The sound of distant bells echoed through the district, signaling the arrival of morning.
Inside a bedroom lined with bookshelves and scattered alchemy equipment, two people slept beneath a blanket, both completely bare under the covers.
Curled near the wall, Seren let out a small sleepy sound as she adjusted her hold around Lucien’s chest. The movement stirred him awake.
“Mmgh…”
Lucien groaned quietly and opened his eyes with visible reluctance.
Morning already…?
Apparently so.
Through the slightly opened window, thin strands of sunlight were already slipping into the room, illuminating drifting dust particles in the air.
Beside him, Seren slowly woke as well, rubbing one eye lazily before blinking up at him.
“Good morning,” Lucien greeted, his voice still rough with sleep as a faint tired smile appeared on his face.
“Good morning…” Seren replied softly.
She still sounded half-asleep herself.
After a brief pause, she tightened her arms around him slightly.
“Can I keep holding you like this a little longer?”
“I don’t mind.”
Lucien relaxed again while she rested quietly against him.
After a few moments, he asked, “So, do you feel any better?”
They hadn’t done anything the previous night, as promised. The entire point had simply been to test whether Seren’s Corruption would lessen through something as simple as sleeping together skin-to-skin.
Of course, Lucien already knew the answer..
“I didn’t notice much directly,” Seren answered honestly. “But I’ll need to confirm it through alchemy testing first. The color changes should make it obvious if there was even a slight improvement.”
“I see.”
Lucien glanced downward briefly before quietly opening the System interface.
[Purification Record]
Target: Seren Aldrekvel
Initial Corruption: 23.55%
Final Corruption: 21.15%
CP Gained: 23
XP Gained: 5
[End of Profile]
From the numbers alone, the effect was definitely smaller than active purification.
There was a clear difference between passive and direct methods.
As Lucien studied the interface further, he noticed something else had changed within the System as well.
[Seren Aldrekvel]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Relationship Tier: Trusted
Speciality: Alchemy
Corruption: 22.22%
Passive Reduction: -3%/day (proximity)
Purification Efficiency: 50%
Mark Effects — Seren Aldrekvel
- +10% Corruption resistance
- Slow passive purification within 1km
- Secrecy Seal (permanent)
Mark Effects — Lucien Mordren
- Rudimentary alchemy knowledge
- +2 CP/day
***
Relationship Tiers were divided into five levels: Stranger, Acquaintance, Trusted, Bonded, and Devoted.
The purification efficiency increased alongside them—10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and finally 100%.
Each ascension also unlocked different perks.
Lucien hadn’t thought to check any of this after the purification yesterday morning. The idea had only occurred to him later that night while showering, when fragments of knowledge about herbs, reagent stabilization, basic extraction methods, and alchemical contamination suddenly surfaced in his head out of nowhere.
That had made him wonder whether he could inspect Seren’s profile directly.
Thinking back on it now, he realized he actually relied on the System surprisingly little throughout the day. In his mind, it mainly existed for skill acquisition, skill usage, and eventually skill sharing once his relationship with a marked person became high enough.
And since gaining large amounts of CP or raising relationship tiers clearly wasn’t something that happened overnight, it naturally limited how much he could depend on it.
At least it doesn’t dump mandatory quests on me…
“Lucien.”
“Hm?”
Lucien blinked and looked up.
Seren’s dark eyes were fixed directly on him from extremely close range, close enough that he became a little self-conscious.
“You’re hard,” she said calmly.
“…What?”
Lucien frowned in confusion, his gaze dropping downward beneath the blanket.
A second later, his lips twitched.
Sure enough, evidence of his morning arousal pressed insistently against the fabric.
“Do you want to do it?” she asked straightforwardly.
“Well, we did promise we would,” Lucien said with a sigh. “But really, that thing just sometimes has a mind of its own even when I’m not thinking about anything weird.”
Seren blinked slowly.
“Men are like that too?”
Lucien stared at her for a moment.
