Is It Wrong to Try to Tame Monsters in a Dungeon? (Written seriously)

(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 15/February/2025 10:35 PM, timezone GMT+3)

Something relevant here is Grysia's name in phonetics (? Is that what they are called?), [Gri-ɪʒə]. The [ɪʒə] here is spelled the same way "sia" does in "Asia".

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Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

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(Saturday, 17/10/1058) 

(3rd person PoV) 

Henryk woke up. He simply opened his eyes. 

When he looked around, he found the sky still dark as no light seeped through the window covers. He knew that it was probably still some time before dawn. 

"Mmm?" Shira woke up and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. When she noticed what she rubbed her eyes with, her eyes considerably widened looking at them. 

"I should ignore this change in the way I rub my eyes. Right, Henry?" Shira looked at Henryk, who was pretending to sleep. 

"Since I already slept beforehand, I remained half-awake during the night while you slept" She poked him with her covered claws. "I would have noticed the slightest of movements that you would inevitably make waking uaaApp!" She was startled when Henryk suddenly pulled her in and kissed her forehead. Due to that, her voice cracked a little. 

"Can we stay like this for a minute?" He said. 

"Yes" Shira said as she relished the feeling. She felt like she broke down one other wall between them. 

'Grysia, do you play any active role in the marriages happening during the spring festival?' Henryk opened the mental link he had with Grysia completely. 

'Smoke... flower... bless... easy?' Grysia attempted to arrange them in an understandable way. 

'So, what you mean is that the smoke from the bonfires makes your flowers secrete a material that makes people bond much closer?' Henryk asked. 

'Eyes...' Grysia said. 

'Eyes? But you don't have them... They must lock eyes for a time? Is that what the dance does?' Henryk asked. 

'Cor-rrect...' Grysia said. 

'Thank you, Grysia' Henryk said. 

'You... welcome...' Grysia said. The tree's attempt at structuring a sentence made Henryk amused. 

'The sentence you wanted to say would be "You are welcome". Try again' Henryk said. He kept his wandering thoughts slip through the link from time to time so Grysia's young mind could start forming more consistent thoughts by getting it stimulated constantly. 

'You... are... welcome... !' Grysia's gratitude for the help it received flowed not in words, but in emotions. The tree's emotions were directly transmitted into Henryk's mind. 

'You're welcome, Grysia' Henryk said before tightening the mental link's "Gate". He virtualized the link as a gate and made it much smaller in his head, so that only emotions pour through, and only when intended for them to. 

"Henry, about what you offered yesterday..." Shira did not know how to bring up the subject, but she wanted to try. 

"You mean finally having our first night? That opportunity might not come again for a while" He said. 

"What about doing it before it's time for breakfast? This is probably the last chance we got before Fey sticks back to you for a while" Shira pleaded using a cutesy face. 

(Sunrise) 

"That started out so scary. I feared my mind collapsing when I looked at that cute face, Shira" Henryk said with both of them dipping in the bathtub of their room. 

"It needed to be done~" Shira said coyly as she leaned the back of her head back onto Henryk's chest, looking up at him from that position. "And don't worry. Today is supposed to be a safe day" She relaxed as she let the warmth of the bathwater permeate her body. 

Shira had a thought. She wanted to have kids, but it was too dangerous. "We would get kids of our own later, right?" 

"Maybe when either of us reaches level 5 or 6. I'll deal with the rest from there" Henryk said, taking the matter seriously. 

'I shouldn't tell her that her claws poked me repeatedly. I thankfully healed the scratches by altering my body, but that wasn't practical. And on that topic, [Regeneration] wasn't the thing I thought it was at first. What it did was boost the natural speed of the generation process of nails and hair, and maybe red blood cells, since I didn't feel lethargic due to blood loss. My best guess is that it replenishes what is usually produced perpetually in the body at an accelerated pace, not that it helps my body heal, evident by my hair and nails growing at an accelerated pace but my small wounds healing at approximately the natural rate. Maybe recovery should fulfill the role of healing?' Henryk busied himself with thoughts on how to better use his magic. 

... 

'Wait a damned minute! Grysia! Why didn't I get affected by your powder? If the residents grew resistant over generations, then why was I, a foreigner, not affected?' Henryk asked Grysia. 

'Minor... poison... Resist... ant...' Grysia wanted to convey the idea of his poison immunity recognizing and dealing with the poison of its blooms. 

'Alright, then. I guess describing it as a poison wasn't devoid of reason' Henryk indirectly praised Grysia's choice of words when describing its aphrodisiac poison. 

