The notification burned crimson in Rem's vision like a brand she couldn't escape, pulsing with malicious intent that made her stomach drop even as evening light faded around the wagon. Red text instead of blue meant nothing good—meant Aria had decided to stop playing subtle games and start demanding things that would strip away whatever dignity Rem had managed to keep intact.
Her hands trembled where they gripped the wagon's edge, staring at words that promised fresh torment wrapped in rewards she couldn't afford to refuse.
[ARIA'S ATTENTION: The Goddess Wants to Play]
[Time Limit: 48 hours]
[Objective 1: Experience orgasm without touching yourself (3 times)]
[Objective 2: Make someone aroused through proximity alone]
[Objective 3: Sleep within 5 feet of Kaisen with no barriers between]
[Objective 4: ??? (Unlocks after Objective 3)]
[Rewards: 500 LP + Special Item + Temporary LST lock at 15]
[Failure: Immediate LST jump to 25 + Permanent sensitivity curse]
"What the actual fuck, Aria?!" Rem hissed under her breath, grateful the forest sounds masked her voice from the others below. These weren't combat objectives, weren't about surviving monsters or protecting companions—these were designed specifically make her horny, to force her into situations where her corruption became undeniable.
But the failure penalty made her blood run cold. LST 25 would be unbearable, would turn her into something she didn't want to examine too closely, while a permanent sensitivity curse suggested exactly the kind of torture Aria enjoyed inflicting. The rewards though—500 LP was massive, whatever the special item was might prove useful, but that temporary lock at 15 meant time without further corruption advancement.
A week where she could breathe without worrying every action would push her deeper into depravity.
"Just survive this.." she muttered while accepting the quest with a mental click that felt like signing her soul away. "Get the rewards, pretend it never happened....."
The interface dismissed itself, leaving her alone with racing thoughts until Marcus's voice drifted up from the driver's seat without him turning around. "You alright up there? Looked like you were arguing with yourself."
Heat flooded her face despite the cooling evening air. "Just thinking too loud."
"Dangerous habit out here." His tone carried concern mixed with something else she couldn't identify, warm in ways that made her stomach do complicated things. "Let me know if you need to talk. I'm told I'm a good listener."
That smile when he glanced back at her—gods, why did everyone in this cursed story have to be attractive? It wasn't fair, wasn't reasonable, definitely wasn't helping her current situation where LST 15 made her notice details she'd normally ignore, she knew it was just temporary, this much boost at 15 would have been unreasonable it was just a sudden boost due to her reaching a threshold, so now she just had to bear through it with the effects cooled down a little.
"I'm fine," she lied while her body disagreed with every word. "Just tired from the forest."
He didn't believe her—the slight quirk of his lips said as much—but he let it go with grace that suggested experience dealing with people who didn't want to share their problems. The wagon continued rolling forward through white ash trees while evening approached, each rotation of the wheels bringing them closer to wherever they'd make camp for the night.
Closer to whatever fresh hell awaited.
Marcus found a clearing maybe thirty minutes later as dusk painted the forest in shades of grey that matched the ash covering everything, pulling the horse to a stop with practiced ease while calling out locations for setting up camp. Kaisen appeared from his scouting position ahead, sword sheathed now that immediate danger had passed for the moment. Elise emerged from inside the wagon looking refreshed despite hours of travel, her noble bearing intact even in wilderness.
Rem climbed down from the wagon top through sheer stubbornness when no one offered help, boots crunching on ash that muffled sound in unsettling ways. The clearing felt exposed despite trees surrounding them on all sides, white bark gleaming faintly in fading light like bone pillars marking territory that didn't belong to humans.
"I'll get the fire started," Marcus announced while already moving to gather wood, efficient movements speaking to years of experience making camp in dangerous places. "Kaisen, help Elise set up inside the wagon. Rem, you're on perimeter check once I've got flames going."
Perfect excuse to avoid everyone when objectives started demanding attention she didn't want to give.
Camp setup followed familiar patterns from the previous night—Marcus building fire with small touches of magic that made kindling catch faster than natural methods allowed, Kaisen and Elise arranging sleeping space in the wagon with casual touches that suggested growing comfort between them, Rem standing uselessly to the side while trying not to notice how her body responded to absolutely everything around her.
