The skill activated.
I didn't know what I was expecting. A flash of light? A dramatic sound? Some visible wave of energy shooting from my hands?
Well, Nothing happened.
The creature kept creeping toward me, its red eyes locked onto mine, its mouth dripping saliva onto the stone floor.
"Stupid voice," I muttered. "It didn't—"
Then the creature stopped.
Its head twitched and Its nostrils flared. It sniffed the air like it had caught a new scent. The growling faded into a low, confused whine.
"Told you" the voice said smugly."Now hold still. Don't break eye contact."
I wanted to ask why. I wanted to ask what the hell I was supposed to do next. But my throat was dry and my heart was pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears.
The creature took a step closer. Then another.
Its massive head lowered until it was level with my chest. I saw my own reflection in its crimson eyes, fear written plainly all over my face.
Its breath washed over me, hot and thick with the stench of rotting meat.
"Reach out and touch it," the voice whispered.
"Are you insane? How can I touch this..."
"I'm probably insane, but I'm also the only reason you're still alive. Now touch it."
I slowly raised my hand. My fingers trembled as I brought it closer. The creature watched my hand move, its pupils dilating.
I touched its snout.
The fur was coarse and warm beneath my hand. The creature flinched at the touch, its body tensing for a brief moment, before slowly leaning into my palm.
A low rumble rose from its throat, softer this time, no longer a growl but something closer to a purr.
"There you go. You just seduced a D-rank monster. Give yourself a pat on the back."
"Just like that? But I didn't seduce it though. I only patted it like a dog."
"Same thing. The system doesn't judge."
A new window appeared in my vision.
[Quest Complete: Awakening]
[You have successfully aroused the interest of a D-rank female creature.]
[Reward: Novice's Lust Cache, 500 Power Stones]
[Bonus: Skill – Siren's Whisper (F) unlocked.]
[New skill available: Essence Drain (F)]
I stared at the window. "I got a skill for petting a monster?"
"You got a skill for making something want you. The creature wasn't hungry anymore. It was... curious. That's the first step of seduction."
"That's not seduction. That's just basic animal handling."
"Keep telling yourself that."
The creature pulled its head away from my hand and took a step back. Its red eyes were still fixed on me, but the hunger was gone. Replaced by something else. Interest? Confusion? I couldn't tell.
Then it turned and walked toward the far wall of the chamber.
It didn't look back.
A section of the wall shifted and slid open, revealing another hidden passage. The creature slipped into the darkness without hesitation, its form swallowed almost immediately, and the wall closed itself behind it with a soft thud.
I was alone.
I sat there for a long moment, my back against the cold stone, my leg still tingling from the healing. The purple runes on the walls had gone completely dark. The only light came from my cracked camera drone.
I checked my viewer count.
Two new people had joined during the chaos. One of them was typing.
Viewer #1 and the bots remained silent.
I laughed. It came out hysterical.
"Yeah," I said to the camera, my voice shaking. "I have no idea either."
"You should probably get out of here," the voice said. "That creature might come back. Or worse, something else might smell the Lust Essence leaking off you."
"Leaking off me?"
"You're a Corrupted host now. You have a scent. Powerful women will notice. Some will want to kill you. Some will want to do... other things."
"Other things?"
"You'll find out. Now get up and walk. The exit is that way."
A glowing arrow appeared in my vision, pointing toward a narrow tunnel on the opposite side of the chamber. I hadn't noticed it before. The system was literally giving me directions.
"Great," I muttered as I pushed myself back to my feet. My leg held steady without a hint of pain and I felt unusually light. Whatever the system had done to my body had worked more thoroughly than I expected.
I let out a short breath and glanced in the direction the creature had gone.
"I have a GPS now. What's next? Yelp reviews for dungeons?"
"Don't give the developers ideas."
I walked toward the tunnel, grabbing my cracked camera drone on the way. The lens was busted, but the enchantment was still holding. It would need repairs I couldn't afford.
'Another bill. Perfect'
The tunnel sloped upward. Faint sunlight filtered through cracks in the ceiling. I could smell fresh air. The air of freedom.
I climbed toward the light.
Just as I reached the surface, another interface window popped up. The text was larger this time. More aggressive than the previous ones.
[System Notification]
[You have been chosen. Your first official quest: Seduce a woman above your rank within 24 hours.]
[Failure: permanent system deletion.]
I stopped walking.
"Wait," I said. "Didn't I just complete a quest?"
"That was a tutorial. This is the real thing. The system needs Lust Essence to sustain itself. You used some of it to heal and to use the aura. Now you need to generate more."
"And if I don't?"
"Permanent system deletion. Which means your soul gets deleted. Not just death. Complete erasure from this world. You never existed."
"Are you serious?"
"Do I sound like I'm joking?"
She didn't.
I stared at the window. The red letters seemed to burn into my vision.
Seduce a woman above my rank. Above F-rank. That meant E-rank or higher. And I had twenty-four hours.
I was an F-rank nobody with no money, no charm, and a face covered in dried blood. Who was I supposed to seduce? The barmaid at the tavern? She wouldn't even look at me.
"I'd start moving if I were you," the voice said. "You're wasting daylight."
I climbed out of the tunnel and emerged into the afternoon sun.
I was at the base of a hill, maybe half a mile from the dungeon entrance I'd originally entered.
The sky was blue. Birds were singing. The world was completely indifferent to the fact that I'd just been possessed by a demon fragment, seduced a monster, and now had twenty-four hours to seduce a real woman or be erased from existence.
I collapsed onto the grass and stared at the clouds.
"Today was weird," I said to no one.
"Prepare yourself," the voice replied. "Because it will get even weirder"
I closed my eyes.
Then I heard footsteps.
They were not heavy like the creature's. They were light, each step placed with quiet confidence. The faint click of heels echoed against the stone, cutting cleanly through the silence and drawing closer.
I opened my eyes and saw a pair of white boots standing a few feet away. Thigh-high. Stiletto heels. Completely impractical for dungeon crawling.
I followed the boots up.
Long, elegant legs that seemed to go on endlessly. A high-cut white leather skirt split at her hip, revealing the black lace beneath.
A fitted breastplate rested over her frame, leaving little to the imagination, while a cascade of white-blonde hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves.
Her pale golden eyes settled on me with an unreadable expression.
Thalia Valoris.
The No. 1 Ranker in all of Rhodenia.
The Celestial Blade.
She was holding her longsword loosely over her shoulder, her tattered white cape blowing in the breeze. Her camera drone hovered beside her, its lens aimed at me.
"Well," she said, her voice smooth as silk, "you look like hell."
I stared at her.
My mouth opened. No words came out.
"There's your woman above your rank," the voice whispered. "She's SS-rank. Go get her, tiger."
'Shit. I knew this system was going to be the death of me'