Inside his late father’s study, Ethan Valen stood perfectly still.

At the threshold, Asrof stood with ragged breaths. The middle-aged man’s hands trembled violently. The small torch in his grip swung wildly, casting erratic shadows across his deathly pale face.

Even though the deathly howls from the village pierced the stone walls, Ethan didn’t immediately draw his weapon or rush out like some hot-blooded hero. He turned around slowly. His expression was as flat as marble, but his eyes sharpened with a cold glint.

"Asrof," Ethan called out. His voice was incredibly low. A lethal whisper that drowned out the sounds of panic outside. "Answer my question. How many demons are attacking?"

"M-many, Young Master! Maybe dozens, maybe more!" Asrof gulped, his eyes darting wildly.

"How often have attacks like this happened since I left?"

"N-never this brutal! Usually, it’s just one or two stray demons looking for livestock. B-but tonight... they’re destroying everything!"

"The condition of the main estate and the village?" Ethan pressed, his eyes locking onto the man.

"The main estate is safe, the gates are secure! But the village... the fields are burned, the livestock is gone! They’re dragging our people away, M-Master! Young women are being taken by force... And the one leading them... he’s a demon that can speak! He laughed as he watched us get slaughtered!"

Ethan looked away toward the large window. Through the frosted glass, the night sky of Valen burned red. Fire devoured the wooden houses. Heart-wrenching screams could faintly be heard.

The air inside the study suddenly felt incredibly heavy. The aura of Sin Mana seeped out from the young man’s pores.

"Fufufu..."

The hoarse, wet voice echoed within Ethan’s skull. There was no more mocking tone; the Asmodeus System spoke with absolute seriousness.

"Your first test has arrived quite early. But listen closely. Sentient demons are different from the wild beasts in the forest. They possess tactics, cunning, and ego." Asmodeus paused for a moment. "Bring the Elf girl with you."

Ethan furrowed his brows. What for?

"Her holy magic is the absolute counterbalance to low-tier demonic auras," Asmodeus whispered slyly. "And... you might really need her for something else."

Without answering, Ethan accepted that logic. He turned and strode out, leaving Asrof still frozen in place, clutching his torch.

The corridors of the Valen estate felt dreadful. Ethan opened the door to Miya’s guest room without knocking.

Miya was already awake. The petite healer sat hugging her knees at the edge of the bed. Her face was as white as a sheet. The screams from the village caused her pointed ears to droop drastically. She was still wearing her thin nightgown, only covered by a medical coat thrown on haphazardly.

"Come with me right now," Ethan commanded absolutely.

Miya flinched. Her light purple eyes widened. "M-Master... out there... the sounds... I’m not a fighter—"

"I’m not asking you to fight. I’m telling you to come with me."

Miya swallowed her bitter saliva. Her protests were choked back. There was no guarantee of safety in that cold gaze, only the demand for obedience. Bound by the Lust Brand and the sheer terror of her master, Miya stood up on trembling legs.

The moment they passed the main estate’s gates, the pungent stench of blood and charred flesh immediately choked their lungs.

Valen Village had turned into a living hell. The stone fences were shattered to pieces. Houses creaked and collapsed, devoured by the roaring flames. Faintly, the sobs of children could be heard from the remaining buildings whose doors were tightly locked.

Ethan walked with a constant rhythm. His black shirt fluttered, battered by the scorching wind.

Behind him, Miya pulled her coat tighter. The Elf girl kept her head down, unable to bear the sight of fresh blood splattered across the snow. Her breath hitched every time she heard the crackle of breaking wood.

They arrived at the village square, which had been completely leveled to the ground.

Demonic half-beasts were having a feast. They ransacked furniture, forcefully dragged away women who begged for mercy, and laughed hoarsely as they chased down the villagers.

The center of the terror stood right in the middle.

Rhazek. Towering high with gray muscles as dark as asphalt. Two sharply curved horns jutted out from his head. His eyes glowed like burning embers. In his massive right hand, he gripped a giant, rusted sword coated in fresh blood.

Seeing Ethan, Rhazek raised a hand. All the lesser demons stopped instantly.

"Hah... look what we have here." Rhazek’s voice echoed, hoarse and full of sadistic satisfaction. The demon bared his rows of pointed, yellow teeth. "The runaway Baron’s brat finally came home... just to hand his life over to me."

Ethan remained silent. His eyes analyzed the situation rapidly. Rhazek intentionally left some victims alive just to savor the scent of despair. This demon was smart.

Behind Ethan, Miya trembled violently. The killing intent radiating from the Rank A monster was too dense, crushing her mentally.

"Pay attention, Ethan," Asmodeus’s voice whispered urgently. "This creature is a high-tier Rank A. With your current condition, plus your shoulder wound that hasn’t fully healed... your chances of winning are slim."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

"You need Rank S. You are only a few Lust Points away from fully unlocking the Shop system," the system continued. "Use what you brought. Harvest it from that Elf. Now."

Ethan turned his head. Staring at Miya.

Miya met his gaze and her knees instantly went weak. There was a raw hunger and absolute dominance in her master’s dark brown eyes. She held her breath.

Without warning, Ethan spun around. He pulled Miya’s arm, yanking her into his embrace. His grip wasn’t rushed; rather, it pressed down with absolute dominance.

"M-Master? What—" Miya pressed her palms against Ethan’s chest, trying to hold him back.

Ethan ignored her. His large hand slipped beneath Miya’s coat, wrapping tightly around her waist. In the middle of a sea of flames, watched by dozens of pale villagers through the cracks of their windows, Ethan silenced the Elf girl’s lips. A wild, fiercely demanding kiss.

Rhazek tilted his head. His mocking smile vanished, replaced by a look of disgust at seeing a human committing such lewd acts on the brink of death.

