Enchantress System: Five Beasts, One Goddess

Shouts and excited conversations filled the vast mercenary recruitment hall on Planet F921.

Beastfolk had traveled from every corner of the planet for the annual selection trials, hoping a mercenary company would take them on.

One young female in a sleek combat uniform waited amid the crowd, eagerly watching the selection panel.

Several steps separated her from the surrounding male beastfolk, who'd instinctively backed away rather than risk offending her.

Before long, though, their puzzlement overcame their caution.

"She's here again? Other females get spoiled at home, and this one keeps showing up for the trials."

"Want to hear something even stranger? Apparently, she hasn't matched with even one male."

"Seriously? Why put herself through this when she could have whatever she wants without lifting a finger? Has she lost her mind?"

"Well, females are allowed to apply, you know-there's no law against it."

"Who'd have thought we'd need one? Name a female who's worked in the last few thousand years. Their males do everything for them..."

Their lowered voices did nothing to keep the conversation from Rena Chapman's ears.

Explaining herself wasn't worth the trouble. Sitting around had never suited her, and a life spent eating, drinking, and entertaining herself at someone else's expense held no appeal.

Before coming here, she'd made esports content in the modern world. Making a career in the fiercely competitive gaming industry had taken relentless work and the discipline to stick with it.

Her life had ended abruptly during an all-nighter as she waited for a massive new full-immersion game to launch. Instead of waking up in her own world, she'd opened her eyes in an interstellar society of beastfolk.

Less than 0.01 percent of its population was female. With so few of them, the lengths society went to protect and honor them were naturally extreme.

From the moment a female was born, the Beast God System ensured she'd want for nothing. Adulthood brought an automatic match with the most desirable males.

Joining a female's household was a privilege many males never received. For the chosen few, no honor could compare. Tireless work and fierce battles won them resources, which they handed over to their female. Even being struck or scolded by her was something they'd endure as though it were another privilege.

Such devotion seemed only natural to the females receiving it. Enjoying what their males supplied and bearing children were their only obligations.

Upon her arrival, Rena had received a luxurious residence from the Beast God System, along with notice that she qualified for male matches.

A life without anything worthwhile to do was beyond her imagination, though.

Violent combat games had been both her passion and the foundation of her career. Here, she had an entire universe of actual battlefields to explore. Spending her days in a gilded cage where her only worth lay in having children was out of the question.

She couldn't think of anything more ridiculous.

Movement up ahead brought the line forward, and soon it was her turn before the selection panel.

"Hello, my name's Rena Chapman." She greeted clearly. "I'm here to try for a place in a mercenary company for the third year running!"

Weary glances passed between the judges.

Combat had never been something females took part in. Males far surpassed them physically, and even among females, Rena was unusually frail.

None of that stopped her from coming back for the trials every single year.

Her determination deserved some credit, at least. As for anything else, the judges had nothing left to say.

The head judge casually beckoned a new recruit over. "Take him down, and we'll accept you."

Without drawing attention to it, Rena assessed her opponent.

There was little strength in his arms, and he stood without a firm footing. His fists, though clenched, looked weak. Eye contact with her lasted barely a second before he looked away.

A Level 1 rookie was all he amounted to. Beating him should be easy.

Confident she would win, Rena sprang at him and seized his arm, twisting it sharply.

Panic took over, and the recruit lashed out in every direction.

Within a second, one of his wild movements knocked her hard onto the floor.

Spots flashed across her vision as the taste of blood filled her throat.

Without a trace of sympathy, the head judge lifted his hand. "That's it, Rena Chapman. You're out."

Across the mercenary recruitment hall, beastfolk burst into laughter.

As far as they were concerned, a female entering the selection trials had never been anything but a joke.

Without saying a word, Rena struggled out of the hall.

She'd failed for yet another year.

When would she finally get the chance to experience the interstellar combat she'd dreamed of?

Rena heard a short chime inside her head. A synthetic voice followed. "Enchantress System activated. Please go to the Bonding Center to claim your males at the earliest opportunity."

Irritation flared in her again. "Turn it off. I'm not interested in some Enchantress System."

