Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

The journey back to town was surprisingly quiet.

After washing away the grime of battle, the blood of the Bone Burrower, and the dust from the forest, Liam and Tatiana simply walked side by side beneath the fading light of the evening sky. The four moons had already begun climbing into the heavens one after another, casting silvery hues across the roads while lanterns hanging outside homes and shops slowly illuminated the streets. The people of the town were still moving about, merchants calling out to late customers, children chasing one another through narrow alleys, and adventurers laughing loudly outside taverns after returning from their own hunts.

Neither Liam nor Tatiana paid much attention to any of it.

Ever since the pond...

Ever since that confession...

Ever since that kiss...

The atmosphere between them had become... strange.

Not uncomfortable.

Just... different.

Neither of them knew what to say anymore.

Tatiana walked half a step behind him with her hands clasped behind her back, occasionally stealing tiny glances at him whenever she thought he wasn’t looking. Every single time she remembered what had happened by the pond, her ears grew warm again, and she would immediately lower her head before he could notice.

Liam wasn’t doing much better.

His thoughts wandered back to the confession every few minutes, causing him to smile absentmindedly before realizing what he was doing and forcing himself to look elsewhere.

Neither of them spoke.

Oddly enough...

Neither of them disliked the silence either.

It wasn’t an awkward silence.

It was the comfortable kind that settled naturally between two people who no longer needed to force conversation simply because they were together.

By the time they reached the inn, night had completely fallen.

The familiar warmth greeted them as they stepped inside. The strange magic embedded within the building continued to circulate cool, refreshing air through every hallway, making the interior feel comfortable despite the humid night outside.

Liam instinctively headed toward the staircase.

Tatiana quietly followed behind him.

One step.

Two steps.

Three...

Halfway up the stairs, Liam suddenly realized the soft footsteps behind him hadn’t stopped.

He turned around with a puzzled expression.

Tatiana looked back innocently.

”...What?”

Liam tilted his head.

”Why are you following me?”

She blinked.

Then slowly rubbed the side of her forehead.

”...Because...”

”...we kind of share a room.”

Liam froze.

”...Oh.”

Right.

He had completely forgotten.

They were staying together.

His expression immediately became awkward.

Tatiana’s wasn’t any better.

The memory of what had happened less than an hour ago suddenly resurfaced for both of them at exactly the same time.

”...Right.”

”...Right.”

Neither knew what else to say.

So they simply continued walking upstairs together.

When they reached their room, Tatiana unlocked the door with the wooden key before the two stepped inside.

The room hadn’t changed.

It was still simple but comfortable.

One wooden table.

Two chairs.

A small wardrobe.

A balcony overlooking the town.

And...

One bed.

Tatiana’s strange book still rested neatly on top of the blanket exactly where she had left it before they departed this afternoon.

The moment Liam saw it...

He understood the problem.

He scratched the side of his face.

”...Uhm...”

”You can take the bed.”

Tatiana immediately looked up.

”What about you?”

Liam’s eyes drifted toward the open balcony doors.

Outside sat a sturdy wooden chair overlooking the streets below.

He smiled.

”I’ll sleep out there.”

Before Tatiana could protest...

Before she could even think of a response...

Liam had already walked outside.

The cool night breeze greeted him instantly.

He pulled the chair closer to the railing before sitting down with a quiet sigh.

Below him, the town remained lively despite the late hour.

People continued flowing through the streets carrying lanterns, baskets, and crates. Restaurants remained open, releasing delicious smells that drifted upward through the cool air. Somewhere nearby, musicians played unfamiliar instruments while laughter echoed from a crowded tavern further down the road.

It was peaceful.

Liam rested both elbows on the balcony railing.

”...What a day.”

His thoughts drifted from Tatiana’s confession...

...to the Bone Burrower...

...to the strange four-moon sky...

...to the unbelievable world he’d found himself in.

Then...

His eyes widened slightly.

”...Wait.”

He had forgotten something.

Something incredibly important.

Ever since the system upgraded back on Earth...

He had barely taken the time to inspect it.

Back then he had only noticed that his vision had improved dramatically before one thing after another demanded his attention.

The portal.

The journey.

The unconsciousness.

The monster.

Everything had happened so quickly that he had completely neglected the very thing responsible for most of his growth.

”...I’m an idiot.”

He raised a hand.

A familiar blue screen appeared before him.

[SYSTEM INTERFACE]

The interface itself looked completely different now.

It was cleaner.

Sharper.

Far more detailed than before.

His eyes immediately landed on a newly added section.

[Innate Abilities]

Liam frowned.

”I don’t remember this.”

He selected it.

Another window expanded before him.

Five abilities appeared in glowing blue text.

His pupils slowly widened.

⸻

[1. Omni Sight]

A perception ability that surpasses ordinary vision.

Functions:

* X-ray Vision — Observe through most solid objects within range.

* Long-Distance Vision — Magnify distant targets with exceptional clarity.

* Thermal Vision — Detect heat signatures.

* Night Vision — Maintain perfect vision in darkness.

