SSS-Ranked Lust System: Taming Beauties Is My Calling

The laughter stopped.

David remained frozen.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then the facility groaned.

Not the chamber.

The entire structure.

A deep metallic vibration rolled through the floor beneath David’s feet, followed by another. Dust fell from the ceiling. Somewhere beyond the walls, something heavy scraped against metal.

Elaine tightened her grip on her weapon.

"What was that?"

Samuel didn’t answer.

His eyes were fixed on the floor.

David noticed.

"Samuel."

Nothing.

"Samuel."

The older man’s attention finally shifted toward him.

"We need to leave."

David almost laughed.

"You heard it too."

"I heard something."

"You know what it is."

Samuel’s silence answered for him.

David’s jaw tightened.

"Of course you do."

Another tremor shook the chamber.

This time, the seven pillars reacted.

Their surfaces flickered with pale light before settling into a dull glow.

The creatures surrounding them began moving.

Not toward David.

Away from him.

They backed toward the walls, pressing themselves into the darkness as if trying to make themselves smaller.

David watched them.

’They’re afraid.’

That realization was worse than the screaming.

The creatures had attacked him.

They had followed orders.

They had shown no hesitation.

Now they were afraid of whatever was beneath the facility.

Version Zero stepped closer.

His expression had lost every trace of amusement.

"We don’t have much time."

David looked at him.

"You said the seventh door was the lock."

"It was."

"Then what was behind it?"

Version Zero glanced toward the sealed doorway.

"Something that was never supposed to wake."

David felt the warmth inside his chest pulse again.

This time, it answered the movement beneath the floor.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

He pressed a hand against his chest.

"Why can I feel it?"

"Because it can feel you too."

Elaine looked between them.

"What exactly is happening?"

Version Zero didn’t look at her.

"He’s being recognized."

"By what?"

Version Zero’s eyes shifted toward David.

"The original consciousness."

David frowned.

"Original?"

"The thing that existed before you."

That made no sense.

David stared at him.

"I’m looking at you, and you’re telling me there’s something older than me inside my own body?"

"Not inside."

Version Zero pointed downward.

"Beneath."

The floor shook again.

This time, a crack appeared between the seven circles.

Elaine stepped back.

"Everyone move."

Samuel immediately turned toward the chamber entrance.

"Now."

David didn’t move.

His attention remained on the crack.

Something was glowing beneath it.

A faint white light.

The same white that had swallowed everything in his memory.

David’s breathing slowed.

He knew that light.

He had seen it before.

Not in the chamber.

In the memory.

The white room.

The machine.

The seven circles.

His younger self.

And the woman who had told him not to be afraid.

David’s eyes narrowed.

"That room."

Elaine looked at him.

"What?"

"The white room."

Her expression changed.

David caught it immediately.

"You remember it."

Elaine said nothing.

"You were there."

"I was."

"What happened?"

Elaine looked away.

"I told you to stop."

David stared at her.

"Stop what?"

"You were trying to wake it."

Samuel stepped between them.

"Elaine."

She shook her head.

"No. He deserves to know."

David looked at Samuel.

"What was I trying to wake?"

Samuel’s face hardened.

"The part of yourself you had buried."

David glanced at Version Zero.

"You?"

Version Zero shook his head.

"Not me."

The floor cracked wider.

A pulse of white energy erupted through the opening.

Everyone staggered.

David didn’t.

The energy passed through him.

For one brief moment, he saw something.

A massive room beneath the facility.

Far larger than anything that should have existed underground.

At its center stood a structure.

Seven pillars.

Seven doors.

And something sitting behind them.

Something enormous.

Something that had been waiting.

The vision disappeared.

David staggered backward.

Elaine caught his shoulder.

"What did you see?"

David looked at her.

"Another chamber."

Samuel’s expression went pale.

"Impossible."

"Apparently not."

David pulled himself upright.

"What was down there?"

Samuel didn’t answer.

Version Zero did.

"The first experiment."

David stared at him.

"You said I was the source."

"You were."

"Then what was the experiment?"

Version Zero’s eyes darkened.

"To create something that could contain you."

Silence.

David slowly looked toward the crack.

"And did it work?"

Version Zero gave a humorless smile.

"No."

Another tremor.

The crack spread beneath the seven circles.

The system appeared.

[External Consciousness Synchronization: 3%.]

[Warning.]

[Host’s consciousness is being mapped.]

David’s eyes narrowed.

"Can it hear the system?"

Version Zero looked at him.

"It can hear everything."

"Then how do we stop it?"

"We don’t."

David’s expression hardened.

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the truth."

Version Zero stepped closer.

"The thing beneath us isn’t attacking."

David glanced at the trembling floor.

"It doesn’t look peaceful."

"It’s waking up."

"What’s the difference?"

Version Zero looked toward Samuel.

"They built this place because they were afraid of what you would become."

Samuel’s face remained rigid.

"But when they realized they couldn’t control you, they tried something else."

David waited.

"They made something that could."

The words settled heavily.

David looked down at his hand.

His fingers were trembling.

Not from fear.

From energy.

White light slipped between them.

The same light from the memory.

Elaine noticed.

"David."