LST 15 made the world feel different in ways she'd barely processed yet. Every sensation amplified slightly, every sight carrying weight it shouldn't, sounds seeming to caress her ears instead of just entering them. The evening air felt sensual on exposed skin, the smell of smoke from the fire stirred something low in her belly, even the ash crunching under her boots seemed designed to remind her of texture and friction.
"This is just corruption.." she muttered while watching Marcus work. " the stats are affecting my perception, nothing more than game mechanics I wrote myself."
Except she hadn't written the LST stat, hadn't planned corruption thresholds beyond vague notes about "increasing sensitivity and arousal." The system had taken her sketches and made them real in ways that felt personal, targeted, deliberately crafted to torture her specifically.
Aria's should get a copyright strike.
Marcus got the fire crackling properly while the last light of the sun died completely, plunging the forest into darkness broken only by their small circle of flame. He'd positioned the clearing well—the wagon blocking one approach, thick undergrowth limiting others, good sightlines for anyone on night watch too.
Dinner preparations began with rations that somehow became almost edible through his cooking, basic spices elevating dried meat and hardtack into something resembling actual food.
The group gathered around the fire four people sitting close enough for warmth but maintaining careful distances that felt more awkward than comfortable. Rem chose a spot where she could see everyone without being directly across from anyone, back against a convenient rock while trying to appear relaxed despite tension thrumming through every muscles.
Conversations started slow—comments about the day's travel, observations about the forest, small talk that filled silence without requiring real engagement. Kaisen did most of the talking with enthusiasm that never seemed to fade, telling stories about his training or things he'd seen in the city with animated gestures that made firelight dance across his features.
Elise laughed at something he said, her usual cold mask slipping to reveal warmth underneath. She leaned slightly closer to him while laughing, their shoulders touching in casual intimacy that spoke to growing familiarity between them.
Rem watched from her rock, telling herself she didn't care about their developing relationship, ignoring how her stomach clenched watching them together. This was the story she'd written after all—she was only the first of many girls to come, not just limited to humans at that, why did it bother her anyways.... it was not like she gave a fuck.
something shifted in the air around the fire.
Warmth spread through the clearing that had nothing to do with flames, invisible pressure building against Rem's skin like humidity before a storm. Her breath caught for no reason she could identify initially, thighs pressing together unconsciously while heat bloomed low in her belly without warning or invitation. she was wet.
Across the fire, Marcus shifted his position slightly, adjusting his pants in an awkward way. Even Elise's breathing changed subtly, becoming slightly deeper while color rose in her cheeks that firelight didn't fully explain.
Rem's eyes found Kaisen automatically, drawn by instinct she didn't understand—and found him looking at Elise with an expression that made everything click into place with horrifying clarity. He was aroused, clearly and obviously turned on by her and somehow that arousal was affecting everyone around them.
"Oh fuck," she breathed while recognition slammed through her like physical impact. "I gave him that ability."
It was his first ability which would help him in is conquest over many woman—a passive aura that activated when he became aroused, making everyone nearby more horny, much much more horny. It was meant to make women more willing to accept his attention, written as game mechanics without considering what experiencing it would feel like.
When she though about it, he should have gotten this just around the time they saved Elise from the bandits... fuck!!
Now she knew. Now she understood why her body responded to his mere presence, why watching him touch Elise made her ache in ways that had nothing to do with jealousy and everything to do with her own need.
The aura pressed against her senses while objective reminders burned in her vision, LST 15 combining with this external influence to create a feedback loop she couldn't escape. Memories flooded back unbidden—last night's sounds from the wagon, her own hand between her legs while listening, the way she'd touched herself this morning thinking about things she shouldn't want.
Marcus's voice in her ear from a memory that hadn't happened yet: "Is this what you needed?"
"I need to check the perimeter!!" Rem announced abruptly while standing on shaking legs, desperate for distance from the charm's influence before she did something stupid in front of everyone. "Make sure nothing's stalking us."
Three pairs of eyes turned toward her—Kaisen's holding concern mixed with curiosity, Elise's knowing in ways that made Rem's face burn hotter, Marcus's dark and assessing in the firelight. That last gaze lingered longest, traveling over her flushed face with understanding that suggested he knew exactly what she was feeling.
