Chapter 17: Dungeon Exploration (2)
TL: Hanguk
[Willia's Trial / Quest Grade: Medium]
→ Content: Willia is an NPC priest who has been assigned to the shrine and has high potential.
→ Among some outstanding NPCs, there are those who choose their own partners and test their qualifications.
→ Pass Willia's test and earn her recognition.
→ Quest Requirements: Successful clearance of Mongma's Dungeon within the Time Limit
→ Reward: Increase of 20% favorability with Willia, and One advance-grade equipment selection ticket
After scrutinizing the contents of the quest that Willia handed over, my eyes widened.
The large amount of favorability and the advance-grade equipment selection ticket given as rewards were great, but the quest's contents contained something unexpected.
'NPCs that chooses their partner and tests their qualifications?'
Isn't it somewhat meaningful?
I decided to ask her honestly about my curiosity.
She smiled and nodded at my question.
“We have desires, too. We want to be stronger and see a wider world. But because we have assigned duties, it's hard to act freely. That’s why having a partner is important.”
They have desires, like humans.
For some reason, that felt more relatable than any other grand reason.
“It's not about fighting with other NPCs' partners and selecting the strongest one, right?”
"What an interesting idea!"
I said it as a joke, but the way she smiled chilled me. It seems like I said something unnecessary.
I smiled awkwardly and accepted the quest.
"I hope the day comes soon when I can partner with Ms. Willia. With a healer to back me up, the battles will be much more stable, and I won't have to talk to myself."
At my words, Willia took a step closer, looked up at me, and said,
"I wonder if that's the only reason."
This sly NPC.
She seems to know human psychology very well.
I shrugged and asked her for a buff.
"Are you going to challenge it right away?"
Whether it was because I was regularly healed, or because of the safe zone, I didn't feel very tired.
But still, I planned to rest for today.
Humans, after all, need good sleep to be at their best.
"Then why do you need a buff?"
"There's one thing I want to take care of before I go to bed."
"A task?"
I threw her a thumbs-up and answered her curiosity.
"I'm going to tame a dog."
Naturally, Willia did not understand the meaning and tilted her head..
*
Grand Dire Wolf.
A wolf-type monster that's as big as a bear and gives 100 experience points.
Its pure combat ability is similar to that of a low-rank succubus with its charm skill blocked, and while its attack pattern is simple and monotonous, its physical strength is even stronger than that of a low-rank succubus.
“Alright, alright, come here.”
The reason I suddenly recited the profile of the Grand Dire Wolf.
That was because of this.
[Dog Collar / Advance Grade]
- Can tame one dog or wolf-type monster.
- If you try to tame a monster of higher grade, the item may be destroyed.
It's a taming item I got from the Gauido Casino.
As soon as I got this item, the Grand Dire Wolf came to my mind first, and since I also received Willia's quest, I decided to use it as a means to strengthen myself.
'If I take the Grand Dire Wolf to Mongma's Dungeon, it would be safer.'
But there was a major problem with this dog collar.
-Grrrrrrr!
"Use dog collar!"
"Go, dog collar!"
It was an unfriendly item that didn't come with instructions.
So I'm facing off against a Grand Dire Wolf that spawns alone near the base camp, trying all sorts of things.
I've tried everything that seemed like an activation command, and even threw the dog collar like a monster ball.
But the Grand Dire Wolf only attacked me, as if mocking me.
"Do I have to put it on myself?"
It doesn't seem like it since the difficulty would be too high, but I had no choice.
I had to try everything I could think of.
I timed my evasion to match the attack of the Grand Dire Wolf charging at me with its razor-sharp teeth.
And when the Grand Dire Wolf's mouth narrowly missed, I quickly reached out and put it in a headlock.
-Grrrr!
I hadn't been this close to a Grand Dire Wolf before, so I didn't know, but its fur was quite fluffy and soft.
But there was one thing I shouldn't forget.
The Grand Dire Wolf also likes to swing its front paws in an attack like a tiger.
Even if I suppress its head with a headlock, if I let my guard down, my back will be scratched.
"Hi-ya!"
-Awooo!
With all my strength, I lifted it up like in wrestling and slammed it onto the ground.
"Now, now, calm down. Let's try this collar on."
Then, I climbed onto its belly, used my knees to lock its front paws, and pressed down on its jaw with my left arm.
'I never thought I'd use ground techniques on a wolf in my life.'
Next, I took out a dog collar with my free right hand and put it on the Grand Dire Wolf's neck.
"Huh?"
But there was no reaction.
"Is it a failure again?"
As I pondered, pressing hard on the struggling Grand Dire Wolf, I thought of one more method.
"Should I beat it?"
I remembered that in some games, you would have to attack a monster and reduce its health to tame it.
Without making it too complicated, I decided to go with pounding in this position.
-Awooo!
I felt like the Grand Dire Wolf seemed scared.
I felt a bit sorry for it, but since it was a monster that kills people, so I decided to erase unnecessary sympathy.
