Tamer 39
===
Chapter 39: Experiment
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1
26th Day
「Oi, what’s the sudden call for, huh? Well… I’m not doing anything anyway, so fine, I’ll come along.」
I had a little experiment I really wanted to try, so I hauled Rag into the dungeon first thing in the morning.
Normally, I’d have tested it on someone else first— But once the idea hit, there was no way I could hold back.
「Relax. Just a small experiment. Close your eyes and cover your ears for now.」
「Huh?」
「If it’s only that, it shouldn’t be much of a problem, right? Even if a 2nd-floor goblin attacks, it wouldn’t even left a scratch on you.」
「That’s true, but… alright then… I’ll do it. I’ll do it properly, right now.」
I didn’t want anyone to know about the experiment I was about to perform. This was, naturally, a matter of preparation.
I reluctantly moved behind Rag, who had his eyes shut and ears covered with his hands, and raised my hand, whispering, “Monster Evolution.”
A light peculiar to the evolution of monsters enveloped him.
Rag was bathed in the gorgeous glow, yet he showed no reaction. I watched him intently in silence, waiting for the dazzling light to vanish.
I wondered what I should do if Rag’s appearance became completely unlike a human’s, but I optimistically assumed it would be fine and went ahead with the experiment. Apparently, I had won that bet.
Rag’s appearance remained entirely human.
「It’s probably a success. Monster Status.」
===
Status
Name: Jinreiji Jin
Occupation: Swordsman
Lv：84
HP：784 ↑137
MP：766 ↑135
SP：2
EX Skill
7× EXP Gain Greatly Increased MP Maximum Overdrive Heartbreak(NEW)
Skill
Physical Ability Enhancement 27 HP Increase 5 MP Increase 1 Sword Techniques 35
Physical Barrier 10 Self-Recovery 1 Magic Power Sword 10
EXP to next level: 3249
Notes
A human who gained power due to heartbreak.
Loathed by the object of their affection as fiercely as a snake despises a scorpion.
===
「Ridiculous. What is this?」
To be honest, I was disappointed.
I had assumed Rag would undergo a monstrous kind of evolution, and I had been seriously thinking about how I should handle him in the future, but all that happened was that he gained the Heartbreak Skill, his stats increased slightly, and he became more prone to heartbreak?
What a waste of MP.
「Oi. That’s it for today. You can go home.」
「Uhm? Done already?」
「Yeah, I’ve nothing else to do. Ra--- I mean Jin. Go home and do whatever you like.」
「Did you just about to call me Rag just now?」
Tch. He heard that huh,
「I didn’t. You must have misheard it.」
「No, you really about to say "Rag" just now...」
「It's just your imagination.」
This Rag was persistent.
「Well, fair enough. There’s no actual "Rag" here, right?」
There was one, right before me.
「If you’re saying I can go home, I’ll go. See you!」
「Yes.」
As I watched her walk away, her hand waving faintly in the air, a wave of disappointment hit me. Monster Evolution… Such a tease, impossible to control at will.
I’d just have to pour this frustration into today’s exploration activities.
◇◇◇
I had pushed past the 28th Floor and stepped into the 29th floor.
「Even this Fire Dragon goes down with a single strike.」
On the 29th Floor, the heat from the Fire Dragon was intense enough to singe the hair off one of the pixie of the Pixla Saw 49— But honestly, it’s no big deal.
My own hair was safe, so I could relax.
And as for the Demon Boss, he desperately throwing healing spells at the Pixies’ heads? I’ll just ignore that.
It was a waste of MP, sure, but there was no need to scold him, because before Demon Boss’s MP runs out, a level-up restores all of his MP anyway.
Allowing my monsters a certain degree of freedom makes me a model monster tamer.
At first, I was thinking about taming the Fire Dragon as a means of saving on heating costs, but its firepower was far too strong and it would be useless, so I decided against it.
Pixies’ fire magic could serve as a substitute, so there was no need for an uncontrollable, broken heating device like a Fire Dragon.
In any case, this should make the 30th Floor no problem.
Just to be safe, I could have Demon Boss go on a reconnaissance mission to determine whether the 30th Floor was a boss room.
「Oi, Demon Boss. Head up to the 30th Floor. If it’s a boss room…」
If it’s a boss room, a wall would appear before the stairs.
In that case, Demon Boss wouldn't be able to retreat, and if the boss were strong, time would be wasted unnecessarily.
