The next few days went by with Theo persuading Selmira to do the procedure quickly, and within three days, the club was officially established.

Theo was allotted a room, which he began filling with books using his allowance from the academy. The collection included all kinds of topics: from politics to aura, it was all what interested him and totally biased but, at the same time, broad enough that others might also find something they liked.

Theo designed a brochure and had Clara replicate multiple copies, which he then spread all over the academy.

He was a bit shady about it too and decided to include his name as well.

The Merricks were in an uproar for a few months since the former baron had now been elevated to a count, and so had Theo. He was no longer at the bottom of the nobility chain but the young master of a count’s family.

And while most people were still oblivious about this fact, seeing his name and hearing rumors circulating about it would soon make it common knowledge.

A day after the brochures went up, the club room door started receiving constant knocks throughout the day.

And the first one who visited them left Theo clearly disappointed.

"What makes you think you’re a misfit?" Theo asked, studying the boy standing before him.

The boy had sharp eyes but a frail physique.

"I am a misfit because all I want to do is alchemy, but the academy forced me to study all the subjects," the boy spoke, smiling as if he had just revealed something really mind-blowing.

"So... you just want to specialize in one subject?" Theo asked with a poker face.

"Yes! You understand me better than my family and professors, young master Theo. Thank you!" The boy beamed and stepped closer.

Theo maintained his poker face and wrote down the boy’s name and the supposed ’misfit trait’ before he looked at the fellow with a polite smile.

"Okay, I will look into your file for now. If you pass, I will let you know," Theo spoke, making the boy nod eagerly and leave.

"That wasn’t a misfit," Theo muttered, frowning as he glanced at Clara, who sat to the side, carefully knitting glowing silk into a cloth.

"He’s just normal. Wanting to specialize in a particular subject will happen in the third year, not now."

Theo didn’t know whether to feel annoyed or disappointed, and before he could rant more on it—

Another student arrived. Then another.

Soon, a group of students came to apply together. Theo interviewed each one individually, asking what made them a misfit. And not much to his surprise, not a single answer was close to the description of what would set them apart as misfits.

Theo didn’t feel the click for the next two days. Random students of all years kept coming to him, using him more like a counselor than a club recruiter, before leaving, hoping to be accepted.

By the third day, the first ten students that came all left with disappointment until Theo had had enough. He was about to close the gates for a while to cool off—

When another scrawny kid approached the club, hesitation written all over his face.

Theo had no expectations from him either. But then he noticed the boy’s eyes and the way he looked at him.

It made him feel that the kid was expecting that Theo was going to judge him too and was hesitant to speak.

"Hi there. What makes you think that you’re a misfit?" Theo asked, eager to get the answer as quickly as he could.

"I... tame plant-type beasts," the boy said, trying to meet Theo’s gaze. "Everyone thinks they’re too weak to be of any use."

Theo could sense the kid was preparing himself, thinking that he was going to be ridiculed again.

Instead, for the first time since opening the club, Theo felt a spark of genuine interest.

"Can you tell me about it in detail?" Theo asked.

The boy gulped in nervousness but still nodded.

"Can I take my beast out, young master?" the boy asked. Theo nodded; the room was big enough to accommodate a few beasts without any issue.

A faint white light flickered across the boy’s forehead, small but steady.

As the light faded, Theo saw something materialize on the guy’s shoulder.

When the light vanished completely, Theo saw something that made him rise up from his chair and looked at it with a dumbfounded gaze.

"What...?" he muttered, a hint of restlessness in his voice.

The beast was unlike anything Theo had ever seen.

It was, quite literally, a plant perched on the boy’s shoulder. Not even perched; its roots were coiled tightly around the shoulder to latch onto it like a parasite.

A single vine rose upward, swaying gently. But it wasn’t just the movement of a plant stirred by wind.

When the vine extended and softly brushed the boy’s cheek with a tiny leaf on it, Theo realized the plant could move on its own.

Clingroot Sprite

Rare

Level 4

Type: Plant-type beast

"This is Planopy... my beast, young master," the boy said, his eyes lowered. Meanwhile, the plant continued trying to help the boy feel comfortable, as if it could sense the boy’s unease.

"What can Planopy do?" Theo asked right away, making the boy take a deep breath.

"This... it can latch onto targets and drain their life energy, leaving the opponent weakened... almost energy-less."

Theo stared at the boy as if he had lost his mind.

"And you are saying people think it’s not a good beast? Are you sure about that?" Theo asked.

The boy hesitated and stared at Theo, confusion flickering across his face before he frowned slightly, something he controlled just as quickly, careful not to offend Theo.

"I have been ridiculed for it all my life. According to a normal person... this is nothing but a weak beast. Something useless that will die without ever being of any use..."

Theo reached a hand to the back of his head and studied the boy closely.

It was like he was looking into a mirror, yet not quite.

He could see the same doubt lingering in the boy’s eyes, but something set the boy different from his own case.

Where Theo had once fought against it, it seemed as if this boy had surrendered completely and lost all the confidence.

"So do you also think your beast is weak too?" Theo asked. "Have you ever tried proving its strength?"

Theo’s words made the boy feel restless, his voice rising a pitch higher.

"No! My beast’s ability is very strong—I have seen it myself! But... I can’t risk letting it fight. Even against the weakest opponents... it could die with a single hit," the boy spoke, his energy dropping just as quickly as it came out.

The vine-like plant beast curled again, caressing the boy’s face as if quietly trying to calm him down.

"Eryn," Theo said, his voice sharpening. "I want you to hear something."

The intensity in Theo’s gaze made it hard for the boy to meet his eyes.

"Your beast is extraordinary. I have never seen anything like it. And that ability of it? It can do some real damage if used properly." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Theo kept his tone calm; he knew the kid could feel the pressure, something he was exuding because he wanted to.

Ever since learning to use aura, a pressure lingered around him, and while he couldn’t control it yet, its effect was heavy enough to weigh on weaker minds.

The boy was too surprised to say anything, but he didn’t have to. Theo asked another question.

"Where did you even find this beast?" Theo asked, snapping the boy out of his daze.

"M-My parents are researchers. They explore gates with an exploration team. They discovered this beast in one of the gates they were exploring... Back then, Planopy’s predecessor was just a small plant-type beast... so they received clearance to study it outside the gate..."

He swallowed before continuing.

"That was when they were able to cultivate and reproduce the plant beast a lot, and in the process I got Planopy... But with each passing research phase, it became clear that the species was nothing more than a menial support-type beast with next to no useful powers under normal circumstances."

The boy continued explaining, and Theo kept listening to him without interrupting.

"My parents told me not to tame Planopy," the boy admitted. "But I had already grown attached to it. I wanted to prove to everyone how strong it could be. So I did... but since then, I haven’t been able to show its true potential to anyone..."

When the boy finally fell silent after speaking for five minutes, Theo’s gaze shifted to the small intelligent beast, which was still trying its best to comfort its master.

For a moment, Theo simply looked at his expression.

Then, he pulled a sheet of paper from the table and handed it to him.

Eryn blinked in surprise as he stared at the form until he saw what type of form it was.

"Welcome to the club, Sir Eryn. Do fill out this form and be ready to give at least ten hours of your time every week to the club," Theo spoke and moved his elbow forward in a military handshake.

The boy looked at the form and then at Theo, and then back at the form.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUNG MASTER! I WON’T DISAPPOINT YOU!!"