This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange-Chapter 546: The ’Shy’ Bea

Thankfully, not long after realizing what Kain wanted—perhaps not wanting to irritate him even further—the rhino quickly got to work.

Its horn began to glow, faint at first, then steadily pulsing with a soft white light. Threads of shimmering energy wove around the violet amethyst-like crystal, forming delicate rings that hovered like halos just above the surface. The effect was oddly beautiful—mystical even—though the beauty of the scene was ruined by the way the rhino was still sniffling occasionally between careful movements.

It stepped down toward the crater with surprising delicacy for its large frame, the massive hooves carefully avoiding even the smallest crystal shards. Then, with the tip of its horn, it traced the air above the encircled crystal. A ripple passed through the amethyst and it began to vibrate and hum faintly before the stone detached from the cliff face without a single crack, floating gently into the air.

Kain only needed one crystal for Bea, but since he had this rhino here, and he felt these crystals were special, he had the rhino continue.

One by one, the rhino repeated the process. With every extraction, more of the mental-attribute crystals hovered next to its head, orbiting it in a loose ring like a crown of purple stars. The air around them thrummed with mental energy so potent it made Kain's skin crawl.

Kain raised an eyebrow. "…Huh. So the dragon wasn't lying."

Eventually, he gestured with a flick of his hand, and the largest crystal floated toward him. The rhino flinched—briefly thinking it was under attack again—but relaxed when Kain gave it a curt nod.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Kain was gone. As were all of the crystals, save for one of the largest ones Kain left to the rhino as a gift for its hard work.

Thankfully, as a non-living object, Kain was able to leave Pangea with the crystals, and his consciousness snapped back into place in the ancient ruins.

The familiar stone walls of the cavern they'd rested in for the night loomed around him. His team was spread across the chamber—Zareth was adjusting the straps on his spear holster, Pete and Jamie were kneeling beside a collapsed structure, brushing away sand and looking for anything salvageable, and Lina was preparing some stew-like rations for everyone's breakfast.

Kain blinked and rubbed at the side of his head. The faint mental buzz from Pangea still clung to his thoughts.

He checked the time. Several hours had passed and it looked like everyone was ready to continue moving.

So much for rest.

"Ahem," Kain cleared his throat, stepping forward. Everyone paused to look at him.

Kain gave a short nod. "If possible, I'd like to take a short break. My contract's evolution is overdue." He held up the crystal, the black relic stone, a catalyst and high-quality spiritual orb. "I have all of the materials ready."

The others hesitated. A heavy silence fell over the group.

They remembered last time.

The frantic way the abominations had surged toward them—toward Kain—as they were seemingly drawn to Kain's breakthrough attempt.

Zareth, as their leader, didn't readily agree this time, frowning in hesitation.

Seeing their collective silence, Kain tried to convince them. "It's just an evolution, she won't be trying to break through her current level."

Thankfully, this wasn't a level breakthrough—which could take days or even weeks—but simply an evolution. Even factoring in delays, Bea should be done within a couple of hours. Not to mention she could attempt the level breakthrough in Kain's star space once she evolves, although not ideal, which would drastically increase his safety once she succeeds.

Zareth's jaw flexed, clearly unconvinced.

"Evolution doesn't always succeed," Pete said quietly, his gaze flicking to the materials Kain was holding. "Even with good materials. It may be better to wait until we've left the relic and you have access to specialized environments. I know both your College and the Order have mental-attribute rooms."

Kain nodded. "I'm aware."

Lina looked up from her pot, brows knit. "So why not wait?"

Kain exhaled through his nose. "Because every minute we waste puts us closer to another trap or another death. And she's ready. I'm not going to keep delaying her evolution because it might or might not cause noise. We need her stronger."

The silence stretched again, but this time, there was something heavier in it—reluctant understanding.

Finally, Zareth let out a grunt of agreement. "Fine. We'll set up defenses first."

Everyone moved at once.

Zareth unslung his spear and drove its butt into the ground, drawing a wide half-moon perimeter with its tip and then released a contract that looked like a house cat made of metal. "My contracts will form a barrier. It won't hide us, but it'll blunt our presence for anything not already extremely close."

Pete, Jamie, and Lina also released contracts capable of forming barriers and/or traps.

Even Serena, used her Starweaver to set up an additional barrier composed of starlight.

He walked to the center of the room.

"Go ahead," Zareth said, standing at the perimeter.

Kain knelt and began placing the materials: the glossy black relic stone, the catalyst, the glimmering spiritual orb, and finally, the violet-hued mental crystal still humming faintly from its extraction.

He stared at the space just in front of him.

None of the others looked surprised when they couldn't see Bea.

They all thought his contract was invisible, not knowing she was just too tiny to see with the naked eye.

Still, even for those used to it, the sight—or lack thereof—was strange. Kain arranged everything meticulously on the ground before what appeared to be nothing. No flicker of energy. No outline. No distortion. Just air.

Jamie whispered, "It's not gonna appear at all?"

"Apparently not," Pete muttered.

Then—

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Light.

A blinding white glow erupted without warning, swallowing the materials whole. The relic stone cracked first, releasing a swirl of black and silver energy into the air. The catalyst and spiritual orb shattered with a high-pitched ring like breaking crystal. And the mental crystal dissolved into motes of light, each one pulsing once before being drawn inward.

Thankfully, there were no mishaps or attacks, and Bea's evolution finished uneventfully.

The bright light at the center of the room faded away to reveal…nothing.

Sigh

The others looked away in disappointment at still not catching even a glimpse of Kain's incredibly 'shy' contract.

The second the barriers surrounding the cavern dropped, a loud far off roar echoed throughout the room.

'Looks like I'll get to see Bea's new form in action even sooner than I'd expected'