The Gnome, who I'd later learn was named Flin, stopped fiddling with his puzzle box. He glanced at Elara and me with a judgemental look, then clicked his tongue as if we were useless. Confidently, he stood up and snuck towards Silvia's desk.
His movements were light and almost silent. He definitely had a high Agility stat, though probably not as high as mine. He stopped about a meter from the desk, his small, sharp eyes focused on the silver bell.
Then, he did something unexpected. He took a deep breath, and then blew hard.
Fwoosh!
His breath was surprisingly strong, but it only managed to make the bell wobble slightly, not enough to make it ring.
Silvia, without lifting her head from her book, commented flatly.
"Your breath smells like onions, Flin. Fail."
Flin's face turned red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. He returned to his desk with a quiet grumble.
Next up, Elara, the shy girl. She looked extremely nervous, but she stood up anyway. She didn't approach the desk. Instead, she stood near her own, closed her eyes, and muttered something very quietly.
I felt a faint flow of mana from her direction. Far weaker than Isolde's magic, but very fine and controlled. I looked intently at Silvia's desk. Slowly, very slowly, the bell's shadow began to stretch and move, as if it were alive. She was trying to use a shadow illusion to touch the bell.
It was a clever idea. But before the shadow could touch its target, Silvia spoke again, still without looking up.
"A fine illusion, Elara. Unfortunately, my alarm spell detects not only mana, but also light distortions. Fail."
Elara flinched, as if she couldn't believe she'd been caught. She immediately sat back down, her face bright red, and hid her face behind her notebook.
Now it was my turn.
Both of my classmates had failed with fairly direct methods. Flin tried physical force, Elara tried magic. Both were detected. Silvia's alarm spell was apparently very sensitive.
I couldn't use [Lover's Gust] again. Silvia already knew I could use a minor wind spell from yesterday's test. She would have anticipated it. Doing the same thing twice on a target like her was just stupid.
I needed something else. Something not solid. Something without mana. Something... that was already in the room.
I looked around. Stone walls, wooden floor, magic torches... nothing useful. Then my eyes landed on Flin. He was already back to focusing on his puzzle box, but on his desk lay a small, open leather pouch. From inside, I could see some thin wires, tweezers, and other small tools. He was clearly a lockpick or trap specialist.
And next to the pouch was a spool of thin thread. So thin, it was almost like a spider's web.
An idea began to form. An idea that required teamwork, even if they didn't know they were on the team.
I stood up and walked over to Elara's desk. She flinched in surprise when I stopped beside her.
"H-hi," she whispered.
"Hey," I replied softly. "Can I see your drawing?"
"I-it's nothing special," she said shyly, but she still slid her notebook toward me.
I looked at her drawing. She had sketched a detailed schematic of a magic alarm mechanism, complete with notes on how the protective runes interconnected. She wasn't just shy, she was also incredibly smart.
"This is good," I said, genuinely impressed. "You seem to know a lot about spells."
As I pretended to admire her drawing, I made my move. Very carefully, I used [Lover's Gust] with the most minimal force, just enough to lift a single strand of Elara's blonde hair that had fallen onto her desk. The strand floated silently and stuck to my sleeve, invisible to anyone.
"Th-thank you," she said, completely unaware of my little theft.
Next, Flin. I walked over to his desk. He looked up, eyeing me suspiciously.
"What do you want?"
"Just wanted to see," I said, pointing to his puzzle box.
While he watched me warily, I did the same thing. I used a super-light puff of wind to pull a single end of the thin thread from his desk. The thread came loose from the spool and floated into my hand.
Now I had all my components: one strand of Elara's hair and a length of Flin's thin thread.
I went back to my desk, sat down, and pretended to be deep in thought. Under the table, hidden from Silvia's view, I tied the strand of hair to one end of the thread. The hair would be the perfect weight—light, organic, and containing no mana.
The last step was the hardest. I had to cast this thread, make it arc through the air, and land the hair strand right on top of the bell without Silvia seeing the throw.
I waited. I waited until Silvia's attention was completely focused on her book. I waited until Flin let out a quiet curse as his puzzle jammed. I waited until Elara started sketching again.
Then, with a quick, minimal flick of my wrist under the desk, I cast the thread.
It floated through the air, nearly invisible. The hair-weighted end arced down... down...
Ting!
A very soft, very faint chime sounded. The strand of hair had touched the bell.
Silvia froze. Her head lifted slowly. Her eyes immediately scanned the room. She saw Flin, still busy. She saw Elara, still drawing. She saw me, sitting perfectly still with a thoughtful expression.
She saw nothing. No movement. No mana flow. No solid object being thrown.
She looked at the bell, then at me, her eyes narrowing. She knew it was me. But she didn't know how.
She closed her book with a soft thud.
