TAHR Ch 12

[General] Mollamolla: lol

Then, after one last glance at the silent Dambi, he entered the taming zone.

“Yes, this is it.”

He finally felt the knot in his stomach loosen. It wasn’t a complete relief, but it was something. The important thing was that he’d gotten one over on Dambi.

Unfortunately, the tamed monster turned out to be a 3-star. It should have been at least a 4-star… Jaein left the taming zone, suppressing his disappointment.

As he stepped out, Dambi was waiting close by, seemingly having approached while he was inside. He couldn’t quite discern Dambi’s mood from his gaze and was pondering how to provoke him when a baffling emote suddenly popped up.

<Dambi cheers and applauds Mollamolla.>

“Applause? Why is he applauding me?”

Dambi unexpectedly used an emote typically reserved for congratulations or celebrations. It didn’t seem like a mistake. What was he up to?

[General] Dambi: Impressive lol

[General] Dambi: As expected of a crazy bastard

[General] Mollamolla: ?

[General] Dambi: You used a scroll just for a 3-star?

[General] Dambi: lolololololol

[General] Dambi: If you have that kind of money, you should upgrade your gear. You could’ve reached rank 2 then

[General] Dambi: As expected of rank 3… can’t be helped, huh?

“…Huh?”

Jaein was momentarily speechless, letting out a hollow laugh. He could understand Dambi looking up his rank, but saying “can’t be helped because you’re rank 3″…? Was he seeing things?

[General] Dambi: And I guess you’re not planning on making any more excuses?

[General] Dambi: Seeing you chase me down and harass me like this

[General] Dambi: Truly impressive personality lol

[General] Dambi: Should I thank you for not asking to buy the monster? lol

“Ha, haha, hahahaha!”

Dambi’s continued taunts finally made Jaein burst into laughter. It wasn’t laughter of amusement, but the kind where anger built up with each chuckle.

Jaein ran his hand down his face, his hand clenched tight.

To be able to mess with someone this much after only two encounters… In a way, he was a formidable opponent. Infuriatingly so…

Having heard the worst possible insults—being called a mere rank 3, having his personality questioned—Jaein felt oddly liberated. If he was being a jerk to Dambi, it was only natural that Dambi would be a jerk back to him. There was never any pretense of courtesy or manners between them, anyway.

With a fierce glint in his eyes, Jaein pounded on his keyboard, pouring all his emotions into his reply.

[General] Mollamolla: lolol Trying to be like you

[General] Mollamolla: I’m better than a delusional prick like you lol

[General] Mollamolla: They say severe delusions are a disease

[General] Mollamolla: Why don’t you go see a doctor?

[General] Dambi: lol

[General] Dambi: Thanks for the concern, but I’m more worried about you;;

[General] Dambi: I haven’t heard of any hospitals that fix personalities…

[General] Dambi: You’ll have to live with it forever, you okay with that?

“Phew…”

Jaein took a deep breath, calming his heaving chest and suppressing his anger as much as possible. Cursing would mean defeat. He absolutely couldn’t get sucked in.

[General] Mollamolla: About that

[General] Mollamolla: There actually is a way to fix it

[General] Mollamolla: But I can’t do it alone, you have to help me

[General] Mollamolla: Can you help me ㅠㅠ?

Dambi was silent for a moment, seemingly surprised by the unexpected response.

“What, did you think I’d just lash out in anger? You’re mistaken if you thought you were the only one who could be sarcastic. I’m the one who cured Ttunttuni’s low blood pressure; I’d be disappointed if you were surprised by something this trivial.”

Jaein smirked, looking at Dambi.

[General] Mollamolla: It’s really nothing much

[General] Mollamolla: Just…..

[General] Dambi: ?

[General] Mollamolla: You just have to stay with me lol

[General] Mollamolla: You’re my precious personality cure ♡

[General] Dambi: ????????

[General] Mollamolla: So, I look forward to it?

[General] Dambi: Are you crazy?

Using a heart emote he’d never used before, Jaein teased him gently, and Dambi shuddered. The tone, combined with the implied threat of constant harassment, seemed to have hit a nerve. The reaction was so satisfying that the goosebumps he’d been getting subsided. How’s it feel? Annoying, isn’t it?

Well, if he was happy about it, that would be just as crazy.

As he was pondering how to tease him further, as if by some twist of fate, a monster respawned behind Dambi. Just like before, the timing was uncanny.

“No way, there’s no way, right?”

Despite his doubts, Jaein felt strangely certain. A tamable monster would definitely appear there.

The atmosphere, the situation, and the timing were all too perfect. If there was ever a time to set the stage, it was now.

Sure enough, as the blurry figure came into focus, a giant rabbit appeared, proudly displaying the diamond pointer above its head.

“Wow, I’m speechless.”

He couldn’t deny it any longer. He had to accept the fact that he was inextricably linked to this guy by some dirty fate. Since fate was pushing them to fight like this, he had to play along.

Jaein chuckled and brushed past Dambi, who was still unaware of the monster’s respawn. Dambi finally turned around, saw the tamable monster, and hurriedly chased after him.

Although there was a gap between them, it wasn’t enough to be complacent against a Valkyrie, so he used a movement speed increase scroll.

“Even if it’s just a 3-star, using a scroll is better than letting you have it, Dambi.”

It might seem like he was wasting valuable gold, but it wasn’t really the case.

Ranking up, winning competitions, it was all for his own satisfaction, wasn’t it? Even though he was a gaming addict with plenty of money, he didn’t use gold inefficiently. He used it when necessary, and right now, he was using it for victory and satisfaction, making it a practical investment.

Frankly, if he was trembling at the thought of using a scroll, he wouldn’t be a top-ranked player. He could do this because he had the financial means.

Anyway, the bottom line was that using a scroll for Dambi was nothing. It was worth it for the greater satisfaction he’d gain. Until he made Dambi submit, it was war. All-out war.

Just then, he heard an unusual sound effect from behind.

Turning the screen, he saw a whirlwind swirling beneath Dambi’s feet. That familiar effect…

“What, he used one too?”

It was the effect of a movement speed increase scroll, the same one swirling beneath his own feet.

“He was giving me crap about using an expensive scroll for a mere 3-star.”

Jaein smirked and scoffed. Dambi seemed to have realized that this wasn’t just a simple fight anymore. It wasn’t just about pride; if this situation continued, he would likely fail at taming.

As Dambi charged, Jaein used his skills and dashed forward to avoid losing the monster due to carelessness. Since they were both using scrolls, he couldn’t be sure who had the advantage, so he had to get ahead.

As he ran, the moment the monster entered his effective range, he quickly used his skill.

At a similar moment, something whizzed past from behind and flew towards the Giant Rabbit at incredible speed.

“What?”

The golden streak of light, presumably a skill, trailing a long tail, seemed unreal.

Valkyries didn’t have skills that reached from that distance, did they?

…Could it be?

He glanced back urgently and saw a Brave Eagle next to Dambi, its golden feathers fluttering majestically. The Brave Eagle was known for having the longest-range skill among monsters, making it notoriously difficult to tame. The fact that a Conimon version of it could use that skill meant…

“A 5-star Brave Eagle?”