Monster Taming Broadcast

In the midst of the suddenly appeared group of Centaurs, a female Centauress stepped forward. She revealed that they bore no hostility towards us and explained that they were the offspring of Explorers.

Pururu: “What kind of nonsense is this? How can a Monster be the child of an Explorer?”

Yumi: “Could it be that the Explorer wasn’t human?”

Mysticism:

The Explorer must have been human. After all, the Labyrinth selects humans as Explorers.

However, it might not have been the same species as me. Just because they have to be of the same species as humans on Earth doesn’t mean that’s the only way to qualify as human.

What defines ‘human’?

Creatures that think, use language, create and utilize tools, and live in societies. This is the definition of humans that we know.

If we go by this definition, Centaurs could very well be considered humans, just as I treat Rize as a ‘human’ from another world.

There is no essential distinction in this world. The boundary between human and monster is merely an arbitrary decision made by the mages of the Other World.

Additionally, the definition of humans provided by the Labyrinth might differ from ours.

Drifters that are not born from the Labyrinth. Among them, creatures with high intelligence. Intelligent life forms that live in other dimensions. The Labyrinth may treat all of them as humans and select them as Explorers.

The terms ‘human’ and ‘monster’ seem to be explanations made by the Labyrinth for my understanding.

Creatures residing in the Ancient Labyrinth are recognized as monsters by me, so it was presumed that the Labyrinth chose the words based on my perceptions.

“Kirik. It’s over.”

Just as I was organizing my thoughts, the Psycho Clown tugged at my sleeve. I must have finished whispering my request to the creature while cautiously eyeing the Centaurs.

“There’s no falsehood in their words. It’s all true, Kirik.” The Clown asserted. It seemed they weren’t cunning monsters pretending for some ulterior motive.

Yumi: “You read their thoughts already? But telepathy sounds incredible!”

Pururu: “For real, it’s a cheat ability.”

Mysticism:

“Does that mean we can trust them?”

“Yes.”

I turned my gaze back to the group of Centaurs. They still seemed devoid of hostility. If the Clown’s telepathy couldn’t detect any ill intent, I could let my guard down a little.

For now, I decided to listen to more of the Centaurs’ story.

*

The group of Centaurs was quite friendly towards us. However, they weren’t friendly to all Explorers.

“We only help the Supported Ones. Explorers with other traits do not receive our assistance.” Centaur A said.

“Help the Supported Ones. Ignore the Lone Ones. Kill the Rulers. This was the last wish of our mother.” Centaur B added.

“Our deceased mother was also a Supported One. And she loathed Explorers with other traits.”

“When our mother became an Explorer, there were five of them. Three of them, aside from our mother, were Rulers and constantly abused the Monsters.” Centaur C and D elaborated.

Pururu: “?? Aren’t there supposed to be only one Explorer?”

Yumi: “Right? Mr. Kang Geon clearly said that for a new Explorer to be selected, the previous one must die.”

I had the same question. Thus, I raised my hand to ask.

Pururu: “Kang Geon, please ask your question!”

“Isn’t it supposed to be that only one Explorer is selected?”

“No. Multiple are selected.”

“Of course, there are cases where only one is selected. When all Explorers have died, if there’s only one Drifter drifting in the Labyrinth, then only one is selected. The Labyrinth prioritizes the Drifters within it when searching for Explorers.”

“Ah, even if there are multiple Drifters, if all but one have severely low intelligence, then only the intelligent one is selected. If all have low intelligence, then none are selected from the Drifters.”

Mysticism:

So, Explorers were actually selected in multiples. I nodded, realizing that I was learning something new.

Pururu: “So, is there another Explorer somewhere other than Kang Geon?”

“No, there isn’t. I’m the only Explorer in this generation.”

This was definitely solid information. When Min Hyeong-seok died, I had fallen to the status of a Drifter from being summoned. Then, after receiving the notification that there was only one Drifter, I was selected as an Explorer.

So, there shouldn’t be any other Explorers around.

‘But that means Min Hyeong-seok was the one who survived until the end among the previous generation of Explorers?’

If Min Hyeong-seok hadn’t been in a situation of becoming the only Explorer, he would have been the longest-surviving of all Explorers.

I had thought he was just a fool… turns out he might have some skills after all. Well, he did have a lot of Monsters with him.

