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, since 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, which is 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 like heat from a forge.
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 while his eyes glowed with that 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 system. 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, though that guy annoys me, 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, though not completely. The weasel's light dimmed too, but there was still something dangerous in the air around him. 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 dirty looks at their hot-headed teammate, who grumbled but backed off, clearly feeling the pressure. Jolly stepped forward again, and Vell noticed something interesting—she moved to position herself between him and the exit, subtle but deliberate.
"I'm sorry about him, he has some anger issues." She smiled, but he caught how her eyes kept flicking to his weasel, studying it with an intensity that didn't match her casual tone.
"Well, it's fine," he said, waving it off while filing that observation away. "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, and it can corrupt humans if they're exposed to it for too long. That's pretty much all we know, humans can't wield it since some have tried but it didn't end well."
Vell listened, his expression serious as he scanned each of them. "Got it, so do you all know that you have corrupted mana inside your bodies?"
The friendly atmosphere shattered instantly. Jolly's face twisted in anger, and in a flash she was on him, her hand gripping his throat with ease—too fast for someone claiming to be a low-rank player.
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.
But Vell noticed something odd. Her grip was firm but not crushing, positioned to look threatening without actually cutting off his air. Like she was putting on a show.
'Interesting, she's holding back, why?'
"Think about it," he choked out, playing along with the theatrics. "Why did we repel when I sent my mana into your body?"
She tightened her grip slightly, and he saw something in her eyes—not anger, but hidden intention. She was watching his reaction, testing him.
Then she suddenly released him and took a step back, her expression shifting to confusion. The transition was smooth, practiced, like an actor hitting their mark.
"So you're saying the Association is poisoning us?" she asked, her voice tight with what sounded like genuine concern.
"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 shot it out, breaking the orb, which is why I ran."
The angry guy stepped forward again, and to everyone's surprise, he just sat down next to Vell with a serious expression.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"Wanna test it out?" He held out his hand.
The guy stared at him for a few seconds, then grabbed Vell's hand with a grunt. Vell smirked and transferred a bit more mana than necessary, sending the guy flying backward with his hand smoking slightly.
Jolly glanced at Vell, and for just a moment, he saw something that looked like genuine bloodlust in her eyes before she covered it with concern for her teammate. The mask slipped for just a second, but he caught it.
"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?"
The guy started to draw his sword and Vell's eyes began glowing again, but before either could move, Jolly showed them who was really in charge. She released her aura, a powerful wave that slammed both of them to the ground.
But here's what was interesting—the pressure on Vell was significantly stronger than what hit her teammate. She was specifically targeting him, testing his limits, measuring his actual strength.
"That is your last warning, both of you," she said coldly, though Vell noticed she was watching him carefully for his reaction to her power display.
'Damn, she is scary, but why is she testing me like this?'
He sat back up, rubbing his throat where her fingers had left marks. He glanced at the angry guy, who was still on the ground drooling slightly, and 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?"
Vell paused deliberately. '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.]
"No," he lied, watching their reactions carefully. "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, but Vell caught Jolly making a subtle hand signal to the quiet girl in the back—three fingers, then a closed fist.
Some kind of code.
"What can we do to help?" Jolly asked finally, her voice dripping with false sincerity that the others seemed to miss.
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 firmly. "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."
Vell noticed how she said "nothing to lose" while her hand rested on her weapon, thumb tracing the pommel in a specific pattern. Another signal?
"But the prize money for his capture..." the angry guy whined.
The quiet girl finally spoke up, staring at Vell with sharp eyes. "We can make that much in a day, stop whining. I agree with Jolly, we should help him." She paused, her gaze boring into him. "But this guy... he gives off a bad vibe. He may be weaker than us, but I still see him as someone dangerous."
At least someone had good instincts.
'She's sharp as ever, and she's right too,' Jolly thought, though Vell caught her shooting the quiet girl a warning look. 'But if we can get him to trust us, finding out what his real ability is will be worth the risk.'
"Hmm," Vell said, deciding to play along with whatever game they were running. "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, supposedly dumbfounded.
"That's... actually not a bad idea," Jolly said slowly, as if thinking it through. "We could say you're our porter, someone we hired to carry supplies. They don't check porters as carefully."
The smart one frowned. "That's technically illegal, if we get caught—"
"We won't get caught," Jolly interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I know people who can help with the paperwork."
She turned back to Vell with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "What do you say? Partnership? You help us with this corrupted mana thing, and we help you get stronger. Everyone wins."
Vell pretended to consider it, though he'd already made up his mind. Whatever game Jolly was playing, keeping her close meant keeping an eye on her. And if she was connected to whoever was controlling people with corrupted mana...
"Deal," he said, shaking her hand.
Her grip was firm, and for a moment, he felt her probe him with her mana—subtle, testing, searching for something. He let a little of his power leak through, just enough to make her eyes widen slightly.
[Master, I don't trust this woman.]
'Neither do I, but sometimes the best way to find out who your enemies are is to let them think they've got you right where they want you.'
[That's a dangerous game.]
'My whole life is dangerous now. At least this way, I get to choose the danger.'