"You've been given a system created personally for you by the Beast God System. Your exceptionally rare and valuable genes must be preserved for future generations, so it has chosen to help you pursue your greatest wish. Winning a male's affection will earn you improvements to your combat ability and physical strength. Special skills and weapons will also be available as rewards."

That brought Rena to a halt. Excitement began to replace her disappointment. "Wait. You're saying I can become a god of war just by getting males to like me?"

"You can."

Her face lit up at once. "You've got the name wrong, then. You're a God of War System."

Without a hint of feeling, the mechanical voice replied, "My name is the Enchantress System."

"Whatever makes you happy."

Her failed attempt no longer weighed on her as she turned toward the Bonding Center. It was the grandest building in the city center.

Getting males to fall for her wasn't how she wanted to spend her time. Becoming stronger, however, was reason enough to go.

Curved glass formed the Bonding Center's sweeping exterior. Inside, abundant greenery made it feel like an oasis cut off from the surrounding city.

At the heart of the building, Rena stepped onto a circular platform. Light passed over her entire body to confirm her identity, and a holographic screen came to life in front of her.

"Hello, Rena Chapman. No matches are registered to your name. Shall we search for compatible males?"

With a tap, she selected "Yes."

The screen displayed a progress bar that rose from ten percent to twenty, and then continued climbing until it hit ninety.

Another chime confirmed the result as the words "Match Complete" lit up.

Before her appeared five portraits of strikingly handsome males, with names and titles listed below.

Alexander Miller, business magnate. Kade Wright, Commander of the Empire's First Legion. Dominick Knight, ruler of the criminal underworld. Laurence Bennett, president of the Imperial Medical Association. Benjamin Hayes, the Empire's chief scientist.

Beyond the building, news of those matches had already spread across the interstellar civilization and caused an uproar.

Public holographic displays drew crowds who eagerly debated the identity of the female matched to five of the Empire's most powerful males in one go.

Unaware of all the attention, she focused on a name she recognized and struggled to keep her excitement in check.

Kade Wright commanded the Empire's First Legion.

For three years, she'd tried to enter a mercenary company that was only a minor unit within that legion.

Now the commander of the whole legion was hers.

Among every planet in the interstellar beastfolk civilization, Planet Q357 stood at the height of wealth and prosperity.

Skyscrapers filled the skyline, and service mechs traveled between them to assist the beastfolk residents.

At the highest level of one such tower, a striking red-haired male stood beside a floor-to-ceiling window. Two pointed fox ears rose from his hair as he looked out over the vast commercial empire he'd built beneath the gray sky. His handsome features tightened with impatience as he murmured, "Of all the times this could've happened, why did it have to be now?"

Just recently, Alexander had secured the rights to acquire and develop yet another planet. Soon, Star Coins would flood into his accounts and push his already massive business empire to even greater heights. But before he could enjoy his latest success, his personal terminal alerted him that the system had paired him with a matched female.

Without warning, ownership of every Star Coin and resource in his possession now belonged to some unknown female he'd never heard of.

Even the development rights to Planet B4119, which he'd fought hard to obtain, would now pass into her hands.

There was no chance he would simply accept that.

Facing his secretary, Alexander spoke with clear irritation. "Tell me what you found. Who the hell is Rena Chapman?"

Keeping their head lowered, the secretary replied respectfully, "We've only confirmed two things so far. She lives on Planet F921, and she's never been matched with a male before."

Hearing the name Planet F921 made Alexander laugh with contempt.

That place was little more than an undeveloped backwater filled with savages who would do anything for a chance to join a mercenary company.

Compared with his fortune, the combined wealth of everyone on that planet would probably amount to almost nothing.

The moment Rena discovered she'd been paired with a male who commanded an enormous business empire like his own, she'd undoubtedly try to hold on to the match. Dissolving it willingly would be the last thing she'd want to do.

So Alexander knew he would simply have to make sure she had no choice.

Cold calculations began running through his mind.

Nothing offered a worse return than love, and Alexander had no intention of investing in a deal that would cost him everything and earn nothing.

...

Deep within the Rúsleika Sector, well outside the Empire's territory, an unnamed and mysterious planet hid beneath the darkness of space.

Strange plants shifted throughout one of its shadowy forests, and an eerie glow spilled from their leaves.

