This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain gawked at the twin towers of books. "You're joking."

"Wish I was," Benji said with a pained chuckle, seeming to be briefly lost in his own tearful memories. "But nope. This is your bread and butter as a Pathfinder. Ancient languages, knowledge on extinct spiritual creatures and plants that may reappear in relics, important historical events and figures, sigils, notes from past missions, the works. If you don't know what you're dealing with in a relic, you're toast."

Kain slumped into a nearby chair, staring at the mountain of knowledge. "This is insane. Why am I having to study more here than ever do in school…"

Kain rubbed his temples as he slumped even lower into the chair, unwilling to even look at the books, already feeling overwhelmed and preferring to stay in denial.

Benji smirked and gave Kain a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Pathfinders, Kain. The relics may be dangerous, but the homework is the real killer."

Looking at the expression of schadenfreude on Benji's face as he seemed to subtly revel in someone else sharing in his fate of suffering, Kain suddenly understood why there was no mention of the 'scholarly' requirements of this subdivision prior to joining—yes, it may result in an even lower recruitment rate than the Vanguard. But Kain personally, felt it was more so due to the 'misery loves company' mentality of its members.

Thankfully, unlike when Kain was studying for the college entrance exam, he now had a more potent secret weapon. If he could find an opportunity for Bea to infect another Pathfinder and extract the information, then perhaps she could just transplant everything he'd need to know into his mind.

Likely, seeing hope begin to dawn on Kain's face once again, Benji couldn't resist bursting his bubble with an almost cruel grin.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"According to your profile, you have a mental-attribute spiritual creature, correct? Although the profile didn't go into too much detail on its abilities. However, you wouldn't be the first newbie with a mental-attribute contract wanting to take a shortcut. Unfortunately for you, the medallions bound to the identity of each Eclipse Order member also have the additional function of resisting mental intrusions. After all, most of us deal with sensitive information. Not to mention, among the current Pathfinders, you are at the lowest level. Therefore, don't even think of reading the information from our minds. Just be a good boy and study!" He finished with a sly grin and a deprecating pat on Kain's back.

Kain groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Benji leaned casually against the table, his grin widening. "Come on, it's not all bad. Sure, memorizing these books might take you a few months—or years—but once you've got this stuff down, you'll feel like a walking encyclopedia. Plus, it really does save your life out there. Trust me, when you're standing in a relic and a sigil starts glowing, you'll be glad you know whether it's about to grant you treasure or turn you into ash."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Kain muttered. He glared half-heartedly at Benji, who only shrugged with a mock-innocent expression. "I'm beginning to think you're enjoying this far too much."

Benji chuckled and straightened, crossing his arms. "Hey, it builds character. Besides, the faster you start, the faster you'll finish. And I might even have a few tips to make it less painful—if you ask nicely."

Kain rolled his eyes but perked up slightly. "What kind of tips?"

Benji gestured toward the books. "For starters, focus on the basics first. Get a handle on the most commonly encountered words in each language and sigils. If you run into something too obscure in the field, that's what the senior Pathfinders are for—you won't be alone for your first few missions anyways. Also, you might have mentioned a Lecture Hall in the building, where we'll occasionally have experts from the Academic stream give a relevant lecture. Usually, the best teachers are selected, and their way of explaining things is really quite helpful."

Kain felt slightly better, but couldn't resist groaning again as he stared at the towering books. "I'm starting to think I should've joined the Vanguard instead."

"Too late now," Benji teased, clapping him on the shoulder again. "Welcome to the Pathfinders, rookie. Better get used to it. Collect your study materials and let's head to the next location of our tour."

As Benji sauntered off, Kain glared at the books once more. "Just great," he muttered. Before collecting them into his space ring.

He followed Benji back to the small bare room with the podium, but this time Benji's medallion was used, and Kain could readily see the many more options available for selection to him.

"Hmmm… I already explained the Lecture Hall, and there's nothing really to see there—just a bunch of rooms…How about going to the Archives first!?" Benji said, before making the selection without waiting for Kain to answer.

A faint hum and the glow of the various sigils filled the room before another subtle sinking feeling filled the pit of Kain's stomach. Within seconds the single set of doors leading into the room reopened to what Kain assumed was the "Archives."

The very air in the archives seemed to carry a solemn air that made even Benji's typically relaxed demeanour shift slightly.

The room stretched out before them in a vast labyrinth of towering shelves, each containing expertly preserved ancient books, scrolls, stone tablets, and other remnants of lost civilizations.

The soft glow of enchanted lights illuminated the aisles, their golden hue creating an almost sacred atmosphere.

Kain's gaze was immediately drawn to the two figures standing at the entrance. They were imposing—two 8-star beast-tamers clad in matching dark, metallic armor that seemed to shimmer with a faint iridescence. Their faces were obscured by sleek, featureless helmets, and their presence alone was enough to make Kain instinctively straighten his posture.

On their right chests was a symbol of a shield with a lancer in front of it—a logo Kain had recently learned would be on the medallions of the members of the Vanguard. Experience tales with empire

Clearly, due to their not being a massive war movement at the moment, these members of the Vanguard had elected to take some simple guarding tasks for most contribution points.

Benji whispered as they walked past, "Those guards don't just stand there to look intimidating. Try anything funny, and they'll put you down before you can blink."

Kain nodded stiffly, keeping his eyes forward and his hands to himself as they entered deeper into the Archives.