Monster Taming Broadcast

Ellis’s chat caught my eye.

A crow-like monster appeared before us.

Ellis called it the Flame Demon Lord.

I knew about the Flame Demon Lord too.

I couldn’t recall it until Ellis mentioned it, but hearing that title stirred old memories deep within.

Flame Demon Lord.

An S-Class monster, species name: Sand Raven.

Of course, I had never seen it before.

There was detailed information along with a drawing in the Monster Index.

Since I had only encountered it through drawings, I guess I couldn’t immediately picture it.

Anyway.

Unlike other monsters, there was no pressing need to pay deep attention to the Sand Raven.

Its information was recorded in the Index in detail.

According to the record, the Sand Raven was not a monster that left behind curses or variables like the Curse Devil Gentleman when it died.

Still.

That didn’t mean I was planning to step in directly.

My role was the Supported One.

Not a position to charge into the fray.

Unless the opponent was consumed by hatred, unable to control their anger, or I had to step in for some unavoidable reason, I planned to only observe every battle from the back.

“Azelas. Do you want to take that one on? You haven’t fought in a while, so warm up a bit.”

“Got it.”

“Since we need to tame it for the townspeople, don’t kill it, okay?”

“Of course. I’ll subdue it appropriately.”

“Oh, and as far as I know, it’s a monster with no variables, so there’s no need to worry too much… but maybe this individual has its own unique variables, so don’t let your guard down.”

“Don’t worry. I always take battles seriously. I’ll never let my guard down.”

【Mysticism】─

I had no idea why Azelas was speaking so fluently.

It seemed like his intelligence had suddenly increased this morning.

Maybe it was due to the Melody Fox’s buff.

Or perhaps because he’d focused while knitting.

I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason.

Anyway.

To face the Sand Raven, Azelas lightly loosened his newly acquired mechanical arm and stepped forward.

The Sand Raven stared fixedly at Azelas,

［Caw? Caw?］

swaying its head side to side.

It didn’t seem like it was trying to gauge the opponent’s level; it looked rather meaningless.

So began the standoff between Azelas and the Sand Raven.

The first to act was the Sand Raven.

［Caw!］

Flap!

The Sand Raven let out a cry and spread its massive wings.

It flapped its wings vigorously, as if trying to lift its heavy body into the sky, and the surrounding sand whipped about violently.

［Caw, Caw!］

Slowly, the Sand Raven began to lift off the ground.

To overcome its heavy body, the flapping grew even more frantic.

Just when it seemed like it would take to the skies.

［Caw…!］

Before long.

The Sand Raven’s movements became unsteady, and its flapping got wildly out of control.

［Caaah!!!］

The massive body, losing balance, succumbed to gravity and crashed back down in an instant.

Thud!

With a dull sound, the Sand Raven fell to the ground.

The shock caused sand to fly up, and perhaps feeling embarrassed, it lay helplessly on the floor.

【Mysticism】─

Azelas looked down at the Sand Raven with a cold gaze.

The Raven trembled, then pushed itself up roughly from the ground.

And then.

［Caw, Caw!!!］

With a scrunched-up face.

It roared at Azelas, extremely angry.

It seemed like a somewhat slow-witted monster.

【Mysticism】─

“Shut up. Don’t bark,” Azelas elegantly extended his hand.

His two fingers lightly touched the Sand Raven’s abdomen.

“Heavenly Martial Arts Basic Technique, Spirit Finger Point.”

With that light touch.

Boom!

The Sand Raven was sent flying backward as if hit by a cannonball, cutting through the air and disappearing into the distance.

As the sandstorm stirred up in an instant settled down.

［Caw…］

The Sand Raven, moaning in pain, slowly rose.

“Didn’t I knock it out? I must have held back a bit too much.”

［…Caw, Caw!!!］

Despite feeling the gap with its opponent, the Sand Raven showed no signs of retreat.

Was it overflowing with spirit, or just plain dumb?

［Caw!］

It spread its wings again.

And the surrounding sand started moving in unison.

The sand rose into the air, beginning to change color.

As if consumed by ominous darkness, the sand particles gradually took on a black hue.

“I know.”

The black sand that absorbs life.

I had read in the Index that if it covered you, your life would be sucked away, turning you into a mummy in no time.

Of course, that power wouldn’t work on us.

And anyway, the Sand Raven wouldn’t get the chance to use that ability.

“Just faint already.”

［…Caw?］

It had already been ambushed by Azelas.

Once again.

Azelas’s fingers brushed against the Sand Raven’s body.

Fwump!

And this time, he sent the Sand Raven soaring into the sky.

The Sand Raven, floating in mid-air, screamed and then,

［Caw!!! I’m flying! I’m finally flying!!!］

Thud!

It crashed down and fainted.

For some reason, the fainted Sand Raven looked oddly happy.

“What an odd guy…”

［Sigh.］

Muttering to myself.

I paused while approaching the fainted Sand Raven with the Black Magma Slime.

The black sand it had produced.

They were still floating around in the air, not dissipating.

“Why is this still here when the Sand Raven fainted?”

The black sand shouldn’t affect me.

The Sand Raven was currently at a B-Class level, while I had an A-Class physique.

Still, I felt uneasy about touching the black sand for some reason.

“I’ll remove it.”

Noticing my grim expression, Azelas approached with quick steps.

“Stay a little farther back. It’s dangerous.”

［Sigh…］

Azelas said this and stretched out her arms.

Then, dark matter seeped from her arms, instantly devouring the darkness that had enveloped the sand.

Dark matter.

It can absorb any kind of darkness existing in the world regardless of type.

The power of the stored darkness can be infinitely amplified, and it has the capacity to destroy everything, friend and foe alike.

It was a power so devastating that I had advised her to use it sparingly.

Carelessly handling such power would be risky.

Naturally, using it in this situation was acceptable.

“Thanks. But Azelas, don’t forget to handle that power carefully.”

“I know. That’s why I only used a little.”

“Right. If not, it could be dangerous for you, as well as us, so please refrain from using it in practical scenarios until you can control it perfectly.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

［Sigh…］

After thanking Azelas for her hard work.

I approached the fainted Sand Raven with the Kinogine Aracne and the Puppet Master.

I then bound it with the Nullification Web and applied Mind Control.

Even while fainted, Mind Control still worked.

Plus, taming it was also possible.

─［Explorer, shall I start the Index work?］

“No. I’ll do it today. Centauress, don’t draw today and take a good rest.”

─［Ah. Understood…］

─“Yay! Centauress! Come over and scratch my back! My arms are too short to reach it!”

Taming the Sand Raven was wrapped up quickly.

I placed the still-fainted creature onto the Giant Caterpillar and continued my search while intermittently working on the Index.

■Sand Raven

─Actual Danger Level: S-Class.

─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: B-Class.

─Ability: Black Sand.

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