The NSFW Gallery (Part 2)
Succubi feed on desire.
And the easiest method for harvesting that desire is, of course—
Direct physical contact.
Absorbing the raw carnal yearning and vital essence of their partner to use as sustenance—that was the universal dining method of succubi across the realms. In practice, its efficiency was second to none. Given that a succubus's innate allure could ensnare even members of the same sex, starvation was practically unheard of.
Title: I'm hungry (T_T)...jpg
Author: WholesomeModest
[Attached Image: A face flushed bright crimson with unbearable embarrassment]
[Attached Image: Crouched on the floor, glaring petulantly up at the camera]
T_T
Naturally, there were exceptions—namely, the extraordinarily rare mutant succubi who obstinately clung to their chastity.
"Whoa."
The split second I laid eyes on the photo, all cognitive function ceased. It was pure, unadulterated reverence. When a spicy photo ascended past mortal comprehension, did it cease being smut and transform into high art? Stunned by the breathtaking majesty of her craft, I had no choice but to offer my humble, tearful applause.
In the blink of an eye, the post surpassed all voting thresholds and seized the throne of the hall of fame. And why wouldn't it? Who was our beloved registered user, Dryer, after all? Ever since alcohol had flooded into the marketplace, she had neglected her primary trade, choosing instead to occasionally toss out fraudulent clickbait posts like a shameless little demon. For her to drop a post that wasn't bait was nothing short of miraculous.
Throwing all urgent business out the window, I furiously hit save. The Whale Merman crisis in El-Ladh? Like I gave a damn. Nothing in this world took precedence over securing this sacred file. Given Dryer's flighty habits, the moment she fed on enough visual lust to stave off her starvation, she was guaranteed to delete the post and flee.
[This post has been deleted by the author.]
Right on cue, she yanked the post down. A third of the gallery erupted into triumphant cheering; another third wailed, cursing their sluggish fingers for missing the window.
And naturally, the final third—the desperate Elves—were buried beneath the avalanche of netizen depravity.
Still, a nagging question remained: why had she suddenly posted a photo? Hadn't we solved her nutritional deficit by unleashing high-proof booze onto the market?
Curious, I shot Dryer a private direct message. Her reply arrived almost instantaneously.
"Wait, I completely overlooked that."
In the past, everyone had been starving and lacked the luxury of harboring intense cravings. I assumed opening up the marketplace would settle her desire deficit once and for all, but ironically, abundance had backfired. Because goods were available constantly and dirt-cheap, consumers never had the chance to cultivate deep, agonizing cravings before purchasing whatever they wanted.
To be fair, the fact that I hadn't been tracked down by imperial hounds or dragged into messy geopolitics was entirely thanks to Dryer. The severed horn she had gifted me had kept my traces hidden all this time. Besides, having her drop teasing photos because she genuinely enjoyed flustering the forum was entertaining; watching her force herself to post thirst traps just to keep from starving to death left a bad taste in my mouth.
More importantly, keeping users alive directly affected me. Gallums were dying by the dozens every single day, while the influx of fresh, wide-eyed newbies was virtually non-existent.
Between the Whale Merman rampaging through El-Ladh and WholesomeModest's impending starvation, my mind raced. How could I solve both headaches in one fell swoop?
"Wait."
A sudden spark flashed across my mind. I quickly pulled up my chat list and messaged Morone, the witch I had previously saved from an ecclesiastical witch hunt—and the only alchemist in my very shallow social network.
"She sure replies fast."
Morone was currently living secluded in her forest cabin, supposedly still pouring her heart and soul into perfecting the legendary Recovery Potion. Tentatively, I pitched the idea that had just crossed my mind.
The pieces had clicked into place.
New items have been stocked in the Marketplace.
Naturally, the eyes of every user on the board snapped toward the store page. And the newly revealed merchandise was...
◈ Greatly contributes to overall health.
◈ Aids in the formation and maintenance of the immune system.
◈ May have vigor-enhancing effects.
It was an honest-to-goodness male stamina enhancer.
Human beings had an obsession with vitality and potency that bordered on madness. It was a well-known adage that if a foul-tasting, repulsive creature was rumored to improve bedroom endurance, humanity would hunt it to the brink of extinction within a generation.
Unsurprisingly, the entire stock vanished in under sixty seconds. At such a modest price point, the general consensus was that even if it did nothing, there was zero harm in trying. Those lucky enough to complete an order immediately flooded the forum with reviews.
