READ NOVEL ONLINE Ch18 - Monster Taming 3
Chapter 18: Monster Taming 3
“Now… it’s hunting time!”
While the sheep monster was fast asleep, all the preparations to take it down were complete. Wait a minute—did Rena just completely misunderstand the concept of taming? However, in this case, it’s fine. Rena’s villainous demeanor was exactly what this plan required.
Objective: Terrify the sheep to its limits and confuse it!
And then tame it. That’s the essence of this operation, dubbed “Thrilling! The Great Roasting Plan!”
The slime gel had been crushed, mixed with Aqua’s water, and stored in a water bottle. Lily, who had vanished from sight, was poised above the sheep with an armful of leaves. Izumi was stretching out on the ground, ready for the signal to harden. Meanwhile, Kureha, stuck to Rena’s whip, had turned an even deeper shade of red from excitement.
“Skill: [Inspire]!”
The excitement among the familiars soared. Ruca-sensei had been asked to keep watch for other monsters. Now, let the operation commence!
Rena’s whip lashed out sharply, gouging the ground right in front of the sheep.
CRACK!
Though the blow wasn’t particularly strong, the surge of killing intent jolted the sleeping sheep awake.
The now-irritated sheep glared, annoyed that its slumber had been disturbed. Rena, watching this, let out a fierce, chilling laugh.
A terrifying girl has appeared!? (Sheep’s perspective)
The sheep was clearly startled. Without missing a beat, its master, with a sinister grin, spoke:
“I absolutely want to make you mine. You’re not getting away! Prepare yourself…! Skill: [Familiar Contract]!”
It was Rena’s best attempt at acting menacing and intimidating.
A glowing contract magic circle appeared before the sheep. It stared at it, eyes wide with astonishment. Though it had never seen a monster tamer’s contract before, its instincts as a monster told it exactly what this was.
Ah, so this girl plans to make me her subordinate, huh? Its mood plummeted even further.
The sheep, a laid-back creature, despised being bound by anything. It had even fled from a herd of herbivorous sheep, known for their group dynamics, because it couldn’t stand the hierarchy. Up until now, it had lived a peaceful, solitary life without any complaints or the need for anyone’s support.
If she really wants to tame me, she’ll have to prove she’s strong enough to satisfy me!!
The sleeping sheep has entered battle mode!
With a fierce glint in its eyes, the once-relaxed sheep strode through the magic circle with newfound determination. Though it was a herbivore, it was still a monster.
Both sides held their breath in tension.
This sleeping sheep possessed exceptional abilities for a low-level monster. It began to stomp, preparing to grow large and crush Rena underfoot.
However, the sheep didn’t know… All of its skills, gifts, and tricks had already been fully analyzed by Rena’s “cheat-level” magic eyes.
It wasn’t cheating—it was survival. In battle, you must use every means necessary to guarantee victory.
Knowing how strong the sheep was, Rena and her team planned to end this in an instant. There would be no chance for it to grow large or use its [Sprint] ability.
“Izumi!”
“Yes!”
At her master’s command, Izumi immediately slid under the sheep’s feet.
“Skill: [Super Hardening]!”
Izumi’s hardened body pinned the sheep’s legs to the ground, locking them in place just as they began to enlarge. The sheep stumbled and fell to its knees, its growth delayed for just a moment.
That brief moment decided the battle.
Once this is done, all that’s left is to finish the job! Rena’s sinister grin deepened, and she cracked her whip dramatically.
“[Flame Whip]!”
Of course, no such skill actually existed. It was a complete bluff. However, at that exact moment, Kureha activated her “Flame” skill, creating an impromptu fiery whip. To the clueless sheep, it looked like real magic.
Utilizing her borrowed skill, Rena aimed the flaming whip at the leaves stuck to the sheep’s body. CRACK!
WHOOSH! The flames from the whip ignited the leaves, and soon the fire began to burn the sheep’s white fur.
“—-!!?”
Unable to bear the heat, the sheep rolled over in an attempt to shake off the burning leaves. But more disaster awaited.
Izumi had already returned to her master’s side.
“More firepower!!”
“Ooohhh!!!”
How cruel! With a splash, slime gel from the water bottle was dumped onto the sheep, and Lily rained more leaves onto its burning body.
In an instant… BOOM!! The gel-covered sheep burst into a vicious, red-hot flame. Was the slime gel flammable? Either way, it was brutal.
Its face, legs, and horns—areas without wool—remained unharmed, but this only made the sight of the fire more terrifying for the sheep. Unable to take it any longer, it let out a desperate scream.
“—–!!”
Even with the flames surrounding it, the sheep, gifted with a strong will, glared fiercely at the girl.
(…To not have its spirit broken even in this situation, as expected of a rare gift-holder. But, it must be near its limit. I won’t give it any time to think or fight back. Because we absolutely want you! Now, I’ll be kind to you… so just surrender, okay?)
“Kind” in this situation? Did Rena have some hidden sadistic talent? With a cackle, she continued her terrifying act.
“Ahahaha!”
Though her childlike appearance and voice made her seem less intimidating, the sheep, seeing her backed by the illusionary flames, was utterly horrified. Even Ruca-sensei, watching from afar, was in shock.
With sharp cracks, Lena snapped her whip at the ground, while Lily conjured pillars of fire through her [Illusion] magic. From the sheep’s perspective, Lena appeared to be the queen of flames.
The whole area became a sea of fire (though it was all an illusion). The sheep, drenched in a liquid that accelerated the spread of the flames, was likely headed for a certain fate—becoming a grilled lamb—no matter how large it grew or how fast it ran.
Even the sheep’s strengthened [Oblivious] Gift, which had protected its mind, reached its limit.
