The S-Tier Match

At the Vertex Core Medical Center on Kythera Planet, the harsh glare of surgical lights faded as Cassian Vane peeled off his sterile gloves. Just as he stepped into the pristine corridor, his personal Holocom chimed with a priority alert. He lifted his wrist, tapping the glowing screen.

Center of Maris Affairs: Greetings, Cassian Vane. You have been matched with a female. Her information has been transmitted to your Holocom. Please add her contact and arrive at her location within one month. Failure to arrive on time will result in a crippling penalty of 1,000,000 galactic credits and 10,000 merits. The system will permanently bar you from future matches. Congratulations on your new marriage!

Cassian stared intently at the glowing text. His breath hitched slightly. In a vast, sprawling galaxy where females reigned supreme, this was the ultimate lottery. He quickly pulled up the attached profile. He recognized the name instantly. Without a single second of hesitation, his fingers tapped the screen, sending a contact request to Marcella Vance.

He spoke with a clipped, decisive tone to a passing nurse. "Cover my remaining shifts."

Before she could even respond, he spun on his heel and clocked out early, striding toward the nearest transport hub.

Miles away, deep within the gritty, industrial belly of Gear Tower One, sparks flew as Xander Croft hunched over complex mecha schematics. The deafening roar of machinery usually drowned out all distractions, but the sharp, piercing trill of his Holocom cut right through the noise.

He wiped a smudge of grease from his brow and glanced at the system notification. The Center of Maris Affairs had sent him a match.

Xander froze. He blinked hard, making sure the holographic text was not playing tricks on his exhausted eyes. The moment he processed the name on the screen, he abandoned his vital blueprints. He shot out of his chair, ignoring the clatter of tools hitting the metal floor. With shaking hands, he sent a contact request to Marcella and immediately drafted an application for long-term marital leave.

One of his fellow therian engineers yelled over the din. "What is going on over there, Croft? Did you win the credit lottery?"

Xander puffed out his chest with profound pride, answering openly. "Even better. I have just been matched with Ms. Marcella Vance!"

The bustling workshop descended into silence. The heavy realization hit the room like a physical blow. He had been perfectly matched with the newly minted, viral S-tier female. A suffocating blanket of jealousy swept over his overworked peers. A few of them glared at him, green with intense envy.

His business partner marched over, his face pale and strained. "Congratulations, Xander. But do not think you are leaving right this second. Have you finished the mecha schematics? You still need to complete those blueprints before I approve any departure."

Xander pressed his lips together. He was an equal partner, not some lowly employee, but he knew better than to argue. The schematics were almost done anyway. He would finish them and leave this grease pit behind.

Far across the galaxy, on the distant Aurelia Planet No. 3, Ryker woke groggily to the blazing alert of his Holocom. The harsh light stung his eyes, but the priority match notification snapped him fully awake. He practically threw himself out of bed, sprinting out of his room and down the grand hallway of the Vossen Residence.

Ryker burst into the dining room, shouting frantically. "Mom, Dad, the system matched me! I have been matched with a female!"

Thaddeus Vossen and Lola Brantley dropped their utensils in sheer shock. A moment later, they were thrilled by the miraculous news. As cold-blooded snake therians, they suffered from a severe biological disadvantage. Their kind rarely ever attracted any female attention, let alone secured a system match.

Lola immediately jumped into action. "We need to prepare gifts! I will raid the family vaults. We must send her an abundance of our most expensive artifacts."

While his mother rushed off to gather a mountain of thoughtful treasures, Thaddeus walked over and gravely handed his son a thick, annotated guidebook. The cover read: 108 Tried-and-Tested Methods to Successfully Win a Female's Favor.

Thaddeus tapped the heavy book with a scaly finger, warning him sternly. "Make sure you study these intensely. Do not skip a single page. I do not want to see you back here rejected!"

Ryker stared down at the massive volume, swallowing hard.

Meanwhile, the perilous landscape of Tartera Star 18 was soaked in fresh blood. Twenty-year-old warrior Kaelen stood amidst the gruesome carnage, catching his breath after brutally slaying a massive, terrifying 7-star savage beast. His expedition leader, Magnus Farrow, was already digging into the beast's skull to extract the core.

Suddenly, Kaelen's Holocom chimed. He glanced down, his eyes widening in pure disbelief at the match alert from the Center of Maris Affairs.

Kaelen practically danced with wild joy around the massive, bleeding carcass. "Captain! I have been matched with a female! Can we head back to base sooner?"

Magnus paused, his blood-stained hands holding the glowing beast core. Remembering his own son getting matched six months prior, he offered a gracious smile. "Fine. The mission is complete anyway. Congratulations, Kaelen. Get back to the frontline camp."

Kaelen grinned from ear to ear. Being matched by the terminal at just twenty years old was a stroke of insane luck. His blood-stained fingers hovered over the holographic keyboard as he began frantically typing Marcella's Holocom digits to send a request.

