I Am No Lust-Crazed Monkey

The next morning, inside the cottage in the forest.

Warm sunlight streamed through the windows, but the atmosphere inside was suffocatingly awkward and bizarre.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Lee Han was outside, chopping wood as he did every morning. Meanwhile, Ariel was inside, frantically sweeping and dusting the cottage.

In truth, there was nothing to clean. The house was already spotless.

To Seria, it looked as if her older sister was desperately moving her body just to keep her mind off something else.

'Suspicious. Highly suspicious.'

Seria's blue eyes narrowed. She knew.

She knew exactly what kind of feelings her sister harbored.

Since she herself felt a similar way, there was no way her older sister didn't. Besides, they had made a promise...

Taking advantage of the moment Lee Han went deeper into the woods to gather more timber, Seria stealthily crept up behind Ariel.

Then, in a conspiratorial whisper, she murmured into Ariel's ear.

"Sister. Tell me the truth. Did you... finally lose your patience and jump him last night?"

Ariel jumped, startled out of her wits.

Seria ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sat down beside her and nudged her in the ribs.

"Didn't we promise? If... anything like that was going to happen, we said we'd do it together. Why did you cut in line all by yourself?"

If they were going to do it, wouldn't it be better to do it together?

They could just share his love equally.

To be perfectly precise... Seria also secretly wanted to see her usually reliable older sister reduced to tears of pleasure just once.

Hearing Seria's words, Ariel's face turned completely pale. She waved her hands frantically, letting out a strained, awkward laugh.

"N-No! It's not like that at all, Seria! I swear on my life, nothing like that happened!"

"Liar. Then why do you look so exhausted this morning? It looks like you didn't sleep a single wink last night."

Seria kept nudging Ariel's side, pressing her to confess.

Unable to bear the interrogation any longer, Ariel buried her face in her hands and groaned, her expression twisting in sheer agony.

Dark, heavy circles hung beneath her eyes.

"Haa... It's just... I had a terrible nightmare last night. A truly hellish nightmare..."

"A nightmare? Did you dream of being eaten by monsters or something?"

Seria asked Ariel to tell her more about it.

She was genuinely worried. She, too, knew the trauma Ariel had suffered.

The time they were chased by goblins. The moment their companion was dragged away into the goblin den.

Seria had heard all about those horrors from Ariel.

She knew the terror of that day, and how deeply grateful Ariel was to have been rescued by Lee Han.

"...Sorry. I pushed too hard, didn't I?"

Seria cast her eyes downward, feeling guilty for teasing her.

Ariel looked at her younger sister and let out a long, hollow sigh.

"No, it's fine. I'll tell you."

Her lips trembled, and she began to speak in a hollow, soul-drained murmur.

"It was a feast of brown... and piggish flesh. The stench of sweat... and clumps of coarse hair overlapping and sloshing back and forth... Ah, it was a nightmare that made me want to gouge my own eyes out."

"...?"

Seria knit her brows, tilting her head in utter confusion. What on earth did that even mean?

Time passed, and afternoon arrived.

Lee Han stood on the outskirts of the village, looking up at the inn that concealed the secret lab. He activated his Inventory.

Looking at his Inventory, his preparations were flawless.

He had already simulated the upcoming battle in his head dozens of times.

'Let's see...'

Lee Han recalled the stats required to defeat the demon in the game.

Then, he compared them to his current stats.

'I far exceed the requirements.'

To put it simply, he could probably instant-kill the demon just by chucking his woodcutting axe at it.

If this were a game, he would have done exactly that. But this was reality.

He had no intention of letting his guard down, as he couldn't predict what might happen.

But above all, to be completely honest... he just wanted to test something.

It was driven by that same psychological urge that makes a person open a closed toilet lid in a public restroom just to see what's inside.

That inexplicable desire to share a cursed experience with everyone else.

He also wanted to test Ariel's newly awakened ability.

It was time for a live combat test!

Lee Han turned to Ariel, who was wearing an incredibly complex expression.

"I'm counting on you."

"..."

"I explained it to you, didn't I? That a demon lives here. And I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠showed you the facilities in the basement."

"I do not doubt your words, Lord Han."

As Ariel spoke, her lips trembled slightly.

She shot him a look, her voice laced with a hint of resentment.

"...You look somewhat excited."

"Not at all," Lee Han replied instantly.

"You aren't... happy just because you made me experience that nightmare, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you?"

"No."

"You don't just... enjoy seeing other people suffer, do you?"

"I told you, no."

Ariel let out a deep sigh and looked at him one last time.

"I'll ask one last thing."

"Go ahead."

"Why on earth do you have such nightmares? It was so vivid. It felt like... I was watching it happen right next to me."

"..."

"It feels like you've actually seen it before... Why did you watch something like that?"

Lee Han pondered her question for a moment before replying with utmost seriousness.

"It was out of pure curiosity."

"What? You watched it because you were curious?"

"Honestly, how could anyone resist? Aren't you curious?"

"Haa..."

"Go, Ariel!"

"Yes, yes. I'm going."

Ariel sighed and activated her Nightmare Lv.1 trait.

'If I raise her Nightmare level to 3, her race changes to Succubus... Will she become a Succubus who uses Divine Power?'

Lee Han watched her as the thought crossed his mind. He was currently viewing Ariel's status window—a sensation akin to checking a teammate's stats in a JRPG.

At the exact same time.

Behind the counter on the first floor of the inn, the innkeeper was wiping down a wooden plate.

In truth, he was Borga, a lesser demon disguised in human flesh. His dull, yellow eyes gleamed as he licked his lips.

'That bitch. Where on earth did she hide?'

Borga still hadn't let go of his lingering obsession with Seria, who had suddenly vanished a few days ago.

It wasn't her face or her body that attracted him.

Granted, she was exceptionally beautiful by human standards, but his attraction stemmed from something else entirely.

It was his unique ability—the power to recognize raw talent.

Or perhaps, it was better described as potential.

Yes, potential was the perfect word.

Borga had seen a brilliant 'light' radiating from her. A dazzling light of pure talent.

It was a light far more brilliant than any he had ever witnessed before.

That was why he wanted to make her his slave.

He had already done the same to others.

He had once manipulated goblins to capture a talented mage, successfully turning her into his plaything.

'It's about time to dispose of that one...'

Naturally, he had killed the male companions because they were useless to him.

What he truly relished was corrupting that brilliant light before it could ever bloom. Snapping the stem before the flower could blossom...

But then, the greatest light he had ever laid eyes on had vanished without a trace.

It was a shame to lose such prime meat, but he had no intention of tearing the village apart to find her.

If his true identity were exposed in the process, his head would be on the chopping block immediately.

And then...

Flutter.

Borga felt his eyelids growing heavy.

"...?"

It was the middle of the day, and his body was perfectly healthy. This was bizarre.

An irresistible drowsiness began to wash over him. Unable to fight the sudden wave of sleep, Borga closed his eyes.

And he began to dream.