Luxe walked slowly toward the barbecue restaurant. From a distance, he spotted Steve already waiting out front, waving casually. His face looked bright—almost as if the heavy burden from yesterday had never existed.
"Finally, you made it," Steve called as Luxe approached. Together they went inside and chose a table near the window. Before long, plates of beef arrived, the warm aroma of grilled meat filling the air—an all-you-can-eat spread, simple yet satisfying.
They ate in silence for a while, exchanging light chatter. But after a few bites, Steve's tone grew more serious.
"I ran into Lessy at the Association earlier," he said. "I told her to go home—I'll take care of the report. I also gave her the money I hadn't gotten around to paying yesterday." He took a sip of his drink, then looked at Luxe. "She asked how I managed to survive. I made up a story: when I was about to pass out, I idiotically struck Chase on the head with a hammer. Lessy apologized for running away in fear. I replied, 'Oh well—what matters is that she's safe.'"
Luxe let out a breath of relief. "So Lessy's safe. What about the Association's response?"
Steve nodded. "With my father's connections, we managed to close off some angles. The case won't blow up. But there's something you need to know." He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"Chase is connected to the Rogue network. Bradd isn't Rogue—just a criminal, the same rotten kind of scum. That's why they dared to kill and snatch pets so brazenly. This isn't small-time business."
Luxe stared blankly for a moment before asking what came next.
Steve's gaze sharpened. "For now, don't go out at night. My father insisted the names of those involved in yesterday's raid stay hidden. That means you, Lessy, and I should be safe. But Rogues always dig for cracks—they'll try to uncover something. So stay cautious."
Luxe nodded. "Alright. I'll keep my guard up."
Not long after, Steve pulled a few items from his bag: a crystal-shaped pocket screen, a small box of thin needles, and a dark metal ring. He slid them across the table to Luxe.
"I'm giving these to you," he said. "You already know the pocket screen. These—" he tapped the box of needles, "—are ten tracking tags. Use them to mark rare beasts or trace their movements."
Luxe accepted the screen and tags carefully.
"And this—" Steve lifted the ring, "—a subspace ring. It can store up to twenty items. Just press an item to the ring, and it'll be sucked into the pocket dimension inside. To retrieve something, there's a small button underneath. But items come out randomly, so most Slayers only keep essentials—like a backup weapon or beast-essence potions. If your main weapon gets knocked away, you can draw a spare from the ring instantly."
He placed the ring in Luxe's palm, letting him feel its weight.
Luxe turned it on his finger, torn between doubt and awe. "So… safer to store just one item, like you said."
"Exactly. Just for emergencies," Steve replied.
Then his expression darkened slightly. "Oh—and one more thing. The Association located one of the Rogue branch bases. Tonight, they're launching a small-scale assault. I don't know the details yet, but it means things are heating up fast."
Luxe stared at the three items in his hands: the pocket screen, the tags, and the subspace ring. He wanted to say more, but only managed a short reply.
"I'll take them. Thanks, Steve."
Steve gave a faint smile. "I should be the one thanking you. Without you, I wouldn't be alive—and I wouldn't have my Lord-class pet either."
They finished their meal with lighter conversation. Luxe ordered some extra food to take home.
"Well, I'll head out, Steve. It's already getting late," Luxe said, standing up.
"Alright," Steve replied. "Once the situation cools down, we'll hunt together again, Luxe."
---
Luxe returned home with several bags of food. He set the meal on their small apartment table.
"Grandma, I brought something from outside," he said with a faint smile.
Grandma Lam's face lit up. They ate warmly together.
After dinner, he cleared the table. The night deepened, the apartment corridor dim. Grandma Lam retired to her room, the door closing softly behind her.
Around nine o'clock, Luxe lay down on his bed. "Better not hunt tonight… just like Steve suggested," he muttered, eyelids heavy.
Then—
BRUUMM—
The apartment shuddered. A glass on his desk rattled and spilled slightly.
Luxe shot upright, breath caught in his throat. He activated Weakpoint Trace, his eyes glowing faintly. Lines of aura flared, piercing through walls, mapping out the chaos outside.
"…So many… Feral, Savage… even Elite…"
He clenched his fist. "And they're all… running in panic?"
His gaze flicked to Grandma's closed bedroom door.
Without hesitation, Luxe leapt from the balcony. He landed smoothly on the dark street below. Shadows surged beneath his feet.
"Miravore. Prism Ward."
Two figures appeared. Prism Ward, standing tall, dual prism blades glowing black and white in his hands. Miravore expanded into his false Tigrix Rex form, his massive body wrapped in black-aurora energy that pulsed violently. The asphalt cracked under his weight.
Glass shattered, metal screeched. Wild Beasts poured out from alleys and the main road. Flaming hounds, steel-fanged wolves, even an Elite lizard climbing a building wall, shrieking.
"Take them down," Luxe commanded.
WHIP! A shadow chain snapped out, coiling around a Savage's neck before smashing it into the asphalt.
Prism Ward lunged, movements razor-sharp. CLANG—SLASH! His twin blades danced, one cutting diagonally, the other piercing straight through, dropping three beasts in an instant. White and black trails lit the air with every strike.
Miravore roared, leaping high. His aurora claws slammed down—BOOM! A shockwave crushed dozens of beasts swarming the street. Parked cars flipped, shop windows shattered in waves.
Luxe attacked alongside them. His chains lashed, cutting down a red-furred beast. Then his hand suddenly flared with aurora-black claws.
His eyes widened. "…Tigrix Rex's skill… I can use it too?! I thought only Miravore could copy it!"
With a single swing, the claws extended like an energy blade, cleaving through half a dozen beasts at once.
RAAARGHH! An Elite steel-bear barreled into Prism Ward, knocking him back. The knight staggered, then drove his twin blades into the ground. A swirling prism vortex erupted, slicing the bear's legs clean before it toppled.
Miravore roared again, unleashing Tigrix Rex's Fear skill. The oppressive aura froze several beasts in place, leaving them wide open for Luxe and Prism Ward to finish off.
The battle raged on, shadows, light, and aurora tearing the street apart. Until at last—the road lay littered with corpses.
Luxe panted heavily, sweat dripping down his face. His chains receded into the ground. Prism Ward stood battered but steady, twin blades raised. Miravore growled low, his aura finally calming.
Luxe raised his gaze. Smoke curled from ruined cars.
Then—only a few hundred meters away—
BOOOMMM!
A massive burst of red-blue light erupted in the distance, shaking the air all the way to the street where Luxe stood. The glow swallowed the outline of nearby buildings before slowly fading.
For a fleeting moment within that flare, the silhouettes of several Beasts clashed violently, their auras colliding in chaotic bursts. But before Luxe could make sense of it, the vision dissolved—swallowed back into the night.
Luxe's heart sank. So that's it… that's what drove all these Beasts into a frenzy?