"The fusion of Lust and Corruption?"
Kurose Akira's brow lifted slightly as the line of text flickered into view. Confusion surfaced in his eyes.
Inside his body, there should only be the power of Lust—granted, that power came in countless strange and varied forms. But Corruption…?
Where had that come from?
He quickly sifted through his memories. He had indeed encountered things related to Corruption before—the Elf Queen's corruption, and Paslow's sealed corrupting force as a dark elf. All of those were tied to the same concept.
But whether the Corruption now appearing within him was connected to those known sources… he couldn't tell.
And more than that—
Kurose Akira rubbed his eyes.
He noticed faint, dark-red specks of light intermittently flashing across his vision. The sensation resembled the effect of Alice's [Weakness! Weakness!] trait, yet it wasn't quite the same.
Objects around him began to flicker between clarity and dimness, as though turning semi-transparent.
"X-ray vision…?" he muttered under his breath.
Frowning, he shifted his gaze toward Ivsha, who lay peacefully asleep nearby, intending to test whether his vision had truly changed.
But the moment he focused on her, his expression turned grave.
Inside Ivsha's body, clusters of soft white light shimmered—most of them concentrated around her stomach and lower abdomen.
"…Not X-ray vision?"
His brows knit tightly. He was certain now—this wasn't seeing through things. And yet, bizarrely enough, he could see the Holy Light that had left his own body.
"It has to be exhaustion."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few steady breaths, trying to calm himself.
But no matter what he did, the strange vision refused to fade.
The radiant motes of Holy Light remained vividly visible—he could even see them gathering, then being devoured by Ivsha's magical sigils, fueling her mana.
"…Weird."
The sudden anomaly gave him a headache, but at least it didn't seem harmful. If anything, it merely allowed him to observe the flow of his own life force.
Glancing at the still-ongoing fusion between Lust and Corruption—with no indication of when it would finish—he decided to log out of the game for now.
—
Back in reality, he took a shower, then stepped out into the early morning light to grab breakfast.
At the same time, he mulled over when he should move to a new place.
His breakfast was simple—two meat buns and a cup of soy milk.
As he ate, he scrolled through photos on his phone—images Xu Feiyan had sent him of a villa.
Bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom…
According to her, it was just a temporary residence she had used during college.
But the size… caught him off guard.
He had assumed it would be a modest villa, maybe two to three hundred square meters.
From the photos, though, it was easily over four hundred.
There was even a private swimming pool.
"Being rich really is nice…"
Stuffing the last bite of his bun into his mouth, he paid and headed home, thoroughly satisfied.
Back at home, he relaxed, enjoying the rare leisure that came after the college entrance exams. He took a short nap, only waking around noon.
Then, he logged back into the game.
—
When Kurose Akira arrived at the guild, the in-game time showed only 7 a.m.
Strangely, Vilora was already standing by the window in the guild hall, gazing outside.
"Vilora?"
He walked over, puzzled as to why she was up so early.
Just as he reached her side and was about to tap her shoulder, she suddenly trembled and turned around.
"Guild Master? When did you arrive?" she asked shyly.
"I—"
He began to answer, but then noticed something unusual.
Her originally emerald-green eyes now flickered faintly with a trace of dark red.
But the color vanished as quickly as it appeared.
"I just got here. What are you doing?" he asked.
"Nothing~" Vilora shook her head with a soft smile. "Just… getting some sunlight."
"Sunlight?"
He glanced outside. Even though this was a game world, a sun still hung clearly in the sky.
"Ah~"
Vilora suddenly yawned, rubbing her eyes. She looked drowsy.
"Guild Master… I feel a bit sleepy. I think I'll go back and rest."
Though questions lingered in his mind, seeing her fatigue, he simply nodded.
"Alright. Go get some rest."
"Mhm~"
But the moment her door closed—
Kurose Akira's expression darkened.
A new notification flickered into view:
[Vilora is assimilating your life force and converting it into her own power…]
"Assimilating life force?"
He stroked his chin, puzzled.
What exactly did that "assimilation" process entail?
Meanwhile, the fusion between Lust and Corruption continued, its completion time still unknown.
"…Hmm."
Stretching lazily, he walked over to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
At that moment, Alice's door creaked open.