"Class is dismissed," she said, her voice still flat, but I could sense a hint of annoyance in it. "You three, be back tomorrow. You... you stay."
Flin and Elara looked confused but also relieved. They quickly packed their things and left the room.
Now, it was just her and me.
"How did you do it?" she asked directly, staring at me intently.
I smiled faintly. "A ghost never reveals his secrets, Senpai."
For the first time, I saw a clear emotion on her face. Frustration at not knowing. And maybe... just maybe... a flicker of admiration.
"Fine, Ghost," she said, standing from her chair, her voice as cold as a tombstone. "You passed your first lesson. But don't think tomorrow will be this easy."
She walked towards the stairs. As her slender hand reached for the hidden panel to open the door, a system notification appeared in front of me. It wasn't a normal one. This time, the panel was blood-red, flashing like a disaster warning alarm.
[Emergency Mission Issued!]
Objective: Make Silvia Nacht orgasm using only your hand.
Time Limit: 5 Minutes.
Reward: Magic Rune [Hypnotic Eyes (Basic)], 300 EXP.
Failure Penalty: Your cock will permanently shrink by 3 cm.
I read that last line, and the entire world seemed to stop spinning. All the blood in my body felt like it drained down into my stomach, leaving my face cold and pale.
Three... centimeters... permanently.
'YOU CRAZY BASTARD!' I screamed inside my head, a pure panic I had never felt before seizing me by the throat. 'THAT'S NOT A PENALTY, THAT'S SLOW-MOTION CASTRATION! THREE CENTIMETERS COULD BE A QUARTER OF MY ENTIRE ASSETS!'
Silvia had already slid the panel. The bookshelf was starting to creak open. I had to solve this before she left, this was my only chance.
'System! Shop! Now! I need something that works fast and is invisible!'
[Searching the Hentai Shop... Found a suitable item for infiltration and non-cooperative conquest situations.]
[Item: Lust Powder 'Succubus's Breath']
Description: A fine, nearly invisible powder. If inhaled, its magic particles will directly stimulate the hypothalamus and limbic system, triggering an intense and irrational sexual arousal. Side effects: slightly lowers logical thinking and increases susceptibility to suggestion.
Price: 350 HP
The price was steep; it would burn through more than half my savings. But three centimeters of my dick was far more valuable.
'BUY!'
[-350 HP! Your current HP: 200. A pinch of 'Succubus's Breath Powder' has been added to your internal inventory.]
I felt a strange sensation in my right palm, as if something had materialized from nothing. I clenched my hand, feeling the extremely fine grains of powder.
Silvia was almost at the top of the stairs.
I had no time. I acted on instinct.
"Senpai!" I called out.
She stopped, turning around with an annoyed look.
"What now?"
"You dropped this," I said, pointing to the floor near her feet. A complete lie.
She looked down suspiciously. There was nothing there. But it was enough. Her attention was diverted for a split second.
I opened my clenched hand slightly. With a strong intent, I activated my most useful skill.
'[Lover's Gust]!'
A tiny, controlled, almost imperceptible puff of wind shot from my palm, carrying the invisible cloud of powder straight toward Silvia's face.
She didn't feel a thing. She just frowned at finding nothing on the floor, then looked back at me with a death glare.
"Don't waste my time, kid."
She turned to continue on her way, but then... she froze.
The hand that was about to push the door was now trembling. She gasped, her other hand suddenly clutching her chest, her breath catching.
"Nngh..." a small, suppressed moan escaped her lips.
Her previously pale face was now flushed crimson. Her knees buckled slightly, as if she could barely stand. Sweat started to bead on her temples.
She turned to look at me, her normally sharp gray eyes now slightly hazy, filled with confusion and... something else. Something hot and wild.
"What... what did you... do to me...?" she hissed, her voice hoarse.
I didn't answer. I walked to the wall and slammed my palm on the emergency lock button.
KLANG!
Metal bars slammed down, locking us inside.
I walked slowly towards her. She was still leaning against the wall, her body trembling, her breathing heavy and ragged. She was trying to maintain control, but I could see the struggle in her eyes. Her body had betrayed her.
I stopped right in front of her. I didn't need to say much more. The drug was already working.
"You're hot," I stated, my voice low and calm. "You need a release. I can help you with that."
She stared at me, hatred and desire warring in her eyes. But her body had already made its decision.
"Prove it," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Turn around," I commanded, taking control. "Hands on the table."
She hesitated for a moment, the last of her logic screaming against it. But another wave of lust triggered by the powder made her let out a low groan. With a stiff, resistant movement, she obeyed.
She turned and placed both her palms on the cold stone table, her straight back facing me. Her practical skirt hiked up slightly, revea
ling the shape of her firm, tight ass.
She was giving me an opening. One chance.
To save my future.