Rumble! Rumble!
The orb in Valkar's hands exploded with a blinding pink light, a supernova contained within his grasp. The sterile white hall of Ishtar's domain trembled, not from an earthquake, but from a fundamental shift in reality itself. The very air crackled with a power so dense, so primal, it felt solid.
Ding!
A sound, crisp and clear, chimed directly in Valkar's mind. Not his ears, but his soul.
Before he could recognize that sound or locate its source,
Golden runes materialized before his eyes, hanging in the empty space.
[The universe does not grant crowns; it bows to the hand strong enough to seize them]
[Unbroken. Unbound. Unbowed.]
[The Conqueror does not ask. He advances.]
[The stars have aligned, not for peace, but for conquest.]
Each word seared itself into Valkar's new consciousness, branding him with purpose. The golden light faded, and the pink orb in his hands dissolved into motes of light, sinking into his skin, vanishing without a trace.
Ding!
[SYSTEM AWAKENED... PLEASE WAIT... COMPATIBILITY CHECK...]
Suddenly, Valkar began to feel a heat in his chest, an uncomfortable burning sensation.
The heat intensified.
It was no longer just discomfort—it was pressure, like a forge being sealed shut around his heart. Valkar gritted his teeth, muscles tensing as veins bulged across his green skin. The sensation spread outward, crawling through his ribs, his spine, his remaining arm, then plunging deep into places he didn't even have words for yet.
Ding!
[COMPATIBILITY CHECK COMPLETE: 100%]
[SOUL INTEGRITY: STABLE]
[SYSTEM STATUS: BOOTING...]
The pressure lifted.
Valkar gasped, breath ragged, clutching his chest where the heat had centered. He felt... different. Not just smarter. Fuller. As if a hollow space inside him, one he'd never known was there, had been filled to the brim with something dense and alive.
Ishtar watched, a faint, curious smile playing on her lips. She tilted her head, her grey eyes studying him like a masterpiece just completed.
Ding!
[THE SYSTEM IS NOW ACTIVE]
[WELCOME, CONQUEROR OF STARS]
The golden runes shimmered back into existence, this time forming a translucent panel that hovered before Valkar's vision like a window into his own soul. He could see it, feel it—touch it with his thoughts. His hands clenched as the panel expanded.
"Congratulations, little orc." Ishtar's tone was laced with a satisfaction that went beyond simple pride. It was the satisfaction of an artisan who had just finished her magnum opus. "You are no longer bound by the frailty of a single-world creature."
Valkar ignored her. His new mind was a whirlwind of activity, dissecting the information flowing from the panel.
...
[STATS]
Name: Valkar
Title: The Conqueror
Race: Orc
Level: 1 (Exp: 0/100)
Class: Warrior
Health: 200/200
Mana: 150/150
Stamina: 250/250
Strength: 18
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 35
Vitality: 20
[SKILLS]
[Rage Lv1] [The Banner of the Conqueror Lv1] [Iron Edict Lv1] [Claim Territory Lv1]
...
"Hmm?" Suddenly, Valkar understood what each word, what each number meant. It was second nature to him now, as breathing.
He didn't bother with the status for now. He quickly scrolled down to the four skills.
...
[Rage Lv1 (Active)]: Channel primal fury of the orcs to drastically increase Size, Strength, and Vitality at the cost of post-ability exhaustion and temporary weakness. Duration increases with level. Current Duration: 5 minutes.
"The blood remembers what the mind forgets."]
...
[The Banner of the Conqueror Lv1 (Active)]: Unfurl a banner that inspires allies within range, increasing their Strength and Morale by 15%. The banner is a manifestation of your will. Effectiveness and range increase with level. Current Range: 100 meters.
"Where my banner stands, defeat does not exist."]
...
[Iron Edict (Active)
Channel divine authority for 8 seconds. During this time:
All attacks ignore 40% of the enemy's armor/resistance
Every successful hit applies a stack of Subjugated (max 5)
At 5 stacks, the target is Forced to Kneel (stunned + 60% reduced damage dealt for 6 seconds)
Cooldown: 90 seconds
"Kneel. Or be broken."]
...
[Claim Territory Lv1 (Active – Channel)]: Plant your banner (or weapon) into the ground and channel for 15 seconds. Creates a Conquered Zone (radius 100 m, grows with level). While inside your Conquered Zone, you gain the 'Territorial Advantage' buff, enhancing all stats by 10% for allies and reducing 5% for enemies.
Duration: permanent. Can only have one zone active at a time.
You are alerted to any unauthorized entry.
"This land is mine now. Fight me for it."]
...
"Oh~..." Valkar whispered, a slow, wide grin spreading across his face. His new mind processed the information. Aside from [Rage], which was his awakened skill, the other three were new gifts. Tools for the path he had chosen.
One buff. One debuff. One for land.
Not much, but it was a good start. At least he got three more skills.
"Hmm?... what is this?" Valkar paused, realizing that the status interface had another menu he hadn't noticed before.
...
[The Conqueror]
[Conquered Territory: None]
[Conquered Women: None]
...
A simple to understand menu that listed a count. As of now, both numbers were a shameful, glaring zero.
"I will fix this." He promised himself. The numbers would grow. He would make them grow.
