Rory stepped out of the training room in her government villa, the last echoes of red lightning still fading from her skin. Three days of relentless cultivation had finally broken her through. Tier Four. The rank she had bled, starved, and nearly died for over five years.
She leaned against the cool wall for a moment, chest rising and falling, a wide grin spreading across her face. Every core she had torn from mutant beasts, every night spent alone in the forests, every scar—worth it. No more risk of being matched with low-ranked, unfortunate-looking partners. She had earned the right to something better.
Her light-brain chimed.
Rory glanced down and nearly dropped it.
[Astrium Female Matching Center Official Notice]
Female Roanna Smith has reached the age of twenty-three.
Eligibility for partner matching is now active.
Report to the Female Matching Center in City F-154 before 17:00 today.
Failure to appear will result in an automatic deduction of 10,000 star coins per day from the registered account.
Ten thousand star coins.
Per day.
Rory's eyes widened in pure horror. Handsome husbands were important. Extremely important. But losing money she had personally clawed out of mutant carcasses? Unacceptable.
She sprinted for the bathroom, stripped out of her training clothes, and showered in record time. Fresh black combat-style pants, a fitted top that still allowed free movement, and her favorite boots. She looked like someone preparing for a high-stakes date with nine men at once—because that was exactly what she was doing.
Minutes later she was in her sleek red hovercar, streaking through the elevated lanes of F-154. The city glittered around her—towering structures of glass and alloy, neon lights reflecting off polished surfaces, beastfolk citizens moving about their daily lives with casual power. Rory barely noticed. Her mind raced ahead to the nine unknown partners waiting for her.
What ranks would they be? How handsome? Could she actually handle nine powerful beastmen at once? The thought made her pulse skip between excitement and genuine nerves.
She arrived at the Female Matching Center in under ten minutes. The building rose like a temple of polished white stone and luminous crystal, elegant and imposing. Everything about it radiated the authority of the Beast God System.
Rory parked, opened one of her three spatial rings—the one reserved solely for her vehicle—and stored the hovercar with a practiced flick of her wrist. The other two rings held mutant materials and valuables respectively. Organization had kept her alive.
Inside, a composed staff member in formal attire verified her identity. "Female Roanna Smith, Tier Four ability user. Please place your finger here."
Rory pressed her fingertip to the sleek instrument. A near-painless prick extracted the blood sample. The system processed it in seconds.
"Confirmed. Tier Four. The Beast God System will now assign nine compatible male partners. Given your rank, expected matches fall primarily between Tier Five and Tier Seven. Unusually strong alignments may result in Tier Eight, Nine, or even Tier Ten partners."
Rory's breath caught. Tier Ten. The highest tiers meant the strongest bodies, the most striking appearances, the greatest power. Perfect. Then a new worry flickered. What if they were so powerful she couldn't soothe them properly?
The staff member continued smoothly. "The initial matching is not permanent. You and each partner receive a three-month bonding period. During this time you must attempt to form a genuine bond through soothing. The partners must willingly accept it. If the bond fails on either side, either party may apply for dissolution. Think of it as a trial period under the Beast God's guidance."
Relief loosened the tightness in Rory's shoulders. Reasonable. She could work with that.
"Should you successfully bond with all nine within the three months," the staff member added, "you will receive the Beast God's blessing: one million star coins, and all assets belonging to your bonded partners will be transferred under your name."
Rory's expression remained carefully polite. Internally she was already calculating. One wealthy husband would be life-changing. Several would be absurd. All nine? She might become one of the richest women in Astrium overnight. Five years of solo hunting suddenly looked like the wisest investment of her life.
"Once a bond is completed," the staff continued, "you hold absolute authority within the relationship. Your soothing strengthens their cultivation. In return they must remain loyal, cherish you, prioritize your interests, and actively support your growth. Betrayal is forbidden. Each partner receives a beast mark linked to the bond. Should any partner deliberately harm or betray you, you may sever the mark. The Beast God will then enact punishment."
Rory nodded, a quiet sense of security settling over her. The system protected its rare females thoroughly.
"The matching process will take approximately five minutes. Results will be delivered to your light-brain. Note that for the first three months you will only receive names, ages, and contact information. Occupations, status, appearance, family, and assets remain sealed until a successful bond is formed."
Mystery boxes. Nine of them. Rory's heart kicked harder.
She stepped aside to wait. The minutes stretched. Then her light-brain chimed again.
[Beast God System]
Nine partners successfully matched.
Their light-brain accounts have been added to your contact list.
Rory stared at the notification. Her fingers hovered. After five years of blood, cores, and stubborn refusal to accept anything less than the best, the moment had arrived.
She opened her contacts.
Nine unfamiliar names sat there, silent and unknown.
These were the men who might change everything.
And she had no idea who any of them were.