The apartment was dead silent, save for the distant, mournful wail of a police siren echoing through the lower district. Ren lay on his lumpy mattress, staring up at the water-stained ceiling. The phantom sensation of the poly-silk against his skin was finally starting to fade, replaced by a lingering, bone-deep exhaustion.
He had survived. He had paid for Sierra's books. He had kept his secret.
But the reality of his situation was settling over him like a heavy, suffocating blanket. He couldn't keep blindly stumbling from one humiliating quest to the next, hoping his armor didn't crack and expose him to the guild. If he was going to survive this—if he was going to master the terrifying power of Carmine without losing his mind or his dignity in the process—he needed to understand the rules of the game he was being forced to play.
Ren closed his eyes, taking a slow, steadying breath. The violet hue of the system interface reflected faintly in his pupils as he opened them.
"Since I've become so entangled with this system anyway," Ren whispered into the dark room, his voice steadying with a newfound, reluctant resolve, "let's see what it's all about."
He took a deep breath.
"System... open."
The familiar blue holographic panel materialized in the air above him, illuminating his cramped corner of the room with a soft, digital glow.
[USER: REN / CARMINE]
[BASE RANK: E]
[SUCCUBUS RANK: B]
[SYSTEM LEVEL: 1]
[EXP: 350/1000]
[LIFE FORCE: 1870]
[SYSTEM GOLD: 0]
He stared at the numbers for a moment before waving his hand, bringing up the main menu. It was structured like an old-school VR interface, with several distinct tabs hovering in a neat, organized circle.
Stats. Quests. Skills. Inventory. Shop.
He tentatively tapped the Skills tab. The panel expanded into a sprawling, interconnected web of nodes—a massive Skill Tree. The majority of the nodes were greyed out, locked behind higher System Levels, but a few near the base glowed with a faint, inviting violet light.
He focused on the center node, the one currently active.
[ACTIVE SKILL: TRANSFORMATION (LV. 1)]
[Allows the host to assume the True Form (Carmine). Cost: 100 Life Force per minute. Cooldown: 24 Hours (Requirements change as the skill level and system level advance, they also shift as the male host's body evolves into a form better suited for a succubus).]
Ren's brow furrowed. A hundred Life Force a minute? He checked his current balance: 1870. That meant he could only sustain the succubus form for about eighteen minutes before... what? He died? He forcefully reverted back to his male body in the middle of a fight? It was a terrifying limitation, one he hadn't realized when he was blindly slaughtering the Minotaur Lord.
He traced the lines branching off from the Transformation node. There were two paths: Combat and Seduction.
He immediately tapped the Combat path, desperate for something useful that didn't involve lace.
[LOCKED SKILL: SHADOW DANCE]
[Requirement: System Level 2, Agility 80, Charm 60.]
[Description: Enhances evasion and allows brief, intangible phasing through solid attacks.]
It sounded incredible. Exactly the kind of skill that would keep him alive in a high-tier dungeon. But his eyes drifted to the other requirement. Charm 60.
He felt a cold knot form in his stomach. The system tied combat efficacy directly to his physical appeal. And if he wanted to raise his Charm stat... he knew exactly what the system would demand.
[LOCKED SKILL: ALLURING GAZE]
[Requirement: System Level 2, Charm 55.]
[Description: A minor hypnotic suggestion. Lowers the hostility of targets within line of sight. Effectiveness scales with the host's aesthetic presentation.]
Ren scowled, swiping the Skill Tree away. "Of course. Effectiveness scales with presentation. You want me to dress up to use magic."
He tapped the Inventory tab next. The screen shifted, revealing a grid of mostly empty slots. In the first slot, rendered in perfect, miniature detail, was the burgundy 'Nightshade' set he was currently wearing.
Ren tapped the icon.
[ITEM: NIGHTSHADE POLY-SILK SET (BURGUNDY)]
[Status: Equipped.]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Effect: +2 Agility (Active). Minor resistance to physical chafing.]
He stared at the text. Wait. The agility bonus wasn't permanent?
