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nTwo days after Ervas and Veronica changed Jobs for the last time, Veronica was currently sitting in her self-made throne inside the 'castle' of the young Igni Kingdom.

nShe seemed a bit conflicted while crossing her legs constantly.

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"Is something wrong with you?

" asked Shade, who was floating at her side.

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"I want to tame a new monster,

" said Veronica.

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"A new… monster? You already have three… four with Ozgeth

" said Shade.

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"Did you call me, Shade-sama?

" asked Ozgeth, as he appeared out of thin air, showing his giant eyeball-like phantasmagoric body covered in tentacles.

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"Would you count yourself as a tamed monster of Veronica?

" asked Shade.

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"I? Well, of course. I have been completely tamed by my lady, I am her loyal servant,

" said Ozgeth with a pleasant smile, which was rather creepy than anything.

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"Then you've tamed four monsters, Veronica,

" said Shade.

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"I know, I know… but my Tame Skill leveled up, so I have the impulse of recruiting a new monster,

" said Veronica, drinking a bit of fruit juice.

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"…And why does that decision troubles you so much? Can't you tame a strong monster in the latest dungeon we visited?

" asked Shade, he really didn't understand what's the deal with Veronica was today.

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"Well…

" muttered Veronica.

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"Excuse my rudeness, my lady… but aren't you giving it too much value to taming a monster? My lady can create a ghost immediately by manipulating the spirits all around if she desired… right? And you could also raise undead… and also you could just use the various plant-type monsters that lord Ervas has charmed… or you could just use your clones?

" asked Ozgeth.

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"…Ozgeth I think you're devaluating my taming too much… I am fairly sure that the Skill 'Tame' by itself already makes those tamed by it different than conventional monsters that I can either raise or charm… or just bring with me. After all, there are slots in the System and all, so it must have some kind of powerup or advantage that other monsters that follow me don't get

" said Veronica.

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"I see…

" said Ozgeth.

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"You could take Aqua as the first example, I am pretty sure that just by taming a Slime it shouldn't be possible for it to become capable of talking so fast… And her growth is also quite outstanding… so I want to tame a monster that is quite weak, so it can have the highest potential

" said Veronica.

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"A weak monster? Well, in the circumstances that my lady is talking about… the weaker the monster that receives becomes your tamed monster through the Tame Skill, the more potential it should be capable of having… If that is the case… which monster have you been thinking about, Lady Veronica?

" asked Ozgeth.

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"That's why I am thinking it for some time… it is taking me some time to reconsider what I should tame… Nidhogg was tamed as a Rank 3 monster, but I want to try out with something weaker this time

" said Veronica.

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"Maybe a Demon Rat or a Horned Rabbit?

" suggested Shade.

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"Ah! You are right! Which monster could be more deserving of it than the most forgotten of them all? Rats and Horned Rabbits… we just hunt them for food, but what about taming one? This is pretty original, I like it!

" said Veronica, filling herself with enthusiasm.

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"I-I'm glad I was able to help…

" muttered Shade, a bit confused about Veronica's thought process.

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"I'm also glad my lady has found herself something to do,

" said Ozgeth.

nVeronica then went with Shade, Ozgeth, and Aqua to the outskirts of the Kingdom, the Devil Forest, foraging for a wild Horned Rabbit or Demon Rat, whichever lucky one came first.

nVeronica even considered taming the other whenever she acquired a new Tame Slot…

nDemon Rats and Horned Rabbits were quite common monsters all across Kritias, often considered as plague and not really as threatening monsters that people feared, as even weak civilians were capable of hunting and defeating them.

nBecause they were monsters, their meat would be often nutritious and filled with calories, and because they were cheaper and more common than cattle animals such as cows or chickens, they often became widely hunted in small villages or towns… in some cases, there have even been cases of villages using them like cattle, but because of their instability as monsters, it is often hard to breed them and nurture them into non-aggressive behaviors.

nTheir meat was nutritious due to the mana that naturally flowed through their bodies as monsters, and some of their body parts could even be used as materials for alchemy, so even if they were the weakest of monsters, their existence and fast proliferation maintained a large number of people, from humans to elves, dwarves, beast-people, and demons.

nIn the Devil Forest, there are countless colonies of underground monsters, especially of Rank 1 to 2 Demon Rats and Horned Rabbits.

nEvery so often, both species of monsters would clash against each other in small guerrillas underground for territory and food, which often came in the form of whatever they could gulp down, but because they preferred calory rich food, tuberculous growing underground or fruit trees were often fought over by many groups.

