This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain stood at the edge of the arena, peering into the slightly shimmering barrier that kept the battlefield isolated from the crowd. The referee gave him a nod from the side podium.

“Group 2, Match 1: Rank 2, Kain Newman versus Rank 42, Desmond Slate. Begin when ready.”

Desmond, a lanky student with a shaggy haircut and nervous smile, stepped onto the other side of the field. He took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply.

“I-I’ll be going all out from the start! Please don’t hold back!”

Kain gave a noncommittal shrug.

Desmond raised his arm. In a flash of orange spiritual power tinged with yellow, clearly he was on the verge of a breakthroguh, three cat-like spiritual creatures were summoned around him. A scaled cat the size of a lynx with dual tails, another similarly sized feline without any fur, but bark-like skin, and a floating, creepy-looking feline covered in ‘spots’ but after looking for a while, Kain realized those spots were really numerous eyes… Staring at him.

A shiver went down his back as a mild case of trypophobia kicked in…

Two were yellow-grade contracts, while one was orange-grade. And all three, Kain noted, were visibly trembling.

He didn’t blame them. The spiritual pressure rolling off his body was already making the front rows of the crowd hold their breath. Even through the barrier, the weight of Kain’s presence made them feel like they’d been placed into a pressure cooker.

After all, the average student in his year was still between a 3 and 4-star beast tamer. Not to mention the ordinary, unawakened audience members or those beast-tamers in the academic departments, who were only 1 and 2-stars. Kain, as a 5-star beast tamer, naturally had a suppressive effect on them all.

He connected to his star space and let out a slow breath. “Alright, let’s give them a show.”

Green spiritual power burst forth as Vauleth emerged, wings unfurling dramatically in a wave of heat. The crimson-scaled dragon let out a low growl, tail lashing the ground once like a whip. His presence alone already made all 3 opponents look like they’d crumble under the psychological pressure.

The dual-tailed cat instinctively ducked behind the bark-skinned one. The eerie multi-eyed one floated erratically, its too-many-eyes blinking out of sync.

Even the ground beneath Vauleth shimmered faintly from the heat he emitted, cracks forming where his claws dug into the arena floor.

Desmond paled. “W-Wait—just one?!”

Kain rolled his shoulders. “That’s all I need… no offence.”

The referee raised his hand. “Begin!”

Desmond barely had time to shout a command before the world turned red.

Vauleth moved like a blade.

One blast of scorching hot flame and the bark covered one caught fire—its appearance was no longer discernible as it looked more like a barely conscious pile of ash than a feline. The dual-tailed one behind its ally tried to dodge, but Vauleth’s tail snapped out and caught it mid-leap. The impact was so sudden it cartwheeled backward through the dirt, smoke trailing from its singed fur.

The multi-eyed one was brave. It flew toward Vauleth with a determined growl.

Not that Vauleth cared. He looked at the feline with pity, as if it were an egg futilely trying to break a stone. But, as a form of respect to the brave opponent, he didn’t show any mercy.

With a guttural roar, the dragon surged forward. The moment the two collided, the cat’s momentum was stopped like it had hit a mountain. Vauleth’s claws clamped around its head and with a twist of his body, he hurled the creature into the air. It landed with a crash that shook the boundary barrier, drawing gasps from the audience.

All three contracts vanished in bursts of light.

Desmond stood motionless, lips parted in disbelief.

The heat Vauleth emanated continued to heat up the arena enclosed by a transparent shield and it was beginning to feel like a sauna on stage. Kain wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Kain folded his arms and tilted his head. “You done?”

Desmond swallowed. “I… yield?”

The referee nodded. “Victory to Kain Newman.”

The barrier lowered and fresh cool air came to him. The audience roared.

Kain turned toward the crowd, expecting the shrieks of fangirls. He did hear some. High-pitched squeals, mostly from the left wing.

But then a deeper, more thunderous wave of noise rolled out from the opposite side.

“KAAAAIN!”

“FATHER-IN-LAW!”

“BOSSS!”

He blinked.

The fanboys had arrived. And they were loud.

Banners waved with slogans like “FMT PILL 4 LIFE” and “MY ELEMENTAL SPRITE IS MY WIFE.”

One guy had his shirt off to reveal a massive chest tattoo of the sole Light-attribute Royal Fairy—who was still under Kain’s custody, but whose appearance had gone viral due to it being included in the original patent report.

There was even a group of students waving cardboard cut-outs of Lumifin, Fairies and the Clear Spring Wolves in synchronized formation, like some kind of pseudo-cheer squad for a pop star. Their chants were perfectly timed, and one man with a thick mustache even had what looked suspiciously like a cheer routine written on a poster board.

The screams were enthusiastic. Emotional. Terrifying.

Somewhere near the center, Kain caught sight of a large burly man holding a plush of a water-elemental Sprite with pigtails, rocking it gently and weeping.

His lips moved.

“Thank you… Father-in-law.”

Kain got goosebumps. Everywhere.

He tried to keep smiling. He really did.

With mechanical precision, he raised a hand and waved once. Just once.

The crowd roared louder.

Vauleth raised his head behind him, basking in the attention like he’d just come back from winning a difficult war. The dragon raised one claw and dramatically dragged it across the ground, carving a line through the dirt in a show of dominance. He even gave a low rumble, flicking his wings in what could only be described as a theatrical bow.

Kain muttered, “Why did I think being popular would be fun?”

‘And why are they calling me father-in-law…?’