Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

Liam dashed into the forest without giving Irina any warning, his feet tearing through the thick undergrowth as branches whipped past his shoulders and leaves scattered beneath his steps.

The sudden movement caught her off guard for only a moment before she immediately followed, her powerful legs carrying her between the trees with practiced ease. Fortunately, Liam was not moving at his absolute maximum speed. He could have disappeared into the forest within seconds if he wanted to, but he deliberately kept his pace low enough for Irina to remain beside him.

The forest itself seemed to blur around them as they ran, sunlight breaking through the canopy in scattered patches while the sound of their footsteps disturbed birds and small creatures hiding among the foliage.

Irina finally managed to draw level with him, her brows furrowed as she looked sideways at his focused expression. "What exactly are we chasing?" she asked, slightly breathless from the sudden sprint. Liam did not immediately answer. His eyes remained fixed ahead, his senses stretched as far as they could reach while he followed the faint presence moving through the forest.

"Something was watching us back in the village," he finally said, his voice low and serious. "I noticed it when we were walking around. It was keeping its distance, but the moment it realized I had noticed it, it ran." Irina’s expression immediately became more serious. She did not ask another question. Whatever Liam had sensed had clearly been important enough for him to abandon their investigation in the village and chase after it, which meant she trusted his instincts.

The two continued deeper into the forest, their movements becoming increasingly difficult for ordinary eyes to follow. Liam suddenly caught something moving between the trees ahead. It was only there for a fraction of a second, appearing as a dark silhouette slipping between the trunks before vanishing behind another cluster of trees. Liam’s eyes narrowed. There it was. The thing he had been following. It did not look like a normal creature. Its body appeared almost entirely black, its outline strangely distorted as though the darkness itself had taken human form. Liam accelerated instantly.

Whoosh!

A burst of power surged through his body as his strength increased and his legs propelled him forward with frightening speed. The distance between him and the shadowy figure disappeared almost instantly. The creature seemed to realize that Liam was closing in because its movements became frantic, darting between trees with unnatural speed. Liam pushed harder, his eyes locked onto its back as his hand stretched forward. He was only a few steps away.

Got you.

But just before his fingers could close around it, the shadowy figure suddenly reached a massive wall of stone.

And then it simply disappeared into it.

Liam’s eyes widened.

His feet slammed against the ground as he desperately tried to stop his momentum. Dirt and loose stones sprayed behind him as his body slid several meters before finally coming to a halt. He stared at the enormous stone formation directly in front of him, disbelief slowly replacing the determination on his face. There had been nowhere for the creature to run. There was no opening. No crack large enough for a person. No hidden path. Nothing.

It had gone straight into the rock.

Liam slowly lifted his head.

Only then did he realize what stood before him.

It wasn’t merely a rock formation.

It was a mountain.

A massive mountain rose before them, its rocky surface stretching far above the surrounding forest until its peak disappeared into the clouds. Liam stared at it for several seconds, his jaw tightening as the realization sank in. He had been so focused on catching the creature that he had not even noticed the terrain changing around him.

His frustration finally boiled over.

Thud!

Liam slammed his foot into the ground.

The impact sent a shock through the earth, disturbing loose stones around his boots and causing several nearby branches to tremble. "Damn it!" he growled, staring at the mountain with an irritated expression. He had been so close. He had finally found something that could potentially connect the strange dreams, the victims and whatever was hunting the villagers, only for the thing to disappear directly into a mountain as though solid stone meant absolutely nothing.

A few seconds later, Irina emerged from the trees behind him. She slowed down as she approached, her breathing slightly heavier from the chase, and immediately looked around in confusion. Her eyes moved across the forest before settling on Liam. "It’s gone?" she asked.

Liam’s expression remained grim as he nodded. "Yeah."

Irina looked toward the mountain. She had felt the same strange presence Liam had been following, but she had not gotten a proper look at it. Now there was nothing left. Not even a trace. "What was that thing?" she asked, her voice quieter this time.