"Want company?" Marcus offered casually, already starting to stand. "Two sets of eyes are better than one."
"No!" She was too loud, too sharp, drawing more attention than refusing would have. "I mean... I'll be quick, just want to scout around. Someone should stay with the fire anyway."
She fled before anyone could argue, her nether region grew more damp while she put distance between herself and Kaisen's aura, between herself and Marcus's knowing looks, between herself and everything that made her body respond in ways she couldn't control. The forest welcomed her into darkness beyond the firelight, white trees gleaming faintly while shadows pressed close from all sides.
It was dangerous to wander alone, stupid to leave the relative safety of camp, but staying would've been worse—it would've meant sitting there feeling her own lust work on her defenses until she did something that revealed exactly how affected she was.
Rem walked until the fire became a distant glow through trees, her breathing started to calm slightly despite the ache building between her legs. Far enough for safety from observation but close enough to run back if any monsters appeared. A wave of heat throughout her body left her leaning against a tree with one hand pressed to her racing heart.
"Just calm down," she muttered while the Objective 1 reminder pulsed insistently. "It's just the charm, just the system, it'll fade once you're away from—"
Aria's laugh cut through her thoughts like a blade, that familiar melodic sound echoing in her mind rather than her ears, the goddess's presence flooding through her consciousness without warning or invitation.
"Oh my sweet little plaything~ Did you enjoy your first taste of true lust?"
Rem froze against the tree, grateful no one could hear the conversation happening inside her skull. "Get out of my mind, Aria..... now is not the tim-"
"But darling, this is the perfect timing." Amusement dripped through every word, thick as honey and twice as cloying. "That little show last night was exquisite—touching yourself while listening to the lovebirds fuck. And here I thought you'd resist longer before giving in."
"That wasn't giving in! that was the system" Anger and shame mixed in equal measure while Rem's hands clenched into fists. "You're forcing me into situations—"
"I'm not forcing anything, dear." The voice turned sweetly poisonous. "Every choice is yours. Every touch, every moan, every desperate grind against this very convenient tree you're currently pressed against—all you. I just provide opportunities. to reveal how much of a slut you really are"
"This isn't me!" But even as she said it, Rem felt the lie in her bones. The corruption was becoming part of her whether she wanted to admit it or not, changing thought patterns and responses until the line between forced and chosen blurred into nothing.
"Mm, keep telling yourself that." A phantom sensation of fingers trailing down Rem's spine made her shudder despite no none actually being there. "LST 15 suits you beautifully by the way. Everything feels better now, doesn't it? Every sight, every sound, every breath charged with possibility, its a shame its only temporary."
"How do I reduce it?" Desperate question torn from lips before pride could stop her. "There has to be a way to lower the stat, to reverse what you've done—"
"Oh there is~" That giggle was infuriating, like it was designed specifically to make Rem want to punch something that didn't exist in physical space. "Complete my quests successfully and I'll lock your LST temporarily—no increases for a whole week! Refuse or fail though..." The threat hung unspoken but vivid. "Well, LST 25 would be quite the experience. You'd probably come just from putting on clothes."
"That's not permanent reduction," Rem ground out through clenched teeth. "That's just delaying—"
"The only permanent reduction comes from embracing what you are, darling~" Aria's voice turned sultry, intimate in ways that made Rem's skin crawl even as heat pooled low in her pussy. "Stop fighting the corruption, accept your new nature, and the system will stabilize. Keep resisting and it'll keep climbing until you break. the only way to reduce lust is to be what your meant to be"
"I'm not embracing shit."
"We'll see." Knowing certainty that promised future torment Rem couldn't even imagine yet. "For now, enjoy my little game. Complete the objectives like a good girl and earn your rewards. And Rem?" The voice dropped lower, became almost a purr. "When that handsome healer touches you later—and he will, I've made certain of it—don't fight too hard. The sex is so much sweeter when you stop resisting and just feel~~"
Then she was gone, presence evaporating like morning mist, leaving Rem shaking against the tree with anger and unwanted arousal warring for release. The goddess's final words echoed in her mind while implications settled like lead weights—Marcus was going to touch her, Aria had arranged it somehow, and fighting would only make things worse?
"Fuck my life," she whispered to the uncaring forest. "Fuck this world, fuck Aria fuck everything about this situation!! all i did was create some smut damn it!?"
