Beast Hack: Customizing Beasts and Capturing Beauties

Lucius was now standing before a gleaming pile of treasure.

Over two hundred SS-Rank beast cores were stacked on the table.

He raised his hand, fingers brushing the nearest one.

His eyes narrowed, then sharpened.

"System, absorb exactly two hundred. No more."

---

[Hack Initiation: Resource Absorption]

[Target: 200 SS-Rank Beast Cores]

[Effect: Convert Cores into Hack Points]

[Total Hack Points Gained: 200,000,000,000]

[Status: Absorption Complete]

---

Lucius threw his head back and laughed.

Loud. Sharp. Unrestrained.

"The last time I only got ten billion… now two hundred billion?"

His eyes glowed. "This is robbery."

He walked forward, his coat trailing behind him as the remaining cores pulsed in place.

"Too many ideas," he muttered to himself.

"New system modules, Divine-tier beast designs, mass production optimizations…"

He turned toward the back wall, where Liline stood silently with her clipboard, waiting.

"For the rest of the SS-Rank beast cores, store them in the second vault."

"They'll be our reserve energy for castle operations, emergency upgrades, and cultivation boosts."

Liline nodded crisply. "Understood."

Lucius added, "And give half of them to your elder sister, Lilia, over at the Luxoria mansion."

Liline blinked once. "All of that?"

Lucius smirked. "She handles internal security and living systems. If anyone needs raw core fuel, it's her."

Lucius turned slightly, smiling. "Good. And one more thing."

He tilted his head. "Call Luna and Loreia. It's time."

Liline bowed. "Yes, Master."

She vanished through the hall without delay.

Minutes later, Luna entered first, followed by Loreia, shoulders relaxed but alert.

Both stopped in front of Lucius.

Luna's eyes scanned the room, noticing the remains of the massive core absorption.

"Impressive."

Loreia glanced at the platform.

"You called us in front of this beast core mountain. What are we doing now?"

Lucius turned, smirk sharp.

"I want to talk about the battle."

"The one between Luxoria Castle… and Beast Castle."

He walked forward, hands behind his back.

"It's approaching."

Luna folded her arms, her expression unreadable, then gave a faint grin.

"So it's finally happening."

Loreia's brows lifted. "You mean that duel? The one they announced publicly?"

Lucius nodded. "They've committed. And so will we."

Luna's grin widened. "Perfect. I was getting bored."

Loreia stepped closer. "What's the plan?"

Lucius glanced at both of them.

"I'll brief you soon. This time… I want the entire beast world to witness what Luxoria truly is."

Luna chuckled. "Then let's give them a show they'll never forget."

Loreia cracked her knuckles. "Just point me to whoever thinks they can beat us."

Lucius smiled. Cold. Confident.

"Yeah… and because of that."

He tapped his fingers down on the table, smirking.

"It's time to upgrade one of you two."

He turned to face them fully.

"I've gathered more Hack Points than ever. I can push you beyond what even Liora reached."

The words dropped like lead.

Luna's smile froze.

Loreia blinked once, then frowned deeply.

Neither spoke for a second.

Then Luna muttered, "You're serious."

Lucius tilted his head. "Completely."

Loreia took one step back. "You mean like the Liora upgrade? When you hacked Leon."

Lucius nodded. "Exactly like that. Except this time, no limits. I have more than enough points to go wild."

Luna's arms dropped to her sides. She stared at the wall, not smiling anymore.

"She screamed for six straight hours, Master."

"She stopped breathing twice," Loreia added, her voice tight.

"I brought her back both times," Lucius said casually.

"And she's stronger than anything now. You've seen Leon."

They both remembered.

The silver sun titan. Divine-tier. Unstoppable. Loyal only to Liora.

They also remembered what Liora looked like afterward.

Eyes blank, body trembling, skin pale and steaming as if burned from the inside out.

Luna folded her arms. "And now you want to top that?"

Lucius grinned. "Why not? I don't need weak soldiers."

Loreia looked at him sharply. "We're not weak."

Lucius's grin widened. "Then prove it. One of you step forward."

The room fell quiet.

---

Luna broke the silence first.

Her silver eyes flicked toward Loreia, then back to Lucius.

"Well... It only makes sense that she goes first."

Loreia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Luna gestured lazily in her direction.

"You're the elder sister. You set the standard."

"Our glorious Luxoria Castle's rising reputation? You've been its face lately.

"Killing beasts, crushing nobles, handling our so-called social media presence."

"If anyone should be enhanced, it's our beloved spearhead."

Loreia scoffed.

"Oh please. Don't act like you're not the one pulling strings in the shadows."

"Master strategist, master manipulator—aren't you technically older than me in terms of seniority?"

Luna tilted her head. "Age isn't everything."

"But time is," Loreia snapped.

"You've been with Lucius the longest. You've killed more for him. You were there when he rebuilt this empire."

Luna's voice didn't waver. "Exactly. I've already done my part. I've earned the right to observe."

Loreia stepped forward, poking Luna in the chest with one finger.

"You sit on the throne of the castle. You run the operations. You manage the clients, the logistics, the noble negotiations."

"If someone's going to be upgraded to something divine and horrifying, it should be the one they already fear in silence."

Luna didn't flinch.

"Which is why it should be you. Let's not pretend—Liora was upgraded because she needed it."

"She was raw strength. Untamed. And you? You're just a cleaner version of that."

Lucius watched them, amused. He didn't interrupt.

Loreia grinned.

"Fine. Then let me be honest. You don't want it because you're scared."

"You watched what happened to Liora, and now your pretty little brain is screaming not it, not it!"

Luna's eyes sharpened.

"And you don't want it because you know if I get it first, I'll be five steps ahead of you forever."

"Oh shut up," Loreia muttered.

"If I wanted to be ahead, I'd already be on that damn table."

Luna turned to Lucius. "Pick one. You made this mess."

Loreia nodded. "Yeah. You're the boss, right?"

Lucius smirked.

"Perfect. Because I already have someone in mind."