This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain felt as though he was going to throw up.

It felt as though his body was being stretched and then compressed, and then twisted though this tunnel of searing blue light and pulsing energy.

The experience was unsettling and disorienting but thankfully over quickly. Soon the world snapped back into focus and he felt the ground beneath his feet again.

Kain took a moment to reorient himself with his eyes closed since it still felt as though his world was spinning.

Once he felt more stable he opened his eyes.

He appeared in a room. There was no sigil marking or object to indicate that this was a target for his teleportation. Kain really didn't know anything about teleportation and had no idea how this room had been so accurately pinpointed. He also had no idea of how to make his way back to the college as discretely as he left.

Kain examined his surroundings further. He was in a room—one that appeared even more old and rundown than his room back at the orphanage.

The wooden floorboards were scuffed and worn, marred by deep scratches and stains. The wood has lost its original luster, showing patches of discoloration where years of use have taken their toll.

The walls, a faded, peeling shade of cream, reveal the scars of age and neglect, with cracked paint and strange dried on white stains that Kain really did not want to investigate further.

An open window was partially covered by tattered curtains that let in a meagre amount of sunlight and helped to clear the musty air within the room.

The room was also quite bare with only minimal pieces of furniture—a rickety chair, a sagging mattress on a simple frame, and an old wooden dresser with chipped red paint.

The only thing the room had going for itself was that it was somewhat clean and free of dust and insects.

'I hope that it's not required of my mission to stay here. Based on the suspicious white stains on the walls, I don't want to use any of the furniture in this room.'

Kain went to the safe at the foot of the bed. It stood out in the room due to the obviously expensive spiritual metal it was made out of which contrasted with the decrepit surroundings. He then entered the 6-digit pin that was in the letter left at the teleportation gate.

After the safe popped open with a beep, Kain inspected the insides. There was a black formal suit with a white dress shirt and black tie, a black ornate venetian mask with gold trim and floral design that would cover the top half of the face, a key with a room number on it, an ID card, several papers, and an envelope.

Kain pulled out the envelope hoping that it would provide more instructions.

According to the envelope the formal suit and mask were part of the waiter uniform for Eli Cross—his alias. The ID card and the temporary worker paperwork form were also present within the safe. Additionally, there was also a recent photo of his target—a somewhat chubby and pale man in his late twenties to early thirties with dark hair and cold grey eyes.

"Eli" had been hired to cater an extremely exclusive event tonight attended only by the most affluent members of the capital.

Yes, according to the letter Kain was currently within the Celestial Empire's capital city—Celestial City. Which also is home to the nation's top college, and their biggest rival during the national competition, the First Celestial Academy.

Apparently this event was something many members of high society looked forward to every year and was even attended by those that usually disliked attending social events, such as Kain's target Aric Nightsbane. Aric usually remains within a villa in the city's outskirts all year round, so this is one of the few instances when he appears in public.

The event is to commemorate the day that the first Affinity Ceremony was held—a major turning point in the nation's history and also an achievement credited to the royal family. Although the date is not an official national holiday that all workers can take off work, it is probably the most important sate within the social calendar of those nobles.

Any member of high society, as well as their children above a certain age, that does not attend without good reason will be considered to be personally insulting the royal family. An accusation that would make even the most antisocial individuals not want to deal with the ensuing headache from skipping the social event.

Tomorrow morning at 8 am, another opportunity to teleport back to the school will be provided within this room.

Therefore, although Kain had no intention of spending the night in this room, he will still need to keep the room key and come back here tomorrow morning.

Kain put everything in the safe into his space ring and then ventured out of the room, which he discovered was located within an inn, in one of the most poor areas of the capital.

Kain then headed to one of the nicer areas of the city to book a more comfortable hotel room to sleep in, although not too high-end a hotel since he wanted to keep a low profile. It took a while to find a non-sketchy hotel that would accept cash payments since his bank account was attached to his real identity and he made sure to book the room under his alias.

There were still 2 hours left until the event, but Kain figured he should head over there early. So once he had a place to sleep for the night he flagged a cab and made his way over to the event venue.

In the back of the car as the moved towards the more affluent areas, Kain finally took the time to examine the famous city.

Due to its long history, there was a captivating contrast between historic charm and modern additions. However, the well-preserved historical buildings became more plentiful in the direction they were headed.

At a certain point, there was a gate blocking the road. Thankfully, Kain's work order allowed him and the cab access to the "aristocratic" area in the city's North.

The modern sleek lines in the newer middle-class area transitioned to be exclusively lined by grand Renaissance-style architecture with ornate designs along the walls, arched windows, intricately carved columns and domed ceilings.

The smooth concrete of the newer areas also transitioned into cobblestone roads that shockingly incorporated precious stones that sparkled under the setting sun, displaying the wealth of local residents in an ostentatious manner.

Every few blocks there were roundabouts at intersections with fountains and statues in the shape of famous spiritual creatures.

He got out of the cab a short 10-minute walk from the venue outside of a restaurant. After paying the staff at the front in cash to turn the other way as he used the washroom, Kain changed into his uniform and made his way over to his worksite.

Just outside of the building, he also put on the black face mask.

The location of the event was held at what appeared to be a Renaissance castle that was cast in a warm amber glow under the setting sun.

Crimson and gold banners—the royal family's colours— decorated the castle's massive grounds. While the royal crest—a magnificent golden dragon on a red background—was featured in a massive banner above the grand entryway.

An entryway the Kain bypassed as he went towards the side door of the castle. Obviously as the help he was completely unqualified to enter through the front door.

After handing over his papers and (fake) ID, Kain was granted entry.