"Should we get up and be ready for breakfast?" Shira said, cutting his thoughts short. 

"I think we should" Henryk agreed with her, picking her up as he stood. 

"By the way, tell me the real reason why you desperately acted lustful?" Henryk asked her, exposing her ploy. 

"Wha-! ..." Shira blushed. "When did you notice?" She averted her eyes, flustered. 

"Must resist" Henryk mumbled incoherently. He resisted some residue desire that lingered after the fact. 

"I noticed pretty much instantly. To be honest, it was good acting" Henryk smirked before continuing. "It's your bad luck that I was conditioned to perceive deception and lies quicker than the norm. Now, answer me please" 

Shira was thinking of something to change the subject but found nothing convincing enough to use. 

"I wanted to seal our marriage the Preblican way. I wanted to both tell you that you are one of us and... do it while I'm still human..." Shira said, her mood plummeting. 

"... Thank you" Henryk wanted to give her words of comfort, but he found none that would make her feel any better. In her situation, any words of comfort would either look like deception or seem like deep lies. He opted to show her his appreciation for the gesture. 

"By the way, how do you feel about the change you're experiencing today?" He asked to change the subject. 

"With how drastic the change was the first time, the change this time is minimal" Shira said, staring at her swishing tail. She nearly lost all rationale and started trying to bat it away. 

"Shira, my adorable kitten" Henryk smirked as he helped her put her clothes on. "You shouldn't be having wars with your tail!" 

"Wait..." Shira squinted her eyes. "Why do I feel taller?" She was too occupied to argue about being an adorable kitten. 

Henryk stood back and examined her. 'Her hair's still somewhat wet' That was the first thing he thought of. 'But she's right. Her back did turn out a bit longer' He was very concerned but otherwise remained lost in thought. 'Her body wouldn't become some form of giant cat, will it? With skills, everything, insane or not, is possible. I'd need to be vigilant of any further changes, just in case she doesn't want them' "You okay? Do you feel any pain around any organ? Is there any discomfort anywhere?" He said as he started drying her hair. 

"I don't feel any discomfort anywhere. It just feels a little disorienting when my height increases so dramatically overnight, especially after close to a year of not changing almost at all" Shira said. "I do feel somewhat sore, though" She verbally jabbed him. 

"Sorry, not sorry" Henryk caught on and replied with something of his own. Once Shira's hair was dry enough, he picked up the brush and started working with that. 

"Could you leave my hair free today?" Shira loved her hair braided but letting it free was something her mother convinced her to do sometimes. Henryk complied and did as she wanted. He then stared at the place where her tail is beneath the clothes, very intently. 

"Why are you staring there?" Shira asked, sounding very concerned and ready to run. 

"I think we should ask cat people to help you with your outfits going forward. I see some budding ears between your hair. Soon, even your hats will need to be cat people-oriented" Henryk commented. "Your human ears are still the same size. Though, they too have changed somewhat. You at least don't need to fear them disappearing" 

Before going out of the room, both Henryk and Shira made her clothes a little longer by sewing fancy-looking fabrics into them, to fit her new stature. It took them a while, but they got ready on time. 

(In the mess hall) 

"Can anyone tell me why I have to eat here?" Carillon asked monotonously. He put a spoon in his mouth with no thought inside his head. 

"Because these two do?" Henryk gestured towards Tione and Tiona as his left hand stuffed his mouth. 

"What does that have to do with me, though?" Carillon cried in defiance. He got silenced when Tiona looked at him dreamily. "Don't tell me..." He was starting to get scared for his life, rightfully so. 

"Come here! You naughty child!" Tiona cheerfully said as she started chasing behind a fleeing Carillon. 

"They had a thing since they were children" Tione said absentmindedly. Her mind actually got all of its focus on Shira. She wanted to ask Shira for tips on how to charm a man effectively, maybe become friends along the way. 

"One-sided?" Henryk asked, eyes following Carillon around as he ran away from Tiona, trying and failing to get further away from her. 

"Very. Though it was using a slight of hand, he did defeat her at a lower level than her own before leaving her to go searching for a certain someone, and he fits her type of man perfectly" Tione said, redirecting some of her attention to Henryk. 

"How did you two become this close, so much so that he went out alone to find even traces of you? Your age difference is quite drastic to have formed a friendship that deep that fast, you see" She added, suspicious of what Henryk might have fed to a child's mind. 

Completely ignoring her opinion of him, Henryk formulated a reply. 

