The Cursed Blacksmith Who Regressed - Chapter 81

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 81

The test had begun.

However, all the applicants were dumbfounded.

They wondered if this was really a proper test.

But they soon came to their senses and began to move.

This was an opportunity.

An opportunity that could absolutely change their lives if they succeeded.

The people who came to their senses first picked up weapons and armor one by one.

These were all things they had used before.

The Daesan series was all the rage these days for its cost-effectiveness, and you’d be called a fool if you didn’t use it.

Thanks to this, everyone picked out familiar items and entered the dungeon.

[ You are entering the dungeon, ‘Forgotten Supply Depot’. ]

You could form a party, but dungeons allowed simultaneous entry even without forming one.

That was the advantage and charm of dungeons.

The dungeon entrance looked like a mine entrance, and as soon as they stepped inside, everything around them lit up in blue tones, revealing a spacious 1st floor.

The 1st floor was a massive place reminiscent of an actual supply depot, with shelves installed everywhere and all sorts of items piled up.

“Hehehe.”

“Hihihi.”

“Hahaha.”

It was right after they set foot in the dungeon.

Laughter began to echo from various places.

It was the sound made by Living Eyes.

Living Eyes, whose main method was hiding in objects and launching surprise attacks, had characteristically low combat power, so they tended to intimidate first like this.

But the applicants weren’t fooled.

Those were nothing more than simple cries.

Then, among the applicants, one large and bold man stepped forward with heavy footsteps.

At that moment, one of the Living Eyes that had been waiting for an opportunity, hiding in a sword, rushed toward the man.

“Behind you!”

Another applicant alerted him to the Living Eye’s surprise attack.

As soon as the man heard the warning, he turned his head and struck the flying sword with the mace he was holding.

Clang!

The Living Eye fell away helplessly.

He approached and tapped the sword with his mace.

Clang clang clang clang clang!

Soon after, a grayish liquid leaked out from the mace.

It was the Living Eye that couldn’t withstand the mace’s impact and had come out of the sword.

Crack!

The man struck down on the emerged Living Eye.

The Living Eye trembled and convulsed, and the man continued to beat it.

The basic principle of taming was to bring monsters to a near-death state.

That way, they would be in a state that was easy to tame.

Of course, he couldn’t kill it.

For this reason, Tamers could see monsters’ stamina values.

After a while, when the Living Eye’s stamina hit rock bottom, the man didn’t miss the chance and cast taming.

[ Taming is activated. ]

Flash!

Both the man’s body and the Living Eye’s body glowed simultaneously.

The man’s heart pounded.

Since becoming a Tamer, this was the most nerve-wracking moment since his first taming attempt.

[ You are taming a Living Eye. ]

[ Taming successful. ]

He succeeded.

At the same time, the man unconsciously shouted.

“I did it!!”

The man who succeeded in taming immediately headed out of the dungeon with the near-death Living Eye.

The passing condition for the first test was taming one Living Eye.

Having achieved his goal, there was no more business here.

Right after the first successful candidate appeared.

“Me, me too!”

“I need to hurry…!”

“Damn it!”

Everyone began rushing toward the Living Eyes in their urgency.

Seeing this, An U-ju scratched her chin and said.

“Hey.”

Kim Ha-geom, who was there as a safety assistant with her, answered.

“What.”

“What do you think the President is thinking?”

“About what.”

“About the Tamers.”

“Didn’t you hear? He’s creating an unmanned raid team.”

“I heard. Also about coordinating with Necromancers. But no matter how I look at it, it seems inefficient to me. Frankly speaking, if he’s going to coordinate with Necromancers, wouldn’t it be better to coordinate with other summoners or ranged dealers like me? We could deal with the monsters first, then the Necromancers could use those corpses to create undead.”

“That’s…”

Honestly, it was hard to deny.

Tame monsters to use as an advance guard, then when the monsters die, revive them with Necromancers to use again.

Create an ideal raid team that sweeps the battlefield with summons without a single person getting hurt.

The theory was good.

But from their perspective as field operators, it looked inefficient no matter how they viewed it.

That’s when it happened.

– Just trust him.

It was Geomseung.

– What would commoners like you understand by looking? You just need to follow orders without thinking when your superiors tell you to do something.

“What is that crazy sword saying now?”

– What? Are you saying you’re smarter than Choi Hyun?

“That’s not it, but…”

– Then shut up and just do what you’re told. Your master is a human so intelligent that he can’t even be compared to humans like you.

“Sigh… He’s only saying correct things, so I can’t argue back.”

– Tsk tsk, stupid thing.

“That guy really…!”

“Stop it. Master is right. We just need to do what we’re told and watch. Anyway, even if we wanted to understand right now, it would be something we couldn’t understand.”

“…Tsk.”

An U-ju clicked her tongue and focused on the front again.

Every word was correct, but it was frustrating.

* * *

A few hours later.

Surprisingly, in less than 3 hours, all 101 applicants accomplished the feat of taming Living Eyes.

