"Master, we must move. The blood scent will draw more."
Elara tugged at Lux's uninjured arm, her eyes darting nervously toward the gaping hole the wolves had torn in the front door. The wind outside was howling louder, carrying the promise of a storm—and perhaps worse things than wolves.
"Wait," Lux gritted out, wincing as the movement jostled his mangled forearm.
He stared at the corpse of the Alpha wolf pinned to the wall by the iron poker. A faint, violet miasma was leaking from its chest cavity. It wasn't just blood; it was mana. Corrupted, wild mana.
[System Perception Triggered]
[Rare Item Detected.]
"The Alpha," Lux pointed, his voice steady despite the pain. "Cut it open. Check its heart."
Elara looked at him as if he were mad. "Master, you are bleeding. We don't have time for trophies—"
"It's not a trophy, Elara. It's power. Do it."
She hesitated only for a fraction of a second. The absolute command cut through her panic. With a fluid motion, she retrieved the butter knife she had used earlier—now stained and bent—and approached the Alpha.
With the efficiency of a former assassin, she didn't hack or slash. She made a single, precise incision below the sternum and reached into the steaming cavity.
Squelch.
She pulled her hand back. In her blood-slicked palm lay a pulsating, jagged crystal the size of a walnut. It glowed with a sickly, dark purple light.
"A Monster Core?" Elara frowned, wiping it on the wolf's fur. "But... E-Rank beasts rarely form cores. And this color... it's wrong. It's mutated."
Lux reached out with his good hand. As soon as his fingers brushed the cold crystal:
[DING!]
[Item Acquired: Mutated Shadow-Wolf Core (Rank E+)]
[Properties: Contains concentrated chaotic mana and high-grade adrenaline.]
[System Shop Feature: Alchemy (Basic) Unlocked!]
[Do you wish to process this item?]
* Option A: Sell for 50 EP (Eros Points).
* Option B: Refine into [Wolf-Blood Stamina Pill].
Lux's eyes narrowed.
Sell it? No. 50 Points was nothing.
But a Stamina Pill?
He looked at his own status. Vitality: 15.
He looked at Elara. True Rank: A.
If he tried to "Dual Cultivate" with her to break the curse, her mana capacity might literally crush him. He needed endurance. He needed to last.
"Give it to me," Lux said.
Elara handed it over, watching in confusion as the crystal dissolved into motes of light in Lux's hand.
"M-Master? It disappeared!"
[Processing...]
[Crafting Complete.]
[Item Added to Inventory: Wolf-Blood Stamina Pill (x1)]
[Effect: Grants temporary 'Infinite Stamina' for 1 hour. Increases libido and aggression. Side Effect: Minor bestial instincts.]
Lux let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Perfect.
"It's fine," Lux said, struggling to stand. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain in his arm was becoming blinding. "Let's go. To the cellar."
The Wine Cellar
The basement of the Blackwood Estate was surprisingly secure. Heavy oak doors, reinforced stone walls, and a layout designed to keep wine cool—or keep people out.
Elara kicked the door shut and jammed a heavy wooden beam into the brackets, sealing them inside.
The air here was stale but dry. Rows of empty wine racks lined the walls, but in the center, there was a large, dusty rug and a few old crates.
"Sit," Elara commanded gently, guiding Lux to the rug.
She moved quickly, tearing the hem of her petticoat to create fresh bandages. She found a dusty bottle of wine—miraculously uncracked—and popped the cork.
"This will sting," she warned.
She poured the wine over the bite marks on his arm to disinfect them.
Lux hissed through his teeth, his body seizing up. "F-Fuck..."
"I know, I know..." Elara's voice was soft, soothing. She worked quickly, wrapping the wound tight.
When she was done, she didn't pull away. She stayed kneeling between his legs, her hands resting on his thighs. The bloody, torn state of her clothes only made her look more erotic—a fallen angel of violence.
But her face was pale again. The exertion of the fight had drained what little mana Lux had given her earlier.
"The cold is coming back," Elara whispered, trembling. "Faster this time."
Lux reached into his pocket (inventory) and pulled out the [Wolf-Blood Stamina Pill]. It looked like a small, red pearl.
He popped it into his mouth and swallowed.
[Item Consumed.]
[System Alert: Adrenaline surging. Vitality temporarily boosted to 50.]
[Warning: Libido increasing by 300%.]
Thump.
Lux's heart beat once, loud and heavy like a war drum.
Heat exploded in his stomach. The pain in his arm didn't vanish, but it became distant, irrelevant. His senses sharpened. He could smell the iron in Elara's blood, the salt of her sweat, the vanilla of her skin.
He felt... hungry.
"Elara," Lux growled. His voice was deeper, rougher.
Elara looked up, startled by the sudden shift in his aura. His eyes were glowing with a faint, predatory red light.
"Master?"
Lux grabbed her by the waist and pulled her forward effortlessly. The strength in his grip was unnatural.
"You said you wanted to finish what we started," Lux said, his gaze dropping to her exposed cleavage. "Did you mean it?"
Elara swallowed hard. The curse was freezing her blood, but the heat radiating from Lux was like a furnace. She needed it. She craved it.
And looking at him now—dominant, dangerous, and looking at her like he wanted to devour her—she felt her own resolve crumble into pure submission.
"Yes," she breathed, her hands coming up to cup his face. "Please, Lux. Make me warm. Break me if you have to."
Lux smirked.
He pushed her backward onto the rug.
[System Mission: The First Union]
[Target: Elara (A-Rank)]
[Objective: Dual Cultivate to shatter the Ice Curse.]
[Reward: A-Rank Loyalty, System Shop Level 1, and Massive XP.]
The tutorial was over. The real game was about to begin.