I sat on the grass for a full five minutes after Thalia disappeared over the hill.
My heart was still pounding. My hands were still shaking. Every breath felt like I had just run a marathon through a burning building.
"You should probably move," the voice said. "She might come back. Or worse, her fans might recognize you and ask questions."
'Her fans? Why would her fans care about me?'
"You just touched the No. 1 Ranker. Her camera drone caught everything. Your face is out there now. Congratulations, you're semi-famous."
I checked my viewer count.
My stomach dropped.
One thousand two hundred and forty-seven people had watched me grab Thalia Valoris's wrist. Watched her grab my shirt.
The chat was moving too fast to read, but I caught snippets.
–"Who is this guy?"
–"Did she just say 'collect him'?"
–"New ship just dropped"
–"F-rank rizz"
I closed the chat window.
'This is a nightmare.'
"This is opportunity for you my dear Adonis. By the way, we should probably introduce ourselves properly. I'm Lusty."
'Lusty?'
"Short for Lust Streamer System. Also because I'm fabulous. You're welcome."
I stared at the empty air. 'So you named yourself.'
"You would have named me something stupid like 'System-chan' or 'Lady Interface.' I saved us both the embarrassment."
I didn't have the energy to argue. 'Fine. Lusty it is.'
"Good. Now get up. You have twenty-three hours to figure out how to seduce a princess who could kill you with her pinky. Sitting here won't help."
I pushed myself to my feet and reached for my camera drone. The lens was cracked, the casing dented. It was still recording, but barely.
"Don't bother," Lusty said. "That thing is junk. You don't need it anymore."
'What do you mean?'
"The system has a built-in streaming function. Your consciousness is the camera now. You can start and stop broadcasts with a thought."
A new window popped up.
[System Streaming – Activated]
[Status: Online]
[To start broadcast, think "Stream On." To end, think "Stream Off."]
[Viewer count, chat, and donations will appear in your peripheral vision.]
I blinked. 'That's... convenient.'
"It's efficient. Now turn it off for real. You look terrible and you need rest."
I thought Stream Off. The red recording light on my broken drone flickered and died. The window in my vision updated to [Status: Offline].
'What about the drone?'
"Trash it. Or sell it for parts. I don't care."
I tucked the broken drone under my arm and started walking toward the main road.
---
The walk back to the city took an hour.
My mind was a mess of questions. Who was Morathia? What was the Lust Seal? How was I supposed to seduce a woman who saw me as a contaminated F-rank pest?
"You're thinking too much," Lusty said.
'I'm thinking exactly the right amount.'
"No. You're panicking. There's a difference. The seal is already working. She felt something. Give it time."
'Time? I only have twenty-three hours to seduce the fucking Princess!'
"Exactly. It is plenty of time. First, let's assess your rewards from the tutorial quest."
A window popped up.
[Novice's Lust Cache – Opened]
[Contents:]
[• 1,500 Power Stones (500 base + 1,000 bonus for high-rank target interaction]
[• Skill: Siren's Whisper (F) – Brief charm on a single target. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.]
[• Skill: Essence Drain (F) – Drain Lust Essence from a willing or distracted target. Restores stamina.]
[• Item: Potion of Arousal (x2) – Increases target's susceptibility to seduction for 30 minutes.]
[• Item: Mana Crystal (Small) – Worth 50 silver at market.]
I stared at the list. "Potion of Arousal?" I muttered. "What am I supposed to do with that?"
"Drink it. Or give it to someone you want to seduce. Your choice."
'That's... deeply unethical.'
"The system doesn't care about ethics. It cares about results. Now, you also have 1,500 Power Stones. You can save them or spend them in the shop."
Another window opened. A grid of items and skills appeared.
[System Shop]
[Skills Available at current rank]
[Skill Upgrade: Siren's Whisper (E) – 800 Power Stones]
[ Skill: Stamina Control (F) – 500 Power Stones]
[Skill: Thought Isolation (F) – 1,000 Power Stones]
[Item: Invisibility Cloak (1 hour) – 300 Power Stones]
[Item: Lust Essence Potion (Small) – 200 Power Stones]
[Stat Point: +1 Charm – 100 Power Stones]
'Thought Isolation? What's that?'
Lusty was quiet for a moment. "It lets you block me from reading your surface thoughts."
I stopped walking. 'Hold on, so you can read my every thought?'
"No, only your surface thoughts. The loud ones. The ones you're thinking right now, for example."
'That's... invasive.' I hadn't realized that we'd been communicating through my thoughts. Now that she pointed it out, I suddenly became aware of how intrusive it was.
"It's necessary for system functionality. I need to know your intent to execute skills and quests. But if you buy Thought Isolation, you can create a private mental space I can't access. For... personal things."
My face heated. 'How much?'
"1,000 Power Stones. Two-thirds of your balance."
