Taming: Path To Be The Strongest

He walked toward the snake, and instead of attacking, it stared at him. It was as if it was assessing his threat level with the stick. He was wobbling, and he was finally showing signs of being tired, but somehow, the air around him was different. Even the snake slithered backward.

He swung the stick in short intervals with his right hand, and his veins flickered with each swing. His eyes looked like they were staring off somewhere else, as if he was not acknowledging the snake anymore.

'Hahh, how long has it been since I swung a sword? I wonder if those brats are doing okay.' His swing stopped midway, and the stick began to grow. Mana spread across its surface, and veins of purple light crept like the roots of a tree, as if the mana was rewriting the object's very essence.

The air grew heavier, and even the snake seemed to sense that something was wrong here. A feeling was telling it to run.

He tilted his head slightly, and his eyes were half-lidded as he traced the stick's length with his gaze. "Hey, big guy, do you know the funny thing about weapons?" he began, and his voice was calm but carried the weight of experience. "They are not about sharp edges or heavy steel. They are about the hand that wields them."

"Anyone can pick up a stick," he said, and his eyes were now locked on the snake. "Anyone can swing a blade. But cutting? Truly cutting? That is a different game entirely."

It hissed, and it coiled tighter, preparing to strike, but he continued. His grip was firm but effortless. "It is not about the weapon. A sword is just steel. A stick is just wood. What matters is what you make of it. What matters is if you know how to wield 'yourself'."

He took a single, powerful step forward, and his body was loose, relaxed, almost nonchalant. The snake recoiled slightly, and its instincts were screaming caution. He gave it a faint smirk, and the stick in his hand was glowing brighter but also cracking. It was reaching its limit.

He raised the wood in a vertical pose, and he held it tightly with one hand. The ground beneath him began to shake, and the stick pulsed even stronger.

'It has been so long since I did this. I wonder if Kana has mastered this move yet. She was my best student... well, not really, she was the worst.'

He exhaled, and in the next moment, everything changed.

He swung.

It was a single, clean motion, a swing that seemed both slow and instantaneous at the same time, a paradox in its perfection. The air around him howled, not from the swing itself, but from the sheer power that was tearing through it. A crescent of violet energy shot forward, an arc so sharp and refined that it seemed to slice through the very fabric of reality.

The snake froze in the middle of a hiss, and its coiled body was held in perfect stillness as the arc of mana passed through its head.

The light faded, and the weapon in his hand shattered into harmless splinters. He stood motionless, and his breathing was steady, as if the feat had cost him nothing.

The snake's body remained for a moment longer, unbroken but completely still. Then, as if an invisible thread had been pulled, it collapsed into two precise halves, severed so cleanly that even its blood hesitated before spilling onto the ground.

The night was quiet once more.

He turned his back on the corpse, and his steps were slow and unhurried. "Sharp edges do not matter," he muttered to no one, and his voice carried in the silence. "You just have to know where to cu-"

Blood came gushing out of his mouth, and his vision began to blur. He stumbled forward, and he clutched at his chest in pain. The purple veins that had glowed so fiercely now dimmed, and their light flickered erratically. His knees gave out, and he fell to the ground, with his hands shaking on the ground.

The toll of using that much mana, especially this unfamiliar one, was undeniable now.

"Haha... that is to be expected. I am going to be vulnerable for a while."

[You are doing risky things as always, master.]

"Yeah, but there was no other choice. Any longer and that thing would have eaten me. Anyway, let us go and claim our prize."

He pulled himself up and walked over to where he had hidden the slimes. A part of him expected them to have run away, but they were still there, and their soft bodies were squishing together. When they saw him, they slowly approached him. They were hesitant at first, but a few seconds later, they were bouncing their bodies off him.

"I guess you guys took a liking to me for saving you. Even beasts know how to appreciate kindness..."

He softly squished their bodies, and they bounced off him, which brought a smile to his face.

[Master, are you sure about taming a slime? It seems like a waste of a slot.]

"I am not just taming one. I am going to tame both of them."

[WHAT! Master, please rethink this. I have always seen you as a smart player, one who knows the good from the bad, so why are you doing this? I am sure you know slimes are usele-]

"Shut the hell up. Do not talk shit about my kids, understand?" His voice was sharp, and this showed that the discussion was over.

[Yes, master.]

The system screen for taming showed up.

[Do you wish to tame these beasts? Y/N]

He clicked yes, and the connection between them began. Thin purple strings extended from his chest and connected to each slime. They quivered slightly at first, and their forms rippled as if they were unsure of what was happening. But as the connection got stronger, they understood, and they accepted him as their master.

[Taming Successful!]

You have tamed: [Twin Shadow Slimes – Unnamed]

Rank: FFF

[Slots remaining: 1/3]

"There, all done. Welcome to the family."

The slimes bounced excitedly, and their forms jiggled as they playfully nudged against him. He chuckled, and he winced slightly as the effort sent a jolt of pain through his battered body.

[Master, I cannot believe this. Two slimes. TWO! You had the chance to tame beast-]

"I thought I told you to shut up. Your way of thinking is flawed. They are not just beasts. They have got potential, I saw it myself. And even if they did not..." He reached out and let his hand sink into one of the slime's cool, squishy forms. "They are mine now. That is reason enough."

[Very well, Master. It is your choice. However, I must remind you that you have wasted two precious slots, and you can only get more by becoming stronger and reaching higher ranks.]

"If I can get more, then why are you bitching so much?"

The system was silent for a moment, and the faint hum of its presence in his mind grew colder, almost like it was sulking.

[...As you say, Master.]

"That is what I thought," he muttered, and he gave a wry smirk as he pushed himself upright. His legs trembled, but the presence of the slimes, happily bouncing around his feet, gave him an odd sense of reassurance.

"Besides, who says I am not already thinking ahead?"

One of the slimes leaped onto his shoulder, and its gelatinous body wobbled, but somehow it stayed balanced. The other circled around his legs, almost as if it was guarding him from unseen dangers.

It was cute.

[Thinking ahead? You have chosen creatures that are universally regarded as cannon fodder. Their potential is negligible, and their growth is—]

"Growth takes effort," he cut in sharply, and his tone did not allow for any argument. He gazed down at the smaller slime and watched its form shimmer faintly in the night.

"Just because they are underestimated does not mean they are worthless. I was underestimated once, too, a long time ago. But look where that got me."

The system hesitated. [I will trust you, Master. Then shall I analyze their current state and potential abilities?]

"Now you are talking."

[Analyzing...]