This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange-Chapter 465: A Major Decision

Kain sat across from Gabriel, the young boy’s expression a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. Serena was beside him, her sharp eyes focused on Kain as he finished explaining the unique features of forming a contract through the summoning array.

The room was quiet, save for the soft hum of the lights that lined the walls of the laboratory that had become Gabriel’s temporary home (and prison).

"…And that’s what happened," Kain concluded, his voice calm but earnest. "The creatures we summon using this method have a natural resistance to abyssal energy. But there are cons, too—so far, as far as we know, those that become beast-tamers in this manner can only form one contract. Therefore, if you are dissatisfied with whatever creature you get, too bad. It can only remain your one and only partner."

Serena leaned forward, her expression thoughtful. "The resistance to abyssal energy is fascinating. If these creatures can truly resist corruption, it could be a huge advantage." She turned to Gabriel with an almost teacher-like disposition. "You’ve never faced abyssal creatures or the corrupted, Gabriel. Therefore, you have no idea how horrifying their corruptive abilities are. Being immune to such corruption was a huge boon. But Gabriel, this is your decision. You need to think about what you want."

Gabriel looked down, his brow furrowed in thought. Kain could see the weight of the decision pressing on the young boy’s shoulders. It wasn’t an easy choice—Gabriel still had a chance to awaken an affinity naturally, and becoming a beast-tamer through the summoning array would mean giving up that possibility.

"I thought we decided to just wait?" Gabriel asked finally, his voice small but steady. "If I try to awaken an affinity and it doesn’t work… can’t I still do this later?"

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Kain nodded. "You can. The procedure will always be an option for you. Waiting is definitely an option. However, with the current chaotic times, there is no telling what could happen tomorrow, and none of us can guarantee that you will live long enough to undergo the awakening ceremony. The world is changing quickly, Gabriel. Wars are brewing, and chaos is spreading. We have to be realistic about our survival. I know only having one contract wasn’t the future that you imagined, but… "

Gabriel’s eyes flicked to Serena, seeking reassurance. She gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Whatever you choose, Gabriel, we’ll support you."

The room fell silent as Gabriel considered his options. Kain could see the conflict in the boy’s eyes—the desire to follow a traditional path, to have the same opportunities as everyone else, warring with the fear of failure and the allure of getting a massive head start over his peers in becoming a beast-tamer.

Finally, Gabriel looked up, his expression resolute. "I… I want to form a contract," he said, his voice firm despite its softness. "Ideally I could wait to try to awaken an affinity…and if it doesn’t work, then I’ll do the procedure. But, as you said the current state of things is more dangerous, and I want my freedom back. None of my parents or other relatives had been beast-tamers anyway, so the likelihood of awakening an affinity, even after all the experiments those people did on me, probably isn’t too high."

Kain nodded, a little relieved at Gabriel’s words. Although he loved having Gabriel around, he was forced to essentially share his personal lab space with Gabriel’s living quarters since he couldn’t leave. However, it was Gabriel’s life and he couldn’t enforce such a huge decision on his behalf. But thankfully, Gabriel’s thoughts were in alignment with his. "That’s a brave decision, Gabriel. And whatever happens, we’ll be here for you."

Serena nodded in agreement. "I have a feeling you’ll do just fine."

Gabriel smiled, the tension in his shoulders easing. "Thanks, Serena. And thank you, Kain. For doing all of this so that I even have the option."

This groundbreaking ability to awaken non-beast tamers had been developed by the two as they combed through dense sheets of paper stolen from that secret organization. Although others such as Ferrin have benefitted from the discovery, it had been developed to help Gabriel. Gabriel was not ignorant of all the efforts Kain and Serena had put in for him.

Kain reached out, ruffling Gabriel’s hair affectionately. "You’re family now, Gabriel. We’ll always make sure you have options."

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This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The touching moment didn’t last long. Once they decided to go ahead with the procedure, they didn’t waste any more time.

Gabriel shooed away Kain, insisting that Serena must be the one to tattoo the array on him.

Gabriel chose to have his tattooed on the center of his back, that way it won’t be easily discovered.

After all, Gabriel wasn’t like the director or Ferrin who could play off themselves as following a different cultivation system due to their bloodline. Gabriel, no matter what nation and method of cultivation used, was far too young to become a beast tamer.

By his age, no child typically even has their star space fully saturated with spiritual power, much less taken the step to condense their first stars.

Even among the Southern tribes, people usually only awaken the bloodline markings after the age of 18.

Serena, who awakened independently less than a year before her peers, was already a massive topic throughout the Empire.

But Gabriel, who wasn’t even a teenager yet? If word got out, it would send shockwaves through every major power. They’d tear apart his past, search for every possible clue, and draw all the wrong conclusions. Nobody would believe there wasn’t some major secret in him and want to investigate.

Worse still, if that organization believes that he was able to awaken due to their experiments on him, not only will they try to take him back, but they’ll ramp up their efforts. Kidnappings, forced experiments, breaking more children just to replicate whatever they think worked on Gabriel. After all, Gabriel may give them the false belief that they are on the correct path.

Therefore, even though Gabriel will have technically become a beast-tamer before the age of 13, he could absolutely never reveal that fact to anyone.