Monster Taming Broadcast

In the past, Elemenzia.

The foreigner Gauntlet, who had come from another world, was gradually adapting to this new world by overcoming various challenges.

And several years passed.

While exploring a dungeon, he unexpectedly met an old man, and somehow ended up traveling with him. At the moment of the old man’s passing, he transferred a unique ability to Gauntlet.

What is this unique ability?

It’s a power that only one life form can possess across all dimensions.

In other words, it’s an ability that no other user has.

That is, until the user dies or transfers the ability to someone else.

Back to the main point.

The name of the unique ability that Gauntlet received is “Equivalent Confrontation.”

This ability allows the user to expand their unique world, the “Field of Equilibrium,” and forcibly invite one opponent into that world to engage in battle on equal grounds.

It didn’t matter how strong the opponent was.

No matter how high-ranking a god they were, they could NEVER refuse an invitation to the Field of Equilibrium.

Equivalent Confrontation was designed as an absolute ability that no one could refuse.

Of course, the target that could be invited was limited.

Specifically, he could only invite those stronger than himself.

But he couldn’t use this ability unlimitedly.

There was a limit on the number of times it could be used after obtaining the ability.

Anyway, once he invited an opponent to the Field of Equilibrium and dueled them, what did he gain?

If he won against the opponent.

He could permanently gain the power that the opponent originally possessed.

Not in the sense of gaining their ability outright, but rather, they would receive a level of power that matched the opponent’s level.

For example.

If the user had a talent for magic, their magic power would increase; if they were talented in psychic abilities, their psychic power would amplify accordingly.

But what happens if he loses?

The existence of the user would be erased.

Simply put, if Gauntlet used the Equivalent Confrontation ability and failed, it meant he would face death—of course, the opponent would too.

In the past, when Gauntlet received this ability, he questioned the old man why he was giving it to him.

[What’s the reason for giving me such an ability?]

[Well, my days are numbered, anyway.]

[That can’t be the whole reason… There’s got to be another reason for giving it specifically to me.]

[You brat. When an adult offers you a precious ability, you should graciously accept it without all these questions.]

[I just can’t shake this uncomfortable feeling. I appreciate receiving a unique ability offered to someone like me with nothing, but at least I should know the reason behind it.]

[…You’re quite bothersome, aren’t you? I’ll tell you roughly, so listen well. There are three additional reasons why I’m transferring this ability to you.]

In his youth, the old man reached an S-Class danger level with his unique ability.

He briefly acted as a hero before quickly retiring and living a quiet life as an adventurer, slumping down in his seat.

He then explained the three reasons.

First.

Gauntlet only wielded pure physical strength just like the old man.

The old man deemed it dangerous to transfer his power to someone who wielded magic or psychic abilities.

Simply enhancing physical strength would be fine, but if the levels of magic or psychic abilities increased, it could lead to unpredictable amplifications of power, resulting in extraordinary abilities that could disrupt the balance of the world and all its laws—this is what the old man believed.

Thus, he chose Gauntlet, a physical fighter, as his successor.

Second.

He assessed Gauntlet’s character while accompanying him.

The personality of the successor was crucial.

If someone with a twisted personality obtained this ability, Elemenzia could face significant danger.

The old man saw that Gauntlet was not the type to harm others without reason.

And most people, when gaining powerful abilities in a short time, tend to become arrogant.

But Gauntlet was exceptionally quick in his physical growth compared to others.

When he properly focused and trained, he grew at an abnormally fast pace.

This meant he had talent for physical growth.

A talent that was impressive enough to boast.

Yet, there was no hint of arrogance in Gauntlet whatsoever.

Additionally, he didn’t have any small ambitions that would lead him to betray or engage in violence.

He was simply thinking of leaving Elemenzia, where betrayal, death, and war ran rampant, to return to his peaceful world and enjoy some sort of game.

When considering all these factors.

Gauntlet was the optimal successor for the old man.

Finally, the third reason.

[Above all, Gauntlet, you are my only disciple.]

[Huh?]

