Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

For several minutes, nobody said a word.

The group had already made it through the mountain passage and reached the other side, but instead of immediately continuing their journey, they had stopped and waited. Nobody wanted to say it out loud, but every single one of them was thinking the same thing.

Liam was still back there.

The narrow passage behind them stretched between the two enormous mountains like a dark wound carved into the earth. From where they stood, they couldn’t see anything beyond the first few bends, but they could hear everything.

At first, there had been constant noise.

Explosions.

Crashing stone.

The shrieks of the Gargoyles.

Occasionally, there would be a tremendous boom that made small pieces of rock fall from the mountainside.

Every time they heard one of those sounds, Tatiana’s heart tightened.

But at least it meant Liam was still fighting.

He was still alive.

Then suddenly, everything stopped.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Tatiana immediately turned toward the passage.

Her hands tightened around the reins of her horse.

”Why did it stop?”

Nobody answered.

Leonid stood beside his horse, staring into the darkness with a serious expression. His earlier wound had already healed completely, but he still remembered exactly what the first Gargoyle had done to him. If Liam had been fighting dozens of those creatures alone, there was no guarantee that even his strength would have been enough.

Agatha remained silent.

Mary lowered her gaze.

Gregor looked nervously toward the passage.

Even Irina, who usually had something sarcastic to say in situations like this, didn’t speak.

Five minutes passed.

It felt much longer.

Then footsteps echoed from inside the passage.

Everyone’s heads turned at once.

A figure slowly appeared between the shadows.

Tatiana’s eyes widened.

”Liam!”

Liam walked out of the mountain passage.

He looked terrible.

Blood covered his clothes from head to toe. Several deep cuts ran across his arms and shoulders, while another long wound crossed his side. His shirt had been torn in several places, and his hair was messy from the battle. There were even small pieces of stone embedded in parts of his clothing.

His breathing was steady, but anyone looking at him could tell that he had been through an absolutely brutal fight.

Tatiana immediately moved toward him.

She didn’t even bother with her horse.

She hurried across the ground and reached him within seconds.

”Liam!”

”I’m fine.”

”You don’t look fine.”

Tatiana’s hands immediately began checking him.

She carefully examined his arms, chest and sides, her expression becoming more worried with every wound she discovered. Liam’s regenerative abilities were already working, but the injuries weren’t closing nearly as quickly as usual.

Tatiana noticed it immediately.

”They’re healing.”

She touched one of the wounds carefully.

”But slowly.”

Liam glanced down.

”Yeah.”

Tatiana frowned.

Whatever those Gargoyles had done to him, their attacks had clearly affected his ability to recover normally.

She looked back at him.

”Thank Goddess you escaped in time.”

Agatha nodded.

”So you managed to get away.”

Mary released a quiet breath of relief.

”At least you’re alive.”

Gregor nodded several times.

Leonid crossed his arms.

”That was a close one.”

Liam stared at all of them.

His eyebrows slowly rose.

He looked from Tatiana to Agatha.

Then to Mary.

Then Gregor.

Then Leonid.

Finally, he looked at Irina.

”Woah.”

Nobody answered.

Liam pointed at himself.

”Woah, woah, woah.”

His expression became increasingly confused.

”What the hell do you guys mean, escaped?”

Tatiana blinked.

”You escaped the Gargoyles, didn’t you?”

Liam stared at her.

Then his mouth slowly opened.

”You guys think I ran away?”

Nobody said anything.

That silence told Liam everything.

He placed one hand against his chest.

”I fought them.”

Leonid raised an eyebrow.

Liam continued.

”All of them.”

Leonid’s expression changed slightly.

”All?”

”Every single one.”

The group stared at him.

Liam looked around at their doubtful faces.

He sighed.

”I killed every single Gargoyle in that passage.”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Leonid slowly looked toward the mountain passage.

Then back at Liam.

There had been around thirty Gargoyles.

One of them had nearly killed him with a single attack.

And Liam was standing here claiming that he had killed all of them by himself.

Leonid’s face clearly said he wasn’t buying it.

”You killed all of them?”

Liam nodded.

”Yes.”

Leonid stared at him.

”Thirty?”

”Approximately.”

”By yourself?”

Liam nodded again.

”Yes.”

Leonid looked away for a second.

He rubbed his chin.

”I’m trying to believe you.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

”Trying?”

Leonid looked at him.

”One of them tore my stomach open.”

”I remember.”

”And you fought thirty.”

”Yes.”

”Alone.”

”Yes.”

Leonid stared at him for another moment.

Then he shook his head.

”You know what? I’m going to check.”

Liam’s lips immediately curved upward.

There it was.

Exactly what he had been waiting for.