Everyone gathered in front of the dungeon with their respective Living Eyes, and after Choi Hyun confirmed their Living Eyes, he smiled and said.

“As expected, I knew you would all succeed. Congratulations to everyone.”

When Choi Hyun clapped, everyone followed suit.

A harmonious atmosphere.

Choi Hyun spoke.

“Now, before the next test, let’s take some time to explain a few things. Please rest while you listen. Do any of you know why Tamers are weak?”

At that moment, a man sitting in the front row answered.

“Because they have few skills?”

“That’s one reason, I suppose. But what’s a more fundamental reason?”

This time, another woman answered.

“Taming skill efficiency is really poor.”

“How so?”

“A Tamer’s strength lies in the monsters they’ve tamed, but while other classes get more skills to utilize as they level up in each tier, Tamers are limited to about two or three decent monsters at most if they want to tame and use something worthwhile.”

Another person added to the conversation.

“That’s right. In reality, if you want to control something decent, you’re practically limited to just one monster.”

“That’s another reason. What else?”

At those words, everyone began sharing their opinions.

“There are limits to growth too. Even if you tame a weak monster early on and raise it with utmost care, the moment you encounter a higher-tier creature, no matter how well you’ve raised yours, it simply can’t compete. So you’re forced to tame new ones, but as your level increases, this cycle becomes too short to properly raise each tamed monster, and it becomes increasingly difficult to tame new ones.”

“That’s why some people equip their tamed monsters with gear, but this is also highly inefficient. There isn’t much equipment suitable for monsters to begin with, and if you only tame Goblin or Orc-type monsters just to use human equipment, you run into the problem the previous person mentioned.”

“It seems the same even when taming boss-level monsters. Even if you tame and raise a low-level boss, it can sometimes be weaker than mid-level regular monsters. And if you mismanage it and it dies, you lose everything you’ve built up.”

“The taming environment is also problematic. For a Tamer to become strong, they need good monsters, and to get good monsters, they need to go to good Areas, but when they actually go, no one will party with them. They get scorned for experience distribution issues or accused of getting carried. So at most they end up taming Field Dungeon monsters, but even that only works once or twice…”

Reasons for their weakness poured out from all around.

Choi Hyun responded to those words.

“Everything you’ve said is correct. Tamers face many difficulties due to the unique conditions of taming skills. To become strong as a Tamer, you need powerful monsters, and those monsters must also have high growth potential, and if your tamed monster dies, you lose all your combat power in one go. That’s why they belong to the lowest commoner class in the job tier rankings. But everyone, there is a way for Tamers with these conditions to become nobility class.”

“Nobility?”

“Yes, you know the jobs called 1st tier? Like Healers and Buffers.”

“How?”

“You change your position. Not as a dealer or tank, but as a supporter.”

“What?”

“A supporter?”

“Us?”

At the mention of supporters, everyone’s faces showed question marks.

Kim Ha-geom and An U-ju, who were listening along, were the same.

Choi Hyun’s words continued.

“I think the position Tamers should take isn’t dealer or tank, but supporter. Because unlike Elementalists or other summoners who can continuously bring out summons, and it’s not like you have other skills besides taming, right? So how could a Tamer become a dealer or tank?”

“Then how do you provide support?”

“You do it with Living Eyes.”

“Living Eyes?”

“You saw when you faced the Living Eyes earlier, right? Living Eyes control objects they’ve possessed and attack people with those objects themselves.”

“Right?”

“Then thinking conversely, isn’t it that for Living Eyes, the target they possess is more important than the Living Eye itself becoming stronger?”

“That’s… right?”

“Then think about it once. What if the object a Living Eye possessed was a pretty good weapon?”

“Hmm?”

“What if the object a Living Eye possessed was heavy shackles that are hard to remove? And then you put those shackles on a monster?”

“Huh?”

“Or what if the object a Living Eye possessed was armor full of curse options? And you put that on a monster or person?”

“…Huh?”

“What if a Living Eye possessed a potion and dropped the potion liquid on our team from high up? Or if it possessed acid or various offensive consumables and provided supporting fire?”

“…Oh.”

“Living Eyes are monsters that are easy to tame. So they don’t require many stats, and when a Tamer’s level increases, you can actually control more Living Eyes than you’d think. Imagine giving each of those Living Eyes a weapon with good options. And then stabbing them all into an enemy at once like the flying sword techniques in martial arts novels?”

“Wow?”

“Or what about poison needles coated with deadly toxins? I think this is what Tamer combat should be like. Not from the front lines, but from the rear, using tamed monsters for assassination or supporting fire.”

Choi Hyun clapped his hands twice.

Then staff members who had been waiting in the distance appeared before the applicants, pulling carts.

“As they say, seeing is believing, so experience it for yourselves. These are items that Living Eyes can use. We’ve prepared various types from mana bombs to poison needles, daggers, cursed items, and more. Try running through the field with these. Then you’ll naturally understand what I’m trying to say.”

At that moment.

The hearts of the 101 Tamers present began pounding like crazy.

It was the moment a new world opened up for them.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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