Beast Hack: Customizing Beasts and Capturing Beauties - Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Luxoria Castle’s Grand Auction Begins!
A week later, the Luxoria Castle beast shop finally began receiving its first visitors.

And unlike normal pet shops, these weren’t ordinary customers.

Each person that arrived was strong, their auras radiating power, their beasts walking beside them with pride.

Warriors. Adventurers. Elite Beast Tamers.

Even noble families had begun sending their representatives.

But despite making it through the treacherous forest, their expressions weren’t pleasant.

A brawny man with a giant tiger beast at his side grumbled as he finally stepped into the clearing.

“Tch. What a pain in the ass… What kind of shop makes customers risk their damn lives just to visit?!”

A woman in a dark hunter’s cloak, her golden hawk perched on her shoulder, sighed loudly.

“Seriously. This was way too much trouble. I fought at least three B-Rank beasts just to get here.”

Another tamer wearing noble robes clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“The arrogance of this place is unbelievable. Do they think we’re all desperate enough to risk death for a damn pet shop?”

Despite their complaints, none of them left. Because the truth was—they were here.

They had come because they wanted to see if the rumors were true.

A younger tamer, wiping sweat from his forehead, glanced at his companion.

“Do you think it’s real? The SS-Rank beast they’re selling?”

His friend, an older man with scars across his arms, snorted.

“Hmph. I don’t know. But if it is real… we’d be fools to ignore this place.”

Far from the others, standing atop a hill overlooking the Luxoria Castle, a lone man watched the scene unfold.

This was Sallos, the representative of Beast Castle. He crossed his arms, smirking.

“So this is Luxoria Castle? Let me see just how good you really are… To dare claim yourself as ‘the best.'”

On the other side of the clearing, another group of visitors approached—two figures bearing the symbol of the Aurelius Family.

Sylvia Aurelius and Victor Aurelius, both dressed in noble yet battle-ready attire, walked through the last stretch of the forest, unbothered by the journey.

Sylvia scoffed, glancing up at the imposing structure of Luxoria Castle.

“So this is the ‘great’ new pet shop everyone’s talking about? Making us go through all this trouble just to see some beasts… It’s certainly interesting.”

Victor adjusted his gloves. He didn’t care much about the journey.

“Let’s just go in and see if the beasts here are good enough for Brother Cassius’s research.”

Sylvia chuckled. “That’s why we’re here, right? But still… too bad Cassius is stuck in his lab.”

Victor sighed. “Getting punished and locked away after his failure… Serves him right.”

Sylvia smirked. “Well, at least he gave us an excuse to check this place out ourselves.”

Just as they approached the entrance, the massive doors of Luxoria Castle creaked open.

A deep voice echoed outward, carrying across the air with absolute confidence.

“Welcome… to the greatest beast shop in the world.”

The moment had arrived.

Strong tamers, wealthy nobles, and influential families had all gathered to witness Luxoria Castle’s grand opening.

And none of them knew just how much this shop was about to change the world.

—

Above Luxoria Castle, Lucius smirked, watching over the massive gathering of the visitors. “Wow… there are quite a lot of people.”

He leaned against the railing, observing the restless crowd gathered before the grand entrance, each one radiating strength and authority.

Some stood confidently, arms crossed, waiting for the grand reveal. Others grumbled about the treacherous journey, but not a single one had left.

Luna, standing beside him, grinned smugly. “Of course, Master. It was obvious this would happen.”

She smirked, watching the visitors murmur and argue amongst themselves.

“We made the location a test just to get here—forcing them to travel through dangerous territory. That alone made us unique.”

She gestured at the annoyed yet intrigued guests.

“Now look at them. All of them are dying to see what’s inside. They wouldn’t have come this far if they weren’t already hooked.”

Lucius chuckled. “And the opening beast being SS-Rank… that really sealed the deal.”

Luna nodded smugly. “Oh, you bet. They’re desperate to see if it’s real. Everyone’s been talking about it, and now they can’t resist.”

She glanced at some of the nobles standing among the crowd, their expressions serious and calculating.

“Even the big players are here, Master. That means we’ve already won.”

Loreia, standing nearby with her arms crossed, sighed heavily.

“I still can’t believe your insane idea actually worked.”

Lucius grinned, turning to her. “Oh? Having doubts, big sister?”

Loreia rolled her eyes. “I thought making the shop this hard to reach was going to drive people away, not attract them. But… I’ll admit, you were right. They’re all here.”

She looked down at the crowd again, shaking her head.

“They’re frustrated… but they wouldn’t have come if they weren’t extremely curious.”

Lucius chuckled. “Curiosity is the strongest bait. And we’re about to reel them in.”

Luna grinned, nudging Loreia. “Big sis, you should know by now—when it comes to business, Master Lucius doesn’t lose.”

Loreia sighed again but smirked slightly. “Fine. Let’s just get this started before they get even more impatient.”

Lucius smirked, stepping forward. “Then let’s give them a show.”

With a wave of his hand, the doors to Luxoria Castle fully opened, revealing the luxurious interior.

Just as the crowd was taking in the sight, suddenly—

A woman appeared, hovering above them.

The onlookers gasped, their eyes widening in surprise.

“What the—who is that?!”

“She’s floating!”

“A spirit beast? No… a mage?”

Some instinctively stepped back, sensing the immense authority radiating from her.

The woman smirked, looking down at the gathered crowd.

“Welcome once again to Luxoria Castle.”

It was Liline—the guardian and manager of the shop.

She hovered effortlessly, raising one hand as she continued.

“As we have promised, this is no ordinary beast shop. And today… marks the beginning of something the world has never seen before.”

She paused briefly, letting the tension build. Then she smirked.

“So, let’s begin the auction, shall we?”

A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.

“Wait… what? The auction is starting now?!”

“They’re not even giving us time to prepare?!”

“They really know how to keep control over the situation…”

Despite their shock, the excitement in the air was undeniable.

Everyone who had made it here wanted to see the SS-Rank beast with their own eyes.

And now—

The bidding war was about to begin.