He wasn’t some humble saint who was going to stand there and let everyone assume he had barely survived.

Absolutely not.

He had just fought nearly thirty terrifying creatures alone after deliberately staying behind so they could escape.

He deserved the reaction.

Liam stepped aside and gestured toward the passage.

”If you don’t believe me, go check yourself.”

Leonid didn’t need to be told twice.

He turned immediately.

”Fine.”

The next second, he disappeared into the passage.

His speed was so great that Gregor barely had time to blink.

Tatiana watched the darkness.

”He’s going to find out.”

Liam folded his arms.

”Of course he is.”

Thirty seconds passed.

Then Leonid returned.

He walked out slowly.

Very slowly.

His expression was completely different.

The confidence he had carried when he entered the passage was gone.

His eyes were wide.

His mouth was slightly open.

He looked like someone who had just witnessed something that had completely shattered his understanding of reality.

Everyone immediately noticed.

Agatha stepped forward.

”What happened?”

Leonid didn’t answer.

He looked directly at Liam.

His lips moved.

”H-He...”

Nothing else came out.

Liam’s smile grew wider.

Leonid tried again.

”He...”

He stopped.

He looked back toward the passage as if hoping the sight he had just witnessed would somehow make more sense if he stared at it again.

Then he looked at Liam.

”How?”

Liam shrugged.

”Practice.”

Leonid stared at him.

”That’s not an answer.”

Liam laughed.

”What did you expect?”

Leonid shook his head slowly.

”I don’t even know.”

Tatiana suddenly disappeared.

Whoosh!

Her body shot forward at tremendous speed.

She had already seen Liam’s condition, but she hadn’t believed that he had actually killed every Gargoyle until Leonid’s reaction confirmed that something extraordinary had happened.

She wanted to see it herself.

Liam watched her disappear into the passage.

He smiled.

”She’s going to love this.”

Everyone waited.

Not long after, Tatiana returned.

Her expression was almost identical to Leonid’s.

Her eyes were wide.

She stared at Liam without saying anything.

Liam’s smile became enormous.

”Well?”

Tatiana opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

She looked toward the passage.

Then back at him.

”You really...”

She couldn’t finish.

Liam nodded proudly.

”Yep.”

Tatiana slowly walked toward him.

She looked at the blood covering his body.

Then toward the passage.

Then back at him.

Her expression was a strange mixture of amazement, relief and something close to pride.

”You killed all of them.”

Liam grinned.

”I told you.”

Tatiana shook her head slowly.

”I thought you were exaggerating.”

”I never exaggerate.”

Leonid immediately looked at him.

”You absolutely exaggerate.”

Liam ignored him.

Instead, he walked over to a nearby rock and sat down.

The movement caused several of his wounds to sting, but he didn’t show it.

He leaned back slightly and crossed one leg over the other.

Then he looked at the others.

”You guys can go check it out too.”

His expression was unbearable.

There was a smugness on his face that practically demanded someone challenge him.

Agatha narrowed her eyes.

Mary sighed.

Gregor looked toward the passage.

Neither of them wanted to admit it, but after seeing Leonid and Tatiana’s reactions, curiosity had already gotten the better of them.

Agatha was the next to go.

Mary followed.

Gregor hesitated before finally following them.

Liam watched them disappear.

His smile didn’t leave his face.

Leonid stood nearby with his arms crossed, still trying to process everything he had witnessed.

Tatiana remained beside Liam.

She gently touched his shoulder.

”You really did all that alone.”

Liam looked up at her.

”I told you.”

She smiled.

”I know.”

A few moments later, Agatha returned.

Her expression was unusually serious.

Mary came after her, equally stunned.

Gregor was the last one out, and his mouth was hanging open.

Nobody needed to say anything.

Liam’s grin told them that he already knew what they had seen.

He leaned back against the rock.

”Pretty impressive, right?”

Agatha stared at him.

”I don’t even know what to say.”

Mary shook her head.

”Neither do I.”

Gregor looked toward the passage.

”Those things were monsters.”

Liam nodded.

”Exactly.”

Then his eyes moved toward the only person who hadn’t gone inside.

Irina.

She was still standing beside her horse with her arms folded.

Liam raised an eyebrow.

”You aren’t going to check?”

Irina rolled her eyes.

”Fine, fine.”

She sighed.

”You killed some creatures.”

Liam’s smile twitched.

”Some?”

”Yes, some.”

She looked toward the others.

”Can we continue our journey now?”

Liam stared at her.

His mouth opened slightly.

He looked genuinely offended.

”Some?”

Irina turned away.

”Yes. Some.”

Liam shook his head.

”Unbelievable.”