"System," Ren hissed, leaning closer to the panel. "Explain. Does the stat boost only apply while I'm wearing the item?"
A small, secondary window popped up instantly, accompanied by a polite chime.
[SYSTEM EXPLANATION: EQUIPMENT STATS]
[Correct. While base stats (earned via quests / leveling) are permanent, item-specific stat bonuses are only active while the garment is equipped on the host's physical body. A true succubus must always dress for success.]
Ren dropped his head back against the pillow, groaning. He had gone through the agony of buying and wearing the silk set, thinking he was permanently raising his agility. But the system was holding those two points hostage. If he wanted to be faster, he had to keep wearing them.
He felt a headache blooming behind his eyes. He swiped to the final tab: The Shop.
The panel exploded into a vibrant, chaotic marketplace. It was neatly categorized, but the contents made Ren's face flush hot with embarrassment all over again.
On the left side of the screen were pages upon pages of women's products. High-end cosmetics, elaborate skin serums, hair care routines, and an endless, dizzying array of clothing. Everything from practical, reinforced hunter gear tailored specifically for female frames to completely impractical, absurdly revealing dresses and nightgowns.
I went to that department store, Ren thought, a hysterical bubble of laughter rising in his chest. I stood there and sweated through an interrogation with Elara... and I could have just bought the damn undergarments from the system in the privacy of my own room?
He checked the price of a standard poly-silk set in the system shop.
[PRICE: 100 GOLD]
Ren sighed. He had only had 500 gold total at the time, and he needed every single credit to pay for Sierra's books ... . The system had deliberately forced him out into the real world to save money.
He scrolled over to the right side of the shop, desperately seeking something normal. Here, he found standard LitRPG fare, but with a distinct, frustrating twist. There were stamina potions, but they were labelled 'Vitality & Libido Boosters. There were health potions that promised Blemish-Free Cellular Regeneration.
There were weapons, too. He tapped on a sleek, wicked-looking dagger.
[Damage: 45]
[Effect: Causes minor paralysis on hit.]
[Restriction: Can only be equipped in True Form (Carmine).]
[Price: 1,500 Gold]
"Can only be equipped in True Form," Ren read aloud, his voice flat. He checked another weapon, a slender rapier. Same restriction.
He swiped back to his male stats.
[MALE STATS: STR 8 | AGI 9 | INT 12 | CHRM 14]
The system wasn't just segregating his stats; it was actively starving his male form. It offered him no weapons, no armor, no skills that he could use without transforming or submitting to its humiliating dress codes. It was slowly, methodically forcing him into a corner where his only option for survival was to embrace Carmine entirely.
Ren closed the shop, feeling thoroughly defeated. He stared at the main menu, his eyes heavy with sleep.
"Just... close," he muttered, waving his hand to dismiss the interface.
The blue panel shrank, but before it vanished completely, it pulsed with a sudden, bright golden light.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Ren groaned, burying his face in his hands. "No. No, I'm tired. I did your dungeon quest. Leave me alone."
The system ignored him, chiming cheerfully as a new quest box expanded across his vision.
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: CROWNING GLORY]
[A succubus's hair is her crown—a silken snare for the unwary. The host's current hair is brittle, coarse, and entirely lacking in volume or luster.]
[TASK: Apply the 'Restorative Silk Hair Mask' (Provided in System Inventory) before sleeping. The host must leave the mask in overnight.]
[REWARD: 150 EXP, +1 Charm, +50 Gold.]
[FAILURE PENALTY: Rapid, uncontrollable hair shedding (Male Form) for 48 Hours.]
Ren stared at the penalty. Rapid, uncontrollable shedding? He imagined showing up to the guild tomorrow with patches of hair falling out in clumps. It would be impossible to explain. It would draw unwanted attention.
He opened his newly acquired inventory. There, sitting next to the icon for his silk undergarments, was a small, glowing pink jar.
Ren let out a long, shuddering breath, the fight draining completely out of him.
"Fine," he whispered into the dark, empty room. "Give me the damn hair mask."
https://imgur.com/xi766yy https://imgur.com/ENYYpuW