Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"What is the weakest class in the 2nd job change of World Breaker?"

If someone had asked this question on Earth a few years ago, people would have thought of different classes. Since most would base their judgment on personal experience, opinions would naturally diverge. However, there were a few classes that consistently appeared on everyone's list. The Tamer was one such universally acknowledged weakest class.

"It's a warrior class, but it has no real attack power, its defense is paper-thin, and every single skill is about taming. What's the point of that?"

Being faithful to the concept is fine, but at the very least, shouldn't a warrior class have some self-buffing skills? Even worse, the taming skills, which were the class's only strength, weren't all that great. Explore more at empire

"If you're a Tamer, shouldn't you at least be able to overwhelm numbers? But you can only take three tamed creatures with you! Does that make any sense?""And even if there's just a slight level difference, the taming success rate drops drastically! Are you kidding me?""What's the point of leading around three minor monsters? A normal warrior would cut them down in less than 10 seconds!"

Those who tried the Tamer class as an experiment ended up cursing, saying that it only lowered their score. And the general consensus was that it was a completely useless class. It seemed like a flawed design from the start, and the developers were too lazy to fix it before releasing the game. That was how most players of World Breaker evaluated the Tamer class.

"That was the general sentiment before Justin decided to play it out of boredom."

The perception of the Tamer class changed completely after Justin's review, who was ranked number one at the time, went up. Back then, Justin had grown tired of similar builds and had been dabbling with different classes. The Tamer was just one of the many classes he briefly tried. After thoroughly playing the Tamer, Justin casually posted a new build on the forums. And with that one review, World Breaker experienced a seismic shift.

"Now that I think about it, it's a fond memory," Justin thought, smirking as he looked at Nathan standing in front of him.

It was amusing that Nathan, despite never having played World Breaker, had come up with the same idea as Justin. Perhaps Nathan had realized what Justin was aiming for, which was why he confidently stepped up. But that was precisely why Justin felt uneasy.

"I know I'm the one who said this, but are you really sure about this?" Justin asked.

"Trust me. I may not look it, but I've completed the 2nd job change. I can handle taming a creature that's already been subdued, right?" Nathan replied.

"It's because you might not be able to tame it. The level difference is too big," Justin pointed out.

While Nathan was currently struggling due to the elemental disadvantage against the wyvern, in the game, the wyvern's level was a staggering 35. Nathan had only just reached level 25, which was 10 levels lower. Even if the creature was subdued, luck would play a huge factor in taming it.

"You know that if you fail to tame it, the monster becomes hostile, right? It could attack you at any moment. We can help if we're nearby, but…" Justin trailed off.

"If there are higher-level allies nearby, the taming success rate drops significantly, right? I know. I'll just have to accept that risk," Nathan said with a calm smile, already determined.

Nathan seemed overly confident, which made Justin frown slightly.

"Are you really okay with this? You don't look worried at all," Justin asked again.

"I'm intentionally trying not to worry," Nathan replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"In the end, I'm the one who has to tame the wyvern, right? But what happens if I show any signs of anxiety? It'll only make it harder to subdue, and it might even rebel."

"..."

Does it really work that way? Justin looked at Nathan with curiosity. Since Nathan knew nothing about World Breaker, he wasn't constrained by the usual gaming logic. And somehow, Justin had a feeling that Nathan's unorthodox thinking had hit upon a crucial point he hadn't considered.

"And besides, even if you say otherwise, we'd be wasting a good wyvern if we killed it, right?" Nathan added.

"It would be a waste," Justin responded immediately.

After all, it was a flying monster. With its poison breath, it could attack large groups, and its physical capabilities were comparable to a mid-level boss. Plus, its flight ability could allow it to dominate the skies and unleash a barrage of one-sided attacks. Honestly, if Justin had been the Tamer instead of Nathan, he wouldn't have hesitated to tame the wyvern himself.

"Then it's settled. I'll do it. If the Tamer doesn't step up now, when will he ever?" Nathan said with determination.

"...I'm counting on you," Justin said, nodding heavily toward Nathan.

Nathan, with a confident shrug, descended without hesitation. A bitter smile formed on Justin's lips. Putting someone else's life at risk was harder than he had imagined. It was far more difficult than risking his own.

Down below, Fafnir continued to menace the wyvern. It was partly due to Justin's command, but Fafnir also seemed to be enjoying the act itself. Watching a larger monster cower helplessly, avoiding eye contact, ignited the blood of the evil dragon within Fafnir.

Just then, the gates opened, and Nathan approached the two dragons. Seeing him, Fafnir tilted its head quizzically, but Nathan waved his hand dismissively.

"Step back," Nathan commanded.

Fafnir screeched in defiance.

"It's not my command, it's Justin's order," Nathan clarified.

Fafnir, who had been growling as if to say, "Who are you?" immediately quieted down at that. Fafnir glanced up at the wall where Justin was standing and saw him gesture to come back. Reluctantly, Fafnir smacked its lips and retreated behind the gates.

