This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain stood at the center of what remained of the southern square, hands clasped behind his back, doing his best not to look nervous.

Which was difficult, considering several hundred people were watching him out of curiosity.

They stood in loose clusters amid cracked stone and half-collapsed buildings—men and women wrapped in worn armor, patched clothing, or whatever they’d managed to grab when the alarms first sounded hours ago. Some leaned on spears or battered shields. Others had bandaged limbs or hollow eyes that spoke of exhaustion far deeper than muscle fatigue.

What remained of the beast tamers.

But most, by far, were ordinary people.

Unawakened.

The very people the world had already decided were disposable.

And now, all of them were staring at him like he was either their last hope… or completely insane.

The 9-star tamer stood a short distance away, arms crossed, expression carefully neutral. His dragon contract remained flying in the sky further north, acting as a deterrent and lookout against another abyssal attack (even if unlikely).

The golden dragon—Aurem—was on the ground not far from Kain, his massive form coiled lazily amid shattered stone. He wore a relaxed, almost bored expression as he kept one eye on the 9-star tamer. Everyone else in the square gave him a wide berth, instinctively clustering away from his vicinity and stealing wary glances at him rather than daring to stand close.

Kain exhaled slowly.

Alright, he thought. Let’s start small.

He raised one hand.

“Before anyone panics,” Kain said loudly, projecting his voice just enough to carry, “I need to warn you first. The awakening process is extremely painful—so even if the volunteer screams as if his body and soul have been lit on fire, do not be alarmed. That’s perfectly normal. Rest assured, that no one has died during this process… yet.”

That did not seem to reassure anyone.

A few people shifted uneasily. Someone muttered a prayer under their breath.

The 9-star tamer glanced sideways at him. “That’s your comforting opening?”

Kain winced. “I’m workshopping it.”

Shivering, the first unawakened volunteer shuffled forward. He looked only a couple of years older than Kain, with sickly pale skin as if he didn’t get much sun, but a surprisingly burly physique.

Kain spent several gruelling minutes etching the awakening array across the volunteer’s bare back, during which the square echoed with screams that sounded more like a wounded animal than a man. When it was finished, the teary-eyed volunteer activated the array himself—and promptly collapsed as a fragment of his soul was drawn into Pangea.

‘Oops. Forgot to prepare a chair…’

Thankfully, just as those in the square were growing antsy and about to question Kain or accuse him of being a fraud, a flash of light appeared next to the volunteer as his eyes began to blearily open.

But nobody paid him any mind.

Everyone in the square turned their attention to the small figure standing a few meters in front of him.

A lynx.

She was… smaller than anyone expected, considering Kain’s promises of giving them power.

Barely knee-height on the average adult, standing upright on two legs with a posture that was stiff, cautious, and very ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. Her fur was a deep midnight blue shot through with faint silver flecks, like starlight scattered across a night sky. Pale markings traced her muzzle and chest in soft gradients, and the tufts of fur at the tips of her ears glowed faintly, shimmering as if catching light that wasn’t actually there.

Her eyes were the most striking part.

Large. Reflective. A luminous, icy silver that kept darting around the square, cataloguing everything in quick, nervous bursts.

Her tail flicked continuously, betraying her nerves.

Beside her stood the volunteer in his mid-twenties, clothes still marked with the grime. His hands shook as he stared down at the lynx in disbelief, jaw slack, eyes shining.

“I—I can feel it,” he said, voice unsteady. “She’s… she’s really mine?”

Kain smiled despite himself. “Looks that way.”

The man let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob.

The 9-star tamer finally stepped closer, gaze sharp as he studied the lynx. “This is the result of your… method?”

Kain nodded. “As you can see, it was a success.”

“Success?” the man repeated slowly, eyes narrowing. “That creature is only white-grade.”

A few nearby listeners grew visibly disappointed. As ordinary people, they couldn’t accurately sense the spiritual power grade of the lynx so they’d been under the illusion that it was stronger than it looked. But they knew even a million white-grade contracts wouldn’t be much help to their current predicament.

Kain didn’t immediately retort. Instead, he glanced at the translucent blue panel unfolded in his vision:

—————-

Species: Starveil Night Lynx (Mutant)

Description: A bipedal lynx species native to Pangea, instinctively attuned to reflective phenomena. Members of this species perceive ores, gemstones, and metallic deposits as luminous points—akin to stars scattered across darkness—regardless of depth or interference. This individual exhibits a mutant enhancement of the species trait, allowing perception through extreme distances, layered terrain, and regions that disrupt higher-order senses.

Quality: Silver

Grade: White

Attributes: Earth, Star (minor)

Skills:

B–Stellar Perception (Passive): Continuously perceives reflective or crystalline matter as points of light, with intensity scaling to rarity and mass. Does not provide location data on living entities or terrain hazards.

B–Starbound Focus: When deliberately concentrating, significantly sharpens resolution and discrimination of valuable targets, allowing precise differentiation between similar materials and identification of exceptionally rare deposits.

C–Ore Affinity (Passive): Grants intuitive understanding of the physical properties, purity, and structural stability of detected ores, enabling safer excavation routes and reducing risk of collapse or impurity misjudgment.

C–Gleam Sense (Passive): Extends perception beyond valuables to include disturbances beneath the ground, detecting movement, density shifts, and approaching subterranean entities within a wide radius.

C–Burrow Glimmer (Active): Temporarily projects a layered mental map of underground space, highlighting tunnels, voids, hidden chambers, and potential ambush points for a short duration.