Chapter 37: She Is The Finest Ingredient
[SYSTEM ALERT: CRITICAL TEMPERATURE REACHED]
Source: Internal Hearth Core (Level Max).
Reason: Extreme Physiological Arousal.
Warning: Ambient mud is beginning to simmer. If heart rate increases by another 10%, "Mana Overload" will trigger a localised steam explosion.
[SYSTEM]:Do you wish to activate "Stoic Mind" (Level 4)?
[YES] - Restore 100% Logic (Cost: 500 Mana).
[NO]
- Continue "Manual Interaction" (Cost: All your Dignity). [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
User Selection:[NO].
Status Update: [Absolute Focus] has been replaced by [Primal Hunger].
Liam felt the last of his control slipping away. The mud in the shallow pool was bubbling, steam cloaking them in a sweltering, private world.
Elizabeth, the girl who usually carried herself with the sharp, lethal grace of a high-tier Warrior, was currently a wreck. Her scent was intoxicating; a mix of wild lilies and the sweet, salt tang of a woman who had just fought for her life. It bypassed Liam’s logic and went straight to the beast he’d been suppressing since the world went digital.
His hands, still slick with the warm, dark silt, moved with a slow, agonising deliberation. He didn’t just touch her; he mapped her. He felt the curve of her waist, the firm, athletic line of her hips, and the way her white linen dress had become a second skin, clinging to every contour of her body. Underneath his palms, he could feel the frantic, rabbit-like thrumming of her heart.
With a fluid, instinctive motion, Liam flipped their positions.
He pinned Elizabeth into the mud, his massive 6’6" frame eclipsing the light. He was a wall of muscle and mana-heat, casting a shadow that she seemed to vanish into. A surprised whimper escaped her lips, a soft, broken sound that sent a jolt of raw electricity straight down Liam’s spine. He let out a low, husky chuckle, a sound so deep and resonant it felt like it was vibrating the very earth beneath them.
"You’re usually so loud, Ellie," Liam rumbled, his voice dropping an octave into a baritone that promised trouble. "What happened to the Rank 1 attitude?"
"Liam... I..." she started, but the words died in her throat. Her cat ears were pinned back against her silver hair, and her tail was lashing under the surface of the mud, sending small ripples outward in a frantic, uncoordinated rhythm.
He didn’t give her space to think. He lowered his head, his mouth hovering just a fraction of an inch above the pulse point on her neck. He could feel the heat radiating off her, a soft, feminine warmth that contrasted with the violent, volcanic fire in his own veins. His tongue traced a slow, deliberate path along her jawline, tasting the salt of her skin, before his teeth grazed the curve of her neck just enough to make her shiver.
"Haah..." Elizabeth arched her back, her body moving with a primal instinct she couldn’t control. Her fingers, small and pale against his scorched skin, dug into the muscles of his shoulders, her nails leaving white marks on his glowing biceps.
Liam moved lower, his breath hitching as he reached her collarbone. The water at their hips was now definitely boiling at the edges, the mud hissing as it touched his skin. He shifted his weight, his knee parting her legs as he pressed closer, making her realise just how much larger and stronger he truly was. The thin fabric of her dress was no protection against the sheer, physical weight of his presence.
He reached for the hem of her dress, his fingers brushing against the silk-soft skin of her thigh. The system notifications in his peripheral vision were a blur of red warnings, shouting about Mana Overload and Critical Overheat, but to Liam, it was just background noise. He was focused on the way she panted, her chest rising and falling in a frantic rhythm against his own.
He was the chef, and she was the finest ingredient he had ever encountered.
But then, the sound of the world returned: a distant splash across the lake, and the voices of the party coming back from their swim.
With a tremendous, physical effort that made his muscles ache, Liam pulled back. He drew a deep breath of the cooler, evening air, feeling the steam rise off his chest in a thick cloud. The system notifications began to clear as his internal temperature dropped from "Catastrophic" to merely "Dangerous."
"We should go into the lake," Liam said, his voice still rough and vibrating with the remnants of the [Primal Hunger].
He climbed off her, standing up in a single, powerful motion. The mud slid off his defined, orange-glowing torso like oil. He looked down at Elizabeth, her hair a bird’s nest, her dress a disaster, and her eyes wide with a mix of shock and agonising frustration. He didn’t look embarrassed. He gave her a slow, dark smirk, a look that said he knew exactly what he’d done to her.
He extended a hand, his Vulcan-gripped fingers steady as a rock.
Elizabeth blinked up at him, her chest still heaving as she tried to remember how to breathe. "The... the lake? What?"
"The serpent," Liam said, nodding toward the water. "The EXP is settling. We need to harvest the drops before the others get back and start asking questions about why the mud is boiling."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Status Update:
[Primal Hunger] - 60% Satiated. Warning: Temporary suppression only.
Recommendation: Cold water immersion is advised immediately.
Elizabeth’s ears twitched with a state of pure, academic-grade irritation as she took his hand. She felt like she’d been hit by a freight train, then told to do her homework.
"You’re unbelievable," she hissed, her face a vivid, glorious scarlet as she scrambled to her feet. "You just... stop? You just walk away like you’re checking a timer on a stove?"
Liam didn’t answer. He just turned and started wading into the crystal-clear water, his broad back a wall of shimmering heat. He was the only man in the world who could start a fire like that and then walk away to check the loot.
"Liam! I’m talking to you!" she yelled, her tail splashing the water in a frantic, frustrated blur behind her.
[Goddess Hestia: "Oh, you absolute wolf... that was cruel even for an Olympian! You had her right there! My heart rate is still spiked... I mean, HER heart rate is spiked! You’d better have a plan for the next meal, Liam!"]
Liam ignored the Goddess. He reached into the water, his eyes scanning for the rare silver scales of the dead serpent. He was a Vanguard, a Chef, and a Loot Goblin. And while his body was still screaming for a different kind of satiation, his mind was already calculating the gold value of the serpent’s hide.
"Stop complaining," Liam rumbled over his shoulder, his husky voice sending a fresh shiver down her spine. "The night is long, Elizabeth, and I’m still hungry."
[TOOL TIP]:
[Status]: Emergency Manual Shutdown Successful.
[Description]: You just performed a "Thermal Reset" on a teammate who was 0.5 seconds away from forgetting she was a student. To her, this was a legendary climax; to you, it was just a kitchen timer going off. You’ve spared her dignity, but destroyed her soul.
[Effects]:
Aggro +10,000%: Elizabeth is now a ticking time bomb in a white dress.
Confusion: She is currently wondering if a dead snake has better "curves" than her.
Critical Heat: Your internal temp is still 400°C. If you don’t hit the lake now, you will literally evaporate.
[Goddess Hestia]:"Even I felt that pivot, Liam you’re lucky I don’t have a ’Lightning Bolt’ button."
[Achievement Unlocked]: "The Cockblocker of Olympus" Reward: +50 to ’Stoic’ Logic, -1,000,000 to ’Bedroom’ Luck.