[As a master, it’s only natural to pass on a good ability to my disciple. I don’t want to transfer my ability to just anyone. By the way, I also received this ability from my master.]

[Wait a minute. Master? Disciple? What are you suddenly talking about? Why am I your disciple?]

The relationship between the old man and Gauntlet.

Gauntlet merely thought of the old man as a companion.

He never thought of him as a master.

But the old man was different.

From the beginning, he considered Gauntlet as his disciple.

[What nonsense are you saying? You’ve been my disciple ever since you traveled with me.]

[You haven’t taught me anything up until now; how can you consider yourself my master? You would need to give me at least a small lesson to be a master.]

[Things like teachings don’t matter between a master and disciple.]

[Isn’t teaching important in a master-disciple relationship…?]

[Don’t sweat the small stuff. Anyway, don’t forget that the limit of this ability is five uses; keep that in mind.]

Regardless of Gauntlet’s disbelief, the old man continued to speak his mind.

[And don’t rush to seek out the Demon Lord or the Demon King just because you received this ability. With your current D-rank level, you might die before you even use it. You should raise your level steadily to at least A-rank to withstand facing off against a Demon Lord… it’s advisable to gradually work your way up.]

Don’t go directly to A-rank or B-rank opponents either.

As you are now, you would tremble in fear and die without even being able to use your ability.

After saying that, the old man looked at Gauntlet once more and said.

[If you don’t rush and absorb opponents from lower tiers slowly, you’ll reach S-rank in no time.]

[And at the end, I can use the ability on an S-Class Monster, right?]

[No. Instead of using all five uses like I did, you must always leave at least one remaining.]

[Why? Isn’t S-Class the strongest in the world?]

[I once thought the same. But there are always beings beyond the strongest.]

[You’re not saying that there’s a being stronger than S-Class, are you?]

[…I recently acquired information that there are beings with danger levels of SS-Class. It’s not confirmed, but apparently, they usually conceal their power. I bet with your ability, you’ll be able to perceive the hidden strength of that being immediately.]

[I’ve never encountered such a being before… but if I do, I should be able to tell right away. If they’re intentionally hiding their strength, my ability will sense the danger level.]

[Anyway, I’m about to transfer the ability to you now. Just in case, relax your body completely. Have the mindset of accepting everything from the outside.]

After finishing the conversation with Gauntlet, the old man placed his hand over Gauntlet’s heart and began to transfer his ability.

About three hours later, the transfer was finally complete.

[Is it done?]

[Yes, it’s finished. With this, the power I gained from that ability is now gone.]

[It’s true that your danger level has decreased. But I don’t feel much different about my own body… it seems like nothing has changed.]

Gauntlet bowed his head.

Then, he started to feel his body all over.

[Hmm… you said the limit is five uses, right? That doesn’t seem that low, can I check my ability here?]

[How are you going to check it here with no opponent to use it on?]

Gauntlet fixed his gaze on the old man.

The old man sighed and said.

[Are you planning to kill me?]

[Aah, right. You said one of us dies when using the ability. Then I guess I should go into the nearby forest to find a stronger opponent than me.]

[Since this is your first time using your ability, I’ll accompany you. If you hesitate and hold back out of concern for whether the ability is real, you’ll fail to activate it. It’s good to have a backup there just in case.]

[Thank you.]

Gauntlet politely lowered his head.

He then raised his head again and slowly scanned the old man’s body, asking.

[By the way, you’ve lost your power after transferring it, yet you’re still B-rank? Did you originally have B-rank before gaining that ability?]

[Before I received the ability from my master… 50 years ago, I was D-rank. But since then, I’ve trained consistently for a remarkable 15 years. Just in case my ability was lost someday. Although I couldn’t feel my growth at all, it seems like my pure strength, which is separate from abilities, has indeed grown when I see it today.]

The old man’s satisfaction was evident in the smile on his face.

Thinking he might have had a bit of talent himself.

[You’ve given up on training for the last 35 years… anyway, I should train consistently as well and not rely solely on my ability. Just in case.]

