2026-09-16 20:26:08Lucian sat on the plush velvet rug in his study, surrounded by empty silver wrappers, honeyed pastry crumbs, and three sleeping master chefs who had collapsed from sheer baking exhaustion.
Thanks to his new sugar guild, his mana burnout was gone, but the floating blue window above his head had already reset its timer for the new day.
[Daily Yield Deposited: 200,000 Gold.]
[Unspent Balance: 200,000 Gold.]
[Time Remaining to Spend: 4 Hours.]
[Warning: Unspent yield will trigger Health Drain Protocol.]
"Two hundred thousand today?!" Lucian squeaked, wiping a smudge of chocolate off his cheek. "Barnaby, the box is getting bigger! How am I supposed to eat two hundred thousand gold worth of cake in four hours? My stomach will burst!"
"You aren't supposed to eat it, young master," Barnaby chuckled, hovering down to inspect a stack of commercial trade flyers. "Your daily yield expands as your holdings grow. You need something that requires continuous, high-volume investment. Something that eats money."
Before Lucian could ask what ate money, his butler entered the study with a nervous bow. "Young Master, there is a representative from the Capital's Beast Syndicate at the front gate. He claims to have brought a rare, gentle creature meant specifically as a condolence gift for the young heir of the Vance Guild."
Lucian's eyes lit up. "A pet?!"
"Careful, child," Barnaby warned, his phantom eyes narrowing. "The Beast Syndicate is run by Guildmaster Vane's cousin, Baron Malakor. They don't give gifts out of the kindness of their hearts."
Five minutes later, Lucian was standing in the courtyard. Standing opposite him was a thin, oily man with a long mustache, wearing a coat made of shimmering reptile skin. Behind him, two large beast-handlers held heavy iron chains attached to a small, iron-reinforced cage.
Inside the cage sat a creature no bigger than a house cat. It had sleek, midnight-black fur, small leathery wings folded against its back, and large, teary ruby eyes. It looked utterly miserable, shivering in the cold damp air.
"Greetings, noble young Master Vance," the oily man bowed deeply, a slick, crocodile smile spreading across his face. "I am Master Kray of the Beast Syndicate. We heard of your recent... tragic loss, and brought you a rare Shadow-Gryphon cub to bring warmth to your lonely estate."
Lucian walked over to the cage, his ten-year-old heart melting the second he saw the shivering little creature. "It's so small... why is it shaking?"
"Ah, well," Kray chuckled, hiding his sneer. "Shadow-Gryphons require exotic care, young master. They only eat pure mana-crystals, drink distilled star-nectar, and sleep on enchanted dragon-silk. If you don't spend thousands of gold on its daily upkeep, it will simply wither away but surely, the wealthy Vance Guild can afford such a sweet little companion?"
Barnaby floated close to Lucian's ear, his spectral face darkening. 'It's a trap, Lucian. It's not a Gryphon, it's a Nether-Hound pup wrapped in illusion magic. They want to drain your liquidity on absurd maintenance costs, and if you fail to feed it high-tier mana, the beast will go feral and attack you.'
Kray was practically vibrating with excitement, Baron Malakor had ordered him to saddle the spoiled ten-year-old with a money-pit creature that would drain his daily funds and eventually turn wild, giving the Royal Guards a legal excuse to put the beast and the boy's estate under quarantine.
Lucian looked at the shivering pup, then looked up at Master Kray. His child-logic processed the situation instantly: This bad man thinks I'm going to let this tiny puppy starve because money is hard to find.
"I'll take him," Lucian said, pulling out his black metallic cube.
"Wonderful!" Kray grinned, holding out a basic transfer scroll. "The adoption f*e is a mere five thousand gold, plus the cost of his specialized food..."
"I don't want just the puppy," Lucian interrupted, tapping his floating system screen. "I want all the food in your store. All the dragon-silk in the capital and I'm buying your entire Beast Syndicate breeding farm."
Kray froze. "What?"
[Target Identified: Capital Beast Syndicate Holdings & Exotic Reserve.]
[Execute Direct System Purchase?]
[Cost: 200,000 Gold.]