The objective reminder pulsed again, mocking her with requirements she had to meet:
[Objective 1: Experience release without self-pleasure (0/3)]
She could hear Aria's voice even though the goddess was gone: Don't touch yourself, darling. Let someone else do it for you.
Rem's hand drifted toward her waistband before she caught herself, forcing it back to her side with tremendous effort. Not allowed, not permitted by quest rules, she had to find another way. Had to let external stimulation make her cum over three times in the next two days without ever touching herself directly.
The tree bark pressed rough against her back through her shirt, texture noticeable even through fabric. Modest sleep clothes she'd changed into after making camp—simple pants and long-sleeved shirt designed for comfort rather than appearance—but the fabric suddenly felt like torture against sensitized skin.
"Just get it over with," she muttered while leaning harder against the tree.
Her hips rocked forward experimentally, testing whether the seam of her pants pressing between her legs through the motion could provide enough friction. The answer came immediately—yes, gods yes, the pressure hit right where she needed it most combined with roughness of bark through her shirt to create sensation that made her breath catch.
This counted as external stimulation. This would work, it had to. This was allowed under the quest rules even if it made her feel like an bitch in heat.
Rem braced one hand against the tree while the other covered her mouth preemptively. Her hips found rhythm against the bark, grinding slowly at first while testing how much sensation she could handle, building gradually toward release that hovered just out of reach.
Thoughts flooded unbidden while she moved— lewd though between her and all the members of her part, she fantasized and every moments with precise detail, but it was like adding a drop of water in the ocean, Marcus! oh what a pleasant surprise it was, his husky breaths, tones muscle, deep voice and even that bulge in his pants...
Why was she thinking about Marcus? That made no sense, he was just a background character, he wasn't supposed to matter beyond being a competent healer who'd die protecting Elise later in the story. But his hands had looked so capable preparing dinner, his voice carried authority when he spoke, those dark eyes studying her earlier had promised things she didn't want to examine.
"Stop it," she gasped against her palm but hips moved faster, grinding her pussy against the bark, desperate to cum. "He's not—this isn't—fuck..."
The bark scraped through fabric in ways that should've hurt but only added to building pressure, friction combining with mental images to push her toward edge she desperately needed to fall over. Her breathing came in harsh pants muffled by her hand, thighs trembling from her effort of maintaining rhythm, her entire body taut with approaching release.
Close, so close, just needed a little more—
Footsteps crunching on ash froze her mid-motion.
Rem's eyes flew open in horror, head snapping toward the sound of someone approaching through darkness beyond the trees. No time to move away from this compromising position, no way to pretend she'd been doing anything else, caught literally grinding against a tree like an animal.
"Fuck fuck fuc—"
A hand covered her mouth from behind before she could finish the curse, a large palm pressing firmly while a body moved against her back, pinning her to the tree she'd been using. Rem's scream died in her throat, muffled completely by the hand, panic spiking until familiar voice spoke low in her ear.
"Shh," Marcus breathed against her skin, his chest solid against her spine. "Don't move. Don't make a sound."
"I followed you," Marcus murmured against her ear, his voice dropping to something dark and possessive that made her core clench despite the panic. "Wanted to make sure you were safe out here alone, away from camp, away from watching eyes."
His free hand slid down her side with agonizing slowness, fingertips dragging across the fabric of her shirt in a way that made her hyperaware of every inch of skin beneath. The rough calluses on his palm scraped deliciously even through the cloth barrier, promising things that made her thighs tremble.
"Instead I find you out here grinding against a tree like a bitch in heat." His breath was hot against the her ear, teeth grazing the sensitive skin there while his words dripped with dark amusement. "How long have you been like this, Rem? How long have you been desperate and aching, too proud to ask for what you need?"
She tried to speak against his palm, tried to form words that might explain or deflect, but he pressed his hand more firmly over her mouth while his body pinned her completely against the rough bark.
"No talking," he commanded, authority bleeding through every syllable. "You don't get to make excuses or pretend this isn't what you want. I saw you at dinner, saw how you were squirming by the fire. i even saw those pretty long thighs pressing together while you tried to hide how wet you were getting."