I looked at the other options. Siren's Whisper upgrade would make the charm last longer. Stamina Control would help with... well, everything. But the idea of Lusty listening to every private thought made my skin crawl.
'Buy Thought Isolation.'
"Are you sure? You could upgrade Siren's Whisper instead. That would help with Thalia."
'I don't care. Buy it.'
[Skill Acquired: Thought Isolation (F)]
[Passive: You may now designate certain thoughts as "private." Lusty cannot access them.]
[Note: Active thoughts (e.g., "I want to use Siren's Whisper") remain readable for system functionality.]
I felt something shift in my head. Like a door closing.
"Interesting choice," Lusty said. "Most hosts buy stamina upgrades first."
'Most hosts aren't me. I like my privacy.'
She laughed. "Fair."
I closed the shop and kept walking.
---
The city gates of Valoria came into view as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Valoria. The capital of Rhodenia. Named after the royal family—King Aldric Valoris, Thalia's father. A sprawling city of white stone towers, cobblestone streets, and more streamers than any other city on the continent.
Delvecast's headquarters was here. The Everlight Church's main cathedral was here. And the royal palace sat on the highest hill, its golden spires catching the last light of day.
I'd always felt small looking at that palace.
Now I felt smaller.
"You have an invitation to enter that palace tomorrow," Lusty said. "That's more than most people ever get."
'It's not an invitation. It's a threat.'
"Same thing, different wording."
I walked through the gates and headed toward the boarding house. A few people glanced at my bloody clothes and cracked drone. No one stopped to ask if I was okay.
Same as always.
---
The boarding house was a crumbling three-story building on the edge of the adventurer's quarter. My room was on the top floor. A closet with a bed, a desk, and a window that didn't close all the way.
I locked the door, collapsed on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
"Okay Lusty, I need answers." I said out loud. "Who is Morathia?"
"A Primordial Demon. The Sin of Desire. Mother of Lust."
"And she's sealed somewhere?"
"Most of her. I'm what leaked out when you broke the crystal. Think of me as a sample. The full version is still locked away."
"What happens if the full version wakes up?"
Lusty was quiet for a long moment.
"Let's focus on your twenty-three-hour problem first."
'That's not an answer.'
"No. It's not."
I sighed and let it go. I didn't have the energy or mental strength to push.
I sat up and checked my status.
[Host: Adonis Thorne – Status: Corrupted (Rank 1)]
[Lust Essence: 250/500]
[Power Stones: 500]
[Active Quests: 1]
[Seduce a woman above your rank (23h 12m remaining]
[Marked Targets: 1]
[Thalia Valoris (SS-rank) – Seal progress: 5%]
[Viewer #1 Status: Online]
Viewer #1 was online right now. Watching me sit on my bed in my crappy room.
'They're always watching,' Lusty said quietly. 'Haven't you noticed?'
'Yeah I have. How do I know they're real? It could be a bot.'
"Bots don't eliminate people."
I was quite surprised. 'Eliminate?'
"Remember Dorian Ashfield? The streamer who mocked you last month? He's in the hospital. Broken ribs, broken jaw, memory loss. The guards called it a mugging. But there were no witnesses, no stolen goods, and no suspects."
I thought for a moment. I remembered him. He was a spoilt brat who looked down on others.
'You're saying Viewer #1 did that?'
"I'm saying someone powerful have been watching you for a long time. And they probably don't like it when others touch their toys."
I closed the status window. My hands were shaking.
'Who is it?'
"I don't know. The system hides their identity. But they have been here since day one. From the first time you began streaming or way before—"
A knock on the door cut Lusty short.
I froze. 'No one ever knocked on my door. No one even knew where I lived!'
"Thorne." An impatient female voice called out. "I know you're in there. Your light's on."
'Ahh... Except for her'
I recognized the voice. It was my landlady. Madam Claire.
I'd been avoiding her for three days. Rent was due but I didn't have the money to pay.
"I'm not feeling well—"
"Open the door or I'm adding a lock-picking fee to your tab."
I sighed and stood up to open the door.
Madam Claire stood in the hallway, arms crossed, her gray hair pulled into a tight bun. She was shorter than me but twice as terrifying.
"You're late," she said.
"I know. I just need a few more days—"
"You said that last week." She held out her palm. "Fifty silver. Now."
I opened my mouth to beg.
A notification popped up in my vision.
[Quest Update – Seduce a woman above your rank]
[Potential target detected.]
[Madam Claire – E-rank (Retired Adventurer)]
[Time remaining: 22 hours, 47 minutes.]
I stared at the window. Then at Madam Claire's wrinkled face and flinty eyes.
'No,' I thought. 'Absolutely not.'
"Seventy percent of hosts would," Lusty whispered.
'That's a lie.'
"Maybe. Maybe not. But she is above your rank. And you are desperate."
Madam Claire tapped her foot. "I don't have all night, boy."
I closed my eyes.
This was going to be the longest twenty-three hours of my life.