As Fafnir disappeared, the wyvern bared its teeth and snarled at Nathan. Nathan took a deep breath and locked eyes with the creature. For a brief moment, the wyvern flinched under Nathan's unwavering gaze.

Suddenly, the air around them shimmered like a heat haze, and a heavy pressure weighed down on the wyvern. It was The Gaze of the Tyrant, a skill that exerted an overwhelming force on its target. Unlike Justin's intimidating aura that drove enemies away, this skill crushed opponents under its sheer presence.

The wyvern let out a furious cry as the pressure mounted, but its body remained immobilized. As Nathan slowly took one step forward, the pressure intensified, and the wyvern's anger grew in proportion to the weight of the force.

"ROOOAAARR!"

The wyvern's roar caused Nathan's hair to whip backward. It felt as though those sharp teeth could snap at him any moment, starting with his head. Feeling the cold sweat soaking his back, Nathan clenched his teeth.

'If I back down now, I'll die.'

If the wyvern lost its mind under the pressure, he would die. If he stopped pressuring it and gave the impression that he wasn't a threat, he would also die. He had to push the wyvern to the very edge and then make his move. Nathan took another step forward, eyes wide open.

Thud.

"Grrrr...!"

As Nathan refused to back down, the wyvern hesitated and took a step back. One step, two steps, three steps. Just as Nathan took a fourth step toward the wyvern, it let out a sound similar to when Fafnir had threatened it earlier.

"Grrrk!"

"…!"

Nathan's eyes widened at the familiar sound. This was it. He had no proof, but a gut feeling told him this was the perfect moment. Trusting his instincts, Nathan used his skill without hesitation.

'Monster Taming!'

"I failed."

Nathan returned inside the gates, panting as he spoke to me. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat, as if he had been caught in a downpour. It was clear the psychological strain of facing death had taken its toll.

"The level difference must have been bigger than I thought. I really thought it worked…"

"No, I don't think it was a failure. It's following you just fine," I said, turning my gaze toward the wyvern waiting at the gates.

It was a far cry from its earlier aggressive demeanor when Fafnir had been absent. Now, even when the other pioneers approached, it remained quiet and followed along as directed.

"How is that a failure? That's a perfect success."

"Well, it's more of a half-success," Nathan said with a troubled look, wiping the sweat from his face.

"I managed to keep it from attacking us, but it won't let me ride it or follow commands properly. It just follows wherever I lead it."

"So, you can't give it attack commands or ride it to fly around? All you can do is walk it around?" I asked.

"Yeah," Nathan replied.

"That's good enough, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but laugh at Nathan's bewildered expression. He still didn't realize what he had achieved.

"The reason I was planning to kill the wyvern was because we didn't have a way to control it. If it went wild while Fafnir wasn't around, we'd be in trouble. But you've made it semi-permanently neutral."

"Well, that's true, but…"

"Listen to me. As long as the wyvern stays in this neutral state, I don't need to manage it. We can just bring it inside and leave it alone."

"Leave it alone?"

"Yeah, until your level catches up."

"…!"

Nathan's eyes widened. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. If the taming had failed due to the level difference, all he had to do was level up and try again. The problem was whether the wyvern would behave until then. Normally, once a monster was out of Fafnir's control, it would start acting up again. But Nathan had already solved that problem.

"And there are plenty of ways we can still make use of it, even in its current state."

"What? But I can't ride it."

"But you said it won't attack us and it follows when led, right? Then we can just take it into battle and unleash it."

Though the wyvern was technically in a neutral state, it wasn't a wild neutral monster that would become hostile when attacked. It was practically on our side, just refusing to obey commands. In other words, it would still perceive enemy pioneers as foes and attack them relentlessly. We could use it in battle like releasing a wild beast, though there was the risk that it could attract too much attention and get killed by a higher-level pioneer.

"But wait, if Nathan tames the wyvern, what happens to the pegasus?" Rachel asked as she approached, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"You don't need two mounts, right? Are you going to give the Pegasus Flute to someone else?" she asked, clearly eyeing the possibility of claiming the abandoned flying mount.

I couldn't blame her for that line of thinking. But before I could answer, Ethan, who had been standing nearby, spoke up instead.

"Nothing's decided yet, but considering the importance of mobility, it might be better for Nathan to keep using the flute. The wyvern may have more attack power, but it's slower. The pegasus is better suited for escaping quickly."

"What? So Nathan is going to keep both?"

"No, he might transfer the wyvern instead of the flute."

"…?"

Rachel tilted her head in confusion. How could Nathan transfer the wyvern, a tamed monster, to someone else? It's not like it was an item. Ethan smirked and explained.

"A Tamer can transfer ownership of a monster they've tamed to another person."

"…!"

Rachel's eyes widened in shock. That statement implied two things. One, that as long as there was a Tamer, there was no need to covet flying items. And two, that with enough time and resources, it was possible to create an entire flying division. The latter was especially significant—it hinted at the creation of a strategic weapon capable of changing the entire course of the war.

As if she were silently asking if it was really possible, Rachel stared at me, and I smiled back.

"There's no rule saying you can't create an air force in a fantasy world, right?" I said, recalling how I had done that in World Rebuild.