Oh gods, he'd noticed. her desperate attempt at composure were slowly crumbling, she was not used to these kind of things, just a week before she was a man. Heat flooded her face while his words painted a picture of her own desperation that made the ache between her legs intensify unbearably.
His exploring hand reached her waist, fingers teasing at the waistband of her pants while hovering just above where she needed his touch the most. "You've been driving me insane since I met you," he continued in that same dark tone. "Sitting on top of that wagon all day with your ass in the air, bending over to check supplies with your tits practically spilling out, walking around camp like you don't know what you do to men."
She made a muffled sound of protest—she hadn't been doing any of that intentionally—but his laugh suggested he didn't believe her denial for a second.
"Don't even try to pretend you're innocent." His fingers dipped below her waistband but stayed outside her underwear, tracing the edge of fabric that separated them from direct contact. "I saw you in that kimono yesterday, saw every man in that market imagining what you'd look like spread out beneath them. And you know what? So did I!"
The confession made her core clench hard, wetness soaking through her underwear while his words created images she didn't want but couldn't stop. Marcus imagining her like that, Then was Kaisen like that too? both of them lusting over her, over this body?
"Fuck, you're soaked already." His fingers pressed against the dampness spreading through her pants, finding the wet heat of her pussy even through two layers of fabric. "I can feel how much you need this through your clothes. How much you need someone to take care of this ache, to give you what you've been begging for without words~"
He wasn't wrong. She was soaked, desperately horny, her body was screaming for her to cum after hours of denial. She could not control herself.
"Let me help you." Not quite a question, more like a statement of intent that didn't require permission. His fingers traced lower through her pants, mapping the shape of her pussy through the fabric with precision that suggested he had done this beofre. "Let me make you feel good, make you cum so hard you forget your own name."
She whimpered against his palm, hips rocking forward unconsciously to seek more pressure from his teasing touch. He chuckled darkly at her response, clearly pleased by how easily she was responding to his touch.
"You're going to come on my fingers like a good girl." His voice rough with his own arousal rumbled against her ass. "Been wanting to do this since I saw you in that white kimono yesterday—all slutty and beautiful, trying so hard to pretend you weren't advertising what you needed."
His fingers found her clit through the soaked fabric, circling the swollen bundle of nerves with enough pressure to make her see stars. The texture of wet cloth added friction that should've been frustrating but instead felt incredible, the barrier somehow making everything more intense rather than less.
"You were so beautiful," he continued while his fingers worked magic through her pants. "Your face was flushed, lips parted, even your hips moving in that desperate rhythm showing just how slutty you were. It made me so fucking hard watching you, made me want to fuck you in the middle of the market, with every eye on us as you moaned for me"
The mental image crashed through her—Marcus pinning her to the ground in public, but without clothes, with his cock pressing where his fingers currently teased. She moaned loudly against his palm, the sound muffled but desperate, while her hips bucked seeking more of the pressure he was providing.
"That's what you want, isn't it?" His fingers pressed harder, they were already inside her pussy despite the underwear in between. "Want me to fuck you against this tree? make you take every inch while you scream in heat. maybe you like the idea of the others hearing us, hearing how much you love it."
She shouldn't want that. Shouldn't be getting wetter at the thought, shouldn't be imagining exactly what he described with vivid detail that made her clench around nothing. But after this week, she had changed, Aria had changed her responses, had made her body crave things her mind still tried to reject.
"Maybe later," he murmured like he could read her thoughts through her reactions. "Right now I'm going to make you come on my fingers, going to feel you shake apart while I hold you up."
His fingers found the perfect angle through her panties, pressing against her clit with the rhythm that matched how she'd been grinding before he'd appeared. The combination of pressure and texture with his filthy words pushed her rapidly toward the edge she'd been approaching building faster than should be possible after being interrupted.
"Been thinking about this since yesterday," he continued while working her expertly. " I bet you touched yourself that night too, didn't you? Made yourself come thinking about all those eyes on you?"
She had, oh gods she had, the memory making her writhe against his hand while shame and arousal mixed into something more, it intensified everything. He hummed his approval against her ear, clearly taking her reaction as confirmation of his guess.
"Good girl. I love knowing you're just as desperate as I am, just as affected by this—" He pressed harder, his fingers were now deep inside along with the fabric of her pantie stretching inside, it was at the verge of tearing "—whatever this is between us."
