​Caspian crossed his massive arms over his chest, letting out a low, grounding huff through his nose. He didn’t offer a bow in return, but the dangerous, volatile spark in his throat dimmed down—a silent sign of respect for the old warrior’s age.

"I don’t care about the felines," Caspian rumbled flatly, his golden eyes flicking down to Hana. "I only follow my mate’s directives. If she says we help, we help."

​The old chief looked back at Hana, his gaze filled with a profound, quiet wonder. A human female, heavy as she may be, was commanding the apex forces of the ridges?

​Ren stepped up beside the chief, his black-striped tail swaying as he introduced her. "Chief, this is Hana. She is the one who broke the Matriarch’s illusion and convinced the crimson court to open up their vault so we could look for the females. And she is also someone who can communicate with the shrine so she has come here for our broken shrine."

The old chief was taken aback, his weathered eyebrows pulling together as he looked at Hana.

In all his long years on the ridges, he had never come across a human, but the ancient lore always described them as frail, fleeting creatures who couldn’t survive without protection.

Yet here one stood, heavy but carrying her shoulders high, flanked by peak-tier vanguards, and casually looking around like she was on a stroll. Someone like this was by no means weak.

​With a slow, respectful shift of his weight, the old chief lowered his wooden cane and bowed his head deeply to her.

Behind him, the rest of the tribesmen watched in a hushed, awestruck confusion.

To see their legendary former warrior bow to a hairless female was a sight none of them had anticipated.

​"The Frost-Claw tribe extends its deepest gratitude to you, Hana," the chief said, his raspy voice filled with sincere gravity. "You have guarded our males and brought back our bloodline. If you can truly ease the silence of the ancestral shrines, then you have done what generations of our Alphas failed to achieve."

​Hana casually waved it off, her face entirely deadpan as she shifted her grip on her tablet. "It’s fine. We all do what we do to get what we want. You wanted your females safe and the kidnapping operations to stop. That is settled. However, my terms are explicit: what I want is in there. I am clearing out the contents of that bunker."

​The chief’s shoulders dropped slightly, a look of profound disappointment crossing his wrinkled face. "I will not stop you from taking whatever you want as a reward. You have earned every scrap. But... I am sorry to let you know that we cannot open the shrine to let you in. The breach only exposed the outer shell and gave us nothing more."

​"I already told you, Chief!" Ren cut in, grinning with all his teeth as his white-and-black striped tail thrashed excitedly against the snow.

He stepped closer to Hana, completely oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature around him. "Hana can communicate with the shrines directly. She can open them with a single touch. She opened the two that were standing in the Crimson Court yard like they were nothing, and she calls it human magic. She is absolutely incredible!"

​Ren just wouldn’t stop singing her praises, his icy blue eyes practically beaming with a bright, unbridled admiration.

​From the side, Hana’s three mates simultaneously narrowed their eyes, their expressions turning thoroughly venomous.

Yes, Hana’s brilliance deserved to be sung across every mountain ridge, and yes, every primitive beastman should marvel at her supreme intellect—but this specific leopard beastman was pushing his boundaries and it was far too much for them to pretend not to notice.

He was exceptionally handsome, built just as heavily and powerfully as Caspian and Kulu, and he radiated a ridiculously easygoing, cheerful personality. He was all sunshine and enthusiasm.

​And though Hana found that exact bubbly, high-energy archetype the most annoying to manage, the three vanguards could already see the terrifying pattern behind their own selection.

The more annoying and capable a beastman was, the more it seemed like Hana wanted to take them in.

​Caspian let out a low, tectonic rumble from his chest, his jaw tightening as he stepped slightly in front of Hana to block Ren’s proximity.

Kulu’s feathers steeled again, making metallic sounds as they scrapped together, a silent promise of violence, while Raiden’s nine pink tails stiffened into dangerous stakes, his emerald eyes drilling holes into the side of the leopard’s head.

Ren smiled anxiously. He could definitely sense the death glares but why were they looking at him like that?

​These three fools were completely mistaken in their thoughts, however. They thought Hana wanted them when they annoyed her the most, but they had no idea that Hana had never actually wanted any of them to begin with.

Every single one of them was the result of the system’s harsh and completely ridiculous demands. She didn’t have feelings; she had plans to clean her negative balance and not suffer from penalties.

Hana began to have a dreading feeling in her gut. It had been a while since the system imposed harsh demands on her that she cursed at.

Right now, things were going well, but that only meant the conditions to screw her over were just about right. She hissed.

​And right on cue, as if sensing her thoughts and the perfect alignment of nearby resources, a sharp, high-pitched ring echoed directly inside her mind.

The transparent blue screen opened across her field of vision with an aggressive, neon-tinted chime.

​Chime.

> ​[WARNING: EXTREME BIOLOGICAL COMPATIBILITY DETECTED]

> Target: Ren (Alpha of the Frost-Claw Vanguard).

> Lineage Type: Pure-Blooded Snow Leopard (Apex Agility Modifier).

> System Notice: Mainframe requires the integration of high-velocity physical traits to optimize the next generation of the New Eden garrison.

The system interface continued to roll out text right in front of her eyes, completely unconcerned with the fact that Hana’s teeth were currently grinding together so hard her jaw ached.

> ​[NEW BOND QUEST INITIATED]

> Objective: There is a compatible mate who has fallen for you and will try to pursue you actively. So, to save him the stress, establish a primal bond with the Snow Leopard Alpha, Ren and receive his mark.

> Reward: +50,000 Karmic Points.

> Current Balance: -42,880 -> +7,120 (Upon Completion).

​Hana’s face visibly contorted with pure, unadulterated irritation. As if three overbearing, noisy mates wasn’t enough to drain her daily patience, she was now being forced to add an extra rowdy, overly enthusiastic cat to her household.

First, a lizard, then a rat as Caspain would call him, after that was a bird and now a cat? What? Was she picking up strays?

​No way, she thought instantly. She didn’t want to. She didn’t need to. Her current mates were enough. She didn’t need one more to actively push her boundaries.

​But the system was relentlessly cruel. Before she could even look for a decline option, a harsh, flashing crimson warning box dropped right underneath the objective, slapping her with a mandatory penalty text.

> ​[WARNING: REFUSAL PENALTY]

—Failure to accept or execute this quest within the sector window will result in:

—​An immediate deduction of -500,000 Karmic Points.

—Extreme bowel movements for a continuous duration of 24 hours.