“…I just learned women are apparently like that too.”
Despite Seren’s usual lack of visible expression, Lucien could still tell something had shifted between them. The sudden knowledge transfer last night meant she trusted him now—deeply enough for the System to recognize it.
Exactly what aspect that trust came from, though, he wasn’t entirely sure.
Seren shifted slightly beneath the blanket before looking at him again.
“Do you want me to take care of it?”
“Sure…” Lucien paused briefly before adding, “Just to be safe, do you mind if I use explicit or vulgar wording?”
“Hm?” Seren tilted her head faintly. “No, I don’t mind.”
She fell silent for a second, seemingly thinking something over.
“…I also think I’d prefer it if you were a little rough with me,” she admitted honestly. “The effects feel stronger when the intensity is higher. Just… don’t overdo it.”
Lucien looked at her for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Lucien pulled the blanket down, exposing both of them to the cool morning air.
"Get on top of me," he instructed, his hand trailing light touches along her waist. "Face the other way. I'll take care of yours, and you take care of mine."
“Okay.”
Seren didn’t say much else.
She had already decided to get used to this gradually and simply followed Lucien’s instructions without complaint. He was far more experienced than she was anyway.
Seren moved carefully, shifting until she straddled his hips, one leg on each side of his body. The position exposed everything—the curve of her ass, the gentle hollow of her lower back, and the delicate slit of her cunt. Lucien's breath stilled for a moment as he took in the view.
Without waiting for instruction, he reached out and ran his hands along her thighs, feeling the firm muscle beneath smooth skin. She twitched at the sudden contact.
“Mm—”
Seren let out a small startled sound, her body twitching faintly.
“Don’t do that so suddenly…”
Lucien chuckled quietly.
“Sorry. Your legs are just really nice.”
His hands continued exploring, squeezing experimentally, mapping the terrain of her body with increasing boldness.
“They’re quite toned too,” he commented. “Is that from standing and walking around all the time?”
"…Yeah," Seren replied softly, her voice still husky with sleep. The sensation of his hands roaming over her legs sent pleasant tingles through her body. She could feel the heat building between her thighs, her arousal already beginning to drip onto Lucien's upper chest.
"I'm going to start, okay?" Lucien said, guiding her hips backward until her cunt was positioned directly above his face. He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, before extending his tongue and dragging it slowly along the outer folds of her vagina.
Seren released a shaky exhale, her hands gripping the footboard for support. This was the first time anyone had ever done this to her, and the sensation was overwhelming—his warm breath, the wet pressure of his tongue tracing along her sensitive flesh. She felt like she might climax already from the intensity alone.
But no, I shouldn't do that yet, Seren thought, forcing herself to focus. I need to last longer than this.
She didn't want to be the only one enjoying it, so she had to get better at it.
She looked down at Lucien's erect penis standing proudly upward. With a determined expression, she lowered her head and began licking the tip of his cock in a slow, circular motion. The taste of salt and musk filled her mouth, but she didn't stop. Instead, she used her entire mouth, letting her saliva mix with his arousal as she sucked gently on the sensitive head.
"Nh—"
From Lucien's momentarily disrupted rhythm, she knew her technique had succeeded. Encouraged, Seren wrapped both hands around his shaft, one on top of the other, and began stroking in time with her sucking. Her mouth covered the upper portion of his cock, her tongue swirling around the tip while her lips formed a tight seal. Then, with determination, she swallowed around him, taking him deeper.
Meanwhile, Lucien mimicked her efforts. He used his entire mouth on the folds of her pussy, his tongue tracing along every crevice while his lips sucked gently at her entrance. The combined sensations—his breathing hot against her most intimate flesh, the wet pressure and suction—made Seren's legs tremble.
I'll make him cum first...
She didn't think it was possible, of course. It was very likely that she would lose due to the difference in experience. Lucien was clearly restraining himself, his intensity much tamer compared to what they'd done yesterday. Still, she felt herself getting more 'energized' as she set the goal.
