(???) POV

I just made it back to my burrow after another day with a full 5 berries.

There are lots of scary predators out there, I thought a bird was going to eat me earlier, but luckily it was actually after a worm.

I was so scared…..

But luckily I made it back to my burrow, no big predator has ever attacked me in my burrow before!

The outside is scary but my burrow feels so safe and warm.

It’s the one place I can always come back to and relax without any worries.

Then I felt IT.

All at once, this enormous pressure engulfed me, I felt like my entire being was being crushed as if a tree had fallen on top of me. I was terrified, such a force could only come from a predator far more powerful than I could imagine. Escaping barely crosses my mind, but I can’t escape something that is surrounding me, not to mention my fear is already paralyzing me.

So I just stay there frozen, and accept that today will be my last.

Auxentius POV:

You have subordinated a common mouse Class: Tamer available, Rank 0 Title: child prodigy learned 5 non-race skills and has exceeded 50 points in at least 2 stats before age 6, all stats +5

Mouse GET!

Probably because of that connection that the menu mentioned, I feel strange…. Like a part of myself isn’t quite me, and that that part is scared stiff.

I’ll class change with my menu and check if it has an explanation for me.

[Tamer class rank 0 acquired] CHR+3 (48) Wil+1 (125) INT+1 (93)

Skill: Telepathy LV 1 Able to communicate telepathically with other creatures, MP cost increases with range Tame LV1 Able to tame monsters to work for you. tamed monsters 1/2 Name Auxentius Race Human, male Age 0 LV 1 Class Tamer LV 1 Rank 1 HP 12/12 MP 15/85 (increases by 0.8/sec) Strength 6 Intelligence 99 Dexterity 7 Willpower 130 Stamina 6 Wisdom 80 Luck 37 Charisma 53 Skills Mana perception:ability to sense the mana of your surroundings Analyze: show known information about an object Mana manipulation: able to alter the shape and properties of mana Magic mana sense: able to make a field of mana that will detect objects within it, Uses more MP/second the larger the field Magic connection: links senses with another being, being must either willingly accept the link or first be dominated. Certain skills are buffed when used between members of a magic connection. Telepathy LV1: allows communication through thoughts, MP cost increases with distance Tame LV1: ability to tame a monster and enslave it to your will, either by forcing it into submission or by having it agree to serve you by a contract, current capacity 1/2 Titles Child prodigy: learned 5 non-race skills and has exceeded 50 points in at least 2 stats before age 6, all stats +5 Tamed monsters common mouse LV4 Linked beings common mouse LV4

I am relieved that my HP isn’t so low anymore and that magic connection is responsible for that weird feeling. There is a lot more to go over, but first I want to take a look at my new monster and see if it can get me some food.

Name N/A Race Common mouse, female Age 3 Lv 4 Class Mouse Rank 0 HP 20/20 MP 0/10 Strength 5 Intelligence 11 Dexterity 15 Willpower 7 Stamina 8 Wisdom 5 Luck 89 Charisma 5 Skills

Gnaw LV3 Attacks using the mouth gain a slight bonus

Claw LV2 Attacks using claw gain a slight bonus Hide LV5 has an easier time avoiding being sensed by others

Poison resistance LV2 Takes less damage from poisons

Iron gut LV 4 Less likely to have negative effects from eating poisonous or rotting foods Titles Owned by Auxentius: been tamed by a human whose taming rank is equal to or greater than the monsters rank, 15% combat penalty for every rank exceeding the owner's Race skill Compress LV3 is able to compress the body in order to fit through tight spaces

The heck, this mouse has even more luck than I do!

I then pieced together something somewhat disturbing.

According to the terms the menu is using, I forced a female into submission so that I could enslave her to do my bidding.

In other words, I am human garbage and the absolute worst kind of person.

OBJECTION, the target in question is a monster right, it isn’t intelligent right, no sentience no crime!

Except I don’t actually know if it is intelligent or not…….

Well I can reflect on the morality of being a monster tamer after I talk to the victim of my actions.

Thankfully I just acquired a skill that will let me do just that.

Mouse POV: I’m still alive.

The fear I first felt was unlike anything I felt before, I was more sure I was going to die right then more than any time I entered the forest.

But I survived, whatever that thing was didn’t kill me, and after a while I felt connected to something powerful.

I cannot imagine why a being so powerful would not only spare me, much less do whatever it did to make me feel connected to it’s essence, almost like a part of me.

That new feeling seeps into me and I feel much calmer, more composed, and other things I never knew about before.

I feel a, what’s it called, determination, a will to not just survive but, thrive, these words I’ve never thought of before fill my head and it feels empowering.

No longer a scared little creature hoping to scrape by, but one determined to overcome everything in it’s path and grow to tower over all of them, to be the one other beings need to fear.

Then whatever being responsible for this contacted me bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Hello, I am Auxentius and I have just tamed you as my monster, and wanted to know your thoughts on the matter”.

I’m not sure why this being…..master…. cares about my thoughts, then again I don’t know why it would bother with someone as weak as I… was to begin with, so I decide to respond carefully.

“I am a common mouse and am grateful that a being as powerful as yourself would not only spare me, but bestow me with such knowledge”.

I feel a slight confusion from master, but don’t feel like it is displeased, nor that it plans to do anything bad to me.

Auxentius POV: bestow such knowledge?

I can tell from the link that the mouse is being sincere, and after thinking for a while I can somehow feel from our link that the mouse was influenced by the link much stronger than I was.

I pick up a thing or two occasionally from the link, but she seems to grow off it in a way that greatly alters her being.

This could be from the differences in stats, or maybe because she is my tamed monster.