"Buy all of it!" Lucian yelled, slamming his hand onto the blue screen. "Buy all the food so this puppy never has to be hungry again!"
[Purchase Confirmed: 200,000 Gold Spent.]
[Acquired: 100% Ownership of Capital Beast Syndicate & Rare Species Reserves.]
[Target Entity Identified: Cursed Nether-Hound Pup.]
[Executing High-Tier System Purification & Mana Infusion...]
BOOM!
A blinding pillar of crimson and gold light exploded from Lucian's hand, crashing straight through the iron cage, the iron bars dissolved into glowing dust.
Master Kray was blown backward off his feet, tumbling across the cobblestones as the illusion magic covering the pup shattered into shimmering glass shards.
Inside the light, the tiny black pup let out a roaring howl that shook the very foundations of the manor. Its small body expanded, its sleek black fur bursting into dark violet hell-fire. Massive obsidian horns curled from its brow, and pair of shadow-draped wings unfurled from its back, spanning ten feet across.
The system window flashed a brilliant gold:
[Purification Complete!]
[Evolution Triggered: Nether-Hound Pup \rightarrow S-Rank Shadow Fenrir (Guardian Beast).]
[Loyalty Level: Max (Bound to Host: Lucian Vance).]
[System Milestone: First Legendary Companion Acquired.]
[Passive Unlocked: Guard Dog (Companion automatically intercepts physical and magical attacks directed at Host during Mana Burnout).]
The golden light faded, standing in the courtyard was a magnificent, midnight-black wolf-dragon towering twice as high as Lucian, its ruby eyes glowed with terrifying, primal power, and dark flames licked gently at its paws.
Master Kray scrambled backward in pure horror, screaming as he wet his pants. "N-Nether-Fenrir?! An S-Rank Calamity Beast?!"
The colossal shadow beast looked down at Kray, letting out a low, earth-shaking growl that made the sky rumble. Then, it turned its massive head toward ten-year-old Lucian.
The terrifying monster lowered its gigantic head all the way to the floor, let out a soft, affectionate whine, and gave Lucian a giant, wet lick right across his face, knocking the boy flat onto his back.
"Eww! Stop it!" Lucian giggled, sitting up and hugging the giant wolf's furry snout. "That tickles!"
Barnaby floated over the scene, rubbing his ghostly hands together with a roaring laugh. "Oh, brilliant! Simply brilliant! They tried to give you a money pit, and you bought yourself an invincible bodyguard!"
Lucian patted the massive Shadow Fenrir on the nose, then looked over at Master Kray, who was trembling on the ground, terrified out of his mind.
"Tell your boss thank you for the puppy," Lucian said innocently, wiping the slobber off his cheek. "He's very soft."
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Snack Break & The Genius
The floating velvet armchair glided smoothly out of the forest, bringing Lucian to a quiet, shady grassy hill near the center of the maze. While hundreds of older candidates were off in the distance shouting and fighting mechanical beasts, this little corner was completely peaceful.Lucian hopped down from his hovering chair, sitting cross-legged on a blanket near a clear stream to take a rest. Fluffy flopped down beside him, letting out a heavy dog-sigh.Above Lucian's head, his blue status screen hovered quietly.[Daily Yield Unspent Balance: 150,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 15 Hours 20 Minutes.][System Restriction Active: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]Lucian reached into his coat and pulled out a box of fruit pastries, but before he could take a bite, a soft, polite voice spoke from behind a nearby oak tree."Um... excuse me, is that a real Shadow Fenrir?"Lucian turned around, standing near the tree was an eleven-year-old girl with big blue eyes and dark braided
The Wilderness Maze
The second trial took place in a massive, enclosed forest known as the Verdant Trial Maze. High stone walls surrounded the trees, and glowing barrier runes floated in the sky above. Over a thousand candidates stood at the entrance gates, listening to the instructors explain the rules.Proctor Vance stood on a raised wooden platform, holding a glowing brass megaphone."The rules of Trial Two are simple!" Proctor Vance shouted. "You have six hours to navigate the maze and reach the exit on the other side. Scattered inside are mechanical beasts holding silver mana-tokens. You must collect at least three tokens to pass. Additionally, you will find System Supply Shrines along the path to purchase basic maps and stamina potions."The crowd of candidates began murmuring nervously, six hours in a dense, monster-filled forest was a long time.Lucian stood near the front gate, adjusting his small travel coat. Fluffy trotted beside him, sniffing the cool forest air.Above Lucian's head, his blue
