Lucius and his maids, Luna and Liora, had arrived at the Garran Estate. They walked inside, ignoring the guards that were stationed there.

    The guards didn''t do anything as they could see the Astra Academy''s badge on Lucius cloth. Astra Academy was the best in the empire after all.

    Dorian Garran, the patriarch of the Garran family, was surprised and iritated when he saw that Lucius had entered the main hall of his estate.

    He stood up and looked at Lucius. "Young Master Lucius, why are you here? Shouldn''t you be in Wind Valley completing your mission?"

    Lucius smirked and said, "Oh, but I have already completed it. That''s why I am here."

    Lucius then took out the 3-Star Bear Core from his spatial ring. "I''ve retrieved what was required to evolve the Thunder Hawk into a Storm Hawk."

    Dorian was surprised when he saw the 3-Star Bear Core in Lucius'' hand. "Impossible. It''s only been a week since you left... how could you have..."

    Lucius only smirked and said, . "I have my ways. Now, summon the beast. You wouldn''t want to upset the Academy, would you?"

    Dorian was frustated after being threatened by Lucius. He then called out his son. "Kalidorn! Come here! It''s time to evolve your beast!"

    Moments later, Kalidorn entered the room. He was surprised when he saw that Lucius was here. "How are you still alive? After those—"

    Lucius turned to him. He was a bit surprised hearing that someone dared to say that he''s dead. "What was that?"

    Before Kalidorn could finish, Dorian stepped forward and silenced his son. "Don''t mind him. He is just surprised seeing that you are fine."

    Lucius smirked as he clasped his hands behind. "I see. Then summon your beast now. I don''t have time for petty distractions."

    Dorian frowned and turned to his son and shouted. "Kalidorn, summon your Thunder Hawk. Now."

    Dorian''s jaw tightened, but he turned to his son and barked, "Kalidorn, summon your Thunder Hawk. Now."

    Kalidorn stepped closer and glared at Lucius while clenching both of his fists. "You''d better make sure you evolve it successfully, or..."

    Before Kalidorn could finish his threat, Luna stepped forward and stopped right in front of Kalidorn with a smirk.

    "Or what, dear stupid brother?"

    Kalidorn was surprised and angry seeing Luna blocking him. "You bitch. You''re no Garran anymore. You''re just a slave. How dare you—"

    Kalidorn raised his hand to strike her, but Liora moved faster. She appeared beside him; her claw was already pressed firmly against his throat.

    [Hack Initiation: Induced Sleep and Memory Erasure]

    [Effect: Target Falls Asleep Immediately, All Memories During Sleep are Erased]

    [Cost Required: 2 Hack Points]

    [Execute?]

    [YES] [NO]

    ---

    Lucius smirked as he executed the hack. The Thunder Hawk''s body relaxed instantly and fell into a deep sleep.Lucius smiled and turned to the system again. "Now, how much will it cost to evolve this into 3-Star Storm Hawk?"

    ---

    [Hack Initiation: Evolution Sequence]

    [Target: 2-Star Thunder Hawk → 3-Star Thunder Hawk]

    [Effect: Enhanced Speed, Precision, and Thunder Abilities]

    [Cost Required: 100 Hack Points]

    [Execute Evolution?]

    [YES] [NO]

    ---

    Lucius was not surprised seeing the price and amused by it. "Only 100 Hack Points? It isn''t as expensive as I thought. Let''s do it."

    Lucius executed the hack and the Thunder Hawk''s body began to glow.Its wing began to grow broader. Its talons became sharper. Its feather had also darkened a bit and contained the power of the storm.The transformation was seamless and because it was asleep, it didn''t scream in pain at all.

    When the glow subsided, a 3-Star Storm Hawk lied on the floor. Lucius stepped back and admired it for a minute before thinking something else.

    He remembered about how arrogant the Garrans were, especially Kalidorn, and seeing that this beast was his, Lucius smirked.

    "I wonder what kind of nasty hacks I should put onto this hawk. There were really a lot of them." Lucius smirked as he began to think of a lot of possibilities.