On the 15th Floor, a wall appeared in front of the stairs in the boss room.
Maybe, the mechanism was designed so that either monsters or humans would trigger the wall. But if it were a gimmick activated by stepping on the floor, perhaps the Pixies wouldn’t trigger the wall.
「Oi, Bargain Girl. Go do the reconnaissance. If it’s a boss room, report the boss’s strength. Got it?」
「PIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
「If you do it well, I’ll give you two grains of rice.」
「PIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
「Got it? Then off you go.」
I sent Bargain Girl on a recon mission to the 30th floor.
Unlike some black companies out there, our house uses a system where rewards increase according to work performance.
Previously it was only one grain of rice, but this time I doubled the reward for the reconnaissance.
I wonder how many monster tamers actually bother to create a work environment that’s easy for monsters?
◇◇◇
「Beep. Beep. Piii.」
Master said he’ll give me two tasty pieces of food. So I've got to do my best.
I even got a special name just for me: “Bargain Girl.”
Master was scary person, but he watches over us so we didn’t die. His handling of us was rough, and his words were terrible, but I think he probably cares about us.
Being useless means getting erased by the Fusion Skill. That means if I’m useful, I wouldn’t get erased. So I’d do my best.
「Piii」
The 30th floor… That’s a boss.
There was only one in the middle of the room, so it must be the boss, right?
Master asked me to tell him how strong the boss was, but how should I convey that to him?
「Pii...」
Master didn’t have a skill to converse with us. So maybe I wouldn’t be able to explain the strength of the boss properly…
Wait! If I drag this monster along myself, Master can see it with his own eyes. That should work, right?
「PIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
「ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!?」
S-So heavy.
Thunder-Fire-Blizzard-Shining-Dragon was a bit heavy…
Still, I can do it. Master trained me for this—so I must push on.
※Author Note: Referring to her being used as Pixla Saw and PixWhip.
「Pii...」
What do I do now?
Thunder-Fire-Blizzard-Shining-Dragon was way too big and got stuck at the stair entrance.
But if I push it forcibly…
「ROAAAAR!! ROAAAAAAAAAAR!!」
I-It must be painful...
But sorry! I’ve got to give it my all, for Master’s sake. No excuses.
「PIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
「ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR!? ROAAAAAAAAAAAR!! ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!」
That was one hell of a scream!
I’m forcing it up the stairwell, and naturally it screams. Just a little further… Hold on, you can do this right?
I need... More power... YAAAAAH!!!
「Gogyaaahhh!?!?!」
◇◇◇
「Bargain Girl… You actually hauled it all the way here yourself?」
「PIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
I couldn’t tell the exact species, but for now… The 30th floor seems to be crawling with dragon-like creatures too.
The dragon seems to be quite weak; it doesn’t even try to lift its head while being dragged by the pixie. On top of that, its limbs are crushed.
I can’t help but wonder… Did Bargain Girl have her way with it a little too much?
「I didn’t instruct you to hurt it… but…」
Honestly, if a single pixie could make this much trouble, then even if it was the boss, it shouldn’t be a major issue.
For reference, let’s take a look at Bargain Girl’s stats.
「Monster Status」
====
Name: Pixie
Lv 319
HP：3317
MP：2187
Skill
Fire Magic 58, Wind Magic 36, Physical Resistance 255, Mental Resistance 255
Herculean Strength 255, Physical Resistance 132, Mental Resistance 128, Herculean Strength 89
HP Boost 126, Physical Reinforcement 133
===
Not bad at all.
Honestly, I’d always thought of Pixie as just another scrap from the Pixla Saw 49, never really bothering to check their stats… But this? This strength… it’s getting close to Demon Boss’s, maybe even surpassing him.
My way of raising her… My training method was right at all.
By being treated as a Pixla Saw 49 or PixWhip and taking damage, she probably acquired the Physical Resistance skill and HP Boost skill.
In addition, those Herculean Strength and Physical Reinforcement skills must've came from being swung around as the very tip of the PixWhip.
The load on that tip is insane—it takes arms of steel to bear it.
I started off using her carefully, but eventually went all out with the PixWhip… even swinging her around as a Morning GobGob 35 Pixie.
That must be the reason why her strength-based skills skyrocketed.
Put simply… She was a weapon component with monstrous strength and durability. And as a bonus, she could handle chores too. Super handy little worker, really.
「Here, the promised two grains of rice.」
「PIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
She gets excited over just this… Truly a bargain girl.