Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

For several minutes, nobody moved.

The battle was over, the witch was dead, and the strange oppressive atmosphere that had surrounded the lair for so long had finally disappeared. The cave no longer felt like the territory of something waiting in the darkness to tear them apart. Mary’s restoration magic had repaired the damage caused by the battle, returning the crystal pillars and walls to their original state, while Agatha’s flames had reduced the witch’s corpse to nothing more than ash that had already been carried away by the night breeze. For the first time since they had entered the cave, there was nothing left to fight.

Agatha was the first to start moving again.

She slowly turned her head and looked toward the far end of the lair. Unlike the central chamber, that part of the cave was considerably darker. The crystals embedded in the walls became fewer as she approached, and the faint blue glow that normally illuminated the cave gradually disappeared until only a weak reflection from the main chamber reached the area.

Agatha narrowed her eyes.

"There might be something back there."

Liam looked in the direction she was staring.

"Something?"

"I’m not sure."

Agatha started walking.

The others followed out of curiosity, though they kept a little distance between themselves. The deeper they went, the quieter the cave became. Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor, and the further they walked, the more the sounds from the main chamber faded behind them.

Agatha eventually stopped.

There was a door.

It was old and made from thick dark wood that looked as though it had been sitting there for decades. Strange symbols had been carved into its surface, though many of them had faded with age. There was no handle on the outside, only a small metal latch.

Agatha reached forward and opened it.

The moment the door moved, everyone behind her expected another trap.

Instead, they heard something completely unexpected.

A soft snort.

Then another.

Agatha blinked.

She pushed the door open further.

Inside was a small chamber, and lying peacefully across the floor were their horses.

Every single one of them.

They were resting quietly as though nothing had happened, their bodies completely still except for the gentle rise and fall of their breathing. None of them appeared injured. There were no restraints around their legs, no chains around their necks and no signs that the animals had been mistreated.

For several seconds, everyone simply stared.

Then Leonid let out a breath.

"Our horses."

Gregor, still unconscious, obviously couldn’t react, but everyone else looked visibly relieved.

Tatiana’s shoulders relaxed.

Mary smiled.

Even Irina, who rarely showed much emotion, allowed a small smile to appear.

Liam simply shook his head.

"So she really did take them."

Agatha stepped inside and approached one of the horses. She placed a hand against its neck and felt its warmth.

"It’s alive."

"Obviously," Leonid muttered. "Unless we have somehow discovered magical undead horses."

Liam glanced at him.

"You know, after everything we’ve seen, I wouldn’t be surprised."

Leonid looked at the sleeping animals again.

"Fair point."

Agatha carefully examined the horses for a few moments before realizing what had happened.

"They’re under a magical sleeping spell."

Mary stepped closer.

"Can you wake them?"

"Eventually."

Agatha touched the horse’s forehead and closed her eyes for a moment.

"The spell is deep, but harmless. It was probably designed to keep them asleep while the witch kept them here."

Liam nodded.

"At least we know we can leave tomorrow."

The relief that passed through the group was almost palpable. Their journey had already been delayed long enough, and after everything they had endured inside the cave, knowing they had their horses back meant they could finally rest without worrying about how they were going to continue traveling.

But then Agatha looked toward the other side of the room.

Something had caught the faint light coming from the doorway.

A small glimmer.

She frowned.

"What is that?"

She walked toward it.

At first she thought it was a collection of crystals, but when she crouched down and brushed some dust away, her eyes widened.

Coins.

There were coins scattered across the floor.

Bronze.

Silver.

Gold.

Dozens of them.

Then hundreds.

Agatha slowly stood.

"Everyone..."

Her voice carried through the chamber.

"You should come here."

Liam was the first to approach.

He looked down.

His eyes widened slightly.

The room wasn’t merely filled with coins.

There were weapons stacked against one wall, shields leaning against another, pieces of armor scattered across wooden shelves and piles of jewelry buried beneath layers of dust. Some of the equipment looked cheap and worn, while other pieces were clearly made for experienced adventurers. There were old swords with rusted edges, finely crafted daggers, enchanted-looking rings and various objects whose purposes Liam couldn’t immediately identify.

It looked less like a storage room and more like the remains of dozens upon dozens of lives.

Mary slowly covered her mouth.

"How many people..."

Agatha didn’t answer.

She was staring at the collection with a troubled expression.

All of this belonged to someone.

Every sword had once been carried by somebody.

Every coin had once belonged to somebody.

Every piece of armor had protected somebody.

And now they were all here.

The witch had collected them.

Not for survival.

