“Well, what have we here?” Aurelia’s voice dripped like honey, sweet and alluring.

  The weight of her gaze settled on me, sending a thrilling shiver through my veins.

  Am I lusting over her already, like some Isekai bookworm virgin?

  What? Don’t take it personally. I know you love me. Wink.

  Her eyes twinkled with mischief, lips curling into a knowing smirk. Drawn in, I felt like a moth mesmerized by a fme, yet wary of its searing touch. Even with blurred vision—somewhat eased by keeping a system s floating around, like fog on a distant objeitigate car siess—I remained alert.

  Aurelia was undeniably captivating. a tight-fitting robe that hugged her curves, the fabric shimmered against her por skin, plementing her flowing bck hair and the fiery sparkle of her red eyes. Her features bore an ued Latina essence, an intriguing trast to her at. Desire welled up within me, unusual and intense. Was this lust, not love? I’d never been so instantly smitten.

  Her gaze seemed to cast a hypnotic spell, rootio the spot despite every instinct screaming to flee. Panid an inexplicable joy cshed within me as I realized my escape routes were blocked, pinned beh the shelving as if it were my destined pce.

  “Ah, don’t worry. I’ve gohrough a lot of trouble t your soul from beyond the veil. The st thing I want to do is hurt you,” Aurelia mused, a pyful tone in her voice. “However, I must admit, I didn’t expect your soul to g to a dungeon slime and pudding of all things, especially after I collected so many promising corpses for you. It must’ve been fate od being mischievous, but we’ll work with what we’ve got. Let’s see what we’re dealing with, shall we?”

  A spark of light fshed from Aurelia’s ring, sending a tremor through me. Any thoughts of hiding evaporated. Exposed and vulnerable, I felt stripped of all defenses, quite literally, given my ck of attire in this new form.

  “You seem to have g to one of my little spes. Whatever shall I do…” she pondered aloud, her gaze shifting as she spoke over her shoulder. “Oh, Olin, be a dear arieve—my, belove—our champion, would you?” With a flick of her wrist, she ahe deg ghoul.

  This won’t end well!

  As the ghoul shuffled towards me, a bizarre desire surged through me, wild and raw, like a lioness eyeing a carcass.

  Eww! Don’t do it, Bke. Don’t do it!

  A deep, primal hunger overtook me as the ghoul’s clouded, cataract-filled eye came into view. My body twisted and torted, eaent imbued with a grotesque, fluid unnaturalness. Disgust surged within me, yet the overwhelming urge was unstoppable, like a tidal wave crashing over me.

  The ghoul had crawled on hands and knees, peekih the shelf. Instinctively, I lunged, driven by a force beyond my trol. I pounced, uo stop the primal impulse.

  NO! No! No—oh… Mmmm.

  Olin shrieked in pain, rolling on the ground, desperately g at his face to peel me off. His efforts were in vain as I slipped past his fingers, burrowing into that hazy eyeball, sinking into warmth and what felt like pure, delicious bliss. He writhed and cwed, yet I g on, lost in an euphoria so potent it felt intoxig, surpassing any pleasure I had known.

  Oh, god, this is incredible. Oh yes! Yes! YES! This feels better than sex! Oh, my GOD!

  “Olin, I and you to stop resisting!” Aurelia’s voice cut through the chaos.

  Defiantly, the undead ghoul let out a screech, his body twisting in rebellion against Aurelia’s and. But before I could process the unfolding se, he smmed his head against the cold, unfiving stone floor. The siing spt of impact resouhrough the chamber, leaving behind a gory mess in a widening pool of red.

  V:\Assion>SAFE_MODE

  BattleResult

  Enemy Defeated: [Ghoul]

  Current Level: 4

  Initiate [Absorb] on [Ghoul]?

  > YES

  > NO

  V:\>

  The pain that smmed into me was like a tornado, violent and sudden. But as quickly as it arrived, it morphed into a tidal wave of etion. The source of this pleasure became painfully clear as I devoured the ghoul’s deposing flesh. Despite the revulsion, burrowing into his empty eye socket triggered an intense sensation of delight. The very thought of my aade me recoil in horror, yet I couldn’t stop myself. Overwhelmed by this flig turmoil, I dissolved into the moment, sav the gruesome feast with a disturbing eagerness.

  Absorbed in my grisly feast, I barely noticed the absence of any level gains. It dawned ohat he might not yield experience because he wasn’t a dungeon monster. Wasn’t there a First-Time Alert faining more skills from dungeoies? Could he really be that weak? I mean, weaker than baby spiders?

  Well, that’s just pathetic, Olin.

  Aurelia’s lips spread into a wide grin. “This is the third time I’ve lost him this year.”

  Oops!

  As I tore through the undead ghoul, the ease of it armed me. Aurelia approached with an uling grin. Though disgusted with myself, I couldn’t stop. Fvors of amon and apples overwhelmed me, pulling me deeper into bliss.

  My body moved autonomously, burrowing into the ghoul’s chest cavity with each bite proving more delightful tha. I was likely purring when I reached his iines, utterly captivated by their det taste. Before surrendering pletely to this macabre feast, I mentally clicked yes on the absorb option.