For now I contact the mouse again and tell her to move with whatever food she has to the cave I live in. I can tell from the link that the mouse lives alone and isn’t part of a group of mice which strikes me as odd.

Mice tend to be more social creatures than other animals, so normally there should be a group of some kind.

Then again earth logic doesn’t really apply in a world of levels and magic.

I am using mana sense to make sure that nothing intercepts my mouse from reaching my cave, even though it is only a short distance to travel I don’t feel like taking any chances.

Being careful will only lower my MP a bit, but that can refill after only a minute or two.

This link is a little worrying, while knowing the other sides intent and learning information from them is useful, the fact that it goes both ways is potentially very dangerous.

Having my darker thoughts and intentions laid bare even if they are only momentary is unsettling to say the least.

This mind that has travelled the internet has some very dark corners within that should not be seen by those who are unprepared.

The mouse seems to have put me on a pedestal and began revering me, so I am curious as how she will react to learn that I am a baby that is only a few hours old.

Not to mention how she will react to the NSFW section of my mind.

[your common mouse has learned analyze]

I doubt that was a coincidence…. I will definitely need to look into to this connection more later.

I contact the mouse again, and she seems surprised and confused by the skill, I tell her to try opening her menu to check it out at which from the link I feel her confused for a moment, then amazed by something.

I can’t tell if all monsters don’t know about the menu, or just the lower level ones, but I should be careful about this in the future.

I can also tell from the link that her stats in WIS, INT, and WIL have also increased by 1 each, in addition to 2 INT from analyze, although she didn’t get the wisdom bonus for learning a skill on her own.

I can see her outside the cave, she has brown fur and is about the size of my chest.

I call out telepathically to communicate because speech is still beyond me.

“So, how does it feel to know that the being you thought was so great and powerful, is a baby who can’t even gather food for itself”?

“With all due respect master, I can tell from the link that you have memories from another world, and that you would be so powerful at such a young age only serves to bolster my spirits”.

Even that was revealed through the link?! Looks like I really can’t keep any secrets from those I share it with.

“And you are fine with being enslaved by another being, losing your freedom completely”?

“I feel far more free with my thoughts now than I ever did before, living every day in fear that it would be my last, this is the first time I’ve even considered a way out”.

Seems like she really does have no complaints for now but, emotions are fickle, and can always change over time.

Also now that I think about it that is quite the elegant way of speaking considering I am talking with a 3-year-old mouse who likely hasn’t talked much before.

I can worry more about all that more later, but for now, I have confirmed that she is in fact sentient regardless of whether she was or not before.

I order the mouse to not tell others about reincarnation, the menu, as well as my high stats, and pretty much anything else she learns from the link until I learn what the intelligent beings from this world are like.

She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel her mentally roll her eyes as if what I said is obvious and only an idiot would carelessly reveal those things to a potential enemy.

I feel slightly insulted somehow….

At least she isn’t trembling in fear of me anymore, a capable and willing subordinate is far better than a meek and unwilling one.

I eat 2 of the mouse’s berries, and luckily it seems I can digest them despite that a baby would usually be incapable of digesting solid food, even if I can pulverize it with my strength 6 hands beforehand.

I give my mouse the name Ratina because I couldn’t think of a good mouse name, and while she had no name preference, she still wanted one.

Name Ratina Race Common mouse, female Age 3 Lv 4 Class Mouse Rank 0 HP 20/20 MP 0/11 Strength 5 Intelligence 13 Dexterity 15 Willpower 7 Stamina 8 Wisdom 6 Luck 89 Charisma 5 Skills

Gnaw LV3 Attacks using the mouth gain a slight bonus

Claw LV2 Attacks using claw gain a slight bonus Hide LV5 has an easier time avoiding being sensed by others

Poison resistance LV2 Takes less damage from poisons

Iron gut LV 4 Less likely to have negative effects from eating poisonous or rotting foods Analyze: Able to show information that the user already knows Titles Owned by Auxentius: been tamed by a human whose taming rank is equal to or greater than the monsters rank, 15% combat penalty for every rank exceeding the owner's Race skill Compress LV3 is able to compress the body in order to fit through tight spaces

I have Ratina hunt insects within a range of mana sense where the consumption is slightly less than my recovery rate while I test some things.

I want to learn water magic, as trying to move water by mouse or getting it all from berries would be quite difficult.

I make a ball out of mana above my cupped hands, and try to focus on a cool flowing sensation as I picture water in my head.

Nothing happens.

I then picture a water fall, with the mana becoming water and flowing down to my hands.

The mana begins to circulate, and the feel of it changes slightly, but still no water is formed.

I then focus on that new mana feel, and try to condense it into a ball which becomes

Water magic: water ball Able to form a water ball made of magic to use against your foes, damage, speed, and range increase depending on MP spent, MP can focus on any of those 3 specifically

INT+3 (102)

I only make a small amount to drink at first to make sure it isn’t poisonous or something, and then create a few more above my open mouth to quench my thirst.

Next I try using the sensation I got from the ground earlier in a compressed magic ball and learn

Earth magic: throw rock Earth version of water ball

INT+3 (105)

I then learn fire magic: fire ball and wind magic: wind ball, each giving me INT+3 (111) after trying out several different things, but no magic other than ball based has worked so far.

Fire magic: fire ball Wind magic: wind ball

While I want to try more this has taken several hours and I am getting tired. I also unlocked the class options for [Class: Wizard] and [Class: Warlock] but I have no intention of changing my class permanently. I will probably try changing temporarily later once I make sure there are no downsides. I call back Ratina who has killed a few dozen insects in this time, but has yet to level up from it and go to sleep for a while.