I Can Tame Everything!-Chapter 14: Kidnapped

"Don't worry, I won't be needing it," Rex provoked.

If I use my dagger, that sword would probably break, and... I don't think I should be using my full strength, so it wouldn't matter, Rex surmised.

"Confident, are we? Well... you do seem strong. But don't come at me with excuses later," Darius retaliated and charged forward. Giving him a warning: "Here I come, Rex."

Rex smiled and stood his ground. Darius charged, aiming for his neck.

As Darius closed in, Rex moved his head to the right and easily punched him in the face.

"Aaa," Darius grunted.

"Was that too much?" Rex asked, smiling wryly.

"No, but I guess I shouldn't hold back."

"Oh... You better not."

As they were about to resume, Rex noticed someone hiding behind a nearby tree. Ignoring them, he focused on his spar.

This time, Darius slashed his sword sideways as they resumed their match.

Rex easily ducked, evading the slash, and landed an uppercut on Darius' jaw, causing him to lose his footing momentarily.

Rex quickly held him by his shoulders, used his leg to block Darius's legs, and slowly pushed him down onto the ground.

Darius's eyes widened in shock as he fell with a low thud. Lying on the hard ground, he admitted, "Wow, Rex, you're a lot stronger than I imagined."

Although they hadn't decided on how one would win, it was clear enough that Rex was stronger—both in technique and strength—and perhaps experience as well.

"You can come out now, Lilly," Darius gently called in a soft tone.

A young girl meekly walked toward them. She wore a small, worn-out dress, Her hair brushing her shoulders.

"Big brother Darius, who is this?" she questioned with innocent eyes, tilting her head toward Rex.

"Lilly, this is big brother Rex," Darius introduced again, still lying on the ground.

"Big brother Rex... is very strong," she said, glancing at Rex.

Rex smiled gently toward her.

"That he is," Darius acknowledged.

"How long are you going to stay lying there? Stand up," Rex suggested while giving him a helping hand as support to lift him.

Darius grasped Rex's hand and pulled himself up.

"Do you want a village tour, Rex?" Darius proposed as he stood up and dusted his clothes.

Rex nodded eagerly. The two left the sparring ground and began strolling through the village, taking in its sights and sounds.

Rex could see children playing and running around the village, their laughter echoing through the air.

He smiled and waved at them, casually using [Eye of Tamer] to check their statuses.

[Name: Laim]

[Age: 8]

[Rank: Mortal]

[Name: Nai]

[Age: 5]

[Rank: Mortal]

After using [Eye of Tamer] on around seven children, he noticed something odd.

The children were all young... too young. Not a single one older than twelve.

Rex found it strange but dismissed the thought, reasoning, Maybe the older kids are working somewhere else or have gone out.

"Darius! Rex!" the village head called out, his voice carrying across the distance as he waved his hand to catch their attention.

They turned toward the voice and spotted the village head standing near a hut. Without hesitation, they began walking in his direction.

"Could you youngsters help old Lin with moving her grain bags?" the village head asked, his tone warm.

"My lord, why trouble them? I can manage it myself," said a woman with a frail body.

Rex nodded and moved to lift the grain bags, with Darius following close behind.

Together, they transported the heavy sacks, earning heartfelt thanks from the frail woman, Lin.

"Can he help me too?" a man from the neighbouring house called out, noticing the boys assisting.

"Darius, could you move this pile of wood over there?" the man said, pointing toward a small house.

"Rex, please come with me. With your build, I have the perfect job for you," the man said, leading him toward the edge of the village to clear the surrounding trees.

The bald man silently watched as Rex walked away.

"Here, please cut down these trees," he instructed, glancing around cautiously to ensure no one else was nearby.

The man leaned in close and whispered urgently into Rex's ear, "Young man, I'm warning you—leave this village as soon as possible."

Rex frowned, his expression serious as he asked, "Why? What's the problem?"

"Kids around your age have been disappearing," the man whispered his tone grave, before turning to leave in a hurry.

"You can leave that chore anytime, I only brought you here to warn you," he added, walking away quickly without waiting for a response or looking back.

Rex watched the man leave, confusion etched across his face.

He picked up the axe and began cutting the tree, his mind clouded in a daze.

"Kids have gone missing?" Rex murmured, his grip tightening on the axe as it struck the tree.

Should I save the children if they've been kidnapped? Or focus on my own safety? Rex contemplated.

After cutting down a few trees, Rex decided to leave the area and returned to where Darius was.

Together, they helped a few more villagers with their tasks, earning heartfelt thanks and smiles from everyone they assisted.

The sun had long set. As exhaustion began to weigh on their bodies from helping all the villagers, Darius said, "Let's leave, Rex. I'm starting to get hungry."

Rex nodded, and they both walked toward the village head's house.

"What happened, Rex? You've been quiet since we helped Uncle Zane," Darius asked, glancing at him as they walked.

"Why are the kids so young in this village? You're the oldest among the ones I've seen," Rex questioned back, his tone curious yet firm.

"So you noticed, huh? Darius' tone became somber.

"The kids have been going missing for a long time. You were new, and I didn't want to scare you, so I kept it from you." He sighed and glanced back at Rex, his expression apologetic. "I'm sorry for hiding it."

They finally spotted the village head's house up ahead, noticing a group of young kids quietly entering through the door.

Yes, Rex alone wasn't invited to the dinner party.

"Big Brother Darius! Big Brother Rex!" a familiar, innocent voice called out from behind them.

They both turned their heads and saw Lilly, waving at them with a bright smile as she walked alongside her mother.

"Hello, Aunty Mira," Darius greeted Lilly's mother. Rex simply nodded, offering a faint smile.

"Hello, please take care of my daughter, both of you," Mira said, bowing slightly, her tone almost pleading.

They both nodded, and the trio stepped inside the house.

"Come in, you guys are late," the old man said, pointing at a spot for them to sit alongside the children Rex earlier saw using [Eye of Tamer].

Rex had observed most of the villagers' statuses, but it hadn't occurred to him to check the old man's.

Now, as the village head turned away, Rex activated [Eye of Tamer] to examine his status.

[Name: Branick]

[Entity: Human]

[Species: Human]

[Bloodline: Low-human]

[Rank: Ascender 2-Stars]

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[Potential: F]

[Would you like to tame {Branick} - Y/N]

He's the strongest among us, Ascender 2-Stars? Rex thought, surprised by the new term.

Now he had to know exactly how strong!

"Darius, how strong is a two-star Ascender?" Rex whispered, seizing the moment as the old man stepped out of the room.

Everyone sat together in a single room, waiting for the celebration to begin.

However, as Rex looked around, he noticed there were no decorations-just a plain, gloomy room.

Darius mumbled, "Well, I only know a few ranks.

We humans start with Ascender, then there's Grandmaster and Lord Rank.

Each rank has 3 stars before you can break through to the next one."

So an Ascender is similar to a spirit Rank. He's definitely strong, Rex mused.

Rex leaned toward Darius to ask, "Can he def—" but stopped mid-sentence as the door to the room suddenly slammed shut.

Thud!

Psssh!

Rex's attention snapped to the corners of the room, where thin trails of smoke seeped out, curling ominously into the air!

"Shit."

Darius and Rex exchanged a sharp glance, both instantly on high alert as the tension in the room thickened.

And then... silence.