"Let's say that it was something he insisted on building. Not my idea to be his fri-" "Owie!" Shira started frantically rubbing her eyes after closing them. 

"Can I help you with anything?" Henryk asked softly, baffling the onlookers with the contrast with his crass front. 

"Mama~!" Fey came swooping in, checking on Shira. 

"I'm..." Shira rubbed her eyes some more before continuing, "fine, really. It's just a little itchy" She stopped when Henryk held her hands firmly. "And is a bit painful" She said as her eyes involuntarily became teary. 

"If it itches and is a bit painful, then something might be inside. Rubbing it in that case could cause blindness in that eye" He pulled her hands away before releasing them. 

"Weird" She shook her head before opening her eyes. "They don't feel painful anymore, though they still itch" 

Henryk almost had half a mind to poke her eyes blind, seeing as they reminded him of a predator's, almost. 

"Henry, do I look dangerous?" Shira's question snapped him out of it. 

"No, don't worry about it" He said as he looked away. 

"Hey, you" Shira said before grabbing his face and forcing him to face her. "My eyes changed, didn't they?" She squinted her eyes, examining the slight change in her field of vision. 

"Kids, can we talk?" Loki spooked Shira as she talked after sneaking behind her. 

Ever so silently did Shira jump to cling to Henryk, hiding behind his shoulders and peeking out at Loki. 

'Cute' Henryk thought. "Go on. You seem to know something" He said to Loki. 

"Of course I would!" Loki said with pride. "I created the idea for what she's turning into all on my own!... Though it was discarded later before the race was created..." She suddenly wilted. 

"There, there" Henryk patted her head as if she was a child, making her retaliate. 

"Hey! Hands off!" She furiously pushed his hand away and stepped back, folding her arms closer to her chest. "Don't violate me!" 

"Oh, I didn't know that your hair was that kind of place. Not sorry, by the way" He said. 

Loki just stood there, staring at him. She looked at him as if looking at a shameless individual, forgetting herself in the process. "Jokes aside" She confessed, waving a hand in the air. "Come with me" 

(Loki's Office) 

"She's slowly turning to what I called a Claw Eater, later called a Cluwr by those old cronies" Loki said, looking serious... for now. 

"What is that supposed to be?" Shira said, desperate to know what she is transforming into, slowly. 

"A Claw Eater, or a Cluwr, is essentially a tiger with human intellect. It also has eyesight that combines the best of tiger and human visions and no downsides, has four ears where a pair is lower than the other and has an average body size twice that of a tiger's maximum" She then scratched her head, trying to remember what else is there about this race. "I don't remember everything, though. It was such a long time ago" 

"Really? Nothing more to remember?" Henryk asked. At his words, Loki's neurons fired, and she remembered some very interesting details. 

"They are animals that have a demi-human form, which is only unlocked once they experience the horny for humans!" Loki's words made Henryk feel utter disgust. 

'Bestiality? Really? I think I get why it was a discarded idea now. Even hedonistic entities like them got a thing or two to be praised for' He did not say it and did not allow his facial muscles to let on it. He did not want Shira to feel hurt. 

"They can only get viable young between themselves and humans. Their pregnancy only lasts for a bit over a month, where the litter size is around two to three cubs usually, up to ten" Loki stopped for a moment. "By the way, if a human woman manifested into one, she would be able to become pregnant within the first three days of her transformation starting! And she'd be extra horny especially at the completion of said transformation!" She struck her palm. Her words made Shira and Henryk go pale. They looked at each other with their shocked eyes. They gulped. 

"Shira" Shira, just as Henryk is, was uneasy. She wasn't ready. "You won't be going to the dungeon for the foreseeable future" 

"It was supposed to be a safe day today...." She wept as she grabbed Loki by the shoulders and shook her violently. Loki surrendered to the shaking, letting Shira vent a little. "What about the kids' safety?" Shira's newly formed worry made itself clear as day. 

"We'lL heLp pRotect tHe LiTtlE KittIEs!" Loki playfully said while being shaken to her core. 

(Some more violent shaking later) 

"Ahem" Loki coughed in her hand trying to dissipate the awkwardness. "So, as I was saying, since this is a direct result of my past actions, I'll take responsibility and protect your children until you can do so on your own" Loki said while looking away with a modicum of guilt. 

"Loki" Henryk called Loki's name, grabbing her attention. "From what I know, felines and panthers in general could still hunt while pregnant. Does that apply here?" 

"You- Oh! I remembered another thing! A broken trait!" Loki threw her arms in the air. "Claw Eaters are immune to miscarriages! Absolutely so!" She loudly said. 

