Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 254: Twin Crescent

Jayden paused as the system brought up the pack creation option. It felt significant... like crossing a threshold he couldn’t uncross. But after everything he’d been through, after all the power he’d gained and the responsibilities that came with it, this felt like the natural next step.

He hesitated for only a moment before selecting. "Yes."

Another screen materialized immediately, this one showing a simple text input field with the prompt:

[-100 Ep]

[Pack Creation in Progress...]

[Alert! Subpack Identity Required. Please Designate a Pack Name:]

Jayden sat there, staring deeply at the screen. What should he name his pack? Something intimidating? Something meaningful? He thought about various pack names he’d heard in stories... names that evoked power, unity, or purpose.

As he opened his mouth to ask Luna for suggestions, a name suddenly materialized in his mind, appearing almost unbidden, as if it had been waiting there all along.

Jayden found this strange, but what was even more baffling was the fact that the name felt... right, somehow. Without overthinking it, he delegated it as his choice.

The system responded instantly.

[PACK NAME CONFIRMED. Establishing Subpack...]

[...]

[SUBPACK SUCCESSFULLY CREATED]

[Congratulations! You are now the Regent Alpha of the Twin Crescent Pack!]

A warm sensation spread through Jayden’s chest, like a small sun had ignited behind his sternum. It wasn’t painful, but it was noticeable... a constant, gentle warmth that seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat. But before he could even celebrate...

[Twin Crescent? Really?] Luna’s voice echoed in his mind, her tone laced with mockery. [That’s what you went with? Not ’Shadow Fangs’ or ’Blood Moon’ or something appropriately edgy?]

Jayden rolled his eyes. "What’s wrong with Twin Crescent?"

[Nothing, I suppose] Luna giggled. [It’s just... surprisingly poetic for someone like you who’s got terrible naming skills. I was expecting something like ’Jayden’s Pack’ or ’The Cool Wolves’ or some other creatively bankrupt choice]

"My naming skills are fine, thank you very much," Jayden retorted, though he couldn’t help but smile at Luna’s teasing.

[Mm-hmm. So why did you choose it anyway? What’s the significance?] she asked.

Jayden paused, his smile fading slightly as he considered the question. "I... honestly don’t know. I was trying to think of something, and that name just popped into my head," he explained. "Like it was already there, waiting for me to remember it rather than come up with it."

There was a moment of silence in his mind, and when Luna spoke again, her tone had shifted from playful to thoughtful.

[That’s... strange] she said. [Names that come unbidden often have significance, especially in matters of mystical importance like pack formation. The subconscious mind sometimes knows things the conscious mind hasn’t yet grasped]

Jayden raised a brow. "You think it means something?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

[Perhaps] Luna replied. [Or perhaps you’re just overthinking a random name that happened to sound good. Time will tell, I suppose]

Before Jayden could respond, another series of notifications appeared:

[PACK INFO]

*Subpack Name: Twin Crescent

*Regent Alpha: Jayden Starrk

*Current Members: 1 (Regent Alpha only

*Maximum Capacity: 10 members (This is temporary. Pack slots will increase automatically over time)

*Pack Benefits (Current):

-Regent Alpha receives experience points earned by pack members.

-Regent Alpha receives +2% to all physical attributes per pack member added.

-Pack members receive minor physical enhancements based on bond strength.

-Alpha’s Presence enhances pack members courage and innate motivations.

*Pack Abilities (All Locked):

-Pack Stat Boost (Unlocks at System Level 20)

-Pack Sense (Unlocks at Level 40)

-Pack Telepathy (Unlocks at Level 60)

-Pack Enhancement (Unlocks at Pack Level 80)

-Ability sharing (Unlocks at Pack Level 100)

*Current Pack Slots Available: 9/10

Jayden studied the information carefully, noting the locked abilities with particular interest. Pack Telepathy sounded incredibly useful for coordination, and he couldn’t even imagine what ’Ability Sharing’ could do. The possibilities were incredibly exciting.

His mind began to wander to practical applications. The first people who came to mind were his family... Jessica, Tasha, Jacob, and Harleen. If he added them to his pack, he would be able to sense when they were in danger. That alone was worth considering, especially given the increasingly dangerous world they lived in.

The thought of having that kind of awareness and connection that would alert him to threats against his loved ones, was incredibly appealing.

Then there was the other aspect... the experience sharing. If his pack members kill beasts or defeat opponents, he would receive Exp.

Jessica and Tasha would no doubt be willing to go hunting with him. With the pack bond, their growth would contribute to his as well, creating a mutually beneficial arrangement.

However, the thought of deliberately putting them in danger, even for the sake of power growth, made him uncomfortable. Yes, they were capable, but they were still his family. His responsibility. The idea of encouraging them to hunt dangerous beasts just so he could gain exp felt... wrong, and a bit exploitative.

Eventually, he decided; If they wanted to hunt, he’d support them and the experience sharing would be a nice bonus. But he wouldn’t push them into danger just for his own advancement. There had to be a balance between utilizing the pack’s benefits and protecting the people he cared about.

Then he realized he was getting way ahead of himself. The system said a person’s admiration for him had to be high before he could even think of adding them to his pack. Thankfully, he already received an admiration meter. That would help him see where everyone stood before making any decisions.

He was curious to see if the Meter would appear when he looked at his family members, and what their levels of admiration might be.

Just then, the sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled him from his thoughts, followed by Harleen’s voice calling from outside his door.

"Jayden! Dinner’s ready! Come eat before it gets cold!"

Jayden blinked, suddenly aware that he’d been staring at the system screens for quite a while. He dismissed the notifications with a thought and stood up from his bed, stretching his arms above his head.

"Alright," he murmured to himself, a small smile playing at his lips. "Time to test this out."