Ethan’s hands didn’t stop. Miya’s coat was pushed aside, revealing her pale thigh with the glowing rose tattoo. Ethan pressed her petite frame against his chest, as if asserting his ownership over her right in front of both the village and the demons.

"Master... please... not here..." Miya whispered, her voice cracking.

"You don’t have anywhere else," Ethan replied, soft yet absolute.

Miya’s eyes went wide. Her heart beat like crazy. A crushing wave of shame hammered her sanity as she realized they had become a spectacle for the villagers and the monsters alike.

However, that shame was the perfect trigger.

The crimson rose Lust Brand on her left thigh reacted violently. The cursed tattoo glowed brightly, igniting her Mana Circuits. It transmuted her fear and shame into a surging wave of pure lust.

Ethan pulled Miya’s hips closer. The girl whimpered, her fingers gripping Ethan’s shirt. Every touch forced her body to tremble even harder. She wanted to resist, but her flesh surrendered, submitting to her master’s will.

"I-I... I can’t take it..." Miya moaned softly.

"That’s exactly what I need," Ethan whispered.

"Nghh... Master... please... I..." Miya let out a muffled groan, her head falling onto Ethan’s shoulder.

"You feel ashamed, yet your body welcomes it."

"T-that’s... not... ahh..."

Miya bit her lip, but the sounds still leaked out. Her body arched. Small, stifled moans mixed with sobs, becoming a twisted, horrifying melody amidst the burning village.

Tears streamed from the corners of Miya’s eyes. Her legs could no longer support her weight. A soft moan escaped through her muffled lips. The dense stream of sin energy was greedily siphoned by the Sin Mana within Ethan’s body.

Behind the remaining windows and door cracks, the villagers watched with pale faces. No one dared to make a sound. They didn’t understand what their Young Master was doing, but there was something about it that terrified them more than anything before.

Rhazek snorted roughly. His demonic instincts were screaming at him. This human wasn’t giving up; his dark energy pressure was suddenly skyrocketing to an absurd degree.

The moment Miya’s knees hit the snow, a sharp chime echoed in Ethan’s head.

[Ding! Lust Point accumulation fulfilled!] [Host Status upgraded: RANK S] [Shop System Fully Unlocked!]

Ethan broke the seal on their lips. He let Miya’s helpless body slump down, then pivoted to face Rhazek.

The air exploded.

A tidal wave of reddish-black Sin Mana erupted from Ethan’s body, crushing the gravity within the square. His brown eyes morphed into a blazing crimson red—an ancient Demon King’s Aura that forced Rhazek’s subordinates to stumble back in terror.

Within his mind, Ethan purchased a weapon from the Shop’s catalog.

"Summon: Velcrasia."

From the shadows beneath Ethan’s feet, dense energy crawled up to his right hand. It formed a long, dark red whip. The material pulsated like a living vein, with its tip splitting into three branches resembling the jaws of a starving leech.

Rhazek’s smirk evaporated. He gripped his greatsword with both hands.

"KILL HIM!!" he roared in panic.

The giant demon charged. His rusted sword cleaved through the air, unleashing a blade of sickly green, venomous wind toward Ethan.

Ethan’s crimson eyes narrowed. [Eye of Desire] tracked the attack’s trajectory. He agilely leaped to the side.

However, the lingering wound on his shoulder twitched. His balance wavered for a split second as his boots landed on the ice.

"Master!" Miya screamed hoarsely. The girl wanted to channel her holy magic, but the residual lust coursing through her body locked her movements onto the ground.

Seeing an opening, Rhazek swept his sword horizontally. Intending to decapitate Ethan.

Swoosh!

Right before the steel touched his skin, Ethan’s body melted into black mist. [Abyssal Stride]. Rhazek’s sword cut through empty air.

Before the demon even realized it, Ethan had already manifested from the shadows on his left side.

CRACK!

Velcrasia shattered the air with a deafening crack. The red-veined whip coiled around Rhazek’s thick neck. Its three sharp tips dug deep into the gray flesh, drinking the demon’s blood greedily.

Ethan’s crimson eyes flashed. With his Rank S physical strength, he yanked the whip brutally.

RIP!

The sickening sound of tearing flesh and bone echoed. Rhazek’s head was cleanly decapitated, launching into the air before his giant, headless body spewed thick black blood and collapsed with a heavy thud onto the snow.

Hysterical shrieks broke out. The army of lesser demons did a complete one-eighty, fleeing for their lives into the darkness of the pine forest.

The battle was over in a matter of seconds.

Ethan let Velcrasia slither across the muddy ground. He strolled casually toward Rhazek’s severed head, which had rolled into the rubble.

Miya was still sitting on the snow. Her knees were trembling. The tears hadn’t dried on her cheeks. She stared at Ethan’s back—the creature who had just crushed a demon, along with her own feelings.

The villagers slowly crept out from their hiding spots. They whispered among themselves. Their fear was no longer solely directed at the demons, but also at their young master who had just effortlessly decapitated the enemy without a second thought.

A demon’s vitality was truly insane. The severed head was still alive. Its eyes glared at Ethan, brimming with absolute vengeance.

"Cough... ack..." Rhazek laughed hoarsely, spitting up black blood. "You... you just killed a small dog. My master... will come. She’ll burn this village... and skin your blind sister."

Ethan’s expression was as calm as a block of ice. He reached out, grabbing one of Rhazek’s horns, and hoisted the head up until it was level with his face.

Ethan’s blazing crimson eyes stared piercingly, crushing whatever remained of Rhazek’s courage.

"You’re wrong," Ethan whispered, a deadly cadence in his voice. "Your master isn’t coming here. I’m going to her. Where is hers lair?"

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