"I can fight while pregnant?" Shira was hit with a welcomed splash of emotional whiplash. 

"You might become more sluggish as your pregnancy progresses, though" Loki said carefreely, feeling good about herself. 'I'll finally see my kitty cuties come to life!' 

"More importantly, how long does this transformation take?" Henryk asked one of the more important questions. 

"Yeah, that is important" Shira also wanted to know. 

"This process may take any amount of time, as I didn't implement a timer myself and don't know how long it was set to be by others, if at all" Loki said, keeping the more unsettling part for herself. 'Her personality would change, as all Claw Eaters are proud-natured and highly territorial. Good thing I made them as socially active as humans when it comes to their family members' 

"Shira, wait until your transformation is complete before venturing into the dungeon" Henryk said after bringing Shira closer into his arms, completely ignoring Loki's presence. 

"Is it because the transformation triggers at any random time of day?" Shira expressed the worry she developed after her eyes changed in the middle of breakfast. The transformation could just as well begin while engaged in combat. 

After some more talking, Shira's mood stabilized before she was driven out of the room. Henryk told her to try associating with her new family memb- familia members while he arranged something very important with Loki. 

"Loki, could you tell me the specific genetic material composition of a general Claw Eater in great detail?" Henryk crouched down on the sofa, his interlocking fingers covering his mouth. The determination in his eyes scared Loki a bit. 

"Oho?! You know what genetic material is?! Let's talk!" Loki excitedly said. She, along with every god, were required not to spread the knowledge they had back in the upper realm. It was to protect the fickle balance of power that the lower realm has. It was so important that they still pretend not to know about most subjects even now. The specific wording of their vow made it possible to discuss with someone who already knows, though. 

"So..." And so, they spent the entire day rattling about the subject. 

(AN: No, I didn't study genetics. But, consider this, we are talking about a scenario where both fantasy and divine intervention are involved together. Any biologists among you, if there were any, please have patience and mercy) 

(Early Evening) 

"From what you said, Claw Eaters have more than the basic 4 bases in their DNA?" Henryk looked at his own version of a summary of what was discussed between them throughout the day. "Bullshit!" Henryk slammed the papers into the table in defiance against Loki's nonsensical idea. ('1) 

"But it is true, kid. What DNA your kids have from you will be rebuilt in the Claw Eaters' own system of 8 bases. And their stabilizing gene pair will forever stabilize each other and any other pair, making sure that no mispairing or any missing pairs are left uncorrected" Loki said, slumped against sofa tiredly. "To summarize, the stability of the children's DNA is nigh but guaranteed. The 48 genes present in Claw Eater cells are all present when the males and females produce their respective haploid cells ('2). And when new genetic material is introduced, the stabilizing gene pair will recognize if they were human genes or not. If they are, they start exchanging information only with the human part of the Cluwr DNA. Is this enough?" Loki slumped even further into the sofa. She wished to be swallowed in if just to escape Henryk's questions. 

"I have one more question for now" Henryk said, raising a finger. His face started becoming one of Loki's dislikes after looking at him for so long. 

"Have mercy!" She tried running away, accidentally smashing her nose into the corner of the door as Riveria opened it. 

"Are you available now?" Riveria asked, truly running out of patience. "Since it is already nighttime, we could settle for a short lesson, hmm?" Her eyes scared Henryk. 

'A truth seeker, eh?' Henryk sweat-dropped as he got up from the sofa he was sitting on. He silently followed her to the library. 'I should avoid making jokes with her, shouldn't I?' 

The lesson they had was introductions to cells and atoms and the basic concept of what they are. When Riveria asked why atoms were explained when they are not cells themselves, Henryk told her that they will be both essential during the next lesson. 

(End of Chapter)

'1:

Henryk's exclamation was directed at what ideas Loki had on the Claw Eaters. More on that in the relevant side story.

'2:

Haploid is what we call the half cells that engage in fertilization and are directly responsible for creating a fetus. Namely, there are sperm (You already know this word) and ovum (The egg half-cell within a mammalian female's womb or an avian female's ovary).

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Greetings again, dear readers

I will stop with this chapter for today. Although I still have chapters 27 & 28, I want to keep these for next week, in case I couldn't write up much during breaks.

But, for now, let's focus on more pressing matters.

What is your opinion of this chapter?

A question about the story as a whole that I want to know the answer for, is the story's pace good? If not, is it going too fast or too slow?

Stay well, ladies and gentlemen.