This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Silence.

Kain folded his arms and let out a slow, judgmental sigh, his gaze sweeping over the more senior members of the Order—Benji, Claudia, Clara, and even Nadia.

The tension in the air was palpable as they all avoided eye contact, suddenly very interested in admiring the surrounding scenery.

Benji, looking increasingly uncomfortable, was the first to break the silence.

"W-Well, Kain, you see… It's not that we didn't want to buy those things, but, uh…" He cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and desperately trying to shake off the feeling of guilt.

It wasn't like they hadn't wanted the relic supplies. If anything, everyone knew they were essential for Pathfinders operating in relics. But... they were expensive.

Benji sighed, finally relenting. "Look, Kain, you're still a 4-star beast-tamer. You don't understand how astronomical the resource costs become when you reach 6-stars and beyond. Each breakthrough at the higher levels is a life-threatening endeavour. If you don't have the proper resources, you risk permanently damaging your foundation or dying. The safest way to breakthrough requires a rare elixir worth tens of millions of Celestial Dollars or tens of thousands of credits from the Order. And that's just for one attempt! Let's not even talk about advancing our contracts to indigo-grade spiritual creatures!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "The three of us—Clara, Claudia, and I—have been stuck at 6-stars for years because we just don't have the resources to safely advance! If we ever get a big windfall, do you really think we'd spend it on these so-called essential relic supplies?"

Kain's unimpressed stare remained unwavering.

Clara sighed. "We're not saying the stuff on that list isn't useful—obviously, it is. It's just… when we have to choose between making real progress in our cultivation or stocking up on 'just in case' items, the choice is obvious."

Kain's expression darkened. "So you're saying," he said slowly, "that despite being experienced 6-star beast-tamers, none of you had even a single credit left to buy essentials? Even after insisting that I buy them?"

Benji hesitated before giving an awkward cough. "It, uh, seemed more reasonable for you to get them, y'know? Since you weren't breaking through anytime soon…"

Kain inhaled deeply through his nose. "Unbelievable."

His gaze shifted to Nadia, expecting her to be the voice of reason.

Surely she had been prepared, right?

But even she avoided his gaze, suddenly looking… bashful?

"…You too?" Kain asked incredulously.

"…It's not like the pursuit of strength stops after becoming a high-level beast-tamer," Nadia mumbled, visibly uncomfortable. "Just because I've reached 7-stars doesn't mean I can just stop investing in my own progress. I might be a long way from 8-stars, but my contracts… out of all of them, only one has reached indigo-grade. Naturally, I want the others to break through as well." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "The cost of high-grade resources is insane. Any spare credits I get are immediately funnelled into my contracts. If they don't improve, even if I one day break through to 8-stars, I wouldn't be much stronger than the average 7-star beast-tamer, or even the top 6-star beast-tamers."

Kain stared at them all.

'Oh, spare me the sob stories! I am the youngest. I am the lowest-ranked. I am the one with the least resources. And yet, I am the only one who actually followed your own damn advice!'

He mentally imagined hammering the heads of all four of his teammates.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kain exhaled heavily.

"…Fine. Fine. Whatever. There's no point arguing about it now…"

…However, for the sake of group harmony, he decided against screaming at them.

Kain exhaled again, shaking his head. "So, in summary—all of you are broke."

His pointedly dry words hung in the air.

The three 6-stars and their 7-star leader all awkwardly coughed and looked away.

Kain glanced at his storage ring, feeling both annoyed and relieved that he had actually followed Benji's advice.

"…Let's just focus on the situation at hand," he muttered tiredly. "Which items from the list will actually help here?"

Kain dug into his storage pouch and withdrew a few items.

Under the scrutinizing gaze of his more experienced teammates, they narrowed down the selection to two items that could help with the Relic Core's extraction.

The first was a Vessel of Purification—a small, unassuming crystal vial that, when activated, would release a concentrated burst of purifying energy. Its main purpose is to purify the mind of 'corruption.'

Benji's eyes lit up. "Thank god you managed to get this, Kain!"

Kain raised an eyebrow. "It's that useful?" Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

Benji nodded. "It's pure essence from a certain high-grade Light-elemental creature. Typically, it is used to cleanse the minds of Pathfinders who have fallen 'too deep into the act' of a memory echo and snap them out of it. But it also has a unique side effect: it can reverse control progress on a Relic Core as long as it's not completely controlled."

"Although, this function is rarely used, it's an invaluable resource to have when entering relics that may have entrants from other nations. After all, in such cases, the final control of the relic was a matter of national pride and could contribute to the country's strength." Benji finished

"Therefore," Nadia cut in, "when we pour this on the core, it'll force the Abyssal tendrils to react—they'll have to counteract both the purification of their corruption and the weakening of their control.

Kain nodded. "And the second item?"

He pulled out the second item—a Space Severing Nail.

A dark metal spike about the size of his palm, etched with intricate runes pulsing with faint silver light. This unimpressive-looking nail was by far the most expensive item that had been on the list given to him by Benji.

It was the purchase of this nail that had essentially wiped out so much of his credits he couldn't even upgrade his equipment.

'This nail better be damn important, otherwise, I'm going to nail it through Benji's head…'