God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 64: Episode 13 _ Tokemon (1)

1.

[Taming (SS): Active]

* Description: The ultimate skill of a tamer who follows the law of the jungle!

‘So that’s what it meant.’ A sigh escaped Han Simin’s lips as he looked at the rabbit squirming in his arms. He hadn’t even had to bop it on the head; the taming had succeeded far too easily. Considering the levels of the monsters he had attempted to tame before, the condition was easy to deduce: the target had to be at a lower level than the player.

‘What kind of bullshit condition is this?’

Of course, it was still an incredible skill. He hadn’t yet confirmed whether it only worked on normal monsters or if it could be used on named ones, but the taming forums were filled with complaints about the great difficulty. While others poured immense effort into taming a single monster, being able to easily tame any lower-level monster offered clear advantages. For example, he could reach level 100, tame a horde of level 99 monsters, and go on a rampage slaughtering low-level players.

‘If I hit the max level, can I even tame a dragon?’

In the end, it was a simple skill that only required leveling up, with no need for any particular stats. Just as enhancement required more sacrifices and rituals as an item’s level increased, it was highly likely that taming would have similar requirements. Nevertheless, he now had a rough idea of how to use his Legendary-class tamer job. If he could just solve one tiny problem, the cornerstone for creating a perfect one-man army would be laid.

“Haah. In the end, it all comes down to my level.”

At this point, he was starting to suspect that Betago was personally targeting him. Did a 550% experience penalty make any sense for a job where levels were everything? Even considering the faster hunting speed from the synergy of his two Legendary jobs, he would have to hunt more than five times harder than other players just to keep up. When others hit level 100, he’d be lucky to reach level 50. How was it possible that leveling up was harder for him than for a player approaching level 40 when they were hunting the same level 45 monsters?

He gently set aside his dream of taming a horde of high-level monsters and bullying other players. It was an impossible dream. For now, he decided to focus on raising the rabbit in his arms.

“Go!” he shouted, tossing the rabbit and pointing at another one that came into view.

The rabbit scurried off and, without a moment’s hesitation, bit its own kind.

"Peep!"

"Squeak-squeak!"

Their levels were the same, and so were their stats. The outcome would be decided by which one fought more tenaciously, and Simin’s rabbit had landed the first strike. After a long battle, the tamed rabbit emerged victorious.

[You have gained experience from a hunt by your tamed monster.]

[Due to the Equal Distribution setting, you will only acquire 50% of the experience.]

A hologram appeared, leaving him speechless.

“What?”

He didn’t care about sharing the rabbit’s minuscule, barely noticeable experience points. That wasn’t the problem.

“Equal distribution my ass!”

The experience required to level up was already astronomical, and now it was being taxed even further? What was this, some kind of pyramid scheme to bleed him dry? If he lost 50% with just one monster, what would happen with two? Three? Four? If he had a hundred, would he only get 1% of the EXP per monster?

He didn’t even want to imagine it. It meant the hell of his 550% experience penalty would effectively be multiplied by a hundred.

‘There has to be a way to change it.’

Yes, there had to be. If a bullshit setting like this couldn’t be changed, then all Tamers must be saints.

“Ooh!”

There it was. He had a knack for finding things like this. After rummaging through the complex hologram menus, Simin found the experience distribution settings for his tamed monsters and immediately changed them to 100% acquisition for the master. It was a very shortsighted choice.

‘...But then how will the pet grow?’

At the same time, he realized why that damn Betago had allowed users to set the experience acquisition ratio. In the end, all responsibility fell on the user. If you had your monster hunt and took all the experience for yourself, your leveling speed might increase, but the monster’s growth would inevitably halt. It would be effective in the short term, but for a tamer—whose tamed monster’s specs were their own—it would lead to long-term regression. On the other hand, if he gave all the experience to his tamed monster, it would take him longer to tame stronger monsters.

“Wow.”

No wonder other tamers complained so much. It must be a massive headache. A tamer who could find that delicate balance would surely shoot up the ranks.

‘As for me...’

Conversely, for Han Simin, it wasn’t really a problem he needed to worry about. Hadn’t he already given up on hunting for himself?

‘First, I’ll raise my pets and let them pay me back for my devotion.’

He couldn’t imagine how much more time and patience it would require. However, the picture forming in his mind told him it was worth enduring and investing in. Believing in that vision, he set off to find more companions.

* * *

An unusual spectacle was unfolding in the beginner hunting grounds.

“What is that?”

“Why are there so many rabbits? Do they normally move in packs like that?”

“Nonsense. I’ve been playing this game for over two months, and I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Then what’s that over there? Look at all those rabbits following that player like he’s the Pied Piper.”

“Is he a tamer?”

“I know a tamer, and he only has four monsters with him.”

“Then what is it?”

Dozens of rabbits were following a single player in beginner’s gear. The sight of him roaming the hunting grounds, continuously adding to his numbers, was bizarre beyond belief. One by one, other players naturally gathered to watch, curious to see where this strange performance would end.

“What... what is that person? What’s his job’s grade to be taming dozens of monsters?” a tamer player exclaimed as he joined the crowd of spectators. This was, after all, a beginner hunting ground, but it was also inside a castle that many players passed through. Even high-level players were taking a short break to watch the scene unfold.

“Normally, tamers have a fixed number of monsters they can tame based on their job’s grade,” the Tamer explained. “I heard a Unique-grade tamer can have twenty, but that person...”