* Structural Vision — Reveal hidden passages, underground tunnels, concealed traps, and buried objects.

Note: Excessive use increases mental fatigue.

⸻

Liam blinked.

”...That’s...”

He already knew about the X-ray vision.

But...

Thermal?

Night vision?

Detecting hidden structures?

He hadn’t even realized those were included.

He quickly continued.

⸻

[2. Predator’s Insight]

A combat analysis ability.

When focusing on a target, the system performs a rapid evaluation.

Displays:

* Name

* Species

* Rank

* Level

* Strengths

* Weaknesses

* Combat tendencies

* Estimated danger level

Higher-ranked beings require longer analysis.

⸻

Liam’s mouth slowly opened.

”So that’s what happened with the Bone Burrower...”

He hadn’t imagined it.

The system had literally analyzed the creature for him.

He continued reading.

⸻

[3. Combat Forecast]

A predictive combat assistance ability.

The system continuously analyzes an opponent’s movement patterns and calculates the most probable immediate actions.

Rather than seeing the future, Combat Forecast predicts likely attacks before they are executed.

Prediction accuracy decreases against significantly stronger opponents.

⸻

Liam leaned back in disbelief.

”...You’re kidding.”

That wasn’t just useful.

That was absurd.

Predicting enemy attacks?

Even if only moments beforehand...

That alone could decide entire battles.

His heartbeat quickened.

He immediately looked toward the fourth ability.

⸻

[4. Mana Perception]

Allows the user to perceive magical energy in all its forms.

Functions include:

* Detect active mana.

* Identify enchantments.

* Reveal illusions.

* Locate magical barriers.

* Observe hidden formations.

* Sense magical resources and energy veins.

* Evaluate mana purity and density.

⸻

Liam rubbed his forehead.

”So...”

”I can literally see magic itself?”

Then...

His eyes landed on the final ability.

⸻

[5. Hunter’s Instinct]

A passive survival and exploration ability.

Continuously analyzes surroundings and unconsciously alerts the user to:

* Imminent danger.

* Hidden killing intent.

* Ambushes.

* Safe escape routes.

* Valuable resources.

* Nearby points of interest.

Warnings intensify proportionally to the level of danger detected.

⸻

Silence.

Liam slowly lowered the floating window.

”...This...”

He looked back at the list.

Then read everything again.

And again.

His heart refused to calm down.

This wasn’t just an upgrade.

This completely changed the way he would survive in this world.

He could analyze enemies.

Predict attacks.

See through darkness.

Detect hidden traps.

Perceive magic itself.

Sense danger before it even arrived.

His lips slowly curved upward.

”This...”

”...is literally cheating.”

A quiet laugh escaped him.

He had been wandering around this terrifying world without even realizing the system had handed him abilities people would kill for.

He shook his head at himself.

”I can’t believe I never checked.”

For someone who constantly reminded others to prepare before acting...

That had been unbelievably careless.

Still...

Now that he knew exactly what he possessed...

The dangerous world outside suddenly didn’t seem nearly as impossible as it had only a few days ago.

Liam let out a slow breath before finally deciding to stop skimming through individual menus.

”If I’m going to understand anything...” he muttered to himself. ”Might as well look at everything.”

His finger tapped the floating interface.

Immediately, the translucent blue panels dissolved before reorganizing themselves into a much larger screen.

A familiar chime echoed inside his head.

Ding!

A brand-new interface unfolded before his eyes.

══════════════════════════════════════

[SYSTEM]

══════════════════════════════════════

[Host]

Liam Carter

[Class]

Aetherial-Class (Level 1)

[Level]

4

═════════════

Statistics

═════════════

Strength : 292

Agility : 256

Endurance : 244

Intelligence : 244

Mana : 180

Luck : 10

Available Skill Points : 132

═════════════

Innate Skills

═════════════

◆ Aether Sight (Level 2)

Allows the user to perceive through solid matter, detect hidden objects, underground structures, concealed passages, and observe targets beyond normal vision.

◆ Omniscient Eye (Level 1)

Instantly analyzes enemies and reveals their race, level, strengths, weaknesses, and exploitable flaws.

◆ Aether Sense (Level 1)

Detects lifeforms, mana fluctuations, killing intent, hidden presences, and abnormal energy signatures within the surrounding area.

◆ Arcane Comprehension (Level 1)

Rapidly understands unknown languages, symbols, magical inscriptions, ancient scripts, and unfamiliar knowledge after sufficient exposure.

◆ Combat Prediction (Level 1)

Analyzes an opponent’s body movement and battle rhythm to predict attacks a fraction of a second before they occur.

═════════════

Combat Skills

═════════════

◆ Dragon Step (Level 2)

◆ Gun Mastery (Level 3)

◆ Feather Shards (Level 1)

◆ Gale Wings (Level 1)

═════════════

Aetherial Traits

═════════════

◈ Celestial Wings

Manifest or dismiss divine wings at will.

◈ Triple Attribute Growth

All base attributes receive ×3 growth upon Aetherial evolution.

══════════════════════════════════════

”...”