This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Chapter 854: Chapter 854: The Test Run

Kain smirked and pulled out a sleek, rune-etched tablet from his storage ring. The faint hum of Source energy pulsed within its metallic frame. “You’re right—most can’t. But perhaps this one can. It uses an energy Source I don’t think those prior civilizations could properly harness. Of course, it’s experimental and may still need some tweaks, but you could watch the world beyond your chamber without ever leaving.”

The relic stared at the device as if it were a rare animal. For a being that had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, curiosity was not something easily stirred—yet Kain saw it flicker for a moment.

“So,” Kain said, carefully hiding his grin, “how about a trade? We go east, and in exchange, you get front-row access to the greatest live performance in the world—our journey to stop the Abyss.”

Serena crossed her arms, giving him a faintly exasperated look that still couldn’t hide her amusement, and whispered, “You sure such a strong sales pitch won’t lead to customer dissatisfaction due to not living up to expectations?”

“Hey,” Kain whispered back, “every hero team needs a sponsor. And the best one is right in front of us.”

The relic didn’t laugh, at what it overheard, but the corners of its lips twitched. Its eyes glowed faintly again—not with anger this time, but deliberation.

“You offer me amusement and novelty,” it said slowly, almost to itself. “And you are not wrong. This existence… it is long. Too long. Even gods would go mad staring at the same four walls for eternity.”

It looked at them for a long moment, expression unreadable, then said, “Fine.”

Kain and Serena straightened instantly, hope flashing across their faces—

“—but under one condition.”

The hope froze.

The relic’s smile turned faintly mischievous. “I must confirm that this little toy of yours actually works before I send you to the East. If it fails, you are being sent right back to Dark Moon.” It leaned forward slightly, voice dropping to a deceptively sweet tone. “And this time, I won’t be smoothing the trip for you. You’ll feel every sensation of your body being decomposed and reformed again and again—your stomach twisting inside out, your bones humming like glass, your skin crawling with phantom ants as your cells struggle to hold together across the void. I wonder how long you’ll last before fainting?”

A chill swept down Kain’s spine. He didn’t exactly want to feel the unbuffered agony of long‑distance teleportation.

“Deal,” he managed, forcing confidence into his voice though his grin was tight. “But I think you’ll be impressed.”

Serena exhaled softly, resigned. “Guess we’re about to find out.”

The relic studied them a moment longer, then nodded once. “Let us see if you’re as entertaining as you claim,” it said lightly.

The relic didn’t move for a few seconds after saying that, its sharp gaze flicking between Kain and the tablet in his hands. The silence stretched until Kain forced out a nervous laugh and tapped the device confidently. “You won’t regret this.”

He tapped the screen again.

Nothing happened.

He frowned, tapped again—harder. The glowing runes around the edge of the frame dimmed slightly.

Serena blinked. “…Did it just die?”

The relic tilted its head. “Is that it

Kain coughed awkwardly, face turning a shade redder. “Of course not! Just… booting up.” He began swiping, tapping, double‑tapping, muttering something under his breath that might’ve been a prayer or an insult. The screen flickered for half a second before going completely black. All sigils now completely dim.

A thick silence fell over the room.

Even the relic’s faint hum seemed to quiet.

Then it exhaled, unimpressed. “Charming. Your ’superior device’ seems to have the lifespan of a candle in the rain.”

The air grew heavier. The temperature seemed to drop as the relic’s annoyance rose. Kain felt beads of cold sweat on his forehead as the tablet began to steam faintly. A single spark popped from its corner.

Serena winced. “Kain…”

“I got this,” he said hastily, trying to sound confident while his thumb jabbed the power rune. “Just a… minor technical hiccup.”

The relic’s small hand twitched, faint light gathering at its fingertips.

Kain’s stomach lurched. “WAIT! Just give me a second—I just need to troubleshoot it!”

For a moment, the relic didn’t respond. Then, under its cold, glowing eyes, the tablet shimmered—and vanished from Kain’s hands.

His eyes widened. “Hey—!”

And before Serena could ask what was happening, Kain’s form went rigid. His eyes glazed for a brief second, and then his body went completely still, standing upright like a statue.

The relic’s breath caught in surprise. “Did… did I scare him so badly he fainted while standing?”

—————

Meanwhile, Kain’s eyes snapped open again but in a completely new location.

He stood in the heart of the Dwarven city.

It had changed since his last visit. What was once a small forge town carved into a mountain’s veins had grown into a sprawling labyrinth of industry. The air hummed with energy. Gears spun in tall towers, molten metal flowed through a channel in the center of the town (now more a city) like a scorching how river, and the sound of hammering echoed from every direction. Every structure gleamed with polished bronze and enchanted steel.

And in keeping with the architecture Kain saw before, the ceilings were taller than one would expect from dwarven kind. Just enough for Kain to walk comfortably without ducking, yet still keeping the dwarves’ sense of snug, efficient space. It was like they’d secretly measured his height while he wasn’t paying attention and made every space just big enough to accommodate him.

And even more noticeable was the difference in population. Perhaps due to the rich Source energy on Pangea, the Earth souls decreasing the barriers for new life among all humanoid species, or the time difference between Pangea and Earth (with a month to Kain being years on Pangea), but the second generation of Dwarves Kain saw last time that were still children, were now all grown up as well. By now it looks like the dwarves were on their third, or even fourth generations and the population had boomed several times over.

He forced his racing heart to calm after taking all of this in. The relic’s threat still rang in his mind. If this device didn’t work soon… he shuddered, imagining every nerve in his body screaming at once. Best not to think about that.

The moment he appeared, a dozen dwarves going about their business dropped their hammers and fell to their knees.

“Your Grace!” one of them shouted, voice echoing through the metallic halls. The others followed suit, pressing foreheads to the ground.

“Rise,” Kain said, gesturing quickly, still holding the steaming tablet. He couldn’t afford to waste time on their theatrics. “Bring me the best artificers and rune‑smiths you have—the ones who worked on this prototype, preferably.”

He raised the tablet for them to see. He had only met with and recieved the tablet from the village leader in a meeting by the World Tree before. So he had no idea who’d worked on it. A few dwarves gasped softly at the sight of it, clearly recognizing their handiwork.

They didn’t question it. The nearest foreman slammed his fist to his chest and barked orders, sending runners through the glowing streets. Within moments, dozens of smiths and rune‑carvers came rushing from every direction, carrying their tools, eyes wide with reverence and curiosity.

As the dwarves gathered, Kain tightened his grip on the malfunctioning tablet. “We don’t have much time,” he muttered to himself. “If this doesn’t work, I’m going to die by teleportation decomposition.”

He straightened, forcing on the composed authority he’d learned as spiritual leader of the Orphanage. “Let’s get this thing working,” he said, voice ringing through the forge‑lit city.

And with that, the dwarves began to move, sparks flying as the heart of their city roared to life once more.