This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange - Chapter 572

Chapter 572: Chapter 572: A ‘Gift’ (?)
The smell hit Kain first.

A sharp, acrid stench that clung to the back of his throat, souring the air like burnt rubber mixed with rotting eggs. He recoiled slightly, eyes narrowing as a soft sizzle continuously rang out from the far side of the room.

Malzahir groaned again, louder this time, and Kain took an instinctive step forward—only to pause mid-stride.

The chair was gone.

Well, not gone—but more like dissolved. The leather had melted into a bubbling black puddle that spread out in a circle beneath Malzahir’s now lying form. Steam rose from where it met the floor.

“…What the hell?”

Kain took a cautious step forward, watching as the faintly glowing lines embedded in the alloy floor warped and twisted around Malzahir’s body.

The alloy, something he’d specifically installed at a premium, was supposed to withstand the equivalent of a blow from a low-grade spiritual creature. It was a composite blend—durable, spiritually conductive, and aesthetically understated.

And yet now it took on a dark tarnish, curling inward and hissing softly like it was being eaten away.

‘Was I swindled? Was this ‘top quality’ alloy really just a cheap counterfeit product?’ Kain rubbed his head as he felt a headache coming on from having to go through the process of requesting a refund from the ‘scammer’ who sold it to him.

But the thought that he had been scammed was short-lived. His gaze dropped to Malzahir’s bare skin—everything he touched, every trace of fabric, had already melted. Even the remains of his boots were now a black puddle near his feet.

As he opened his storage ring and tossed a loose tunic toward the barely-awake boy, the moment the fabric landed—ssssssh sssssh— it disintegrated in a sudden hiss of smoke and steam.

A sour smell followed. Sharp. Chemical. Eye-wateringly putrid.

Kain blinked. “That was regular cotton, maybe some synthetic blend, but…”

He tried again. This time, it was a more durable outfit. One meant for when he was training. It lasted a second longer before melting with a sizzle.

Each attempt followed the same pattern. Normal clothes, durable clothes made of special material, enchanted clothing—burned through before Malzahir could even pull it over his waist. Kain tried to avoid looking directly at him—he had no desire to see a certain unmentionable area—but the black goop every piece of clothing dissolved into left little to the imagination.

“Okay, maybe…maybe something even stronger?”

Kain reached deeper into his ring and pulled out a folded, high-quality soft armour he used to use before upgrading—crafted for beast-tamers in the four-star range and beyond. All other pieces of clothing, including those enchanted armours graded at 3-stars and below, had dissolved. If this one didn’t work, then he was completely at a loss.

He braced himself and tossed it toward Malzahir.

No sizzle.

No smoke.

Just silence.

Kain blinked again, this time in mild disbelief.

“Finally. Something survives.”

Malzahir was still groggy, half-blinking into the haze. *”Mmmh? My butt’s cold…”*

“Don’t. Speak,” Kain muttered, already digging through his ring for a suitable pair of pants. “Just… try not to melt my floor any further.”

Unfortunately, Malzahir’s butt would have to remain cold for a little while longer, because Kain didn’t have anything to cover his lower half that met the clearly high-benchmark for not being melted instantly. Unwilling to leave Malzahir, who was in a strange state alone, Kain pulled out his phone.

There were few people he could call about this.

Few knew that Kain could turn ordinary people into beast-tamers.

Even fewer could be trusted with the knowledge that he wanted to use that ability to create his own force.

And even fewer people have the capability of buying multiple full sets of enchanted armour and clothing rated 4-stars and above without filing for bankruptcy afterwards…

And only one checked all those boxes and was familiar enough with Malzahir to easily adjust to the sudden situation without asking a million questions.

He dialled Serena.

An hour later, Serena stood outside the building, her expression somewhere between intrigued and unimpressed as she examined the dilapidated exterior.

“This is the place?” she said into the phone, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Kain replied. “It looks better on the inside. I disarmed the security so you can enter by yourself temporarily. I will direct you to where I’m located.”

A moment later, a knock sounded on the door Kain and Malzahir were in. Kain opened the door and stuck his head out—careful not to let Serena catch a glimpse of the naked man inside.

“I brought everything you requested—enchanted shirt, pants, gloves, shoes. It wasn’t easy getting 4-star enchanted underwear and socks, though…most blacksmiths and tailors don’t normally make such items…” She said while giving him a strange look.

“I know…Thank you. I swear I’ll pay you back.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. This kind of money’s nothing. I’ll consider it a gift.”

Kain paused.

Then remembered who he was dealing with—Serena Storm, an heiress in one of the Empire’s wealthiest, oldest, and most powerful families. People only second to the royal family.

Right.

Still, he bowed his head slightly and took the clothes from her outstretched arms. “Seriously. I’ll pay you back.” Just because she had the money didn’t mean he wanted to take advantage of her. Not to mention, with all of his various business ventures, he may have more money at his disposal than her, who likely had limited access to her family’s funds.

She smirked. “Fine. If you insist.”

“I do. Just wait here for now… until he’s presentable.”

“Ah.” She didn’t ask for details.

Kain shut the door and looked at Malzahir, who had curled his body in a corner of the room, wrapped in a way that preserved what little dignity he had left.

“I brought more clothes,” Kain said flatly. “Don’t melt them.”

Only once Malzahir was fully dressed and no longer an active biohazard did Kain finally wave Serena in.

She stepped inside, nose wrinkling slightly at the lingering acidic smell, but refrained from commenting upon seeing Malzahir’s embarrassed expression.

Malzahir flushed with embarrassment, eyes downcast as Serena approached. But to her credit, she didn’t flinch. She studied him with a cool detachment, stepping around the warped circle of floor beneath him.

After a long moment, she spoke. “He’s leaking poison. From everywhere—skin, breath, tears, even saliva, probably.”

“Let me guess…” Serena continued, eyes narrowing. “You had him undergo the Awakening procedure? He probably awakened a poison-based Gift as a result of the contract. The bond likely stirred something latent in his soul.”

As she spoke, Kain noticed Malzahir’s tongue flick out unconsciously across his lips.

It was black.

Glossy.

Not the kind of colour one wanted inside a human mouth.

“Yeah,” Kain muttered. “Definitely poison.”

Serena straightened, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt. “He shouldn’t be around people until he learns to suppress it. It’ll corrode more than just clothes if he’s not careful.”

Malzahir’s eyes widened. *”I—I didn’t mean to—!”*

Kain comforted. “It’s not your fault. And it may even be a good thing. Just go to one of the more reinforced rooms to practice controlling it and fighting with your new contract.”

Relieved that he wasn’t being blamed by his new boss, Malzahir relaxed and then, at the encouragement of Kain, left the room to begin practicing as directed.

Silence.

After the silence continued to grow more and more tense, Serena finally broke it, voice sharp.

“Malzahir awakening, I understand.” She glanced around the room—at the reinforced walls, the melted alloy floor, the multiple, obviously recently used, chairs and tattoo needles. Her voice lowered. “But this place… this setup… What exactly are you planning, Kain?”