Title: Review of the Limited Edition Stamina Booster...jpg
[Attached Image: Holding a small plastic bottle labeled 'Stamina Booster']
Managed to snag the stamina booster that popped out of nowhere lol
I've actually been super stressed about this kind of issue lately...
Head Mod, I fucking love you, pucker up for a kiss on the cheek!!!
The label says to take one pill a day.
Honestly, after swallowing one, it feels like raw vitality is pumping through my veins. My stamina feels totally replenished...
It's like I turned the clock back ten whole years?
Regardless of whether they were placebo-induced or genuine, the glowing testimonials continued to pour in. Everyone swore their bodies were brimming with unprecedented vigor, feeling as though their youth had been magically restored.
Watching the comment section erupt into breathless adoration, a thin smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.
"Well, I wouldn't know."
A magic stamina enhancer? It sounded about as scientific as a pill that promised to make you grow ten inches taller. Plenty of products boasted wondrous claims on Earth, but clinically, their potency was dubious at best. Yet the reason I had posted them on the market under that bold label was delightfully simple.
Because the item I had uploaded was just multivitamin and zinc tablets.
[Greatly contributes to overall health.]
[Aids in the formation and maintenance of the immune system.]
[May have vigor-enhancing effects.]
Taking essential vitamins when you were chronically malnourished was guaranteed to make you feel significantly better than when you were starved of basic nutrients. And when your body wasn't falling apart, wouldn't your baseline vigor naturally rise? Strictly speaking, not a single word in the product description was a lie.
Furthermore, what I had requested from Morone had nothing to do with brewing an aphrodisiac.
Raw beast meat was a mandatory baseline reagent for brewing recovery draughts. Every month, as an investment in her craft, I had been purchasing standard monster meat from the system shop and shipping it directly to her hut. All I had asked her was whether Whale Merman flesh could serve as a suitable substitute.
"If whale meat works, we just substitute the whale meat."
I took the administrator points I had saved from not buying monster meat, used them to purchase cheap wholesale bottles of multivitamin and zinc tablets, and dumped them onto the public market—instigating an immediate, frenzy-fueled sellout. I felt a tiny twinge of guilt for bamboozling the gallery populace, but...
"I can't lose Dryer."
She was the one and only pure love succubus in our humble community. I couldn't let her perish. Besides, supplying the malnourished survivors with essential zinc and vitamins was objectively doing them a massive favor. It was a win-win.
Having waited for the initial batch to completely clear out, I timed my next move and pinned an official administrator announcement to the top of the forum.
I hear you loud and clear on wanting more stock, but raw ingredients are currently depleted.
However, crafting this requires fresh Whale Merman flesh. Bring me chunks of it, and I will trade you bottles directly.
I would collect the harvested Whale Merman flesh turned in by the desperate gallums, forward the meat to Morone for potion crafting, and take the points I saved to disperse more zinc and vitamins across the realm.
In truth, it was nothing more than the profound placebo effect of Monk Wonhyo's skull water. But regardless of reality, the gallery was ablaze with burning primal desire in more ways than one.
"This ought to be enough, right?"
With the entire community roaring with feral, uninhibited desire, I reopened Dryer's direct message thread.
Her reaction was bizarre. It carried the distinctive pout of someone who had received an entirely absurd, unwanted surprise instead of what they had been eagerly anticipating. When I sent another puzzled ping, a new image burst onto my screen.
"Huh."
Her sudden temper tantrum caught me off guard, but given that she had the energy to throw an insult my way, her hunger was clearly resolved. I climbed out of bed, rolling my shoulders and stretching languidly as I checked the time.
"Well, it's about time for Penny to wake up."
I had been so engrossed in browsing the forum that the morning had completely slipped away. Just as I stood up to heat up one of the prepackaged meal kits sitting in the refrigerator, my steps hitched.
"Wait, what?"
Penny was already sitting at the kitchen table, her expression grave. At this hour, she should have been fast asleep. Approaching the table, I looked down at her in concern, only for her to look up and deliver an earth-shattering proclamation.
"My tooth hurts."
"What."
Ever since moving into my underground survival bunker months ago, Penny had gorged herself on nothing but chocolate, pastries, and candy. The Great Demon of the Seven Deadly Sins was facing her greatest existential crisis yet.