Chapter 112: Resonance with Aster

Sitting opposite each other with the artificial egg between them, Shani guided Aster through energy regulation.

For a beginner, failing at first was completely normal. Shani was fully prepared to spend the entire night just teaching Aster how to regulate his energy.

And sure enough, Aster spent the first hour struggling just to gain control over his energy.

Unlike Jeryon and Shani, who had practiced regulation before their first resonance, the young man was starting entirely from scratch.

"Take it easy, Aster. We have plenty of time this weekend," Shani said, seeing how tense Aster looked.

Aster gave a faint nod and a small smile, but her words did little to truly ease his mind.

He didn’t want to disappoint Shani, who had chosen him as her second resonance partner over the students at the Grand Academy, who were undoubtedly far superior to him.

Aster did his absolute best to stay focused.

Meanwhile, Shani considered taking a shortcut by giving Aster a potion, but she quickly shook her head.

’Aster doesn’t have an anomaly condition like Jeryon’s,’ she thought. ’Instead of gaining any real benefits, he’ll only suffer negative side effects from potions.’

In the end, Shani decided to let Aster experience the process naturally.

An hour later, at half past eight, they took a break for dinner before resuming their session.

Three hours later, just five minutes before midnight, the artificial egg in front of them glowed with a vibrant blue light, casting an azure hue across the room.

Shani and Aster were struck silent.

’Is it glowing blue because of its specific egg type, unlike the standard ones used at the Grand Academy?’ Shani wondered, recalling that all standard artificial eggs glowed white.

Aster didn’t overthink it as much as Shani did.

On the internet, every video of a glowing artificial egg showed white light, but as an ordinary passerby, he reasoned that it was only natural for there to be information he wasn’t privy to.

Aster’s exhaustion, tension, and self-doubt vanished in an instant, his depleted stamina surging back to full capacity.

He was eager to continue the resonance, but catching the sleepy glaze in Shani’s heavy eyes, he held himself back.

"How about we continue tomorrow?" he asked softly.

Shani nodded, rubbing her eyes. She headed into her bedroom while Aster tidied up the living room, making sure nothing would happen to the egg while left alone.

"Hmm, but what if a draft blows in and knocks my egg over? What if a wild animal sneaks in? What if there’s an earthquake?"

The new parent was instantly overwhelmed by panic and worst-case scenarios.

After pacing back and forth without coming up with a better solution, Aster opted to sleep on the living room sofa so that the moment he opened his eyes, he could see his egg immediately.

Inside the bedroom, a sleepy Shani hadn’t fallen asleep just yet. She was currently communicating with the System.

’Aster has a recessive Divine-Grade beast gene?! Explain that to me again, System! I think I misheard you!’

It was completely understandable why Shani thought she had misheard. As far as she knew, beast genes were categorized into only four grades: Common, Rare, Elite, and Emperor.

In Argenor alone, there were only two Emperor-Grade genes, the Lion and Tiger genes. How could a Divine Grade even exist, a grade above Emperor?

But the System offered no further explanation, simply asking:

[Host, would you like to purchase the Emperor-Grade Gene Dominance Potion for 400,000 Credits?]

Shani’s jaw dropped. Her Cashback Balance only held around 420,000 Credits. If she bought that potion, she would practically be left penniless.

The total gift value she had accumulated for Jeryon over the past two months was barely 470,000 Credits, and now she was expected to drop 400,000 Credits on a single potion for Aster?!

Shani shook her head to dispel her lingering sleepiness, carefully organizing this newly revealed information in her mind.

’So, Aster is a Common-Grade Ironclaw Bear beastman, but he carries a recessive Divine-Grade gene in his body, god knows which ancestor he inherited it from.’

’If I leave things as they are, our baby beast will likely be a common-grade whose potential is capped at D-Rank, even after Aster and I progress beyond D-Rank.’

’If I buy the Emperor-Grade Gene Dominance Potion, that recessive gene could become dominant, completely and permanently transforming Aster into a Divine-Grade beastman.’

’Still, there’s no guarantee our baby beast would inherit Aster’s gene anyway. Nyx inherited mine, after all. And besides, the price of that potion is absurd!’