His gaze shifted to Ishtar, who stood watching him with a small, gentle smile, waiting for him to finish reading.
But as he met her eyes, a strange sensation washed over him. Or to be more accurate, a heat between his legs.
It was a primal, urgent hunger that had nothing to do with food or battle. A raw, undeniable lust that surged through him with the force of a tidal wave. His new, enhanced mind tried to analyze it, to categorize it, but the sheer intensity of the feeling overwhelmed his thought process.
Ding!
Suddenly, the familiar golden runes appeared in front of him.
[You have been cursed]
[The succubus's curse: Your lust will increase over time. If you do not mate with a female, you will fall into a lust-induced madness. Eventually, your body will explode.]
"..." Valkar was stunned. He stared at the notification, then at Ishtar. The timing was... suspicious. Too perfect.
"This is your doing," he stated, his voice a low growl. The heat in his loins intensified, a painful, demanding ache.
"Eh?" Ishtar's smile vanished and was replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated shock. "No! I didn't! I swear on my divine name!"
She quickly made her way to him and placed a hand on his chest, checking.
"Sigh... It's the succubus goddess," she said, her tone laced with annoyance. "That bitch! She must have cursed you with her dying breath."
Valkar didn't believe her for a second. His new mind, sharp and suspicious, saw the possibility of a trap. A way to force him into a bargain, to make him dependent on her.
But he had no proof.
"I... I can fix it." Ishtar said, her voice soft, almost gentle. She looked him in the eyes, her grey orbs filled with a complex emotion Valkar couldn't decipher. "It is a powerful curse, but not unbreakable."
She paused.
"But the cure is... complicated."
"I don't care." Valkar's voice was a low growl, the heat in his loins a constant, nagging distraction. "Fix it."
"I can't just wave my hand and make it go away." She shook her head. "The goddess who stole the system from me was a succubus, a goddess of lust. I killed her, but her body somehow ended up in your world."
"That bat creature?" Valkar thought about the bat-like female he had torn apart. The one whose head he had half-swallowed.
"The very same," Ishtar confirmed. "Or at least what remained of her divinity. That creature was collecting lust energy for thousands of years, hoping to awaken a powerful system that could help in resurrecting her divine self."
She looked at Valkar.
"By killing her, you disrupted her plan. In her final moments, she lashed out, cursing you with all the accumulated lust energy she had gathered."
Valkar's mind raced. So the curse was a side effect of his victory. A booby prize. The heat intensified, a throbbing ache that demanded attention.
"And the cure?" he asked, his patience wearing thin.
"The cure is also the fuel," Ishtar said, her tone laced with a dark amusement. "The curse feeds on lust. To control it, you must sate it. You must mate."
She let the words hang in the air.
"I told you. You need to find a female and release your 'conquest' on her," she smirked. "Think of it this way, little orc. The curse gives you a very... direct... motivation for one of your core ambitions."
Valkar's mind processed this. Mating. He needed to mate. The heat was becoming unbearable, a constant, gnawing hunger. He thought of the orcs in his tribe, the few females, their strong bodies and fierce spirits. They would do. But he can't go back to the tribe. He got a hunt to finish.
So where the hell is he going to find a woman in that forsaken place?
"..." He cast a long, hard look at Ishtar. The goddess. The being of immense power. The most beautiful woman in the... second most beautiful woman in the world. His new mind saw a different path. A faster, more efficient one.
Why hunt for a mate among mortals when a goddess stood before him?
A sly grin, one that would have made Zura'hrax proud, spread across Valkar's face.
Sadly, Ishtar's next words broke him.
"Don't look at me like that. I can't help you. My real body is not in this realm," she said with a smirk. "I'm just an avatar. A projection. A shadow. I have no substance for you to 'conquer', little orc."
She tapped her own chest with a slender finger, producing a hollow, echoing sound.
"Touch is an illusion here. Your 'conquest' would be as empty as this hall."
The grin on Valkar's face faltered, replaced by a deepening frown. The heat pulsed, an angry, demanding beat in his groin. The curse was a physical truth, unlike the ethereal goddess before him. He was alone with his burning problem.
"So I'm back to where I started," he grumbled, a low growl of frustration rumbling in his chest. "Hunt. Find. Mate. It seems this 'system' of yours doesn't change the basics."
"Indeed not." Ishtar chuckled, clearly enjoying his predicament.
"Anyway, I'll send you back now. I need some time to set up the dungeon." She waved a hand, creating a portal. "Try your best to reach level 10 to unlock the system's full features before you... Ahem... explode."
She then paused for a second, looking at him.
"Try to use your hand. That would ease it a little."
"Hand?" Valkar looked down at his own large, calloused hands, then back at her, his expression a mask of genuine confusion.
"Yeah... jerking off, masturbate, beat the meat, polish the knob—whatever you mortals call it," she explained, making a hand gesture that left Valkar even more confused.
"Oh, you orcs are so innocent," she sighed. "Just grab your... well, you know... and move your hand up and down until... You know... it comes out. It should give you some relief."
The concept was so alien, so self-contained, that Valkar's newly sharpened mind struggled to process it.
"What a waste of a precious seed." He couldn't help but say. "A strong seed needs strong soil to sprout."