My Taming System Makes Me Overpowered

The oppressive weight of Vince’s kinetic redirection had barely settled before the translucent purple interface flared in Vince’s vision.

[TAMING SYSTEM]

[TOTAL ANNIHILATION OF the Death Crows]

Target Neutralized: Vesper (Master Shadow Assassin)

Status: Hostile Unit Defeated / Squad Annihilated

[HUNTER’S BOUNTY & SYSTEM CONVERSION]

Tamer EXP Gained: +45,000

Stat Points Awarded: Agility (+14), Sense/Perception (+16)

[TRAIT EXTRACTION: SPATIAL-SHADOW CORE]

New Active Skill Unlocked: [Tamer Art: Umbral Flash] (Execute short-range instantaneous spatial blinks through nearby shadows)

New Active Skill Unlocked: [Shadow Bind] (Project dark shadow-threads to physically and magically bind target beasts or human opponents)

Vince stared at the interface for several seconds.

Forty-five thousand experience.

It was considerably more than he had expected from a single encounter, but considering the opponents he had just fought, perhaps it wasn’t surprising. The Death Crows weren’t ordinary assassins. Every single one of them had been trained to kill targets far above the level of common soldiers.

And now they were dead.

The realization didn’t bring Vince much satisfaction.

Instead, his purple eyes moved across the ruined battlefield.

Trees had been ripped from the earth. The ground had been shattered in several places, and the residual spatial energy still crackled faintly through the air. The forest that had once been dense and alive had become a scarred wasteland.

Vince closed the interface with a subtle shift of his mind. He didn’t need the system to offer tracking skills—his innate 3D perception and the core-vision he’d harvested from Rin already allowed him to map every heartbeat and mana signature across the terrain. What he gained now were pure tactical tools.

The new abilities were more valuable than they appeared.

Umbral Flash could potentially allow him to bypass an enemy’s defenses entirely if used correctly. Shadow Bind, meanwhile, was even more straightforward. It wasn’t powerful because of its raw destructive capability.

It was powerful because it gave him control.

And control was something Vince had learned was often more dangerous than strength.

A few paces away, Lyrielle dropped to her knees, leaning heavily on her staff. She exhaled a shaky breath, then immediately began channeling soft, cool wind currents around her palms.

"Stay still," she murmured softly.

"I’m fine," Vince said, rolling his shoulders. His dragon scales and kinetic absorption had taken the brunt of the spatial detonation, leaving his skin completely unscathed beneath his torn clothing.

"I am checking anyway," Lyrielle insisted, stepping over. She pressed her glowing palm to his chest, ensuring no internal shockwaves lingered in his core, before turning her attention to Vetra and herself.

Vince allowed her to finish without arguing.

He could sense the subtle tremor in her hands.

She was exhausted.

Even though Lyrielle was trying to hide it, the battle had taken a toll on her. Her breathing was still slightly uneven, and the mana circulating through her body was noticeably weaker than before.

Vince glanced toward the bodies scattered around them.

"You did well," he said quietly.

Lyrielle looked up at him.

For a moment, she seemed surprised by the compliment.

Then she smiled faintly.

"So did you."

Vetra snorted from nearby.

"That’s an understatement."

Lyrielle carefully tended to Vetra’s bruised shoulder guards, soothing the scorched flesh where dragon scales met skin. Finally, she applied the gentle healing mist to her own singed arms and forehead, her breathing steadily returning to a calm rhythm.

Vetra flexed her shoulder experimentally.

"Better."

Her golden eyes shifted toward Vince.

"That assassin nearly tore us apart."

Vince’s expression remained calm.

"But he didn’t."

Vetra grinned.

"Exactly."

Vince walked over to the crater where Vesper lay still, barely breathing, alongside the unconscious Kira nearby.

For a moment, he studied the two assassins.

Kira was still alive.

Barely.

The man’s body had suffered tremendous damage from his own failed technique, but his breathing remained steady enough to prove that death hadn’t claimed him yet.

Vince considered finishing her off.

It would be simple.

One movement.

And there would be no loose ends.

But his eyes narrowed.

Dead enemies couldn’t answer questions.

Alive enemies could.

Especially enemies who belonged to Duke Owen.

With a flick of his wrist, Vince activated his newly acquired skill.

[Shadow Bind]

Slender, pitch-black threads of liquid shadow erupted from Vince’s shadow, weaving tightly around Kira. The dark threads wrapped securely around her limbs and torso, completely locking down their mana pathways and securing them like weightless cargo without requiring physical ropes or burning precious energy.

"We move now," Vince said, looking west through the scorched trees. "The noise from this battle won’t remain unnoticed for long."