Coiled several times around the oldest tree in the forest, an enormous black void serpent slowly made its way upward. After reaching a thick branch, the creature transformed into a handsome man with short black hair and deep violet eyes. He settled high above the forest floor.

Moments ago, the surrounding plants had been striking wildly at anything nearby, but they immediately recoiled from him and pulled their branches away.

"So the Beast God finally remembered I exist. That's almost funny."

Nothing about the situation impressed Dominick. Contempt showed clearly on his face, and the dark presence surrounding him carried a sinister chill.

For years, he'd ruled the Empire's criminal underworld while openly defying the Beast God System. Because of that rebellion, the system had refused to match any female with a member of the void serpent species, slowly pushing their entire race toward extinction.

The impossible had finally happened. The Beast God System had now assigned a female to Dominick, the leader of the void serpent species.

No one could've predicted such a turn of events.

A report from his subordinates gave Dominick a clear picture of the other males involved.

The list named Kade Wright, Commander of the Empire's First Legion; Laurence Bennett, president of the Imperial Medical Association; and Benjamin Hayes, the Empire's chief scientist.

Each man held an honored position within the Empire, yet they shared one thing in common. They were all enemies of the void serpents.

Why would the Beast God System connect every one of them to the same female? More importantly, what made Rena Chapman so special that the system had chosen so many exceptional males for her?

Dominick let out a piercing whistle. Void serpents immediately emerged from every corner of the forest and gathered around him. One after another, they shifted into their humanoid forms before kneeling in loyalty.

"Find Rena Chapman and keep your eyes on her. I want to know about every move she makes. Then I'll turn her into a weapon the Beast God never expected."

...

Imperial Combat Command was filled with streams of data cascading across the metal walls. In the middle of the enormous hall, a holographic tactical map displayed the Empire and its surrounding territories.

The officers stared at it in strained silence, and none of them dared to make a sound.

Commanding the room was a silver-haired male dressed in the military uniform of a senior officer. His face turned serious when several unfamiliar points of light appeared on the tactical display.

"Nothing has happened in the Rúsleika Sector for years. So why are hostile forces suddenly pushing toward Imperial territory?"

Kade faced the officers gathered behind him. "Tell me what's changed recently. Has anything unusual happened inside the Empire?"

His stern gaze moved from one officer to the next.

Instead of answering, the legion officers looked down and avoided his eyes.

Their reaction immediately told Kade that they were hiding something.

His attention landed on one officer. "Sawyer. You're going to tell me what's going on."

Sawyer Brooks had only recently earned his place among the high-ranking officers as a beastfolk garrison commander. Since he still didn't know Kade well enough to fear his temper, he answered more bluntly than his colleagues would've dared. "Commander, the Beast God System just announced a female's match results. One of the males chosen for her was Dominick Knight, the leader of the void serpent species..."

For a moment, Kade said nothing.

Could Dominick's match be the reason trouble had suddenly begun stirring in the Rúsleika Sector?

Had the criminal underworld's ruthless ruler somehow turned into a fool over one female? Or were the void serpents simply so desperate after years without a match that they were willing to go this far for the first female offered to them?

Kade was still weighing those possibilities when Sawyer casually added the final detail. "You were matched with her too, Commander."

Disbelief hit Kade so hard that he briefly wondered if he'd heard Sawyer wrong.

He looked from Sawyer to the rest of the officers and waited for someone to laugh or admit it was a joke. No one did. Their grim faces made it clear that Sawyer had been completely serious.

Only then did Kade remember the message that had appeared on his personal terminal several days ago. The system had informed him that he'd been matched with a female, but he'd brushed off the notification and never bothered opening it.

His position as Commander of the Empire's First Legion made the whole arrangement ridiculous. He couldn't simply walk away from his soldiers and go home to devote himself to some female he'd never met before.

Worse, the same woman had somehow been paired with both him and the man who ruled the Empire's criminal underworld.

None of it made any sense.

Kade quickly forced himself to focus. "Find out who she is. We have to reach her before she makes contact with the void serpents."

"That's already taken care of, sir," Sawyer said with a shrug. "She's here at headquarters right now. We put her in one of the reception rooms."

Surprise flashed across Kade's face. "How did she even get inside Combat Command?"

The Combat Command had some of the strictest security in the Empire. Only legion commanders and a select few others had permission to enter and leave without restriction.