But before he could punch in the final number, the digital signal abruptly cut off. The screen flashed red with a dead connection.

Kaelen looked up in horror. The ground trembled beneath his boots. A massive, overwhelming horde of vicious savage beasts broke through the tree line, rapidly approaching his location. A deadly wall of fangs and claws surged toward him.

The narrative firmly transitioned back to Marcella, who had just arrived at the towering structure of the Resonance Tower on Kythera Planet. News of her S-tier secondary awakening had already rippled through the administrative channels. She was immediately escorted past the regular floors and settled into a sprawling, luxurious new resonance room assigned exclusively to reflect her elite status.

The director bowed respectfully before leaving her alone in the massive suite. "Ms. Vance, if you need anything at all, just press the call button."

Marcella explored the intimidating space. It looked more like a high-end penthouse than a medical facility, boasting a pristine bedroom, a full kitchen, and a lavish bathroom. But it was the work area that made her freeze in her tracks.

In the center of the expansive room sat a massive, high-voltage resonance platform. It was a heavy, metallic table bizarrely outfitted with thick restraints, durable bite guards, and menacing whips hung neatly on a nearby rack.

Marcella stared at the intimidating setup, rendered speechless. She internally questioned the sanity of this world. Was this truly supposed to be a proper, civilized aether beastworld? It looked more like a dungeon designed for torture. The heavy leather straps and metal buckles glinted under the bright clinical lights, practically radiating a sinister vibe.

Pushing aside her profound shock, she sat down on the plush couch and meticulously brushed up on the three officially documented resonance methods using her Holocom.

The first method was physically stroking the male's beast form, but this only worked if their contamination levels were below ninety percent. She figured petting a fluffy wolf or a giant cat would be quite fun.

The second method involved establishing a direct psionic connection, diving into their system to clear out the toxic pollutants.

The third method was physical bonding—engaging in actual physical intimacy. According to the text, this was typically reserved for contracted mates, though a submissive male therian could theoretically qualify.

Satisfied that she understood the basics, Marcella officially welcomed her very first scheduled male therian into the room.

The heavy door slid open. Corbin Finch entered the luxurious space with a volatile mix of sheer excitement and paralyzing dread. He clutched his hands together, terrified that the notoriously bad-tempered S-tier female might sadistically torture him with the whips hanging on the wall.

Marcella looked up. She spotted the prominent, rough snake-like scales covering his face and neck. She suppressed any hint of surprise. Instead, she offered him a warm, inviting smile.

She spoke softly. "You are Corbin, aren't you? Please, have a seat."

Corbin stood frozen near the door, stunned by her gentle, polite demeanor. Her calm voice stood in stark, impossible contrast to the vicious rumors plastered all over the AetherWeb. He had expected screaming, slapping, or immediate punishment. Swallowing his fear, he nervously complied and sat rigidly on the edge of the couch.

Marcella picked up the medical scanner and quickly utilized it to test his internal contamination. The device beeped sharply. She frowned as the holographic reading displayed a dangerous ninety-five percent. He was on the brink of going feral.

Marcella directed calmly. "Corbin, please go to the resonance platform."

Bracing his body for intense, agonizing pain, Corbin walked over and lay down rigidly on the cold metal surface. He picked up a thick biting guard and secured it tightly in his mouth. The moment his back hit the platform, the intelligent, automated table systematically engaged. Heavy metal bands clamped down, tightly restraining his wrists and ankles.

Marcella stood beside the table, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and focused intensely, seamlessly connecting her massive S-tier psionic power to his polluted body. The moment she entered his system, any residual nervousness vanished instantly. She found herself in a sprawling, dark internal landscape thick with toxic black smoke.

She expertly guided twinkling, beautiful green lights directly into his system. The light moved smoothly and painlessly, extracting the swirling, toxic black pollutants corrupting his veins. The vile energy clung to his core, but her psionic power dissolved it effortlessly.

On the nearby screen, the medical monitor rapidly displayed his contamination levels plummeting. Ninety percent. Eighty. Sixty. Fifty.

Marcella pushed further, determined to clear the lingering, stubborn residue. Her green light surged forward, ready to purge the remaining darkness from his body.

Suddenly, a rigid system reminder loudly interrupted her concentration, echoing sharply in her mind.

'That's enough, Ms. Vance. His contamination levels have been successfully reduced to exactly 30 percent. The rest can only be removed by getting frisky.'

Marcella was taken aback. Her concentration snapped, and her eyes shot open in pure disbelief. She stared blankly at the automated prompt flashing on the monitor. She internally questioned why this world enforced such bizarre, intimate biological methods. A massive S-tier psionic power could easily wipe out the darkness, yet the system intentionally blocked her, demanding physical intimacy to finish the job.