The pillar of light descended onto the opposite side of the arena, forcing Luke to narrow his eyes against its glare.

A figure gradually formed within it. At first, he could only make out the silhouette of a tall woman surrounded by drifting violet sparks. Long hair floated behind her, untouched by the cold wind sweeping across the platform. As the light faded, it revealed black boots, pale thighs, and the glossy outline of a skin-tight suit.

When the pillar vanished, Luke stiffened until he felt as rigid as the spear in his hands.

His mysterious partner was a woman who looked roughly twice his age, but that alone was not a problem. If Luke was honest with himself, it was actually pretty damn great. He had always been into older women.

Her outfit was the real problem.

Glossy black material covered her arms and torso, reflecting faint shades of purple whenever she moved. With its high collar and long sleeves, the suit might have looked modest if the front did not plunge almost to her stomach.

Her enormous breasts strained against the narrow strips of fabric holding them in place. The deep opening exposed most of her cleavage, while the tight suit pressed her breasts together so firmly that one careless movement looked capable of freeing them.

Luke swallowed as his gaze remained fixed on her chest. Whatever the outfit was supposed to be, it certainly did not look like armor and barely qualified as clothing.

The lower half was somehow even more shameless. The suit rose high over her hips and exposed most of her thick upper thighs. Thin black straps framed her pale skin before connecting to thigh-high heeled boots, while the material between her legs clung tightly enough to follow every curve.

He tried to look away, but his eyes refused to cooperate.

Her straight black hair fell almost to the backs of her knees. Its simple style contrasted sharply with everything else about her, giving her a strange elegance despite the outfit. Together with her mature features and calm posture, it made her look like a dark oracle pulled straight from someone’s filthiest fantasy.

A glowing purple blindfold covered her eyes. Fine lines of light moved across its surface, making it clear that it belonged to her class rather than being an ordinary strip of cloth.

That blindfold was Luke’s only saving grace because, without it, she would have immediately noticed how hard his body had reacted. His pants had become painfully tight, and he adjusted his stance so the spear shaft covered his crotch.

Did I somehow use Reinforce on my dick?

It honestly felt possible. Luke had been attracted to women before, but never this quickly or this strongly. The game seemed to have grabbed every thought he normally kept buried and dragged it straight to the surface.

Then he noticed the beauty mark near the corner of her lips, and his breath caught.

Lauren had one in almost the same place.

The longer Luke studied her, the more familiar details he found. Her lips looked similar, along with the gentle curve of her cheeks and the way her black hair framed her pale skin.

Still, the idea made no sense. Lauren was supposed to be sitting at the dining table and working through the café’s paperwork. She had said she would play another time, so why would she lie about something that small?

Plenty of women probably had beauty marks near their lips. He was forcing the resemblance because Lauren was already on his mind.

That had to be it.

"Luke?" the woman asked.

Her voice sent a strange chill across his skin. It sounded familiar, though softer and more playful than Lauren’s usual voice. The game might have changed it slightly, or perhaps he had worked himself up enough to hear Lauren in every word.

The woman tilted her head and listened. "Are you here?"

Luke opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

She clearly could not see him. Her covered eyes turned several degrees past his position, and she raised one hand cautiously in front of herself before slowly turning around.

Luke almost choked.

The back of her suit was cut just as shamelessly as the front. A narrow strip of black material disappeared between the full curves of her ass, leaving most of it bare.

It was basically a thong.

He held his breath, though there was nowhere safe to look. Her ass filled his vision, round and soft enough to make the thin strip of fabric seem almost pointless. When he finally exhaled, his cock throbbed inside his pants.

What the hell did I get myself into?

The woman turned again and continued searching for him.

"Luke?"

"Yes," he answered quickly. "I’m here."

Her shoulders relaxed. "There you are."

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to stay quiet."

"Mhm. It’s all right." A small smile touched her lips. "You must have had a reason."

Luke tightened his grip on the spear. Although the blindfold hid her eyes, her smile made him feel like she already knew exactly what that reason was.

"Did I surprise you?" she asked.

"Ah, not really."

A system window immediately appeared in front of him.

[A lie has been detected.]

[Luke’s attributes have been reduced by 20%.]

Luke stared at the message. "What?"

His body suddenly felt heavier. The spear sagged in his hands, and its metal point scraped against the stone.

The woman laughed. She did not sound cruel, and if anything, his punishment seemed to delight her.

"Oh, dear. It looks like I have a bad boy on my hands."

"I mean..."

Heat rushed into Luke’s face.

"How do you know I lied?" he asked. "Can you actually see me?"

"I can’t see the arena itself, but the system windows are clear to me." Her smile widened. "So you should probably be honest with me, darling."

Her chuckle made Luke’s heart beat even faster.

Losing twenty percent of his attributes before the monsters attacked was a serious problem. Reinforce might make up for the penalty, but using mana because he was too embarrassed to tell the truth would be incredibly stupid.

"I wasn’t expecting you to look like that," he said.

Her smile widened. "Like what?"

Luke immediately regretted opening his mouth. He searched for something polite, but the penalty window remained in front of him.

"Your outfit," he said. "It’s really revealing."

"Is it?"

She tried to sound innocent, but the smile on her lips ruined the act.

Luke glanced at the enormous opening between her breasts. "Yes."

"And you were looking?"

His fingers tightened around the spear. "I noticed."

"That wasn’t what I asked."

Luke’s face grew hotter while the woman waited, clearly enjoying every second of his discomfort.

"Yes," he admitted. "I was staring."

A new notification appeared.

[You have admitted the truth.]

[The lie penalty has been removed.]

[Your attributes have been restored.]

Strength returned to Luke’s arms, allowing him to lift the spear before its tip scraped across the floor again.

The woman made a pleased sound. "Mhm. Much better."

Luke wished the arena would open beneath him and swallow him. Six monsters waited in the shadows around them, yet admitting that he had stared at a stranger’s breasts somehow felt worse.

"Do you have a name?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Yvonne."

Her name appeared above her head.

[Yvonne]

Luke repeated it silently. It did not sound familiar, though Lauren probably would not have used her real name inside the game anyway.

He pushed the thought aside.

"I’m Luke."

"I know, darling."