"She showed up by herself and asked to see you," Sawyer explained. "Once we realized she was the female the system matched you with, no one wanted to risk sending her away. So we let her in and planned to bring you to her once the strategy meeting was over."

Kade couldn't imagine why she had come looking for him.

Perhaps Dominick's name had frightened her when she saw the match list, and she'd decided he was the safer person to approach? Then again, Dominick might've already contacted her, which would make the situation far more dangerous.

Concern deepened across Kade's face. "Take me to her now."

Meanwhile, Rena could barely hide her excitement as she looked around the reception room.

She'd known it. After spending three whole years in this world, there was no chance she'd somehow missed the trigger for the main quest forever.

Had she realized that getting matched was the condition for unlocking her tutorial guide, she would've applied for a match the very day she'd arrived three years ago.

Every game should have come with some kind of beginner's guide. Yet somehow, after spending three years in this world, Rena still hadn't figured out even the most basic mechanics. She hadn't seen an experience bar, a level indicator, or anything remotely useful.

Instead, she'd spent nearly every day marching into the wilderness with bargain-bin equipment and throwing herself at dangerous beasts. Three exhausting years of failed attempts had ended the same way again and again: bruises, blood, and not a single victory to show for it.

Things were different now. Kade had been assigned as one of her matched males, and surely the Commander of the Empire's First Legion could help her finally break out of this miserable tutorial stage.

Once she entered the legion, she could prove herself, rise through the ranks, and eventually become powerful enough to bring the entire beastfolk civilization under one rule.

The fantasy only grew more exciting the longer she entertained it. Rena swung her legs happily from the edge of the chair until the reception room door opened and a striking silver-haired male walked in.

Her attention immediately locked onto him.

Broad shoulders filled out his uniform, and powerful arms framed a narrow waist beneath a sharply defined V-shaped torso. The belt around his middle only emphasized the difference.

One glance was enough to understand how he'd earned command of the Empire's First Legion. The man looked built for battle.

Rena couldn't help wondering what she'd look like with muscles like that.

Just imagining it made her swallow.

Kade frowned when he spotted the simply dressed female sitting in the middle of the room and staring at him with far too much enthusiasm. "You're Rena Chapman?"

"That's me!" Rena replied eagerly, flashing him the friendliest smile she could manage.

His expression only hardened.

Everyone in the Empire knew the Commander of the First Legion.

Kade's appearance and exceptional genes had attracted more female attention than he ever wanted, and he'd dealt with relentless advances in both public and private for years. The constant harassment had left him with very little patience for females in general.

Until now, he'd assumed Rena had come because of Dominick. After seeing the way she looked at him, he started to suspect she was simply another admirer trying to get close.

Kade's mouth tightened with irritation. "You told my officers you had something important to discuss with me?"

"Exactly." Rena nodded several times.

"This is Combat Command, not somewhere people can visit whenever they feel like it," Kade said coldly. "If you don't have legitimate military business here, you need to go."

"No problem there. What I came for is absolutely military business," Rena answered without missing a beat.

That made Kade hesitate. Perhaps he'd judged her too quickly.

"All right. What do you want?" he asked, looking at her.

Rena straightened in her seat and looked at him with unmistakable excitement. "I want to enlist in the legion!"

Her confidence wasn't baseless, at least in her own mind. Before coming to this world, she'd worked as an esports content creator, so strategy was familiar territory. Supply distribution, battlefield positioning, troop deployment-give her the situation, and she could usually spot the most efficient solution almost immediately.

The only thing holding her back was her pathetic physical condition. If she'd been stronger, who knew which one of them would've ended up commanding the First Legion?

For now, she might not have much strength to offer, but she still had her brain. Turning away someone with her strategic talent would practically be a loss for the legion.

Once she got in, she could train properly, improve little by little, and eventually become a powerful general herself.

As far as Rena was concerned, that couldn't possibly count as anything other than official business.

The room fell completely silent.

Kade stared at her for several seconds, waiting for the punch line.

None came. The conviction in her eyes made the truth impossible to miss. She was serious.

But why would any female willingly choose military life? Then another possibility occurred to him.

Maybe she'd heard about his habit of avoiding females and decided joining the legion was the easiest excuse to stay close to him.