“Explorer.”

The Centauress called me.

“Soon, the Solorb will close its eyes, so it would be better to move to our dwelling for a more detailed conversation.”

“Solorb?”

She looked up at the sky.

“Do you see that sphere emitting a red light up there? That’s the Solorb.”

The Centauress continued to explain. When the Solorb closes its eyes, darkness falls. Then, the cloud-type monster, Lunamiist, awakens. Unlike the brightly glowing Solorb, the Lunamiist emits a soft light.

Yumi: “You can think of it as moonlight.”

Pururu: “A cloud that emits moonlight. ㄷㄷ”

“When the light of the Lunamiist falls to the ground, the Monsters that have been lurking quietly will start to rampage. So it’s essential to move to our dwelling safely.”

Is there some sort of rampaging effect from the light of the Lunamiist? For reasons unknown, they said it was dangerous, so I decided to relocate for the time being.

Before moving with the Centaurs, Rize circled around the restrained Pig King and asked me.

“What should we do with this Pig King? Are you going to tame it without eating it?”

I placed my hand on top of the Pig King’s spotted back. Since they said the Monsters would rampage soon, if I moved it to a safe spot and just waited, it would eventually get tamed.

However, I had no intention of taming it.

“No. I just wanted to check its abilities… I don’t particularly plan on taming it.”

This guy was meant to be eaten. A precious source of protein.

“I can’t possibly pass on something so delicious.”

“Thank goodness. Then I’ll handle the disassembly.”

Pururu: “Rize seems delighted at the thought of eating pork. ㅋㅋ”

Yumi: “I wonder how delicious it will be.”

Mysticism:

As Rize licked his lips and drew the Execution Sword, the Centauress hurriedly interjected.

“W-wait! You must not kill it yet!”

At her cry, Rize withdrew the Execution Sword. Scratching his head, he said,

“I don’t understand what you mean, but since you asked me not to, I won’t do it.”

Pururu: “Seems like a surprisingly obedient guy. Is it because he talks? ㅋㅋ”

Mysticism:

While the Centauress let out a sigh of relief, the nearby Centaurs explained why killing was not allowed.

“I’m sorry for the delay in explaining this. The Solorb loves peace, so it absolutely does not tolerate those who commit killings under its gaze.”

“That’s right. So when the Solorb is awake, we try not to hunt, if possible. While it’s fine to engage in combat or wound others, if we accidentally kill someone… we would die too.”

“I apologize for my daughter and sister’s insufficient explanation earlier. The light of Lunamiist is merely a signal that signifies the Solorb’s watch has ended. It indicates that everyone living here no longer needs to be careful about the Solorb.”

“Killings are only allowed when the Solorb has closed its eyes. So you may kill it later.”

That’s what they said. Therefore, the act of killing the Pig King was put on hold. I decided to take it to the Centaurs’ dwelling, and once the Solorb closed its eyes, I would cook it.

*

The Centaurs wouldn’t let me ride on their backs. Only the Centauress said she would allow me to ride, but the Assistants strongly opposed it.

Pururu: “Don’t ride on her back. She’ll get angry if you do.”

Yumi: “Isn’t it wrong for a man and woman who have just met to engage in such close physical contact, even if she’s a Monster?”

Mysticism:

In the end, I just ran alongside them. Fortunately, the Centaurs’ dwelling wasn’t too far off.

They had five large tents arranged in a circular formation, and a wide hearth for a bonfire stood in the center. It didn’t seem like there were any other inhabitants apart from the five who had led us here.

I glanced up at the sky for a moment.

‘It’s completely night now.’

The Solorb had closed its eyes, and the light of Lunamiist poured down to the ground. The once-safe fields had turned into a lawless zone.

For reference, the Centaurs’ dwelling was said to be relatively safe.

“We will prepare the meal.” One of the Centaurs announced.

First, we should have a meal. We could discuss the remaining matters while eating, or maybe after the meal.

“Explorer, please rest here for a while.”

“I’ll help too.”

Four Centaurs and Rize left to handle the Pig King. My monsters and I took a seat in front of the hearth.

As I took out my notebook, the Clown tapped my arm with a finger.

“What?”