  Instantly, I ulled away from my indulgence, spreading over what remained of Olin’s corpse like a cozy b.

  V:\Assion>SAFE_MODE

  SkillUpdate

  [Absorb] [Ghoul] Successful

  New Selectable Skills Avaible:

  - [Blight]

  - [Fear]

  - [Life Drain]

  V:\>

  Huh, that’s a lot of skills for a non-dungeon monster.

  His remains vanished as swiftly as the ordeal had begun, and I quickly shrank back—though not to my inal size, as I first thought. my new form, I realized I was no lohe minuscule, tarantu-sized creature of before. I was noroximately the size of a Yorkie. Yep! I was still insignifit.

  The universe has to be either punishing or mog me!

  Aurelia’s wide and ferocious grin could make even the most notorious vilins from horror films seem tame. She leaned over, and with a flick of her wrist, a tiny orb of light emerged from within me. A shiver ran through my body as the orb drifted up to her palm, leaving me chilled and fused.

  “Don’t worry, my dear—little pool of death. It’s only Olin’s soul. It’s a shame, though. I had acquired that body from one of the dungeon denizens below, hoping it would st him longer.”

  Dungeon denizen? Is that why I gained so many skills from him?

  As Aurelia leaned in, her breath felt like a cool breeze against my gooey skin. My own sanity began to feel like a distant memory. Surprisingly, there was ne to eat her—at least, not in a homicidal sense.

  “Hmm, it’s unfortunate I’ll be repg his body soohan expected. But ime you decide to eat Olin, be careful. It’s quite difficult to find durable bodies for his soul.”

  With a sharp flick of her wrist, Aurelia sent the glowing orb sailing over her shoulder toward a nearby table. Despite my small size, I straio see what was happening. A grotesque, yet unmistakably human, gasp followed the orb’s nding.

  “Olin, be a dear and up this mess you made. I’ll be off with my dear Bowen to meet the others.”

  Who the hell is Bowen? Ugh, don’t tell me she’s mistaken me for someone else. If only I could speak! I have so many questions for her.

  “Yes, Mistress,” a young boy’s voice responded.

  As I tried to get a better look at the child oable, Aurelia’s form obstructed my view. Yet, as I stretched around her, my body elongated like a malleable substance pulled by an unseen force. The child looked to be about two or three years old. I couldn’t pce his nationality, but his five o’clock shadoerplexing—perhaps he was a gnome? His hazy green eyes met mine, filled with intered.

  Brag myself for another frontation with this child—nome—ghoul, Aurelia lifted me up like a small doll. As she carried me away from the undead menace, I felt a strange security being held against her perky chest like a teddy bear, a stark trast to the terror I felt just moments ago.

  I ’t say I mind, but how am I not melting her?

  “We’ve got a lot of work ahead, the two of us, but first, you should meet the others. They’ll just love you! And if they don’t, well, you eat their remains once I’m done,” Aurelia chuckled softly as she spoke.

  As Aurelia carried me through the narrow hallway, the stone walls seemed to close in around me. Her strength was surprising as she held me effortlessly, like a precious object. Although my vision had improved—it felt like stepping off a spinning ival ride onto a still, yet annoyingly fast, merry-go-round—her swaying and boung movements only intensified my nausea, pushing my queasio new heights.

  V:\Assion>SAFE_MODE

  Siess Detected        [SD]

  Resist Status: No Immunity   [Inactive]

  Affli: Siess

  Effects Applied:

  Decreased StaminaLowered DefenseImpaired itive FunsReduced Skill Damage OutputIncreased Vulnerability to Other Status Effebsp;

  V:\>

  Every step Aurelia took echoed through the dark and winding corridor, the sound boung off the damp stone walls like a ghostly symphony. The flickering torchlight cast an itent glow, illuminating ea we passed. These chambers were filled with macabre dispys: alchemy bottles and bubbling potions that radiated an eerie, unnatural light. Skeletal remains scattered across some floors trasted starkly with other rooms, which housed inscrutable, shadow-shrouded objects.

  Despite the uling surroundings, Aurelia’s humming—a melody that resonated off her chest like a gentle lulby—filtered through the air. This beautiful sound calmed my frayed nerves, a rare moment of serenity amidst the chaos of my errifyienoheless, the harsh reality that this bizarre world was now my own tio gnaw at me, a bitter reminder of the drastic ge in my circumstances.

  V:\Assion>SAFE_MODE

  sing Skill Detected    [CSD]

  Status: Cured         [Active]

  A: Remove All ive Status Effects

  You have been [sed] by [Aislinn]?

  V:\>

  “All better?”

  Wait, she knew I had that affli—and, who’s Aislinn?

  My question hung silently in the air as we stepped into an enormous chamber. Awe struck me at its vastness, with dozens of green-fmed firepits casting eerie shadows along the walls. Pilrs that stretched several stories high loomed overhead, creating a cathedral of dread. The skeletons standing motionless, adorned in a-looking armor with spears and shields, sent a chill spiraling down my ent spine. My vision blurred—ironic for someone supposedly with a panoramic view—overwhelmed by the sheer eeriness of the se.

