He looked at Zara for a long while… then at the map… then back to Zara. No, it was impossible to walk her there.
Her nearly naked body, obscenely seductive, would make every male in the village drool like a wolf who hadn't tasted meat in two weeks — and that was the least of the disasters. She was a ghoul… a fugitive… her head was wanted by the kingdom. If anyone saw her, they would lead the soldiers to her location. To the cave. To him. He would die, and Zara would be raped. Or he would. Maybe both at once.
"Oh girl, if you were a dog, I would've leashed you." He said it slowly, then thought. "Wait, that also sounds kind of hot."
He started gesturing to her with silly motions, drawing circles on the ground with his foot then pointing to the forest, then beating his chest, then putting his finger on the digital map that floated before his eyes... but suddenly remembered: she couldn't see it.
"Oh, right, it's in my head. Like I'm waving to a ghost."
Then he pointed to the cave, then to himself, then to the map, then to his heart, as if saying: I'll come back, I swear.
He performed a ridiculous dramatic scene before her, kneeling, opening his arms, shedding a fake tear, pointing to his lips then to the sky like he was in a cheap perfume ad.
But Zara? She didn't say a word. She just stepped forward, placed her hand on his head, and gently pressed down like a mother with her mischievous child.
He went silent, frozen for a moment, then smiled like an idiot.
"Is… is that approval? Or are you just trying to crush me?"
But she turned her back and returned to the cave.
He took the sack she had silently gathered. It was relatively heavy—maybe enough to buy himself a hot meal… or a piece of cloth to cover his bulge, swollen from eternal desire.
He set off between the trees. The sun was lazily rising behind the fog. Everything around him reeked of death… until he saw that body.
A massive man, with a beard red as blood, lay like a lifeless corpse among the grass. His muscles throbbed even in unconsciousness, and his right arm looked like it had been destroyed by some attack.
"Is he alive?"
He approached and nudged him a bit. The man groaned.
"Shit… heavy as a hippo! But if I leave him here, he might attract beasts… or I might regret it later."
He hoisted the giant body onto his back, groaning and swaying, but strangely? He felt a sense of satisfaction, of strength, of manhood.
"It's fine… If you die, I'll bury you. And if you live, you'll owe me… Maybe let me bang your wife if she's hot."
He kept walking toward the village of Arlen, sweat pouring from his forehead, eyes filled with promise, heart with desire… and down below, something was still stirring.
He was ten minutes away from the gates of Arlen, when his body froze.
Ding
[Side Quest Discovered: "The Price of the Red Beard"]
The man you're carrying is dying.
Status: Demonic Poisoning – Stage Three
Time remaining: Less than one hour
Save him before it's too late.
Reward: +10 Special Power Points, +Reputation in Arlen
[Accept] [Decline]
"Demonic poisoning? Fuck, why is everything I touch either horny or dead?"
He tapped [Accept] without thinking. As soon as he did, the village map began to glow faintly, showing the location of the medical facility at the village's center.
At Arlen's gate, his entry looked like a deformed hero's arrival: carrying a man twice his size on his back, drenched in sweat and dirt, and the thing between his legs still raving about Zara.
The guards crowded around. One of them shouted:
"Who is this?!"
He replied while staggering: "No idea, but if he dies on my back, I'm not cleaning up the mess."
One of the guards recognized the wounded man, his eyes widening like he'd just seen the queen naked:
"This… This is Commander Garon! Make way!!"
They snatched him like a piece of meat from a starving mouth and disappeared into the medical building.
He exhaled in relief. The first time he felt like he'd done something good. Strange… but a little exciting.
"Maybe I'll become a hero. Or maybe I'll just get paid and buy something to satisfy my demanding parts."
He let them run off and stood there for a moment, panting, shoulders aching from the load, and mind dizzy from everything that happened.
"Alright… That was a noble effort. Now, time for something more fun."
He trudged toward the village center. The market came into view… then he stopped. His breath hitched slightly.
He began wandering through the market… then gasped.