The Resonance Pillar
The Grand Testing Hall was a cavernous amphitheater of grey marble, its stepped seating packed with nervous candidates. At the center of the arena stood five colossal obsidian monoliths, the ancient Resonance Pillars each wrapped in glowing silver runes designed to measure a candidate's raw mana capacity.Proctor Vance, a stern senior instructor with a scar across his brow, adjusted his pince-nez and barked across the arena. "Next group! Step up to your assigned pillar and channel your maximum spell output into the stone!"Lucian stood in Line 3, clutching his wooden dragon in his pocket. Beside him, Fluffy sat obediently, his dark wolf-tail sweeping the floor.Above Lucian's head, the floating blue window hummed softly.[Daily Yield Deposited: 350,000 Gold.][Unspent Balance: 350,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 18 Hours 05 Minutes.][System Restriction Active: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]"Remember, young master," Barnaby whispered, floating near his ear. "Your S-Rank
The Sovereign’s Orientation
Lucian sat up in his massive velvet bed at the top of the Wayward Dragon Resort, rubbing his eyes while yawning softly. Fluffy was already wide awake, resting his chin on the edge of the mattress.The familiar blue system screen popped open above Lucian's pillow, but the numbers inside made his jaw drop.[Daily Yield Deposited: 350,000 Gold.][Unspent Balance: 350,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 23 Hours 50 Minutes.][System Restriction Active: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]"Barnaby!" Lucian squeaked, pulling the blanket over his nose. "Why is the box so big today?! Yesterday it was two hundred thousand! Did I do something wrong?"Barnaby floated down from the ceiling, chuckling warmly as he adjusted his ghostly spectacles."Not at all, young master," Barnaby explained, floating over to a translucent ledger. "You see, the System is not a bottomless well of magic, it is an engine. Yesterday, you bought the entire Wayward Dragon resort chain, the capital's transport netwo
The Wayward Dragon Inn
The journey to the Central Province was long, but Lucian spent most of it curled up in a plush leather seat inside a private carriage, clutching his wooden dragon and taking a quiet nap.By late afternoon, the carriage pulled up to the Wayward Dragon Inn & Resort, a massive, three-story stone estate nestled at the base of the mountains just miles from the Royal Academy's border. It was the premier resting hub where incoming noble students, prodigies, and wealthy heirs gathered before orientation week.Inside the grand hall, the air smelled of roasted meats, spiced cider, and expensive perfumes. Dozens of older students mostly fifteen to seventeen years old sat at long oak tables, showing off their spellcraft, discussing high-tier guilds, and boasting about their family lineages.Lucian walked through the heavy front doors, swinging his arms while Fluffy, his giant S-Rank Shadow Fenrir, shrunk down into a sleek black hound to fit inside the foyer. Barnaby floated invisibly beside Lucia
The King’s Invitation
The morning sun filtered through the high stained-glass windows of the Vance Guild Manor, casting quiet golden light across the dining hall, Fluffy, the massive S-Rank Shadow Fenrir, lay sprawled near the fireplace like a giant velvet rug, letting out low, rhythmic snores that vibrated the floorboards.Lucian sat at the head of the long table, swinging his legs back and forth while dipping a buttered roll into hot soup.Above his head, the blue system screen hummed quietly, showing a relaxed 24-hour countdown.[Daily Yield Deposited: 200,000 Gold.][Unspent Balance: 200,000 Gold.][Time Remaining: 15 Hours 42 Minutes.][System Rule: Fair Economic Value Required for All Purchases.]"It's nice having time to eat," Lucian murmured, taking a happy bite. "No rushing, no tummy aches.""Do not get too comfortable, young master," Barnaby said, floating through a decorative armor stand to check the window. "A full day is plenty of time, but the Fair Value Rule means you cannot simply dump two
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