nThese monsters might not have high intelligence but possessed a strong desire for survival, like any living being, and by fighting for better food, they could assure their survival better… well, aside from constantly breeding and reproducing.

nOne of such families of Demon Rats had recently lost against a territorial battle with a family of Horned Rabbits and were expelled from their territory.

nThe sharp horns of the Horned Rabbits were too strong against the thin and soft skin of the Demon Rats, although Demon Rats held a greater bite, they ultimately lost to the Horned Rabbits, losing their underground caves and the delicious roots that grew there.

nThe family was rather large, but it quickly became smaller as they were naturally hunted by other animals, such as Birds, Wolves, or Wild Cats… after all, these monsters were at the bottom of the food chain, and their destiny was often to end in the stomach of something bigger than to actually die out of old age.

nHowever, even after being predated so much, they would be too many to go extinct, and due to the fluctuating mana in the Devil Forest, they would reproduce at great speed, creating families after families, which would separate from their parents and spread across the Devil Forest…

nThe family that was expelled by the Horned Rabbits quickly diminished their numbers, until only a single of such Demon Rats remained, it was not even a Giant Demon Rat, of Rank 2, but just a simple Demon Rat of Rank 1, it had luckily survived the attack of a pack of wolves, a wild cat and various birds of prey such as falcons.

nThe Demon Rat, who had approximately the size of a house cat, with black fur and crimson eyes was running around the Devil Forest while eating mushrooms or smaller insects, it kept its senses active at all times, as it was worried that something might come out at some point and eat it alive… the life of the ones at the bottom of the food chain was hard.

nDangers at any corner of the Devil Forest, without being in the safety of their subterranean caves, the Demon Rats quickly died down one after another… They could not simply make a new cave as they were expulsed right at daylight… at least if it were at night, there might be some chance to quickly burrow in the ground and escape predators, but in such a place like the Devil Forest, where there were monsters at every corner, it was very hard to do this at day.

nThe young Demon Rat suddenly felt the aroma of something incredibly enticing, a delicious piece of freshly cut meat, even the blood smelt delicious… perhaps the corpse of some monster was left by a predator?

nThe rat couldn't certainly lose this opportunity, obeying its instincts to feed itself, as just by eating mushrooms it couldn't maintain its monster metabolism for much longer, it flew towards the piece of meat, only to find danger… or so it thought.

nIn front of the rat, a tall woman was wearing a full set of armor, Veronica.

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"Ah, it worked, one came running right here… Hello, little… boy or girl? We'll see what you are after I tame you

" she said.

nThe rat wanted to run away for its life, but it seemed paralyzed by something… the aura that Veronica was emanating tightly wrapped around the weak Rank 1 monster like a tight hug, it was her Aura of Fear, which Veronica was using not to kill but to paralyze.

nThe Demon Rat felt its heart race incredibly fast, it was about to die out of cardiac arrest. So Veronica had to quickly tame it and calm it down.

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"Calm down, calm down! You're in your lucky day, little mouse

" said Veronica, petting the Demon Rat as she gives it the piece of Wyvern meat.

nThe Demon Rat could not believe what was happening right now… why was he being fed?

nWasn't he going to be killed and eaten like all his siblings?

nHowever, such thoughts would not remain much longer in the primitive brain of a Demon Rat of Rank 1, as it quickly began to eat the piece of meat with great vigor as Veronica petted its silky black fur.

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"There, there… Now, Tame

" said Veronica, activating the Tame skill.

nA small lump of darkness emerged from within Veronica's soul, engulfing the Demon Rat.

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"Chuuuu!

"

nThe Demon Rat released a small cry of fear, but it quickly calmed down as it suddenly felt at ease with Veronica.

nYou have tamed a Rank 1: Demon Rat Monster!

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"Chuu…?

"

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"It worked! What a brave boy you are… Hmm, what name should I give to you?

" wondered Veronica.

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"Chuuu…

" muttered the Demon Rat, feeling at ease with Veronica's words after being tamed.

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"How about… Kyuu!

" said Veronica.

nThe Demon Rat seemed to have understood its new name, as it stood in two feet and glanced at Veronica with its crimson eyes.

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"He seems to like it, my lady,

" said Ozgeth.

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"Kyuu, it's a cute name,

" said Shade.

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"A new sibling! A new sibling, guuu!

" said Aqua.

nAfter taming Kyuu, Veronica decided to bring it to the nearest dungeon to level up while feeding it a lot of meat, as it seemed to have been starving.

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