The pink twin-tailed girl in a maid outfit burst out energetically, broom in hand.
"Yo~ A brand new day begins again~ yo~!"
"?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly. Where had she even picked up that tone?
"Master?"
Alice spotted him immediately. Joy bubbled up within her as she skipped toward him.
"Good morning, Master~"
Like a cheerful kitten, she leapt lightly into his arms, nuzzling her cheek against him.
"Could you make me a cup of coffee?" he asked with a smile, gently stroking her silky hair.
"Understood, Master! Please wait just a moment~"
She sprang up at once and went to prepare it.
Soon, a fragrant cup of coffee was placed before him—the aroma rich, laced with Alice's own faint, sweet scent.
"Oh, right, Master~"
Alice suddenly crouched beside him, her crystal-blue eyes filled with concern as she stared into his.
"What is it?" he asked softly.
Resting her chin lightly on his knee, she spoke in a troubled voice.
"I don't know why, but lately… I've been having the same dream over and over."
"A dream?"
He frowned slightly. "Did you used to dream?"
"No~" she shook her head.
A flicker of thought passed through his eyes.
Alice wasn't human—she was a doll given life. She shouldn't be having random dreams.
"What kind of dream?"
"I see myself in a blue temple… and above me, there's a bright crescent moon…"
She described it in detail.
A figure sitting atop the moon. A temple built on the head of a colossal beast spanning ten thousand meters. Blue grass covering the land…
It sounded like something out of a surreal fantasy.
"Master… do you think I've been there before?" she asked curiously, her eyes shining. "Otherwise… why would I dream about it?"
"Maybe."
He couldn't give a definite answer. After all, he didn't know where the Moonlight Witch might have taken Alice in the past.
As a being beyond even the Night Witch, creating such dreamscapes wouldn't be difficult for her.
"Even though it's strange, sometimes I see glimpses of Lady Moonlight Witch in my dreams~ hehe~"
Alice smiled sweetly, filled with longing.
To her, the Moonlight Witch was like a mother.
It was only natural she missed her deeply.
"Don't worry. I'll help you figure it out," Kurose Akira said with a gentle smile, patting her head.
"Thank you, Master~"
Beaming, Alice leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.
Then she got back to work, cleaning the guild as part of her duties.
Meanwhile, Kurose Akira opened the guild expansion interface.
Ever since visiting Xu Feiyan's guild, he had wanted to upgrade his own. But his wallet had held him back.
Now, things were different.
He had five million from Xu Feiyan—and Liu Xue's 50 gold…
Well, the 50 gold wasn't really the important part.
"Let's start with upgrading the main hall… and expand the bedrooms…"
He spent 50 gold on renovations.
The main hall received a furniture overhaul, while other areas were expanded.
The number of bedrooms doubled—from four to ten.
Two new facilities were added: an open-air swimming pool and a starlight cinema.
The new areas would take about 24 hours to complete.
But the hall transformation was instant.
—
"M-Master! What happened to our home!?"
Alice cried out in shock.
While mopping the floor, she suddenly noticed—
The shabby wooden flooring had been replaced with elegant mahogany. The walls were freshly painted white, making the space brighter and more spacious.
The old furniture was gone, replaced by sleek, modern pieces made from special materials.
Even the sofa had been upgraded—crafted from what was rumored to be leaves from the World Tree, soft as clouds.
For Kurose Akira, aside from the bed, the sofa was his second battlefield. Naturally, comfort mattered.
"It's nothing," he said with a smile. "Just upgraded the furniture. What do you think? Not bad, right?"
"Umm…"
Alice looked around, clutching her skirt nervously. Curiosity and unease flickered in her eyes.
After a pause, she softly said:
"As long as Master likes it… then it must be wonderful!"
"…Huh?"
He frowned. That answer was way too perfunctory.
Just then—
The teleportation array flared with bright white light.
Lucia stepped gracefully into the guild hall.
Seeing the transformed space, surprise flashed in her eyes. She scanned the room before fixing her gaze on him.
"What happened to the guild?"
Smiling, he asked, "Looks good, right?"
She fell silent for a moment before finally replying:
"…It's alright."
"'Alright'?"
Patting the new sofa beside him, he grinned.
"Come sit. Try out this new battlefield."
…
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