  As we asded the steps te elevated ptform, the enviro shifted. Several individuals were lounging on shabby couches or embroiled ied debates with a fierce-looking Niamh; some disputes even turned physical. A noticeable sinkhole had opened up in the floor, marking the room as a perilous zone.

  Clearihroat to rise above the cmor, Aurelia announced, “Everyone, I present to you our Dark Champion!”

  Retreating back to beh the shelf from earlier seemed increasingly appealing right now. The chamber fell abruptly silent, the cacophony of earlier disputes repced by a suffog stillness. Attention so us. Even Niamh paused mid-frontation, her hands locked around the throat of a small woman with gray cat ears, both of them frozen in the sudden quiet. My gooey heart raced, the weight of every gaze pressing down on me, as the uling realizatioled in: I was the ter of this sudden, eerie calm.

  Dark Champion? Ha. Ha… Are they expeg me to be their evil hero or something?

  Yay! How thrilling... I think?

  “Is that a slime?” a frog-faced man in a hooded bck robe inquired, curiosity piqued.

  The chamber erupted in ughter as the succubus, uo tain herself, chortled, “No, Van, it’s a Bck Pudding! Aurelia, you’ve truly outdone yourself this time! Why didn’t you tell me this delightful mess was your didate? Oh, by the e of the goddess you all worship, this is too funny!”

  “Shut it, Niamh,” Aurelia snapped, her fingernails ping into me.

  The sensation was more intriguing than painful, a peculiar kind of pleasure uhe scrutinizing gaze of an audience. As Aurelia retracted her sharp nails, my focus shifted to a new figure cloaked in bck, approag us with the silence of a stalking reaper. His hood obscured most of his face, revealing just the sickly pallor of his skin and the intense, fiery red of his eyes, which seemed almost demonic.

  “Daughter, we already have six didates undergoing the trial. You’re too te to submit your creature. What makes your abomination any different?”

  Her father? Yikes!

  “Lord Demidicus,” Aurelia responded with calm authority, “he’s special.”

  He?!

  Niamh burst out ughing again. “Special? It’s a slime, you dimwit vamp!”

  “Silence, demon,” the a vampire aurning his uling gaze back to us. “Special or not, your didate is too te for the trial. We had an agreement.”

  What if I don’t want any part of this trial?

  “He only just awoke, Lord Demidicus,” Aurelia tested, her voice steady but tinged with an undercurrent of loathing. “Based on reement—when I successfully ied the summoning ritual you used on my soul with the a leveling system—we decided that each elder could select their own didate to be summoned as levelers to pete to be the e’s champion. My didate should be permitted to pete. I ask only for additional time to prepare him for the dungeon.”

  Well, that’s a lot to unpack—hey! I’m not a man, damn it! And what’s this about a dungeon?

  “We don’t have additional time. If the Asded Gods find out what we’ve done, we’ll be doomed,” the a vampire replied, his tone grave. “We only successfully ceal one of them by surrendering them to the e, as per our arra with the goddess.”

  He took a deep, measured breath, his gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd before returning to Aurelia. “Your creature pete, but you may not receive additional time. Toss it into the depths now,” Lord Demidicus decreed with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  Toss me into the depths?

  Drawn toward the sinkhole, I watched Niamh barely stifle another burst of ughter as she peered into the abyss, her body quaking with mirth.

  Wait, we talk about this first?

  “Aww, don’t worry, your pretty little head, body snatcher,” the succubus growled, her wicked smile widening. “I’ll do it for you. Pfft!” Niamh taunted, her voice dripping with mock sympathy.

  Aurelia drew me closer to her fad whispered, “Make it out, my beloved, and bae.” Her eyes, gleaming with mischief and malice, shifted back to the demon.

  Your beloved? Ugh, she thinks I’m this Bowen dude. This is the worst! Why ’t she fall in love with me instead?

  “Alright, Niamh, fine,” Aurelia agreed relutly.

  I really don’t like where this is going!

  Without any further warning, Aurelia thrust me forward. A revolting spt echoed through the chamber as my viscous form collided with the demon’s unsuspeg face, enveloping us both in a grotesque embrace. Time seemed to suspend; in a burst of pure desperation, I shed out, grappling her head with tendrils of ebony ooze. Glued to the succubus’s face, we spiraled over the sinkhole’s edge and plummeted into the voracious chasm below.

  As we desded deeper into the abyss, Niamh’s distressed, muffled shrieks echoed off the dark walls, iwining with Aurelia’s mog ughter. Their sounds, along with distant murmurs about resummoning costs and the fates of demons, gradually faded into mere whispers, swallowed by the enveloping darkness of the chasm.

  I really do hate my new life—though, this bitch tastes grrreat!

  Spoiler

  The st time, I tried to use image addresses from Discord, but they turned out to have expiration dates. Hopefully, now that I'm using Imgur, that won't happen again... I hope!

  [colpse]