Its once-proud eyes now trembled with confusion and fear of the flames. Unable to even muster the will to roll and extinguish the fire, the sheep shook as it gazed helplessly at Lena.
The Dozing Sheep is in a state of intense confusion…!
The battle was decided.
With a satisfied smile, Lena raised her left hand high. Resting in her palm was Izumi, clad in Aqua’s water.
“Make the right choice. You can do it, can’t you, smart one?” she said with a gentle smile.
“Come to me. I want you.”
Perfect!
The three familiars cheered in unison.
The [Familiar Contract] has been established! Familiar: Dozing Sheep confirmed! Familiar: Dozing Sheep’s status is now accessible!
Bells rang out triumphantly.
“We did it!” Lena cheered, hopping with joy. “Bed! Bed!” The sheep, now a familiar, blinked in confusion at the stark contrast between the queen-like persona Lena had displayed earlier and her current excited self.
Lily quickly dispelled the [Illusion], while Izumi used Aqua’s water to wash off the gel from the sheep’s wool. Afterward, its white wool was only slightly singed at the tips. The sheep, with its large, round eyes, stared at its now-wet fur in amazement.
The slime gel, far from being flammable, was actually used to extinguish fire. Mixed with water, it created a thick coating that protected the sheep’s fur from the flames.
In more detail: First, the gel extinguished the smoldering leaves that had been stuck to the sheep. Then, Lily dropped more leaves on it, which she set on fire. This fire was real, so even though the fur didn’t burn, the sheep still felt the heat. By making the sheep feel the heat once, it was tricked into believing the surrounding [Illusion] flames were real as well.
Because the sheep had the [Oblivious] Gift, which dulled pain, it didn’t find anything odd about the illusionary flames. This was all part of Lena’s plan, including her act as a villain to amplify the sheep’s fear.
When Lena explained this to the sheep, it stared at her with wide, starry eyes.
“That’s… amazing!”
Lena puffed out her chest, pleased by the praise, though there was little there to puff.
This ruthless plan had been mostly devised by Lena herself. Despite being a kind-hearted girl, her strategies were always incredibly sharp and efficient.
Lena gently cast [Familiar Healing Magic] on the slightly singed parts of the sheep’s wool, balancing her tough tactics with kindness. A greenish light enveloped the sheep, and it relaxed, looking very pleased. Despite its [Oblivious] Gift, the sheep had already regained its composure.
Smiling sweetly, Lena introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you, Dozing Sheep. My name is Toudou Lena. These are your senior familiars: Kureha, Izumi, and Lily. I’m so happy to have you join us! Thank you. Sorry for scaring you earlier. Let’s get along from now on!”
The sheep hopped lightly in response.
“Sure, Queen.”
Uh-oh. It seemed the sheep had gotten the wrong idea about Lena’s role as its master. Considering her earlier performance, it was Lena’s own fault. Surprised by being called “Queen,” Lena froze in place.
“Queen Lenaaaa!”
“Yes, enslave us, Queen Lena!”
Laughter erupted from everyone. The familiars grinned mischievously, and the instructor couldn’t hold back his laughter either.
Only the sheep remained puzzled, cocking its head as the “Queen” chants echoed for a while. Eventually, Lena managed to get them to downgrade the title to “Lena-sama” before they moved on to checking the sheep’s status.
Name: Dozing Sheep (temporary)
Species: Dozing Sheep ♂ LV.6
Affiliation: Black Magic
HP: 19
Intelligence: 13
Agility: 9
Magic Power: 14
Luck: 17
Skills: [Form Change], [Dash], [Peaceful Sleep], [Area Effect]
Gift: [Oblivious] ☆5
Lena explained the skills and gifts.
[Form Change] – Can change body size. Bigger size requires more food.
[Dash] – Increases running speed for a set time based on magic power.
[Peaceful Sleep] – Deep sleep efficiently restores stamina.
[Area Effect] – Expands skill or magic effects within a territory around the user, depending on magic power.
[Oblivious] – Dulls all pain. Mental fortitude is enhanced, making it resistant to mental interference magic. However, if the mind breaks, the user becomes extremely confused.
“This is strong!”
“As expected!”
“Is it? I don’t really get it,” the sheep replied, somewhat confused.
The others marveled at the sheep’s impressive stats. Though its intelligence seemed low at first glance, for a low-level creature, 13 was well above average.
As the familiars buried themselves in the sheep’s fluffy white wool, the sheep already seemed drowsy.
“Lena-sama, I’m sleepy. Please hold me.”
“Oh, sure!”
Lena picked up the sheep, and as soon as it nestled into her arms, it began to softly snore. As expected of the “Dozing Sheep.” Thanks to the [Rare Class Change Trait] that activated when it became Lena’s familiar, it now found comfort being near her.
The sheep’s wool was so large and fluffy that it spilled out from Lena’s slender arms.
“Are you really okay with that as the master? Well, you do look happy.”
“Mm-hm…”
Luka watched the sheep and Lena with a bewildered expression, unsure which of them was the real master. Lena, for her part, was contentedly stroking the sheep’s soft fur, clearly thinking of using it as her bed later. Her face melted into blissful relaxation.
“I’m so excited for bed!”
“Glad to hear it.”
Luka sighed and reached out to touch the wool himself. Hidden inside the fluff was the slime, adding a jiggly texture to the softness. Fluff, jiggle—though the textures were mixed, the wool definitely felt amazing.
“Pervert!”
The usual teasing from Kureha and Izumi went ignored, as everyone enjoyed the sheep’s fluffy wool to the fullest.
The Dozing Sheep has joined the party!
Aim for a class change!