He closed his hand.

The light disappeared.

"What happens if it finishes integrating?"

Version Zero didn’t answer immediately.

Finally, he said, "You won’t be you anymore."

David looked at him.

"Who will I become?"

Version Zero’s expression softened.

"I don’t know."

The facility shook violently.

A section of the far wall collapsed.

The creatures scattered.

One of them tried to run through the chamber entrance.

Before it could reach the doorway, its body froze.

Its limbs stretched backward.

Something invisible pulled it into the darkness.

The creature screamed.

Then it vanished.

Elaine raised her weapon.

"What was that?"

Samuel finally moved.

"Run."

This time, David followed.

They rushed toward the entrance as the chamber collapsed behind them.

Stone crashed down.

Metal screamed.

David ran beside Elaine.

Version Zero moved effortlessly through the falling debris.

Samuel was slower.

David grabbed his arm and pulled him forward just before a section of ceiling slammed down behind them.

They reached the corridor.

The lights were flickering.

Emergency alarms had begun sounding throughout the facility.

"Where?" David asked.

Samuel pointed ahead.

"Surface."

David stopped.

"You’re leaving?"

Samuel looked back at him.

"If we stay, none of us will."

David looked toward the corridor behind them.

The darkness had begun spreading.

Not moving.

Spreading.

Like ink through water.

Elaine grabbed his sleeve.

"David, come on."

He hesitated.

Something inside him pulled backward.

The voice returned.

’Don’t leave.’

David froze.

It wasn’t coming from inside his head anymore.

It came from beneath the floor.

A whisper.

Soft.

Almost pleading.

’You came back.’

David’s chest tightened.

Version Zero stopped beside him.

"You heard it."

David nodded.

"What does it want?"

Version Zero looked at the darkness.

"You."

The lights went out.

For one second, there was complete darkness.

Then the emergency lights returned.

Red.

David looked ahead.

Something stood at the far end of the corridor.

A silhouette.

Human.

Tall.

Still.

Elaine raised her weapon.

Samuel stepped backward.

Version Zero stared.

David’s heart began pounding.

The figure slowly lifted its head.

David couldn’t see its face.

But he knew the voice.

’I’ve been waiting for you.’

The system appeared again.

[External Consciousness Synchronization: 7%.]

[Identity Recognition Attempt Detected.]

David stared at the figure.

"Who are you?"

The figure smiled.

And this time, David saw the face.

His own.

But older.

Much older.

The figure raised one hand.

Every light in the facility exploded.

And the world went white.

The white disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.

David opened his eyes.

The corridor was gone.

He was standing somewhere else.

A room.

No—an observation chamber.

Glass surrounded him on three sides. Beyond it was darkness, except for the faint glow of machinery buried in the walls.

David looked down.

He was alone.

No Elaine.

No Samuel.

No Version Zero.

He turned slowly.

"Great."

His voice sounded wrong.

Not because of the room.

Because there was an echo underneath it.

A second voice following his words a fraction of a second later.

David took a step backward.

The glass reflected him.

For a moment, everything looked normal.

Then the reflection smiled.

David didn’t.

He stopped.

The reflection continued smiling.

"You’re not real."

The reflection tilted its head.

"You’ve said that before."

David’s expression hardened.

"Who are you?"

The reflection stepped closer to the glass.

"You’re asking the wrong question."

"Then give me the right one."

"What happened to you?"

David stared at it.

The older version of himself looked almost exactly as he imagined he might one day look. Same eyes. Same shape to his face. Same expression.

But there was something wrong with it.

The eyes were too calm.

Too aware.

"You said you’ve been waiting for me."

"I have."

"Why?"

"Because you finally remembered enough to come back."

David glanced around.

"Where is this?"

"You know where it is."

"No, I don’t."

The reflection smiled again.

"That’s the problem."

A pulse moved through the room.

The glass trembled.

Then memories appeared across its surface.

David at twelve.

David at sixteen.

David standing inside the seven circles.

David screaming.

David kneeling beside the machine.

David touching the seventh pillar.

Then—

A woman.

White coat.

Small hands.

"Don’t be afraid."

David’s breathing slowed.

"I remember her."

"You remember pieces."

"Who was she?"

The reflection looked at the woman.

"Someone who believed you could be saved."

"Could?"

The reflection didn’t answer.

David stepped closer.

"What happened to her?"

"She died."

David’s face hardened.

"Because of me?"

"Because of what they were trying to do to you."

The memory changed.

The woman was standing in front of a group of scientists.

Samuel was among them.

Elaine stood farther back.

The woman was shouting.

David couldn’t hear the words.

Then she turned toward the observation glass.

Toward him.

Her lips moved.

David couldn’t make out what she said.

The image vanished.

"What was she saying?"

The reflection looked directly at him.

"She told you to run."

David frowned.

"I was twelve."

"You ran."

"And?"

"You survived."

The room shook.

David looked around.

"Why am I here?"

"Because you crossed the threshold."

"What threshold?"

"The one beneath the seventh door."

David’s eyes narrowed.

"You said the door was a lock."

"It was."

"Then what did it lock?"

The reflection’s smile disappeared.

"Me."

Silence.

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