Not because she needed them.

She had simply taken everything from the people who had fallen into her trap.

Liam slowly walked deeper into the room.

His eyes moved across the piles of belongings until something near the corner caught his attention.

Something small.

He crouched.

His fingers closed around it.

A tiny shoe.

A child’s shoe.

It was worn and dirty, barely large enough to fit into the palm of his hand.

Liam stared at it.

His expression changed.

The humor disappeared from his face.

His jaw tightened.

He slowly turned the shoe over in his hand.

There was no way to know exactly who had worn it. There was no name attached to it. No clue telling them where the child had come from or how long ago they had died.

But it didn’t matter.

The shoe itself told enough of the story.

The witch’s victims had not been adventurers alone.

They had not been adults capable of defending themselves.

Children had fallen into her trap too.

Liam’s fingers tightened around the tiny shoe.

"This witch..."

His voice was low.

"Didn’t care who she took."

Tatiana stepped beside him.

She looked at the shoe.

Then at Liam.

He slowly exhaled through his nose.

"For the first time since Gregor disappeared..."

He looked at Tatiana.

"...I’m actually glad you did what you did."

Tatiana blinked.

"Me?"

Liam nodded.

"If you hadn’t insisted on checking that child’s body..."

He glanced around the room.

"We would have left."

His eyes returned to the little shoe.

"And this woman would still be here."

Tatiana’s expression slowly changed as she understood what he meant.

She had been blaming herself ever since Gregor disappeared. She had convinced herself that if she had listened to Liam, none of this would have happened. They would have continued their journey. Gregor would never have been taken. They wouldn’t have spent hours chasing illusions and fighting through the witch’s lair.

But Liam was looking at the situation differently.

If they had ignored that child, the witch would have remained hidden.

More people would have died.

More families would have lost someone.

More belongings would have ended up inside this room.

Tatiana lowered her gaze.

"So..."

Her voice was quiet.

"You really think it was worth it?"

Liam looked at her for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"Yes."

He stepped closer.

"Thank you, Tatiana."

The words were simple.

But the way he said them made them feel heavier.

Tatiana stared at him for a second before her lips slowly curved into the sweetest smile Liam had seen from her all day.

It wasn’t her usual playful smile.

It wasn’t the teasing smile she gave him when she wanted attention.

It was softer.

Genuine.

Her eyes warmed as she looked at him.

"You’re welcome."

Liam smiled back before looking around the room again.

Then he heard something.

He stopped.

"...Wait."

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Mary asked.

Liam tilted his head.

There was a sound coming from somewhere beyond the storage room.

Very faint.

Almost impossible to hear.

But now that he had noticed it, he couldn’t ignore it.

Water.

Running water.

Liam followed the sound toward the far edge of the chamber. He passed several piles of equipment before reaching what appeared to be another opening in the stone.

He looked down.

His eyes widened slightly.

There was water below.

A natural pool had formed inside the lower section of the cave. Crystal-clear water flowed gently from a narrow opening in the stone wall before disappearing through another channel farther ahead. The surface reflected the faint blue glow of the crystals above, making it look almost unreal.

Liam stared at it.

The water was incredibly clean.

Clear enough that he could see the smooth stones resting beneath the surface.

He looked down at himself.

His clothes were a mess.

There was dried blood covering parts of his hands and sleeves. Dirt covered his arms and face. His hair was disheveled from the battle, and there were still traces of dust from the cave walls across his clothes.

He looked toward Tatiana.

She wasn’t exactly clean either.

Her clothes were covered in dirt, her hair had become slightly tangled and there were traces of dried blood across her arms.

Liam looked back at the water.

Then he smiled.

"Hmm."

Irina noticed his expression.

"What are you thinking?"

Liam stepped closer to the edge.

"Uhm, guys..."

Everyone looked toward him.

"You can go ahead and choose where you’re sleeping in the lair."

He pointed toward the main chamber.

"I’m going to stay here for a while."

Irina frowned.

"Why?"

Liam glanced back at her.

Then he smiled.

"Taking a bath."

Before anyone could respond, Liam jumped.

His body disappeared over the edge.

"Liam!"

Tatiana rushed toward the opening, but by the time she looked down, he had already vanished beneath the surface.

A loud splash echoed through the hidden chamber.

For a moment everyone simply stared at the pool.

Leonid slowly looked toward Irina.

"He really just did that."

Irina sighed.

"That sounds exactly like him."

From somewhere below, Liam’s muffled voice echoed through the cave.

"Best decision I’ve made all day!"

Tatiana couldn’t help laughing.

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