After this Aion placed Hazel into the crystalline capsule. His hand lingered on the smooth surface, and with a faint smile he whsper today let you be at same level as me at elite rank
Hazel's ears twitched, her gaze brimming with trust. Then the capsule sealed, runes flaring to life, and an austere voice rang out:
"Detected beast: Soldier-tier (Rank2)peak. Condition to advance — 100 Origin Points required."
Aion's eye twitched.
"Wait, wait, I have to pay for this? In my own shop?" he muttered, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "Truly blackhearted! Not only do I run the place, I even have to cough up fees like some ordinary customer!"
Shaking his head, he sacrificed ten stalks of Lunaris Herb. Their moonlit glow dissolved into a stream of silvery essence, merging into the capsule. The system responded:
" 10 stalks converted → 100 Origin Points. Mission Completed. Reward: 200 Shop Points."
"Wonderful," Aion snorted. "I sell to myself and still get charged. What's next? Charging me rent to breathe here?"
But his sarcasm withered the instant the capsule blazed with light. Moonlight unfurled like a celestial tide, flooding the chamber with a radiance that seemed to wash over the very fabric of existence. Hazel's spirit trembled within, her essence cracking and then surging upward with a force so vast it shook the tether between beast and master. Aion's bond with her resonated fiercely, his heartbeat hammering like war drums in his chest.
Then the cold, solemn voice of the system descended:
"Host may stimulate hidden evolution. Cost — 5,000 Origin Points."
Aion's breath hitched.
"Five… thousand?" His lips curled in a strained laugh. "You greedy thing… I barely have enough to breathe."
Yet the light refused to dim, the process already set into motion. The choice before him was cruelly clear — let Hazel wither in incomplete evolution, or pay the price himself. His jaw tightened.
"Then take it," he whispered, eyes firm as steel. "Take it all."
Resolute, he severed his hold on cultivation. Origin energy burst from his core in torrents, pouring into the capsule as if his very life were being unspooled thread by thread. His realm plummeted like a falling star — from the lofty skies of Elite rank, Level 33, down into the trenches of Soldier rank, Level 25. Yet still he endured, teeth clenched, body trembling as the last dregs of his essence transmuted into radiant points.
When the final count struck five thousand, the chamber shook. The capsule blazed like a newborn sun, and Hazel's essence leapt forward, ascending beyond its mortal shell. The cocoon of light split with a thunderclap of moonfire, and what emerged was no longer the gentle Harespring of yesterday.
Hazel had taken a qualitative leap, her aura crashing outward like waves on a silver sea. The air bowed to her presence, her form radiating divinity.
The display burned before Aion's weary eyes:
Hazel — Mid Elite Rank (Level 35).
The display shimmered:
Pet- Hazel
Species– Moonveil Sovereign Harespring
Level - 35( Mid Rank 3 Elite)
Affinity : Moonlight ,Life
Potential: Sovereign (Rank 8)
Aptitude - 81
Description:
Hazel now bears three horns — one pair of the natural antler of the Harespring, the other a crystalline horn of purest hue, shining with auspicious radiance. Its fur gleams with silver-white threads that shimmer like starlight. A soft aura of serenity follows its steps, capable of calming even violent hearts.
Skills-
1. Dewdrop Mending ( C rank) → Sovereign'sBlessing (S rank, Beginner)
Can heal grievous wounds, restore fractured limbs, and purge toxins.
Cooldown - 10 minutes
2. Aegis Shield(C rank) →Moonlight shield (A rank, Beginner)
Forms a radiant barrier infused with moonlight energy. blocks physical and elemental attacks and reflect some part of it but also nullifies most curses, poisons, and mental type attacks .
3. Spring Grace(B rank) → MoonveilRejuvenation(S rank, Beginner)
Extends a field of moonlight within a radius around Hazel. Allies within it recover stamina, increase battle power by 20%, calm their minds, and slowly regenerate vitality as though basking under a holy spring.Duration of effect is 1hr. (Cooldown- 10 minutes )
4. Antler Strike(Rank D) → Three -Horn Judgment (Rank S , Beginner)
Channels original antler into crystalline horn The natural horn stuns and also release energy beam(1st form) and the Life horn releases a purifying energy capable of shattering corruption and sealing malignant forces.(2nd form)
All three horns release a combine beam which can cause heavy destruction.( 3rd form) Cooldown of 3rd form - 10 minutes
Lunar Origin Baptism (SSS rank, Beginner) -
Fully restores vitality and help regrowth missing limbs.
