My eyes snapped open, and for a second, I thought I was back in the void. But the smell of honey and the jungle was gone, replaced by the faint, antiseptic scent of cheap cologne and the musky aroma of a room that had recently seen a lot of action.
"What the fuck..." I croaked. My voice was different—deeper and smoother.
I sat up, the sheets sliding off my chest, and froze. I wasn't in my old, lanky body anymore. I caught my reflection in a floor-length mirror across the room. White hair, messy and sharp. Deep blue eyes that looked like they belonged to a predator. The man in the framed photos on the wall—the one looking like a god of the gym—was me. Then, the bed shifted.
A soft, feminine moan vibrated against my ribs. I looked down and felt my breath hitch. A woman—curvy, bronzed, and utterly naked—was draped across me like a trophy. Her jet-black hair was a chaotic mess on the pillow, and her lips, stained with the smudged remains of dark red lipstick, were parted in a deep sleep. One of her heavy breasts was crushed firmly against my side, the nipple a dark, inviting rosebud.
Who is she? A co-star? A fan?
Before I could even process the warmth of her skin, a neon-blue light fractured the air in front of my face.
----------------------------
[Ding!]
[The Goddess sends her regards, Little Stallion.]
[Welcome to Aethelgard]
The screen flickered, text scrolling at a breakneck pace that only I could see.
-------------------------------
[Status Window]
Name: Erik Glynn (Soul: Andrew Simmons)
Title: The Goddess's Proxy (Hidden)
Level: 1
Rank:Awakened
Potential: [INFINITE]
[Core Stats]
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Stamina: 10 (System Bonus: 'Unending Performance')
Endurance: 3
Mana: 0
[Initial Skill Set]
1.Basic Sword Mastery (Evolvable): You know which end to poke them with.
2.Body Reinforcement (Passive).
3.Combat Perception.
4.Echo Step.
[Stream points:0]
---------------------------------
I flexed my arm, watching the way the muscle coiled under the skin. The bicep was dense, carved like marble, and ridged with veins I'd never seen on my old frame.
"W-body is an understatement," I muttered, my new voice vibrating deep in my chest. "This is a goddamn masterpiece."
The name Erik Glynn tasted strange on my tongue, but as the thought settled, a jagged spike of white-hot memory pierced my brain. I groaned, clutching my temples as twenty-odd years of another man's life slammed into my consciousness.
Erik was a pioneer in a world that traded in digital dopamine. He was an Adult Streamer on XXX-Stream, the platform where the desperate and the bored watched the "Awakened" live out their carnal fantasies.
He had a modest following—maybe a thousand regulars who paid for the privilege of watching him work. His last broadcast had been yesterday evening, featuring the woman currently hogging the silk sheets behind me.
Jane. She shifted, the friction of her thighs against the bedsheets a soft, hushing sound. I left her to her dreams and walked to the window, pulling back the heavy curtains.
"Holy shit."
Base 7 didn't look like New York or LA. It was a sprawling, neon-lit fortress of steel and glass, built to withstand the apocalypse. Massive mana-conductors hummed on top of skyscrapers, pulsing with a faint blue light that kept the sky-predators at bay.
Beyond the high-altitude walls, I knew the "Wilds" were teeming with beasts that could rip a man in half—and yet, right below me, a dozen soot-covered kids were kicking a ball around a dirt lot as if the world wasn't on the brink of collapse.
The Goddess wanted me to save this? A world of fortresses and filth? And my only weapon was a system that rewarded me for being the ultimate fucker?
"I guess the apocalypse needs some entertainment," I whispered, a dark smirk tugging at my lips.
"Morning, handsome," a sleepy, velvet voice broke through my thoughts.
I turned. Jane was sitting up, the covers falling to her lap to reveal the full, heavy glory of her breasts as she stretched. Her nipples were dark and prominent, heaving with every yawn. She looked at me—not as Andrew, the mid-tier martyr, but as Erik, the man who had evidently ruined her for hours the night before.
"You're up early," she purred, her eyes raking over my new body with a hunger that was far from satisfied. "The stream went well last night, Erik. The 'Donation Goals' almost hit the mark. If you keep moving like that, you'll be out of this dump and into the Inner Circle by next month."
She patted the spot on the bed next to her, her lips curving into a naughty smile. "But since we're already awake... and the camera is already off... why don't you come back here and show me that cock isn't just made for the cameras."
I stood there for a heartbeat, stunned by the sheer, glorious irony of it. Five minutes ago, I was a corpse on a studio floor. Then, I was a soul-warrior drilling a deity in the cosmic void. Now? I'd respawned into the arms of a sex-starved siren in a world that rewarded me for it.
The universe finally had its priorities straight.
"Oh... you're already hard?" Jane breathed, her eyes dropping to my crotch. My cock was pulsing, thick and demanding, as if it was still vibrating from the Goddess's touch. Her pupils dilated, her gaze heavy with a hunger that bordered on worship.
I wasn't going to shake her off. If this was my welcome gift to Aethelgard, I was going to unwrap it with professional precision.
I moved toward the bed, my footsteps silent on the floor, every muscle in my new body moving with a fluid, predatory grace I'd never possessed as Andrew. I reached her side and leaned down, the scent of her skin—perfume mixed with the lingering musk of last night—hitting me like a drug.
"You have no idea how beautiful you look in the morning light, baby girl," I rasped. My new voice was like smoke, deep and commanding.
I hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her head back to expose the elegant line of her throat. When I met her lips, I didn't just kiss her; I claimed her. It was a slow, possessive burn that tasted of her smudged lipstick and raw desire.
"I'm going to fuck you so senseless you won't be able to walk the wall today," I whispered against her mouth, my hand sliding down to cup her heavy, warm breast. I squeezed firmly, feeling the weight of it, the nipple pebble-hard against my palm. "By the time I'm done, you'll be screaming my name louder than the emergency sirens."
A shiver raced through her, her back arching instinctively toward my touch. She let out a soft, jagged moan and pulled me closer, her legs falling open in a silent, desperate invitation.
"That's exactly what I want, Erik," she whimpered, her hands clutching at my shoulders. "Break me. Make it worth the subscribers' credits."