Shani nodded along, as if she had reached a sound conclusion, right before the System’s voice echoed in her mind.

[Host, Target Aster Myrazel is a cashback target.]

The System, always knowing what she was thinking even before she made up her mind, left Shani stunned once again.

A wide smile spread across her face a few seconds later. ’Why am I overthinking this? The money will just come back to me as cashback anyway.’

Besides wanting to help Aster, Shani had accepted him as her resonance partner precisely because she needed a Cashback Target she could lavish with gifts.

With that thought, Shani finally agreed to purchase the potion.

[Cashback Shop Activated! Purchase successful: 1x Emperor-Grade Gene Dominance Potion for 400,000 Credits. Remaining Cashback Balance: 25,100 Credits.]

Shani felt a sting looking at her pitifully low remaining balance. Coupled with the seven thousand credits sitting in her bank account, a total of 32,000 Credits felt meager for her current standards.

Tomorrow, she had to pay lawyer Logan Rivers’ retainer fee of 15,000 Credits. That was the rate for just five hours, and that was already discounted thanks to a direct referral from the future head of House Rosenbaum, not to mention her status as a returning client.

Shani patted her chest to steady her nerves, reassuring herself that she would score a massive 500% cashback the following morning.

...

The next morning, Shani prepared juice for herself and Aster, discreetly slipping the potion she had purchased the night before into his glass.

Aster, busy slicing bread beside her, paid no mind to her suspicious behavior.

Once breakfast was set, they sat down on the sofa. Shani chewed slowly, her eyes constantly darting between Aster and the glass of apple juice on the table.

"Do you want this juice?" Aster asked, noticing her gaze and sliding the glass toward her.

Shani shook her head rapidly. "No, no! I have my own apple juice right here."

She quickly gulped down half of her own juice, hoping Aster would take the hint and drink his. But Aster assumed she was just thirsty and left his glass untouched.

Catching on, Shani forced herself to stop staring at the glass, attempting to temporarily forget the 400,000-Credit potion sitting inside it.

She finished her breakfast first, gathering her dirty plate and glass before heading to the kitchen. Right in front of Aster, she downed the rest of her juice.

"Alright, I’ll drink it," Aster chuckled softly, realizing Shani seemed eager for him to try her homemade juice.

"The balance of sweet and tart is perfect, and it’s nice and light. Way more refreshing than milk," Aster commented, observing her reaction.

Catching the expectant look in her eyes, Aster felt confirmed in his theory. Eagerly, he gulped down the remaining juice in a single swig. "I really like it, Shan."

A glowing smile spread across Shani’s face, bringing a wave of delight to Aster as well. Deep down, he made a silent vow to praise whatever Shani made for him in the future.

Aster stood up to clear his plate and glass, taking it upon himself to clean up the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Shani remained on the couch, grinning like a fool as the System notification chimed in her mind, announcing a whopping 2,000,000-Credit cashback.

This cashback hit far harder than when she had purchased the 310,000-Credit watch for Jeryon. Back then, she had to buy an identical watch for herself, spending a total of 620,000 Credits to net roughly 1.5 million Credits in returns.

This time, she spent less money upfront and walked away with a significantly larger payout.

’System, I want to buy an Emperor-Grade Gene Dominance Potion for myself too!’ Shani commanded excitedly.

400,000 Credits had felt steep earlier, but with 2 million Credits sitting comfortably in her balance, it was a more than reasonable investment for a better future.

Unfortunately, the System delivered a response that completely crushed her hopes:

[Host, you cannot use the Gene Dominance Potion because the dominant genes currently in your body are already the highest-ranking genes present.]

’What?! Are you saying the Night Panther and Crimson Eagle genes are the absolute strongest genes in my body? I don’t have a hidden Divine-Grade gene?! How is that possible?!’ Shani practically shrieked in outrage.

The System offered no reply, which was as good as a confirmation, leaving Shani utterly frustrated.

’Why does Aster get a Divine-Grade gene while I don’t?! That’s so unfair!’

[Host, while you do not possess one currently, you can upgrade your beast gene after completing the Main Mission.]

’What’s the Main Mission?’ Shani asked, her curiosity piqued immediately.

[The Main Mission is: ’A New Path for the Target’.]

...