Chapter 26 – The Dungeon Tamer
While I remained unconscious, I found myself in a strange vision.
I saw five of my tames—but not in their current forms. The black wolf pup was Aisha. The golden, bipedal lizard was Reshia. The silver baby serpent was Luna. The little sky-blue fox was Yuki. And the tiny boar was Hilda.
They were the first monsters I ever tamed.
But then… I saw others—five unfamiliar figures: a deer, a fish, a ram, a bat, and a raven. I didn't recall taming them, yet they stood beside me, happy and peaceful, as if they had always been part of my life.
Then everything changed.
Flames engulfed my vision. My heart stopped.
Aisha—decapitated and torn apart.
Reshia and Luna—tortured and abused until they perished.
Yuki—bound to a burning cross, screaming in pain.
Hilda—beaten to death by unseen monsters.
"No… No, this can't be…!" I choked. My breathing quickened. My mind shattered under the weight of grief.
I screamed and thrashed within my own mind.
But then—whispers called out.
The vision burned away into shadows. Standing before me were five creatures—eerie, spectral, yet majestic.
A towering moose-like deer with no visible eyes.
A glowing, patterned fish hovering as if underwater.
A giant ram wrapped in blooming briars.
An albino bat with radiant wings.
And a deep-blue raven that stood in silence.
Each of them spoke into my mind:
> "Don't believe what you see," said the moose.
"They're playing with your mind," said the fish.
"Please… help us," the ram whispered.
"The gods are evil," said the bat.
"Listen only to the voice you love," said the raven.
I calmed down. Their voices brought clarity. Hope.
Why did the ram ask for help? Were they the dungeon bosses? Were they the ones trapped?
Suddenly, a familiar light appeared. A warm glow approached me.
---
Meanwhile, back home…
My mother couldn't sleep. Her heart felt heavy, her instincts restless.
My father worried as well, especially with her pregnancy. But it was clear—my mother feared for me most of all.
She looked out the window and whispered:
> "My daughters-in-law… please, keep Ares safe. All of you… protect my son."
---
Back in my mind…
Their voices reached me.
> "Darling!" Aisha cried.
"Master!" Reshia wept.
"Dear!" Luna called out.
"Ares~!" Yuki's voice echoed.
"Husband!" Hilda added with tears.
I tried to speak. I tried to answer them.
But I couldn't.
> "Don't leave us!!" they shouted in unison.
Suddenly—my final artifact glowed inside my inventory.
Two tiger spirits emerged from the light, enveloping me.
The Daggers of Byakko.
My body surged with power as the spirits of the white tigers roared through me.
---
At the Dungeon Maker Room
> "What!?" Dengka shouted. "How did he do that!?"
> "Serdeck!! Look what you did!" Cynthia gasped, glaring at the Evil Goddess of Charity.
> "He's just lucky to get that drop…" Serdeck replied, nervously twiddling her fingers.
> "OI!! Is he really a TAMER?" Dengka shouted again, watching me with disbelief.
---
Back to my dungeon…
I opened my eyes, glowing with new resolve. The tiger daggers pulsed in my hands.
Aisha gasped, turning to see me. "Darling…?"
"I'm sorry I made you wait," I said, standing up beside her.
She dropped her weapon and threw herself into my arms.
"I thought I lost you," she sobbed.
"I saw horrible things… I thought you all had died," I whispered, holding her tight. "But now, I know it wasn't real."
She held me longer, silently crying with relief.
Then, at the end of the hallway—something stirred.
A colossal figure emerged. Antlers scraping the ceiling. Black mist clinging to its hooves.
The dungeon boss had arrived.
"Is that the one?" I asked, gripping the Daggers of Byakko.
Aisha nodded. "Yes, Darling. You have to tame it!"
Lightning surged around me as I activated my Thunder Magic. The hallway lit up in flickers of lightning.
Aisha followed close behind, her bird spirits flanking her—Hellfire and Blood spirit birds at her side.
We entered the Death Chamber.
There, it stood:
> Rank-S Dungeon Boss: Silent Deathorns
With the daggers glowing in my grip, I activated my All my Class Skill and charged.
I tossed a pouch into the air—canisters of monster blood I'd collected before the dungeon. Aisha slammed her axe into them, coating herself in the blood.
Combining her Hellfire and Blood Magic, she ignited the blood, the spirits forming wings of crimson flame.
Her weapon transformed into the Vermilion Axe.
She descended like a phoenix, slamming the boss into the ground.
"Now, Darling!!" she shouted.
I dashed forward, glowing with lightning. I reached out—not with chains, but with trust.
And in that moment… the bond formed.
> "You've waited long enough, Merlin. Now let's go home."
I cast Tame.
---
Back to the gods…
> "He—he tamed the boss!?" Serdeck gasped.
> "He's a Dungeon Tamer!" Dengka shouted in fury.
---
Back to me…
The boss's form shrank, surrounded by radiant light.
From the mist emerged a tall, majestic moosetaur—a beautiful white-skinned female with emerald eyes and olive-green hair. Her lower body remained moose-like, powerful and graceful.
> "Master… thank you," she said softly.
"Welcome to the family, Merlin," I smiled.
"Darling, look!" Aisha shouted.
A crack formed in the wall behind us—dark shapes approached.
Enemy monsters.
Merlin raised her hand and summoned a horde of undead of her own.
Our undead against theirs.
Aisha and Merlin nodded to each other.
With her Blood Sense and Merlin's Soul Sense, they pinpointed Ion's and others by blood and soul.
Merlin knelt down.
"Climb on," she said.
Aisha and I mounted her back. I conjured Boneterra Shield in front of us.
Aisha raised her Vermilion Axe. Merlin's Necroflames ignited below.
And we charged—blasting through the dungeon wall with a roar.
---
At Ion's dungeon…
Inside the spiral cavern, Ion muttered disturbing words as he walked toward Hilda and Reshia.
> "I have them… I can have them…"
A spectral creature swam past and slammed its tail against him, knocking him back.
The walls cracked—light breaking through.
Hilda and Reshia held each other tightly.
> "Allow me to barge in!" I shouted as Merlin crashed through the spiral structure—
—and we arrived.