And I swung my fist down...
The taming message appeared a beat too late.
[You have tamed the Grand Dire Wolf.]
"Huh?"
My fist narrowly missed the Grand Dire Wolf's neck and hit the ground.
-Bang!
I was puzzled.
The timing was a bit off.
"Does that mean I have to subdue the monster?"
I don't know the exact reason, but as long as it worked, that's all that mattered.
Anyway, it was a success.
I got off the Grand Dire Wolf, which was lying on its back on the ground.
"Let's get along, Woof-woof."
The tamed Grand Dire Wolf's name was decided as Woof-woof.
"At this level, I could ride it, right?"
I immediately mounted onto the tamed wolf.
It turned out to be a pretty comfortable ride.
Thanks to that, I rode Woof-woof around until I fell asleep, and just before falling asleep, I suddenly had this thought.
'What if I could tame a Wyvern with this kind of taming collar?'
It was an interesting question.
*
On the 4th day after the great catastrophe.
Thanks to the temperature control feature of the safety tent, I had a comfortable sleep and reported my survival to my parents.
Since communication could be cut off at any time, every moment of the call was special, and I was able to appreciate the preciousness of the family that I had previously taken for granted.
But the call wasn't entirely happy.
The situation on the mainland, as described by my father, was worse than I thought.
"You mean you're abandoning the other areas except for the major cities?"
[...Yes, it seems that way.]
So far, the government had been pouring strength into rescuing the people.
But many soldiers were sacrificed in the process of taking the citizens to safe zones, and I heard there was a lot of dissatisfaction within the military, criticizing the approach.
After all, not many citizens were being rescued this way.
In the end, the government had to make a decision.
'Concentrate the military in nine regions nationwide to solidify the defense line, and expand the survival zone centered on the defense line?'
In other words, it means that they plan to withdraw the soldiers from areas other than the chosen nine.
The residents of the evacuated areas are abandoned by the government.
From now on, they have to fend for themselves.
"That's extreme."
[It's hard to save everyone, so the idea is to protect the majority, even if it means sacrificing the few.]
My father seemed to dislike it, but he seemed to have judged that there was no better way.
It shows just how bad the situation on the mainland is.
Perhaps the living environment for me and the residents of Gauido Island might be better.
The density of monsters on the island is lower than on the mainland, and there aren't many types of monsters.
[From now on, the government will actively encourage leveling up. They will even provide information on hunting grounds, monsters, etc., to support growth.]
That seems like a good idea.
It's not saving us, it's teaching us how to survive.
"The more I see, the luckier our family seems to be."
[Yes, considering there are many more people who have lost their family.]
In the city, there are people who are starving because they can't leave their rooms, and people who are hugging their family's corpse, waiting for rescue with no hope.
Compared to them, we are lucky.
Because at least we can envision a future in this despair.
After that, we shared the information we each had.
My father told me about the pilot program in the army for adapted soldiers (leveled-up soldiers).
He said the highest leveled person just passed level 10.
"Is leveling up that hard?"
[You're the strange one, right? Reality is not a game. You alone are taking it with a gaming mentality.]
At my reaction, my father chuckled and jokingly said, 'We might make you a battalion commander if you come'.
Of course, I firmly refused because I have no intention of joining the military again, and the call ended there.
"Ugh!"
I stretched and left the safety tent.
Then the tamed Grand Dire Wolf, Woof-woof, greeted me.
"Aack! You surprised me."
But as I was petting Woof-woof, I was shocked to find a giant wild boar lying next to it.
The body was still warm; it seemed like it hadn't been long since it was hunted.
“Don't tell me you caught this for me to eat?”
- Awoo!
Is this the effect of taming?
It seems more intelligent than I thought.
No way, I never thought it would hunt for its owner to eat.
“Haha, thank you.”
I patted it, smiling at the unexpected gift.
This is why people keep dogs.
Well, this one is not a dog but a wolf monster, but it's still special.
Thanks to that, it looks like I'm going to feast in the morning.
*
With Woof-woof's help, I had a hearty meal and set out for serious exploration of the Mongma dungeon.
[You have defeated a low-rank succubus and gained 200 experience points.]
[A reward for defeating the low-rank succubus will be given.]
-You have gained 34 coins.
-You have gained 1 bundle of low-rank succubus hair.
Although the experience and rewards have been halved due to the disappearance of the dungeon's first discovery bonus effect, I'm subjugating the succubus at a very fast pace thanks to Woof-woof's assistance.
Rather, it feels like the profit per hour has increased compared to yesterday, and it's now possible to deal with two succubuses at the same time.
And I learned an additional surprising fact.
[The level of the tamed monster, Woof-woof, has increased.]
That's right, the fact that tamed monsters can also grow.
"Oh wow! Woof-woof, you're amazing"
-Awoo!
Although he doesn't bark 'woof' contrary to his name, he became my best friend in just a day, and we wandered through the dungeon together.
*****
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