“So you’re saying he’s at least a Special grade?”

“If the number doubles up to Unique...”

‘He might even be Legendary,’ the tamer thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud. If that were true, the situation would be far too infuriating.

“Or maybe he’s just loaded with cash and chugged a bunch of potions to increase his taming limit as soon as he started.”

Either way, it was undeniably a strange situation. To tame so many of the weakest monsters in Fantastic World was an act that deserved to be ridiculed among tamers. Because of this, the tamer player felt a sense of relief. ‘See, this game isn’t just about money.’ What good was it to get a high-grade job through sheer luck or wealth if you didn’t even know how to use it properly?

Even amidst the murmuring of the crowd, the player herding the rabbits didn’t stop. He moved freely, his leather armor and single beginner’s dagger marking him as a complete novice, yet his confident and unhesitating steps made one wonder if he might be a high-level player in disguise.

“Taming!”

Then came the thuggish act that amplified their suspicions. Because he was taming rabbits faster than they could respawn, the number of free-roaming rabbits dwindled, so he began shamelessly snatching them from other players who were in the middle of hunting. The sheer nerve of the guy, ignoring everyone to just go his own way!

“What’s he going to do if he gets punched?”

“Well, I guess he figures that even as a beginner, he’s stronger than the low-level players hunting rabbits. He probably knows that even a decent party wouldn’t stand a chance against that many rabbits.”

The spectators clicked their tongues but also chuckled. In a way, wasn’t this a privilege of gaming? It was bad manners, but for high-level players like themselves to intervene would be a blow to their pride. It felt like an adult getting involved in a kids’ fight. Besides, this level of poor sportsmanship was nothing compared to what went on in high-level hunting grounds.

“Oppa, that’s him! That’s the guy who keeps stealing the rabbits we’re hunting!”

“What? How dare they.”

However, it seemed not all players thought that way. A man in armor and three beginners approached the player herding the rabbits.

“Tsk, tsk. Even in FW...”

“Well, he’s just trying to score some points.”

The expert gamers in the crowd could grasp the situation after hearing just a few words. They simply offered their condolences to the rabbit horder.

“Hey! Were you the one following my Hyejeong around and messing with her hunt?”

While throwing one’s level around wasn’t a pretty sight, the player who had been disrupting another’s hunt wasn’t in the right either. Above all, it was someone else’s business. Why would they bother getting involved when they had a chance to watch the most entertaining things in the world: a fire and a fight? More and more players gathered as the man instigating the conflict grew bolder.

“What are you doing, causing trouble in the beginner hunting grounds, huh? You want me to beat you until you go crying back to mommy? Do you know who I am? Apologize to Hyejeong right now, you punk, and hand over all those rabbits behind you. Do that, and I will forgive you.”

His words and actions had the air of a street punk. Han Simin frowned as he looked at the three beginners standing smugly behind the man.

“Ah, my apologies. I was in a hurry to meet my taming quota and get back to hunting. I didn’t mean to snatch what you were hunting.”

“Yeah, yeah. So leave the rabbits and get going. I was going to demand compensation for damages, but since you apologized right away, I will let it slide today.”

The man was slightly taken aback by the quick apology, but he continued speaking with a smirk.

“But what should I do? I need to raise these rabbits, so I can’t give them to you. Would it be alright if I compensated you with money instead?”

“Money?”

“Yes. Would ten gold coins be enough?”

Before the guy could answer, a clinking sound came from the leather pouch he casually pulled out, revealing a wave of gold coins. The man’s eyes wavered. He had come here, enduring the annoyance, to do a favor for a beginner he was just messing around with, but this was a bigger jackpot than he’d expected. Ten coins were just a number, but in cash, they were $1,100.

“Y-yes. With that much, I’m sure my Hyejeong would be willing to forgive you.”

“Oppa! I asked you to teach him a lesson!” Hyejeong whined.

“Hush! Stay quiet. How could I hit a beginner? It’s embarrassing.”

His much more polite attitude drew smirks from the surrounding crowd. But who cared about that in the face of ten free gold coins? As Simin’s hand moved toward the leather pouch, the man instinctively held out both of his. But because of that, he failed to see the smile forming on Han Simin’s lips.

“Here you go, you bastard.”

Smack!

"Ack!"

A fist emerged and struck the man squarely in the face. It was a clean punch. The onlookers’ jaws dropped. ‘He’s crazy! What audacity! Is he a beginner who doesn’t fear death?’

“This is why being a low-level is great.”

“You can only act that boldly at that stage.”

Everyone assumed it was only possible because he was at a level with no death penalty. It didn’t take long for them to realize how wrong they were.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong with that guy? Is he stunned?”

“No way. From getting hit by a beginner?”

The player who was hit was lying on the ground, unable to get up. Unless he was doing it out of sheer embarrassment, it could only mean one thing.

“You look like you have some levels on you, but how are you going to look after a girl when you’re so weak?” Simin sighed.

Everyone was quiet. The fact that Han Simin was rolling his shoulders as he approached meant he was no beginner. The spectators gulped. ‘What is this? Is there an unexpected twist?’ As if reading their minds, Han Simin lived up to their expectations.

“Get him!” Simin ordered.

He stepped on the fallen player and issued the command. Dozens of rabbits swarmed the man.

* * *