“I’ve never seen those guys before. Kirik.” The Clown’s gaze was fixed on the Centaurs preparing the meal from afar.

I could guess what was on his mind.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Fine…”

I returned my focus to my notebook, picked up my pen, and began working on the Monster Index.

*

## Centauress

– Actual Danger Level: S-Class.
– Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: B-Class.
– Ability: ?

I captured the image of the Centauress resting right in front of me.

Pururu: “Why are you only drawing the girls?”

Yumi: “You should draw the guys as well to be fair.”

“Too much trouble.”

Whether it’s a Centaur or a Centauress, they’re all the same species, just different genders and names. So there was no need to draw the Centaurs as well.

“I see you’re conversing with your Assistant.” The Centauress approached, narrowing the distance.

It seemed she knew of the Assistant’s existence. Well, since her mother was a Supported One, it made sense.

I nodded at her question. At that moment, the Centauress’s eyes fell on my notebook.

“Huh? Is that… Did you draw me?”

“Ah, yes. I apologize if that offends you.” I quickly said sorry for drawing without permission.

I hadn’t considered that it might be rude to draw someone without their consent.

Most people would feel uncomfortable if someone drew them without asking, but it seemed like she wasn’t upset at all.

“No, not at all. May I take a look?” The Centauress asked with a gentle smile.

It seemed she wasn’t bothered by it.

I handed her the notebook.

“You drew this really well. I would believe it was taken with a camera.” She gazed at the notebook reflected in the moonlight, wearing a serene smile.

It looked like she really liked the drawing.

“Thank you. But do you know what a camera is?”

“Yes. My mother’s Assistants have provided support in the past.”

It seemed her mother also hailed from a somewhat advanced civilization.

“…May I ask what kind of species your mother was?”

I blurted out a seemingly irrelevant question.

Honestly, I had been curious about it from earlier.

“My mother’s species? She’s quite similar to you, Explorer.”

“Ah. So it seems she wasn’t a Centauress.”

“Correct. Moreover, my father’s great-great-grandfather was also not a Centaur and was entirely in horse form.”

“What? Your father’s great-great-grandfather?”

“My mother’s first husband was my father’s great-great-grandfather. My father’s great-great-grandfather passed away long ago, alongside my mother.”

“…”

What the heck?

I couldn’t understand it…

Am I the one who’s not following?

Pururu: “What the hell is she talking about?”

Yumi: “I don’t get it either. Is there a chance of a translation error?”

Mysticism:

Seeing the responses of my Assistants, it seemed I wasn’t the only one having trouble understanding.

Cautiously, I questioned the Centauress.

“Uh… if it’s okay to ask, how can your mother’s husband be your father’s great-great-grandfather? If he’s your mother’s husband, isn’t he your father?”

“Hmm. How should I explain this…” The Centauress scratched her head.

Then she pointed at a nearby Centaur.

“That Centaur over there is both my brother and my father.”

Pururu: “???”

Her finger indicated another Centaur beside the first.

“And that one next to him is my grandfather. So he’s also my brother.”

Yumi: “What?”

Her finger moved to the next Centaur.

“That one is my great-grandfather, and the next one is my great-great-grandfather. Of course, they are also all my brothers.”

Mysticism: “”

She withdrew her finger.

“Our mother is the same. They were all born from the same womb.”

I stared blankly at her.

Then, the Centauress continued to elaborate with greater detail.

In short, it meant that…

A female Explorer bore a child with a horse-type monster, had a son, and then bred with that son to have another son.

Then that son bred with another, and so on, until they eventually birthed the Centauress.

In other words, these Centaurs considered the female Explorer as a mother and a wife at the same time.

Pururu: “Wait, are they insane?”

Yumi: “I feel dizzy…”

Mysticism: “”

“Why would they do such a thing…”

I unintentionally voiced my true thoughts.

The Centauress responded with an awkward smile.

“Our mother probably didn’t want to at first. But I think she had no choice. To tame the opponent, she had to mate with them.”

“…Are you saying that sexual intercourse was the way to tame them? Instead of just touching hands?”

“For you, it seems that just touching hands is sufficient. You’re lucky. The conditions for using traits differ for each Explorer. My mother could only tame through sexual intercourse.”

Well, that’s just…

If I had been unlucky, things could have turned disastrous.

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