Chapter 2 The Female They Now Belonged To

Among every planet in the interstellar beastfolk civilization, Planet Q357 stood at the height of wealth and prosperity.

Skyscrapers filled the skyline, and service mechs traveled between them to assist the beastfolk residents.

At the highest level of one such tower, a striking red-haired male stood beside a floor-to-ceiling window. Two pointed fox ears rose from his hair as he looked out over the vast commercial empire he'd built beneath the gray sky. His handsome features tightened with impatience as he murmured, "Of all the times this could've happened, why did it have to be now?"

Just recently, Alexander had secured the rights to acquire and develop yet another planet. Soon, Star Coins would flood into his accounts and push his already massive business empire to even greater heights. But before he could enjoy his latest success, his personal terminal alerted him that the system had paired him with a matched female.

Without warning, ownership of every Star Coin and resource in his possession now belonged to some unknown female he'd never heard of.

Even the development rights to Planet B4119, which he'd fought hard to obtain, would now pass into her hands.

There was no chance he would simply accept that.

Facing his secretary, Alexander spoke with clear irritation. "Tell me what you found. Who the hell is Rena Chapman?"

Keeping their head lowered, the secretary replied respectfully, "We've only confirmed two things so far. She lives on Planet F921, and she's never been matched with a male before."

Hearing the name Planet F921 made Alexander laugh with contempt.

That place was little more than an undeveloped backwater filled with savages who would do anything for a chance to join a mercenary company.

Compared with his fortune, the combined wealth of everyone on that planet would probably amount to almost nothing.

The moment Rena discovered she'd been paired with a male who commanded an enormous business empire like his own, she'd undoubtedly try to hold on to the match. Dissolving it willingly would be the last thing she'd want to do.

So Alexander knew he would simply have to make sure she had no choice.

Cold calculations began running through his mind.

Nothing offered a worse return than love, and Alexander had no intention of investing in a deal that would cost him everything and earn nothing.

...

Deep within the Rúsleika Sector, well outside the Empire's territory, an unnamed and mysterious planet hid beneath the darkness of space.

Strange plants shifted throughout one of its shadowy forests, and an eerie glow spilled from their leaves.

Coiled several times around the oldest tree in the forest, an enormous black void serpent slowly made its way upward. After reaching a thick branch, the creature transformed into a handsome man with short black hair and deep violet eyes. He settled high above the forest floor.

Moments ago, the surrounding plants had been striking wildly at anything nearby, but they immediately recoiled from him and pulled their branches away.

"So the Beast God finally remembered I exist. That's almost funny."

Nothing about the situation impressed Dominick. Contempt showed clearly on his face, and the dark presence surrounding him carried a sinister chill.

For years, he'd ruled the Empire's criminal underworld while openly defying the Beast God System. Because of that rebellion, the system had refused to match any female with a member of the void serpent species, slowly pushing their entire race toward extinction.

The impossible had finally happened. The Beast God System had now assigned a female to Dominick, the leader of the void serpent species.

No one could've predicted such a turn of events.

A report from his subordinates gave Dominick a clear picture of the other males involved.

The list named Kade Wright, Commander of the Empire's First Legion; Laurence Bennett, president of the Imperial Medical Association; and Benjamin Hayes, the Empire's chief scientist.

Each man held an honored position within the Empire, yet they shared one thing in common. They were all enemies of the void serpents.

Why would the Beast God System connect every one of them to the same female? More importantly, what made Rena Chapman so special that the system had chosen so many exceptional males for her?

Dominick let out a piercing whistle. Void serpents immediately emerged from every corner of the forest and gathered around him. One after another, they shifted into their humanoid forms before kneeling in loyalty.

"Find Rena Chapman and keep your eyes on her. I want to know about every move she makes. Then I'll turn her into a weapon the Beast God never expected."

...

Imperial Combat Command was filled with streams of data cascading across the metal walls. In the middle of the enormous hall, a holographic tactical map displayed the Empire and its surrounding territories.

The officers stared at it in strained silence, and none of them dared to make a sound.

Commanding the room was a silver-haired male dressed in the military uniform of a senior officer. His face turned serious when several unfamiliar points of light appeared on the tactical display.

"Nothing has happened in the Rúsleika Sector for years. So why are hostile forces suddenly pushing toward Imperial territory?"

Kade faced the officers gathered behind him. "Tell me what's changed recently. Has anything unusual happened inside the Empire?"

His stern gaze moved from one officer to the next.

Instead of answering, the legion officers looked down and avoided his eyes.

Their reaction immediately told Kade that they were hiding something.

His attention landed on one officer. "Sawyer. You're going to tell me what's going on."

Sawyer Brooks had only recently earned his place among the high-ranking officers as a beastfolk garrison commander. Since he still didn't know Kade well enough to fear his temper, he answered more bluntly than his colleagues would've dared. "Commander, the Beast God System just announced a female's match results. One of the males chosen for her was Dominick Knight, the leader of the void serpent species..."

For a moment, Kade said nothing.

Could Dominick's match be the reason trouble had suddenly begun stirring in the Rúsleika Sector?

Had the criminal underworld's ruthless ruler somehow turned into a fool over one female? Or were the void serpents simply so desperate after years without a match that they were willing to go this far for the first female offered to them?

Kade was still weighing those possibilities when Sawyer casually added the final detail. "You were matched with her too, Commander."

Disbelief hit Kade so hard that he briefly wondered if he'd heard Sawyer wrong.

He looked from Sawyer to the rest of the officers and waited for someone to laugh or admit it was a joke. No one did. Their grim faces made it clear that Sawyer had been completely serious.

Only then did Kade remember the message that had appeared on his personal terminal several days ago. The system had informed him that he'd been matched with a female, but he'd brushed off the notification and never bothered opening it.

His position as Commander of the Empire's First Legion made the whole arrangement ridiculous. He couldn't simply walk away from his soldiers and go home to devote himself to some female he'd never met before.

Worse, the same woman had somehow been paired with both him and the man who ruled the Empire's criminal underworld.

None of it made any sense.

Kade quickly forced himself to focus. "Find out who she is. We have to reach her before she makes contact with the void serpents."

"That's already taken care of, sir," Sawyer said with a shrug. "She's here at headquarters right now. We put her in one of the reception rooms."

Surprise flashed across Kade's face. "How did she even get inside Combat Command?"

The Combat Command had some of the strictest security in the Empire. Only legion commanders and a select few others had permission to enter and leave without restriction.

"She showed up by herself and asked to see you," Sawyer explained. "Once we realized she was the female the system matched you with, no one wanted to risk sending her away. So we let her in and planned to bring you to her once the strategy meeting was over."

Kade couldn't imagine why she had come looking for him.

Perhaps Dominick's name had frightened her when she saw the match list, and she'd decided he was the safer person to approach? Then again, Dominick might've already contacted her, which would make the situation far more dangerous.

Concern deepened across Kade's face. "Take me to her now."

Meanwhile, Rena could barely hide her excitement as she looked around the reception room.

She'd known it. After spending three whole years in this world, there was no chance she'd somehow missed the trigger for the main quest forever.

Had she realized that getting matched was the condition for unlocking her tutorial guide, she would've applied for a match the very day she'd arrived three years ago.