With that goal burning in her mind, Seren leaned forward, attempting to take the full length of his cock into her mouth in one deep, desperate thrust. However, the sheer thickness and daunting length of his cock made it a highly challenging feat. Even as she tried to relax her throat muscles, her body rebelled; a violent, involuntary gag reflex took hold.
“Ngh—! Gack!”
A choked, wet sound escaped her throat. She had intended to catch him off guard, perhaps even force an immediate release through the sheer shock of the sensation. While she could feel Lucien’s body stiffen in surprise beneath her, he didn't erupt instantly.
Instead of retreating, Seren began a rhythmic, punishing motion. She would pull her mouth back almost entirely, exposing the glistening, pre-cum-slicked head of his shaft, only to plunge back down with renewed ferocity—as if trying to force her throat to reshape itself around his girth. Her eyes were wide, glazed with a mix of determination and physical strain, her face flushed a deep crimson from the effort. It was a "rough" act in its own right; she had asked him to be rough with her, but she hadn't specified that he had to be the one to initiate the intensity.
Lucien let out a series of low, gutteral groans.
He was naturally surprised. Who would have thought that this quiet, rigid girl could unleash such barbaric hunger? Initially, Lucien had assumed Seren was the type to build intimacy gradually, starting from light touches and working upward. He had been careful, intentionally tempering his rhythm for fear that if he grew too aggressive or controlled her head, she would choke. But now, Seren was driving him toward the brink, her throat tight and pulsing around him.
I suppose I have to give her everything too, Lucien thought, his eyes darkening.
Until this moment, Lucien had only been licking the outer surface of her folds. But if there was one thing every woman knew about him:
“—Nghhh!”
His tongue suddenly darted inward, thrusting deep into her soaking wet slit with startling speed. The intrusion was so sudden and profound that Seren instinctively tried to jerk her hips away from his face, but Lucien’s hand shot up, his fingers digging firmly into her hip to anchor her in place.
He wasn’t content to merely penetrate her with his tongue. As he fucked her relentlessly with his agile appendage, two thick fingers joined the assault, pushing easily into her clenching channel alongside his probing muscle. His other hand snaked around her hip, finding her swollen clit and circling it with rapid, firm strokes.
Seren let out a series of loud, muffled moans around Lucien's cock, the vibrations adding another layer of stimulation. Her rhythm faltered completely under the onslaught of pleasure radiating from her cunt. Yet, through sheer force of will, she managed to resume her brutal pace, pulling nearly all the way off his dick before slamming her throat down once more. Tears streamed freely from the corners of her eyes, mixing with the spittle coating her chin and Lucien's groin.
Their mutual desperation built rapidly. Their bodies moved in frantic harmony—her hips bucking wildly against Lucien's face as his tongue and fingers worked tirelessly within her, while her head bobbed furiously over his lap. The sounds filling the room were obscene: the wet smacks of his mouth devouring her pussy, the slick slide of her throat engulfing his cock, and their shared, ragged gasps for air.
“Damn it, Seren... I'm gonna cum!” Lucien grunted, his voice urgent.
In response, Seren redoubled her efforts, swallowing around him hungrily as her own orgasm crashed through her. With a final, violent thrust of his hips, Lucien exploded. Thick ropes of cum painted the back of her throat, and she swallowed convulsively, milking him dry. Simultaneously, her inner walls clamped down hard on Lucien's fingers, flooding his mouth with her sweet release.
After several moments of trembling aftershocks, Seren finally pulled free from his softening cock with a loud, wet pop. Gasping for breath, she collapsed beside him, her chest heaving. Lucien wiped his mouth, grinning broadly despite his own exhaustion.
“Want to continue?” he rasped playfully, still catching his breath.
Seren rolled onto her side, meeting his gaze with heavy-lidded eyes. A faint, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“...Let’s move to the bathroom,” she breathed, already imagining the steam rising around them.