The acknowledgment that he felt it too, that this wasn't just her corruption making her respond, somehow it made everything worse and better simultaneously. Marcus wanted her, he had been thinking about her, he was currently touching her in ways that felt too good to be true, she felt weird and good at the same time.
"You going to come for me?" His teeth grazed her earlobe again, sending shivers down her spine. "Let me feel you fall apart? Because I can tell you're close, i can feel your thighs shaking, your even moving your hips like a bitch"
She was close, desperately close, balanced on the edge of orgasm that his fingers kept teasing but not quite delivering. Her muffled sounds grew more desperate, more pleading, while he maintained that perfect maddening pressure that kept her hovering without tipping over.
"Beg for it," he commanded suddenly, fingers slowing their rhythm to something torturous. "Make sounds against my hand that let me know how much you need this, how much you need me to let you cum."
The humiliation of begging while gagged should've been mortifying, but instead it just added to the guilty pleasure. She made desperate pleading noises against his palm, hips bucking trying to increase the friction herself, completely shameless in her need.
"Fuck, you sound perfect like this~" His fingers resumed their rhythm, faster and harder than before. "So desperate, your so needy im so excited to break you. Come now, Rem. Come on my fingers like the good girl you are!"
The command combined with his deep voice and fingers inside her—it shattered her completely. Thin liquid crashed through her with force that made her knees loose balance, only his arm around her waist keeping her upright while pleasure rolled through every nerve ending. She screamed into his palm, the sound completely muffled while her body convulsed against him, hips jerking through waves that seemed to last forever.
His fingers kept working her through it, drawing out every aftershock until she was boneless and gasping, she was held up entirely by his strength while her legs refused to support her weight. The quest notification appeared somewhere in her awareness but she couldn't process it, too overwhelmed by the intensity of what he'd just done to her.
"There we go~~" he praised against her ear, voice rough with satisfaction. "That's what you needed, wasn't it? Someone to take control and give you pleasure?"
He removed his hand from her mouth slowly, letting her gasp for air while his other hand withdrew from her pants. She slumped against the tree, legs shaking too hard to support her weight without something solid behind her, her mind was completely blown by what had just happened.
Marcus turned her around to face him with hands on her shoulders, dark eyes studying her flushed face and swollen lips with possessive satisfaction that, they promised this wouldn't be the last time. Distant firelight filtered through trees to illuminate his expression—hungry, pleased, and needy.
"You look fucking beautiful like this." His thumb brushed across her bottom lip, pressing slightly to test the give of soft flesh. "All well-fucked by my fingers, your pretty eyes blown wide with lust, gods your even drooling all over"
She couldn't speak, couldn't form coherent words that would make sense of the situation, could only stare at him while her body continued trembling . He brought his hand up between them, fingers still glistening with her wetness that had soaked them through to coat his skin.
His gaze locked with hers while he brought those fingers to his mouth deliberately, hos tongue sweeping across the fingers to taste her arousal with obvious enjoyment. "Delicious," he purred after licking them clean, never breaking eye contact. "Even better than I imagined. Definitely going to need more of that sometime soon~"
Heat flooded her face—impossible, she'd just cum harder than ever in her life, she shouldn't be capable of arousal again so quickly—but his actions and words stirred something low in her belly despite physical exhaustion.
"Better get back before they wonder where we are." His grin turned wicked, knowing exactly the effect he was having. "Can't have them knowing what we were doing out here in the dark, can we? What would they think, finding you with my hand down your pants making you scream? oh wait, maybe you want them to?"
He walked away casually, leaving her leaning against the tree with cum dripping into her underwear, the quest objective glowing mockingly in her vision. He just walked away like fingering someone through their clothes in a monster-infested forest was perfectly normal behavior! like he hadn't just given her the most intense orgasm of her life!!
Rem stayed frozen for several minutes after he disappeared into the darkness, trying to process what had happened while her body slowly came down from the high. Marcus had touched her. Had made her come while whispering filthy things in her ear, made her beg for him while like claiming ownership over her body.
And the worst part? She wanted him to do it again.
"I'm so fucked," she whispered to the uncaring forest while fixing her clothes with trembling hands. "Literally and figuratively completely fucked." What was Kaisen going to think of her?