Kade gave a short, dismissive laugh. "Sorry, but I can't bend the rules for you. Anyone who wants to enter the legion has to join a mercenary company first and work their way up. There's nothing I can do about that."

Rena's excitement vanished almost instantly. "If I'd managed to pass the mercenary recruitment trials sometime in the last three years, I wouldn't have needed to request a match in the first place..."

Her answer caught Kade completely off guard. So she'd actually tried to become a mercenary for three years straight.

A vague memory surfaced in his mind. Every year, rumors circulated about some female who kept showing up at the annual mercenary trials despite failing again and again.

Could that have been Rena all along?

Had she really spent that much time trying to find a way into his world?

Kade studied her quietly, and the strange look on his face left Rena unsure what he was thinking.

"Kade's affection score increased by one point."

The sudden notification rang through her mind and made her freeze for a second. Still, that single point gave her enough encouragement to keep going.

"If joining the legion isn't possible, then I have another favor to ask." Rena hesitated briefly before continuing, "Could you train me instead? I want you to teach me how to fight properly."

No one reached Commander of the First Legion without extraordinary combat skill. If Kade personally trained her, Rena was convinced she could eventually become the most powerful female ruler the beastfolk civilization had ever seen.

Kade looked at her seriously. "Military life isn't easy, neither is the training. It'll hurt, and you'll be exhausted most of the time. You still want that?"

"Absolutely," Rena answered without hesitation. "If suffering through it makes me stronger, then I can handle it."

For the first time, Kade's attitude toward her eased slightly.

Most females with matched males lived comfortably and avoided anything strenuous whenever possible.

He'd even heard stories about females who refused to walk and expected their males to carry them everywhere.

Rena, however, was willing to put herself through brutal training just so she could stay near him.

She really had to be hopelessly in love with him.

Suddenly, the Beast God System's decision seemed far more understandable. Perhaps it had matched them because Rena had spent years longing for him without ever giving up.

Kade normally hated taking responsibility for other people's problems, yet before he could talk himself out of it, he gave a small nod. "Fine. I'll train you."

"Yes! That's exactly what I needed!" Rena sprang to her feet, barely able to contain her excitement. Her enthusiasm was so obvious that even Kade found himself affected by it.

Was staying close to him really enough to make her this happy?

Another system message sounded in Rena's mind. "Kade's affection score increased by one point. New timed quest: make physical contact with Kade within one hour. Reward: ten stamina points."

Ten stamina points?

Rena wanted those badly.

Her problem wasn't that she was unusually frail by normal standards. This world was simply designed on an absurdly massive scale. Her current villa covered more than ten thousand square meters, and even walking from her bedroom to the bathroom left her struggling to catch her breath.

Traveling outside was just far worse.

An increase in stamina would make almost every part of her daily life easier.

And really, touching Kade couldn't be that hard, could it?

Kade's face was still unreadable, though the coldness in his eyes had faded a little.

Rena watched him for a moment before closing the distance between them and looking up to meet his gaze.

For the first time, Kade seemed caught off guard.

Then Rena punched him squarely in the chest.

He simply stared at her. Even the system went completely silent.

Rena, meanwhile, looked entirely satisfied with herself. As far as she was concerned, she'd fulfilled the requirement. All that remained was collecting the reward promised to her.

A moment later, the system finally objected. "That doesn't count as physical contact."

Rena immediately argued back in her head. "How does it not count? I touched him, didn't I?"

"The quest clearly implied romantic physical contact. Punching him is not romantic!"

"That's not my problem. You told me to make physical contact, and I did. Now give me my reward!"

While Rena continued bickering with the system, Kade eventually found his voice. "Why did you just hit me?"

Rena grabbed the first explanation that came to mind. "Because the best way to win a fight is to strike when your opponent least expects it."

Kade went still for a second, and some of the remaining distance in his expression disappeared.

He knew those words. Years ago, during an interview, he'd given almost the exact same answer when asked about his approach to combat.

He hadn't expected Rena to remember something so trivial.

"Kade's affection score increased by five points."

That left the system with very little room to complain.

Whatever strange method Rena had chosen, it had clearly worked.

"Fine. Quest completed. Stamina increased by ten points."