After saying that, Gauntlet, while moving toward the forest with the old man, realized something strange.

[Wait a minute… didn’t you just say you used all five times? C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, S-rank… you started from D-rank, so that’s only four uses!]

[Even if the ranks are the same, you know there’s a difference in power. I used this ability twice on an A-rank enemy.]

[Ah, right, that.]

[It seems like your memory has gotten a lot worse lately. Don’t just train your body; work on your brain as well. And I forgot to mention that if you don’t use your Equivalent Confrontation ability within a year of its first use, all remaining uses will be deducted.]

[You just said the most important thing… Wait, if that’s the case, then ultimately it’s impossible to keep a fifth opportunity. Even if I try my best and use it sparingly, if I can only use it once a year, the max is five years.]

[Hmm. Now that you mention it, that’s true. That’s why I used them all up. I suppose old age is messing with my memory.]

[…I just want to check, but you’re not forgetting if this ability has any side effects, right?]

[Don’t worry. As far as I can remember, there are no side effects.]

[You just showed a pitiful memory, so saying that doesn’t inspire much confidence.]

[Your master disciple trusts you so little.]

The two continued to exchange light banter as they headed into the woods to verify the ability.

*

The old man once lived an honorable life.

It was very brief, but he had once acted as a hero.

However.

After defeating the Demon Lord, the old man fell victim to a curse.

The death curse left behind by the Demon Lord upon his death.

This curse bound the old man for the rest of his life.

Gauntlet didn’t know, but the curse’s number was engraved on the old man’s chest.

13,000 days.

That number signified how many days he had left to live.

In other words, he was living on borrowed time.

Upon realizing this, the old man abandoned the path of the hero and sought a way to lift the curse.

But he ultimately found no solution.

In the end, he let everything go.

Determining not to waste his life looking for a method, he decided to quietly live as a normal adventurer on a small island nation, savoring the remainder of his days.

*

The next day after the old man transferred his abilities to Gauntlet.

The engraved number on his chest decreased from 1 to 0.

The old man accepted his death.

He slowly reflected on his life until now, and at the end, he thought of Gauntlet’s face and smiled before quietly closing his eyes.

[…I enjoyed our time together.]

Gauntlet, who discovered the old man’s death late, did not shed a single tear.

He had grown far too accustomed to death to feel sorrow anymore.

[I didn’t expect you to leave so suddenly… I buried you in the best spot I could manage, so please rest in peace.]

Gauntlet used up all his savings to bury the old man in a grand grave.

A grave only the wealthy could afford, regardless of honor.

On the old man’s gravestone, the following words were inscribed.

『Age 75, Gauntlet’s Master ‘The Late Litelite’ rests here.』

Afterward.

Leaving the small island nation where he had been with the old man, Gauntlet began using the abilities he had gained, rising to become a renowned powerhouse, if not widely famous.

*

*

*

Thus, time continued to flow.

When there was only one use left of the ability he had inherited from the old man.

Gauntlet was exploring a dungeon when he discovered a door located at what seemed to be the innermost part of the dungeon.

And the moment he slowly pushed the door open.

Fwaaaah-!

Gauntlet’s body was engulfed in a brilliant light, and in an instant, he found himself in a pure white space.

Naturally, it was a different space than what lay beyond the door he had opened.

‘…Is this the boss room? That door I just opened must have been a spatial transfer method.’

But it was not that.

This place was completely unrelated to the dungeon.

‘And that right there must be the boss of this area… Huh? What’s that danger level…?’

Gauntlet instinctively took a step back, trembling.

He swallowed hard and thought.

The dungeon’s boss in front of him seemed to be an exceptionally powerful monster.

Finally, the moment had come to use the fifth opportunity of his unique ability that he had saved up for 11 months.

[Nice to meet you. My name is Time Eater…]

“Using Equivalent Confrontation.”

Without hesitation, Gauntlet immediately activated his Equivalent Confrontation ability, unfolding his final “Field of Equilibrium.”

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