This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

In addition to boosting his strength via the System, since the team representing the college has been conclusively determined, the school has finally begun to invest in Kain and the other first-years in earnest.

This investment came in the form of a practically limitless supply of resources for feeding their contracts daily, opportunities to exchange for materials not available in the regular exchange area at an extreme discount, and access to the best evolutionary planners and trainers the college had to offer.

However, Kain didn't take them up on their offers of a personal trainer since Kain already had the System's Training Arena to improve the combat experience and skill proficiency of his contracts.

However, the most prominent opportunity would definitely be the chance to enter one of the college's relics.

In fact, it is the exact same relic that they had entered for the entrance exam, but this time with all of its features completely unlocked.

During the entrance exam, they had created the same environment and enemies for all entrants to ensure an equal level of difficulty across all students.

However, the role of the relic is actually to function as a highly advanced training center for beast-tamers.

Therefore, normally the relic would have the environment and opponents tailored to target the weaknesses of each student to effectively train them.

Additionally, the completion of each level will result in the relic granting an award beneficial to the trial taker, with the rarity of the rewards increasing with each level.

Kain had heard about rare evolutionary materials, eggs, enchanted equipment and spiritual plants all being granted to past entrants.

However, obviously, the resources consumed to activate the full abilities of the relic are quite substantial, and also the amount of rewards it can provide is not infinite. Although nobody knows the exact limit to the resources it possesses and if certain rewards are able to be regenerated by the relic (such as regrowing spiritual plants handed out), there definitely is a limit.

Therefore, only the top 5 students of each year plus any students that have made outstanding contributions towards the school have been granted access to the full trials of the relic.

Kain and the others stood at the familiar clearing that they'd entered for the second time since what felt like ages ago.

Similar to the last time they also lined up to enter one by one, although this time the line was much shorter.

It was decided that they'd first take the trials given by the relic separately to receive target training and rewards targeted for their own individual weaknesses, before re-entering as a team to work on their teamwork.

Unfortunately, once you enter as a team the rewards are no longer so targeted and are more general rewards that would benefit any entrant, such as spiritual plants and elixirs that provide a temporary cultivation boost.

All of the students, Kain included, were full of anticipation. While Kain's Training Arena allows him to similarly set an environment an enemy to face, if it's a spiritual creature he has not seen in person it won't be available.

Additionally, the Training Arena doesn't automatically generate an environment and enemy that targets Kain's weaknesses, he would have to make the selections for himself.

But if he isn't aware of his own weaknesses then how could he possibly select environment and enemies targeted at them?

Therefore, Kain was forward to what his first trial would be.

Kain stepped into the relic, and was immediately struck by the steep drop in temperature compared to the summery weather outside of the relic.

However, the "coldness" didn't seem to purely be coming from the weather inside of the relic, it was more of a chill targeting Kain's soul. The atmosphere inside the relic carried an unsettling stillness that sent shivers down his spine.

He found himself in a desolate graveyard, where gnarled trees loomed over crumbling tombstones, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. A pale moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the fog creeping along the ground.

From what Kain could see of the ground it was uneven, with patches of overgrown weeds tangled among the stones, serving as an additional obstacle to his movements and a tripping hazard.

'Thankfully, the relic at least generated an artificial moon, otherwise it'd be completely impossible to see anything without having to carry around a flashlight.'

As he moved deeper into the graveyard, the temperature seemed to drop further.

The ground beneath his feet was damp and cold, and the distant sound of mournful wails filled the air, increasing the tension he felt.

Shadows kept moving just along the edges of his vision, and he could almost feel the weight of eyes hidden in the darkness and fog watching him.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the mist, floating silently above the ground. It was a wraith-like spirit, its form shimmering like smoke. The ghost wore tattered remnants of what might have once been elegant robes, but were now faded and torn.

Its features were indistinct, but Kain could see glowing blue eyes that were filled with sorrow and rage.

As more spirits materialized around him, Kain realized they resembled lost souls—a type of spiritual creature that forms when an individual dies with resentment so strong it causes part of their spirit to linger. If spiritual power is able to be absorbed by the resulting energy and consciousness formed, then an independent spiritual creature will be born.

The circumstances for such a creature to be born are extremely rare, therefore this is the first time that Kain had ever even seen one, much less the dozens or even hundreds more that may be hidden in the fog. Your next chapter awaits on m v|l-e'm,p y r

Some floated with arms outstretched, their fingers elongated and claw-like, while others hovered in the air calmly, their mouths stretched into ghastly screams.

Each spirit had a unique appearance: young and old, male and female, noble and penniless.

Kain's heart pounded as the spirits began to circle him, their whispers echoing in his mind. Each one seemed to carry the weight of untold stories, regrets, and vengeance. He could feel the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on him, and he knew he had to focus.

It would be way too shameful to be eliminated in only the very first round of the trial.