"Mmph—!"

A cry was about to escape Seraphina’s lips, just as she bit down on them so fiercely to stop herself that the faint taste of blood touched her tongue.

Without thinking, she gripped Lucian’s shoulders so hard that their bodies were crushed flush against one another. Her entire frame went rigid with a violent jolt.

A strange mix of pain and that sudden sensation numbed her mind completely.

Oh god. Oh god no. No Not like this—

Her eyes were rolling back from the pleasure as her mouth had fallen slightly open, leaving her breathing extremely heavy.

She couldn’t let Lucian see her in this state at any cost. So, tilting her head down slightly, she just held him with all her strength so that Lucian couldn’t see her face.

That pressure — after struggling for so long... after coming so close and stopping—it was really enough.

Meanwhile, Lucian, who was just trying to steady his balance, suddenly froze.

The moment it registered, he realized exactly where his knee was pressing. His face drained of all color, going stark white from a mix of horror and utter embarrassment.

"Sera?!" he suddenly started worrying. "You’re not hurt, are you? Are you okay..."

He scrambled up quickly, stumbling two steps backward. Still pale with shock, he threw his hands up in the air as if in absolute surrender.

Sera immediately rolled to the other side, curling her knees and shielding her eyes with the back of her forearm over her face to hide her expression in the darkness.

Lucian couldn’t see her face; all he could see was her quivering frame. He assumed she was about to explode with anger.

"I-I’m so sorry, Sera! I d-didn’t mean to do that!"

A sharp shudder ran through Seraphina’s body. She took a deep, broken breath and without moving inch from her lying position, screamed with all her strength:

"GET OUT!"

Lucian’s already pale face fell completely. He shot her a look of pure misery and concern for a split second, then spun on his heel and scrambled toward the door. Frantic and confused, all he could manage to blurt out was, "I’m really, really sorry, Sera, I—"

"NOW!"

He was gone.

The click of the door shutting echoed through the room, and for the next three seconds, Seraphina remained curled up on the floor. Her body was still struggling to come down from those intense aftershocks. Then, she abruptly shot up, lunged onto the bed, and began hammering her fists into the mattress in a fit of absolute frustration.

What is wrong with me?! Why did I do that... How am I ever going to face him again? I can’t. Never.

Lucian stood in the hallway outside Seraphina’s door, utterly confused.

What just happened?

She was so heavily flushed. Sweating so much...

Wait...

He glanced down at his knee.

Oh. OH no. That — OH FUCK.

His face burned violently red as the scene replayed in his mind all...

Oh god. She was masturbating. Definitely — fantasizing about me.

Lucian started walking down the hall, but his mind was still hopelessly tangled up in those chaotic, hazy thoughts.

"I am never going to be able to forget this," he muttered quietly to himself.

"Never."

A part of him wanted to burst out laughing at the sheer insanity of the whole situation. But every fiber of his being knew that tomorrow was going to be EXTREMELY awkward.

She is absolutely going to kill me.

That is, if she doesn’t die of embarrassment first...

...

..

.

A short while later, Lucian slipped back into his room. He clicked the door shut and, without a second thought, collapsed onto the bed, as if all the energy inside him had been drained in a single moment.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, he half-closed his eyes.

He already knew — thanks to the system — that Seraphina had fallen for him. But... he had never anticipated something like this. The thought of her losing control over him to that extent kept replaying in his mind.

"I didn’t expect this..." he muttered to himself.

His thoughts kept drifting back to the same thing. Every time he tried to push them away, they came back even stronger, the same as seraphina.

"Damn it..."

Suddenly, he ran both hands through his hair, aggressively ruffling it, frustration clearly written all over his face.

"Come on, Sera... why did you create a situation like this? Now I can’t stop thinking about you..."

He abruptly sat up on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of his face.

"System," he said in an irritated tone, "tell me... how do I stop thinking about all this?"

There was silence for a few seconds... then a familiar, slightly mocking voice echoed in his mind —

[So you’re dumb enough to ask me something like that...? No problem. Your daddy’s got this situation.]

Lucian’s eyes twitched.

"Now this bastard is taking shots at me as well," he thought, grinding his teeth.

The system continued without pause —

[For now, you have two missions pending.

First — understand your skill through multiple experiments.

Second — upgrade your stats as quickly as possible. No matter how intelligent you are... without strength, you’re just an easy target.]

With every line, Lucian’s jaw and temples twitched. Irritation, pressure... and a hidden fear.

He slowly closed his eyes.

One... two... three...

Long, steady breaths.

The room echoed with nothing but the sound of his breathing. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Then he opened his eyes.

This time, there was no hesitation in them — only a burning determination.

"Let’s do it..."

He stared straight ahead and said —

"Skill gate... open."

The air in front of him began to distort, as if reality itself was folding. A circular, dark-purple portal slowly formed, faint energy crackling along its edges.

Without hesitation, Lucian stepped toward it.

Just as he lifted his foot to step inside—

khrrr...

A faint sound.

Like something had moved.

He froze instantly.

His gaze snapped across the entire room.

Silence.

No one was there.

Nothing.

"...Must be my imagination," he shrugged slightly, though a faint uneasiness lingered within him.

Without thinking further, he stepped into the gate.

—

In the very next moment...

The world had changed.

Cold night air brushed softly against his pale skin. In the distance, the sounds of insects and nocturnal birds blended into an eerie symphony.

The same dense forest surrounded him — tall, shadowy trees, their canopies barely letting the moonlight reach the ground.

His hair swayed gently in the breeze.

Bing.

A sharp notification flashed in his mind—

[New Quest Unlocked]

[Welcome to the Forbidden Forest]

Lucian narrowed his eyes slightly, observing his surroundings.

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"Interesting..."