Slaves. Many of them. Women and men with rabbit ears, fox tails, cat eyes, and shiny skins, chained up, displayed like merchandise.
Groaning, sorrowful gazes, and cries from time to time.
One of them looked like Zara… if she had given up.
Ding
[Side Quest: "Liberation Chaos"]
Free the slaves.
Mass chaos may ensue.
Chance to earn a Desire Shard – Rank C
[Accept] [Decline] [Ignore]
He stared at the notification, then at the slaves, then at the guards' asses patrolling the market.
"Free the slaves? For a shard? Am I an idiot? No time for cheap heroics."
He tapped [Ignore], spitting on the ground like expelling the idea from his mind.
"I'll buy a hot slave later when I'm rich… and free her — into my bed."
He smirked to himself, then continued on through the village.
He decided to give himself a moment's break — if not physical, then at least mental.
The wooden tavern sat at the market's edge, breathing in tobacco smoke, sweat, and drunken whispers.
He pushed the door with his hand — it creaked open, a string instrument and laughter slipping through the cracks.
He sat at a grimy wooden table and raised a finger toward the bar without speaking.
A waitress approached him.
But she wasn't just a waitress.
She was a disaster on two legs.
Her body defied both divine and human laws, breasts so prominent the fabric begged not to tear, a waist no wider than two fists, and hips that swayed under a tight dress like they were made to be watched.
She walked like she knew every eye would be imprisoned by her movement… but pretended to be shy.
Her silver hair draped softly over her shoulders, her eyes half-lidded like she'd just left someone's bed… or was on her way to it.
Her lips were small, pink, bitten every few seconds — either absentmindedly or deliberately.
She approached him with soft, hesitant steps, but made everyone in the tavern stop breathing.
She set the glass before him and whispered:
"Don't overdo it…"
As if she meant the drink… or herself.
He was about to open his mouth to say something vulgar, when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
"If I were you, I wouldn't stare at her too long…"
He turned and saw a bald man with a hard face, a long scar on his brow, and one eye.
"She's Garon's wife."
"And who's Garon?"
"The man who'll feed you to the dogs if you look at her like that again."
He froze for a moment, then turned again to stare at the waitress. "Someone's wife?"
He chuckled quietly. "That's unfair…" he whispered.
He looked down at his torn clothes, his bare chest, and remembered he hadn't changed outfits since entering this hell.
"I don't look like someone who can win anything… let alone a woman like her."
"Garon might kill you just for breathing in her direction."
"Damn…" Eron muttered, eyeing his glass. "The prettiest flower is always planted in someone else's garden."
But before he could finish that depressing thought—
Ding!
Ding!
[Side Quest: Dismantling the Taboo of Lust]
You stared at a woman you must not touch…
But she desired you first.
[Objective:]
Stir Selina from within. Break her stillness, crush her shyness, make her forget she belongs to someone else.
[Stages]:
1. The First Touch
Use your hands to excite her body. Every finger must awaken something in her: from her neck to her hips.
Make her tremble before being fully touched.
2. Loyalty by Mouth
Make her kneel by choice. Her mouth is yours, her tongue a tool to satisfy you.
Watch her eyes as she sucks you in longing.
3. The First Merge
Penetrate her with hunger, no soft foreplay. Carve your place deep inside her, make her forget who owns her.
She must scream from desire, not pain.
4. The Forbidden Position
(Currently locked)
[Rewards]:
Each stage:
Unknown reward
Unlock parts of her body/personality
Final reward:
+50 Lust Points
+50 Special Power Points
Sexual Skill: The Delightful Curse
Desire Shard (D) – mergeable
[Warning]
Garon cuts those who touch what's his… and you're getting too close.
[Accept Quest] [Refuse and Stay Alive]
He stared at the notification, then at Selina who was whispering shyly to her coworker, then at his trembling hand over the glass, then at the bald man beside him.
"What madness…"
He smiled — that tilted smile scoundrels wear when thinking of something they really shouldn't.
"Am I insane? Or just… filled with curiosity?"
Then, with a suspicious calmness, he tapped:
[Accept]