The dawn that crept into the city was laced with anticipation. Ethan woke up not in the comfort of velvet sheets but tangled between limbs and silk. The heat from last night had faded, but the scent lingered—a reminder of how far the Seduction System had pulled him into its world. The notifications were still fresh in his vision, flashing new skills, points, and achievements. But it wasn't the system he was thinking about now.
He sat up, slowly peeling away the touch of a sleeping woman—Talia, her dark hair splayed like ink across the pillow. She murmured something unintelligible, half-dream, half-echo of the pleasure she'd drowned in hours ago. Ethan's fingers hesitated for a moment, brushing against her bare shoulder before he stood.
The mirror on the wall shimmered. A new mission.
> "Temptation Trial: Phase Two Unlocked." Objective: Survive the Night of Crimson Orbs. Reward: ??? Penalty: Permanent reduction in charm stats.
Ethan blinked. That was new. The system never hid the reward.
He stepped toward the mirror. As he did, the reflection changed. It showed not him, but a masked figure standing in a blood-lit corridor. Behind the mask was no face, only shadow and hunger. A surge of dread slipped down his spine.
Back in the real world, footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. Ethan dressed swiftly. Something was shifting. The city itself felt different. The air was charged, like before a storm, except this time the storm wasn't of weather but desire and blood.
By the time he exited the mansion, Seraphina was waiting. Cloaked in a tight crimson gown that matched the name of the night, she looked like temptation embodied. Her eyes flickered over him, catching the tension in his shoulders.
"You felt it, didn't you?" she said, voice like velvet wrapped in knives.
"The mission. The Crimson Orbs."
She nodded. "It's a challenge older than the system itself. Few survive it without consequences. But if you do..."
"I become stronger," Ethan finished.
They didn't speak more as they descended into the city's underground. Hidden beneath the pleasure district was a labyrinth, a forbidden zone called "The Heart." According to legend, it was built by seducers who tried to conquer the system.
As they walked deeper, torchlight danced over stone walls carved with scenes of lust, power, and agony. Ethan could feel the pulse of energy growing with each step. The walls throbbed like a heartbeat. The mission had already begun.
At the first chamber, they were greeted by a voice, disembodied and female.
"Welcome, Seducer. To move forward, you must choose. Between pain and pleasure, between fear and thrill."
A door split into two paths. One glowed with soft golden light. The other seeped red mist like blood turned to vapor.
Ethan turned to Seraphina. "Which one?"
She smirked. "Only you can choose. It's your trial."
He stepped toward the red mist.
What lay beyond was unlike anything he expected.
The room was circular. In the center stood a dais, and on it, a woman wrapped in chains made of light. Her eyes glowed with unnatural lust. Around her, symbols hovered—runic, ancient, dangerous.
> New Temptress Detected: Nyla, the Chain Witch Mission Update: Free her without succumbing
Ethan stepped forward. With each step, the air grew hotter, his skin tingling. Nyla's gaze locked on his, and he felt his mind tremble.
"You came for me," she whispered. Her voice shattered resistance.
The chains began to unravel on their own.
Ethan stood in the center of the circular chamber, eyes narrowed as the flickering crimson glow pulsed from the walls like a heartbeat. The air was thick with musk and magic, the very atmosphere humming with anticipation. He knew something was coming. The system had been too quiet.
Suddenly, the air shimmered. A soft giggle echoed through the room, followed by a sultry whisper that tickled his ear without a body to accompany it. "Welcome, Seducer. The trial of velvet lust awaits."
A golden light flared before him, and three women stepped from the shimmer—each a vision of temptation sculpted from desire itself. Their gowns clung to them like silk painted onto skin, and their eyes glinted with playful hunger.
System Notification: [New Trial Initiated: The Velvet Trap] Objective: Resist or indulge. Every decision influences your evolution. Reward: Unknown. Penalty: Emotional fragmentation.
Ethan clenched his fists. Emotional fragmentation? That was new.
The tallest woman stepped forward, crimson hair cascading over her bare shoulders. "I am Liora, the First Temptation," she purred. Her fingers grazed Ethan's cheek. "One kiss, and I will show you the heaven hidden in shadows."
Before he could respond, the second woman—a bronze-skinned beauty with eyes like glowing amber—wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I am Mirel, the Second Temptation. I don't ask for permission."
The third, with silver hair and a serpent tattoo coiling down her back, smiled with dangerous promise. "And I am Veia, the Last Temptation. I ask only one thing: Will you survive us, or surrender?"
System Alert: [Seduction Level Test Begins]
Ethan's mind raced. Every instinct screamed to resist. But his body... his body remembered the system's dark promise: Pleasure is Power.
He chose Mirel.
The moment his lips touched hers, the room spun. They tumbled into silk sheets that materialized beneath them, her laughter echoing like a spell. Her body was fire and velvet, her movements addictive. Ethan felt his power pulse, the system awakening.
[+10 Seduction Points] [+5 Lust Affinity] [Passive Skill Activated: Pleasure Surge]
But with every touch, his emotions frayed.
He could see Liora watching, jealousy flickering behind her eyes. Veia leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as if waiting for the real test to begin.
Mirel whispered in his ear, "Can you still think clearly, Ethan? Or are you drowning?"
He pushed her gently away, panting, his head spinning.
System Warning: [Emotional Fragmentation 12%]
Too much pleasure would break him. He had to balance indulgence with discipline.
"Enough," he said, standing.
Liora stepped forward, her crimson eyes gleaming. "So you resist me still?"
Ethan nodded. "This is a trap. A test of control."
Veia's slow clap echoed through the chamber. "Impressive. Most don't realize until it's too late."
System Update: [Trial Progress: 68%] Next Stage: Illusion of Yearning
The room shifted again. Ethan blinked as a mirror appeared before him. Inside it, he saw not himself, but every woman he'd touched, every sin he'd embraced. Their eyes pleaded, their lips whispered.
"Stay with us. Give in."
He gritted his teeth.
System Prompt: [Final Choice: Accept Fragmentation or Harness Desire]
Ethan closed his eyes. He remembered everything he'd endured—every lesson, every touch, every broken barrier. He chose to harness.
Power surged.
[+50 System Energy] [New Skill Unlocked: Velvet Domination] [Trial Complete: The Velvet Trap]
As the chamber dissolved into light, only one voice followed him:
Veia's.
"You passed, Ethan. But you've only scratched the surface of what desire truly means."