Permanently enhances allies' life force, granting extended longevity and resistance to corrupted energy( death,poison,decay,curse energy)
And slight chance to cure soul injury.
Cooldown - 7 days
Life horn sacrifice (Unique skill) -By sacrificing the horn can bring death back to life within 24 hours if soul is intact.
Note- After using this ability the pet will lose the horn permanently.
Note - To beasts and masters of lower rank, Hazel's skills manifest in their purest form, untainted, unbroken — 100% effect, absolute and undeniable. Yet, as strength climbs and realms widen, the law of balance asserts itself. Against those one rank higher, her grace diminishes in potency; against two ranks higher, it flickers like moonlight in the storm; and beyond that threshold… no light, no healing, no judgment may touch them. Such is the decree of the heavens — that no beast, however exalted, may trespass endlessly into dominion not their own."
Hazel pressed close, horns glowing softly in gratitude. At that moment, Aion felt a surge in his body—the strength he had lost partly returned. From Mid Soldier (Level 25), he rose back to Peak Soldier (Level 28).
He staggered, then laughed, rubbing his temples. "So I've crippled myself just to make you a sovereign beauty. Hazel, at this rate, you're worth more than me.
At first, Aion had thought to advance his pet to Moon Lunaris Stag, a Rank 6 King-level beast, only when Hazel reached the peak of Elite Rank (Rank 3, Peak). That had been the plan. Neat. Simple. Predictable.
But plans rarely survive contact with destiny.
The system's voice rang in his mind:
> "Host, you can currently see evolution paths only up to King level. Higher paths are revealed only when you reach higher ranks. The shop has the evolution path to Moonveil Sovereign Harespring, but the materials are beyond your reach. However, your beast's hidden bloodline and your Origin Bloom talent stimulating its potential further evolve your pet successfully—though it cost you a small regression in your own level."
Aion froze. "Wait… low cost?" His mouth twitched. "Hmph… I see how it is…"
He scowled a little, muttering under his breath.As he frowned, a soft nudge at his leg brought him back to reality. Hazel had tilted her head and pressed against him, her eyes wide and expectant.
Aion blinked and sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Ah, Hazel… so you've been quietly judging me this whole time, huh?"
Hazel tilted her head, ears flicking proudly.
Then, like a spark in his mind, a mischievous thought struck him.
"Wait. This… this could actually earn us some pocket money." His grin widened. "Think about it, Hazel — tired Tamers, exhausted hunters, wounded apprentices… they'd line up just to sit under your moonlight glow for a session. I could charge them a fee, of course. A healing service on the side. Who knew my first business partner would be a rabbit-deer hybrid with better bedside manners than me?"
Hazel gave a soft chirp, almost like a laugh, and swished her tail as if approving the idea.
Aion sighed dramatically, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I can already see it — Hazel's Healing Pavilion: One Silver per Session. Don't look at me like that, Hazel, even moonlight doesn't come free. Not after I've been robbed by my own shop!"
Though his words were sarcastic, his gaze softened. Hazel's new gift wasn't just a skill — it was a lifeline, a steady way to earn coins without attracting too much danger. Until his true strength grew, this small, quiet stream of income could keep him afloat in the bustling world of Bridgemoon City.
Then another line appeared before his eyes:
"Second mission completed — Beast Advancement to elite rank Reward: 200 origin Points."
Third mission completed beast evolution Reward - 750 origin points
Numbers aligned in radiant script:
Total origin Points — 1,000.
Finally, the last prompt unfolded:
"Sufficient points detected. Do you wish to upgrade the Pet Shop to Level 1?"
Aion exhaled slowly, then smiled wryly. "At least this part doesn't ask me to pay extra."
With a single word — "Yes" — the shop trembled, walls stretching outward, its interior expanding into something grander. New capsules blossomed like stars across the sanctum. Even the space beyond shifted, the world outside bending as the shop grew in majesty.
The Origin Pet Shop had ascended to level 1 and with Hazel's new gift, Aion's path ahead glimmered a little brighter.