Liam folded his arms as he stared at the mountain. "Some of the victims told us they saw something before they were attacked. A ghost-like figure appeared in their dreams days before their souls were taken. I think that thing is connected to it." His eyes narrowed as he replayed everything in his mind. The strange dreams. The people falling into unnatural sleep. Their souls apparently being taken away. The mysterious figure watching them in the village. And now this creature disappearing into solid stone. "Everything is connected," he said quietly. "The dreams, the attacks, the thing we just saw. There has to be a connection."

Irina understood his frustration immediately. They had only arrived in Elaris earlier that day, and somehow Liam had already managed to stumble upon a potential lead. They had been following the mystery blindly until now, but for a brief moment, they had finally been close to something tangible. Something they could chase. Something they could investigate. And then, right before their eyes, that lead had vanished. Irina looked toward the mountain again, wondering what kind of creature could move through solid stone without leaving even the slightest trace behind.

Liam eventually exhaled and relaxed his shoulders. "Let’s go back. There’s nothing we can do here right now." He glanced once more at the mountain before turning around. "I’m sure we’ll meet again."

Irina nodded and followed him as he began walking back toward the village. She took only a few steps before something caught her attention. Her head suddenly turned toward the base of the mountain, her nose twitching slightly.

There was a scent in the air.

A sweet one.

Irina stopped.

Liam took another few steps before realizing she was no longer beside him. He turned around and found her staring at something growing among the vegetation near the mountain.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Irina didn’t answer.

She had already walked toward it.

Growing from a low bush near the foot of the mountain were several strange red fruits. They were small and round, with smooth crimson skins that seemed almost polished beneath the afternoon sunlight. A faint fragrance drifted from them, and the moment Irina breathed it in, her eyes widened slightly.

They smelled incredible.

She crouched down and carefully picked one.

"Hmm," she murmured, bringing it closer to her nose. "This smells good."

Liam immediately became suspicious.

He had lived through enough strange situations in this world to know that something looking harmless did not necessarily mean it was harmless. Especially when they were standing at the foot of a mysterious mountain where a ghost-like creature had just vanished into solid stone.

"Irina, don’t eat—"

Crunch.

Liam stopped.

Irina had already bitten into the fruit.

Her eyes widened.

A burst of sweet red juice immediately filled her mouth, some of it escaping around her lips as she chewed. For a moment she simply stood there, completely surprised by the taste.

Then her expression changed.

"This is so good."

Liam stared at her.

Irina swallowed and immediately picked another.

"Wait, seriously, you don’t know what that—"

Crunch.

Another bite.

Her eyes practically lit up.

"It is really good."

Liam sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Of course."

Irina had apparently decided that his warning was no longer relevant because she was already reaching for another fruit. The second one disappeared almost as quickly as the first, followed by a third. The sweet juice began staining the corners of her mouth, and within moments she looked less like one of the most powerful werewolf on Earth and more like someone who had discovered her favorite food for the first time in her life.

Liam simply watched.

Another fruit.

Crunch.

Another.

Crunch.

He folded his arms.

"Irina."

She ignored him.

Crunch.

"Irina."

She looked at him while chewing.

"What?"

"Don’t get greedy."

She glanced down at the remaining fruit, then back at Liam.

There was a brief silence.

She reached for another.

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

"You just proved my point."

Irina gave him an innocent look before biting into it.

Juice dripped from the corner of her mouth.

Liam could only sigh.

Whatever mystery they were investigating, whatever supernatural creature had just escaped from them and whatever secrets were hidden inside that mountain, none of it seemed capable of distracting Irina from those fruits.

Finally, she stopped.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked surprisingly satisfied. Then, after a moment, she reached down and picked one final fruit. She walked back toward Liam and held it out to him.

"You should try it."

Liam looked at the fruit.

Then at Irina.

"No."

Irina tilted her head. "Why?"

"Because I don’t know what it is."

"But it’s delicious."

"That isn’t an argument."

She held it closer. "Just try it."

Liam shook his head. His mood was still slightly irritated after losing the shadowy figure, and he wasn’t particularly interested in experimenting with some mysterious fruit growing beside a mountain connected to their investigation. "I’m good."

Irina lowered the fruit slowly.

She looked at him for a moment before shrugging. "Fine."

Then she took another bite herself.

Liam shook his head with another sigh before turning toward the forest path. "Come on. Let’s get back."

Irina followed him, still eating the fruit.