 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."
Vell listened, his expression serious. He scanned each of them, from the smart guy to the angry one, and then dropped a bombshell.
"Got it. So… do you all know that you have corrupted mana inside your bodies?"
The friendly atmosphere shattered. Jolly's face twisted in anger, and in a flash, she was on him, her hand gripping his throat. Her hair started to float as her own power manifested around her.
"You better have a good explanation for what you just said," she hissed, her voice dangerously low.
'Hahaha, look at her. Guess she has a temper too.'
"Think about it," he choked out, his voice strained. "Why did we repel when I sent my mana into your body?"
She tightened her grip, her knuckles white. He could see she was close to snapping.
'Ugh! Do I have no choice? I thought she was different, but in the end—'
His thoughts were cut short as she suddenly released him and took a step back, her expression a mix of anger and confusion. The others, who had been on the verge of attacking, relaxed slightly, though the tension was still thick enough to cut with a knife.
"So you're saying the Association is poisoning us?" she asked, her voice tight.
"I don't know. But what I do know is that the orb they used to try and 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 angry guy, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward again. The others watched him, ready to intervene, but to their surprise, he just sat down next to Vell, his expression more serious than before.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"Wanna test it out?" Vell held out his hand.
The angry guy stared at him for a few seconds, then, with a grunt, he grabbed Vell's hand. Vell smirked and transferred a bit more mana than was strictly necessary. The feedback was immediate and violent. The guy was sent flying backward, his hand smoking slightly.
Jolly glanced at Vell, a flicker of something that looked like bloodlust in her own eyes, but she didn't say anything.
"You asshole!" the guy shouted, picking himself up. "You did that on purpose!"
"No? Maybe you just have more corrupted mana in you than the others?"
'This fucker. I know he did that on purpose. I will get him back.'
He started to draw his sword, and Vell's own eyes began to glow again. He licked his lips in anticipation. But before either of them could make a move, Jolly showed them who was really in charge. She released her aura, a powerful wave of energy that slammed both of them to the ground. Vell felt the brunt of it, his weaker body struggling under the pressure. She stared at them for a long, hard moment, then her aura receded.
"That is your last warning. Both of you," she said, her voice cold and final. "Now, let's continue."
'Damn, she is scary. I guess she's the leader.'
He sat back up, rubbing his throat. He glanced at the other guy, who was still on the ground, drooling slightly. He couldn't hold back a small laugh.
"Okay, enough messing around," the smart one said, taking charge again. "If what you're saying is true, can you remove it? The corrupted mana?"
He paused. He didn't know the answer to that. '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.'
He turned back to them, his expression serious. "No. Not as I am right now. I'm too weak, and I can't enter dungeons to get stronger because I don't have a license."
They all looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them.
"…What can we do to help?" Jolly asked finally.
The angry guy shot to his feet. "Jolly, you can't be serious! He's wanted by the Association—THE ASSOCIATION! Do you know what will happen if they find out we helped him?"
"I know," she said, her voice firm. "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 for his capture…" he whined.
The other girl in the group finally spoke up, staring at Vell with a calculating look. "We can make that much in a day. Stop whining. I agree with Jolly. We should help him." She paused, her gaze still fixed on Vell. "But this guy… he gives off a bad vibe. He may be weaker than us, but I still see him as someone dangerous."
'She's 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, staring at Vell and waiting for his answer.
"Hmm," Vell said, a slow, calculating smile spreading across his face. "Since you want me to remove the corrupted mana from your bodies, and I need to get stronger… why don't you guys help me get into dungeons?"
They all stared at him, dumbfounded. They hadn't expected that.
[Master… you are truly a scary man.]
'Sshh, I'm on a roll right now.'