Vetra slung her daggers into her belt, her golden eyes blazing. "Directly into this Owen guy’s territory?"

"Directly to his front door," Vince replied coldly.

Lyrielle stared at him.

"You’re really going to confront another enemy after what just happened?"

Vince glanced toward the western horizon.

"No."

He paused.

"I’m going to make him understand the meaning of life."

The distinction made Vetra’s smile widen.

With a silent signal, the trio set off, marching swiftly out of the ruined forest line, heading toward the borders of the Western Duchy.

Behind them, the forest remained silent.

But the silence wouldn’t last.

Someone would find the bodies.

Someone would report what happened.

And before long, the entire Western Duchy would know that Vince was coming.

Hundreds of miles to the north, beyond the frost-capped mountain ranges where icy winds swept over ancient stone fortresses, a quiet warmth bathed a luxurious private chamber.

Duchess Rosalind sat draped in high-collared velvet, a crystal glass of deep crimson wine resting loosely between her slender fingers. Firelight danced across her sharp, breathtaking features—striking violet eyes and long, silver-tinged hair that fell over her shoulders like woven silk.

Before her, floating above a silver bowl of clear mana-water, a scrying projection flickered out.

The image showed the ruined forest clearing. The bodies of the Death Crows. The flattened trees. And the towering silhouette of a young man stepping out of a spatial crater, crackling with golden and purple energy before reverting to human form.

"Fascinating," Rosalind purred, her voice a low, melodious hum that carried an undertone of dangerous authority.

She leaned closer to the projection.

The image shifted.

Vince.

His purple eyes.

His strange aura.

The impossible combination of physical strength and spatial manipulation.

Rosalind’s smile deepened.

"So that’s him."

Beside her desk, a masked spymaster bowed low in the shadows. "Duchess... Duke Owen’s premier assassination squad has been completely wiped out. All four dread commanders. Vince and his companions are currently marching west toward the western duchy."

Rosalind leaned back against her velvet chair, taking a slow sip of her wine. A faint, knowing smile curled the corner of her lips.

"Owen is an arrogant fool," she said softly, her violet eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "He clings so desperately to the Emperor’s doctrine—believing human blood and noble lineage make him superior to all else. He thought he could use a boy to test his own military boundaries."

She set her glass down, swirling the crimson liquid.

"How naive to go after a magic less human despite our history as a race."

The spymaster remained still. "Should we intervene, Your Grace? The Emperor’s council is already finalizing the doctrine for complete human dominance across the southern territories. Vince’s existence—and his heritage—directly defies the crown’s vision."

Rosalind’s expression changed slightly.

The amusement remained, but something colder appeared beneath it.

"The Emperor is becoming impatient."

"He believes the southern territories must be unified before the other races can react."

"Of course he does."

Rosalind glanced back at the projection.

"But unity built on hatred is not unity."

The spymaster remained silent.

He knew better than to interrupt her when she spoke like that.

Rosalind tapped one finger against the armrest.

"Tell me something."

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"Do you think Owen knows why we kept tabs on magic less humans before sending the Death Crows?"

The spymaster hesitated.

"Not completely. We believe Owen suspected that Vince possessed the ability to use magical artifacts despite being magic less, but he underestimated the extent of them."

Rosalind laughed softly.

"Then he’s even more foolish than I thought."

Her gaze returned to Vince.

There was something about the young man’s presence that bothered her.

Not because she feared him.

It was because his existence disrupted too many carefully arranged pieces on the board.

A human without magic.

A boy carrying the blood of another race.

And now someone powerful enough to annihilate one of the most feared assassination squads in the empire.

"Intervene?" Rosalind chuckled, her gaze lingering on the faded scrying reflection of Vince’s cold, golden-eyed face. "Why would I stop such a magnificent creature from maturing?"

She ran a manicured fingernail along the rim of her glass, her eyes narrowing with intense, predatory interest.

"If he’s after Owen he’s in for a big surprise cause that man would rather die than lose...do nothing for now I want to see how this plays out."

The spymaster bowed.

"As you command."

He turned to leave.

"Wait."

The man stopped.

Rosalind’s gaze remained fixed on the window.

"If Vince reaches Owen’s territory alive, inform me immediately."

"Do you expect him to?"

A slow smile appeared on Rosalind’s lips.

"I expect him to do much more than that."

She turned her eyes toward the frosty window, looking out over her domain.

Snow drifted across the distant mountains, covering the ancient fortresses in white.

Harlan...

"The Emperor wants an interracial empire of humans rulers... but seems fate may be having other plans for who gets to take the throne."