The inner zone stretched endlessly, filled with towering trees and shifting shadows.

Zac walked ahead, calm and unbothered, as if nothing around him mattered, and Lily followed closely behind, a little closer to him than necessary.

Suddenly, a beast lunged out from the underbrush, its roar breaking the silence as it raised its claws. With a single swing of his sword, the beast collapsed mid-charge, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Lily glanced at the fallen beast, then looked back at him, her gaze sharper than before. "You make it look so easy," she murmured, stepping closer.

Zac wiped the blood from his blade with a faint smile on his lips. "That’s because it is." Something about that smile made her chest tighten.

She moved closer, her arm brushing lightly against his. "You’ve been fighting nonstop... don’t you ever get tired?"

"Not really."

His presence lingered around her like a fever she didn’t want to shake. The closer she stood, the harder it became to look away.

Lily tilted her head, a loose strand of auburn hair falling across her face. She tucked it behind her ear in a slow, deliberate motion.

"You’re amazing. But I still don’t know your name."

"I will tell you when the time comes."

"Trying to be mysterious...ah. I like it."

"Believe me, you will love it more when I tell you."

***

The deeper they went into the inner zone, the stronger the beasts became. But it made no difference to Zac. One after another, they all fell beneath his blade without resistance.

To Lily, who followed him closely, it felt like a dream.

It wasn’t just fighting, no, it was something else. Dominance. As if nothing in this place could ever reach him. With every passing moment, she found him more captivating and difficult to ignore.

But what she didn’t realize was that it wasn’t by chance that she was feeling this way. Zac is continuously using his unmatched charisma and divine aura to seduce her.

"You’re not even trying, are you?" she asked softly, her fingers trailing slightly along his sleeve.

Zac glanced at her hand, then back at her. "Should I?" There was a quiet tease in his voice. Lily gave an alluring smile. "You’re dangerous..." whispering in a husky voice.

Inside, Zac felt completely disgusted by her behavior. He saw through every move, every subtle attempt she made to seduce him.

He felt angry at himself for loving this kind of woman in the past. Still, his expression remained the same, continuing the act.

***

After four hours of moving through the inner zone, Lily finally sank onto a fallen log and let out a quiet breath. "Can we rest for a bit?" she asked, tilting her head up toward him.

Zac didn’t answer and simply stood there, watching her.

She leaned back slightly, stretching just enough for the torn edges of her uniform to reveal glimpses of pale skin. Catching his gaze, she stretched a little more, slower this time, as if testing him, as if waiting.

He didn’t react.

A faint pout formed on her lips as she looked at him. "You really don’t react to anything, do you?" she said softly.

Zac stepped closer, closing the distance in a single, unhurried motion until he stood just within her space. He reached out, brushing a strand of her hair aside before lightly tilting her chin up with his hand.

"Do you want me to?" he asked with a tease.

Lily’s eyes flickered with satisfaction, her thoughts already racing with quiet triumph as she looked up at him. In her mind, she thought she already won him with her seduction.

She met his gaze. "Maybe."

"Are you really okay with this?" he asked softly. "We only met a few hours ago."

Before he could answer, she reached up and held his face between her hands, her fingers pressing lightly against his cheeks as she leaned closer.

"You never know when you’ll find the one you’ve been waiting for your whole life," she said with fervent expression.

"And when that moment comes, you have to hold on with everything you have. The ones who don’t, they regret it for the rest of their lives." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

His gaze locked onto her unwaveringly. "So... am I the one you were waiting for?"

Her eyes burning with deep intensity, she continued, "The moment I saw you saving me like a prince in shining armor, I knew. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for."

"I love you and want to be with you as long as the sun shines and stars glitter."

There was no hesitation or flicker in her voice, but Zac felt a volcano erupting in his mind. All the sweet moments and dreams he once had about her came back to his mind hearing that line.

[If I didn’t know any better, I might’ve really believed her. Really...the sun shines...the stars glitter. Like hell I don’t know that before.]

"She said the same thing to me when we were together."

[I see... so this bitch been telling the same thing to everyone she tries to seduce.]

Lily saw his hesitation. "What happened?"

"Nothing, just mesmerized by your beauty."

"Oh really, so what is your name?"

"Not now," Zac said once again with a sweet smile.

Lily reached up again, her fingers brushing against Zac’s face as she gently pulled him closer. She also leaned in, closing the distance between them until only a scale length remained between their lips.

Both of them felt each other’s breath on their faces. But just before their lips could meet, Zac stopped her.

"Not here."

Lily blinked in confusion. "Why...?"

Zac raised his hand, showing the VBS. "I don’t want others to see our intimate moments."

A small smile curved on her lips. "I see...I too don’t want them to think bad about me."

[Great, now the bitch is acting like a virgin.] vomiting emoji.

Zac leaned in slightly, just enough to brush his words against her ear. "Let’s go somewhere no one can see us."

"Oh...are you going to do bad things to me?" She said with a coquettish smile.

"Yeah, very...very bad things."

[Hee...heee...] creepy smiling.

She nodded with fingers tightened against him.

***

The moment they stepped into the core zone, Zac instantly felt the shift.

The mana there was even denser, thick enough to feel with every breath, while the lingering aura of the boss monster filled the space, pressing down on him with a faint pressure.

Zac covered himself and Lily with his divine aura, negating the pressure, and walked to the center of the core zone.

A cave stood at the center, hidden among the jagged rock formations.

Zac scanned the entrance for any sign of movement, then stepped inside, carrying Lily in his arms.

After they entered the cave, a figure emerged from the rustling bushes, his gaze fixed on the entrance as cold killing intent flickered in his eyes.

Without a sound, he moved forward and slipped into the cave.

***

Inside the cave, there was only a faint flicker of light, barely enough to see the surroundings.

Zac set Lily down and looked at the battle marks carved into the walls.

"Must’ve been left behind when they tried to capture the boss monster."

When Zac turned around, Lily had already shed most of her clothes, standing only with her blouse, panties, and stockings.

She stepped toward him slowly with deliberate movement, swaying her hips left to right, showcasing her bubble butt.

"Tell me your name, baby." She asked while her hand drifted upward, loosening the top and revealing most of her breast.

She stopped in front of Zac, with her hands roaming over his chest with a restless urgency and eyes filled with hunger.

"I can’t wait anymore." She slowly lowered herself to her knees, looking up at him submissively and whispering, "Take me...and be harsh with me just like you did with those beasts."

Zac looked down at her with the air between them growing heavy.

He pulled her back to her feet, drawing her close as he leaned in, closing the distance between their lips.

Just as they were about to meet, "what the hell is going on here?!"

The voice thundered through the cave, sharp and furious.

Lily flinched, her body stiffening instantly, knowing who it was.

Slowly, she turned her head toward the entrance, her expression shifting as she met the gaze of the person standing there with killing intent radiating from him.