This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange - Chapter 591

Chapter 591: Chapter 591: Worst Relic Ever
Kain kept walking…and walking…and walking.

‘Shouldn’t I have reached the planet’s core by now? Just how deep does this tunnel go?’

Finally, Kain reached an end to his long journey down.

At the bottom of the chasm was a dome made of criss-crossing roots and crystal. In its center sat a statue—a humanoid figure carved in the shape of an Aruvan. Arms open. Chest hollow.

Inside the hollow socket: a place perfectly shaped for the coin.

There was no one there.

No traders. No poems. No voices.

Just… silence.

Kain stepped forward.

There was no other person. No more riddles. No more clues as to whether or not he should trade…

Kain hesitated, but ultimately decided to use the coin at this point in time.

It melted like wax—light spilling out into the statue’s body. The eyes lit up with soft gold.

And then an object appeared in the coin’s place.

What reappeared was probably the most tempting thing for Kain since entering this trial, and he was uncertain of how to relic could possibly know that.

A massive violet coloured crystal practically overflowing with Source Energy appeared in Kain’s sight.

The energy it released gave him goosebumps and practically made every hair on his body feel like it was vibrating—or maybe it was just his body’s natural response to something it craved so badly.

A chime rang out similar to the one at the end of the previous trial. He must have passed.

‘Finally, this stingy relic knows how to give something up.’

But just as Kain was about to reach forward and grab the crystal, a nagging sensation at the back of his mind prevented him from completing the action.

Uncertain, Kain activated his spiritual skill, but no ominously coloured threads were emanating from the crystal. If anything, the thread was a bright white, indicating that the crystal was real and it was immensely beneficial to him…

But Kain still didn’t immediately discount his instincts. After learning this spiritual skill, his gut feeling had helped him out multiple times and had already proven itself to be reliable.

The crystal shimmered in place, humming softly like a siren’s song, trying to tempt him into the water.

‘Technically, with the System’s help, there shouldn’t be any issues with absorbing so much…’

The miniature Kain on his left shoulder tried to reason.

‘But, I sense something is off with this. We should trust our instincts. No matter how tempting it is.’

Replied the mini Kain on the right.

Kain’s fingers hovered just inches away. Every fibre of his body screamed to grab it.

His heart beat faster. His breath shortened.

It was beautiful. It was real. The white thread of fate attested to that fact. It was his reward. No tricks. No traps. Right?

So why, why did every instinct in his body feel like it was screaming?

He clenched his jaw.

This… felt like a victory. But something inside him—something wordless and primal—whispered:

“Not yet.”

The crystal began to sink.

First slowly. Then quicker. Dissolving back into the chest of the Aruvan statue as if trying to rush Kain’s decision.

Kain gritted his teeth. His muscles tensed to leap forward.

‘Grab it!’ But until the very last second, he held back.

He’d given up other temptations. Although most were not quite as tempting as this. The elixir. Rare materials. Enchanted equipment. The vision of Bridge. He’d made the right calls back then—hadn’t he?

This, too, must be a trick

…right?

The crystal reached the halfway mark.

“Dammit, come back,” Kain whispered brokenheartedly.

But despite the words contradictory to his actions, he held his ground.

And then, just as the last glimmer of violet vanished from view, previously heard words rang loud and clear in his mind as if to affirm the decision—

“Take care, young seeker, when you choose:

The ones who carry oft must lose.”

The familiar chime range out again, the previous one must have been made to intentionally mislead him. The key to passing was to leave with nothing. But considering Kain had been tormented by the relic and hadn’t yet received any compensation, that was especially hard for him to do.

[Trial Complete.]

[True Judgment Passed.]

[Transferring…]

Before he could dwell further on the sudden turn of events.

In the next instant—he was back.

The same cold, grey-stone room from before. The “waiting room.”

Queen flitted up from the far side of the chamber, antennae drooping but clearly brightening at the sight of him. Aegis and Bea also immediately approached. Clearly, his sudden disappearance and lack of contact had been worrisome for both sides.

Kain let out a slow sigh of relief.

But then—

Something changed.

The air twisted.

Above them, the space warped violently as a swirling black sphere tore a destructive path forward. Kain could sense that if that object even slightly brushed him, he’d likely die instantly.

But Kain wasn’t its target—

“NO—!”

Kain’s shout came too late.

The orb smashed straight into Aegis’ chest.

The sound was like stone cracking beneath a divine hammer.

Aegis staggered. His stone body—normally solid and unmoving—shuddered with pulses of dark energy as veins of abyssal energy laced their way through his core. His amber eyes flared unnaturally bright, then dimmed—as did their bond.

“No, no, no!” Kain was already running forward, throwing everything he had into calling Aegis back to the star space—but the command didn’t work.

The bond was… jammed.

Aegis fell to one knee.

Kain skidded to a stop beside him, hands pressed against the golem’s large body. His spiritual sense recoiled from the overflowing corrupted energy.

And the worst part?

[Reward Delivered.]

A cold detached voice rang out.

Kain stared at it.

His breath hitched.

“Reward?! REWARD?! What kind of reward is this?! YOU ARE THE WORST RELIC EVER!”

Nothing answered him. But Aegis emitted a deep uncharacteristic groan, and large chunks of his stone began to degrade and fall off of him.

He turned to the sky—to the ceiling—to shout at the relic.

“You bastard!” he shouted. “What the hell did you do to him?!”

No answer.

Only the subtle cracking noises emanating from Aegis’ trembling body and the quiet hiss of abyssal corruption attempting to take over his body. And if it couldn’t take over, it seemed to have decided to just destroy him.