Eventually, the apartment fell silent as night took over the city.
West stood.
"Itâs time."
Aria nodded reluctantly.
She walked him to the door of the study, opened it slightly, and peeked out.
The living room was dark.
She gestured and West stepped out quietly.
They moved toward the apartment entrance together.
West reached for the handle and thenâ
The lights came on.
Ross stood there, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.
West froze.
Aria froze.
Ross tilted his head.
"...Youâve been here this whole time?"
Aria stepped forward immediately.
"Yes."
Rossâs eyes shifted to her.
"And you didnât tell me?"
Her expression hardened.
"How could I?"
She crossed her arms.
"Youâve been hunting him like prey with the rest of those other gangs."
She gestured toward West.
"Poor guy just wants to be left alone."
Rossâs jaw tightened.
"Youâre supposed to be on my side."
His voice wasnât loud but he looked passed.
Then he looked at West again and his expression changed instantly.
The anger disappeared, replaced by a friendly smile.
He stepped closer.
"I can protect you."
West said nothing.
Ross continued.
"There are many benefits to joining the Black Furnace gang."
Aria threw her hands up in frustration.
"See? This is exactly why I didnât tell you!"
Ross ignored her completely, keeping his focus on West.
He stepped even closer now.
Close enough to examine him carefully.
"...How many branches do you have?"
Westâs eyes met his but only responded with silence.
Rossâs smile widened slightly.
"Itâs more than one, isnât it?"
West remained expressionless while Ross continued analyzing aloud.
"Thereâs no way youâre that strong without activating your branch."
He leaned in slightly.
"As a summoner, you should even be weaker physically."
His eyes sharpened.
"So definitely... more than one branch."
West shrugged casually.
"It doesnât matter."
He stepped past Ross.
"Iâm heading off now."
He paused briefly.
"...I hope no one follows me."
Ross turned quickly.
"Wait."
West didnât stop but Ross didnât stop speaking...
"You donât understand what youâre sitting on."
His voice carried greed now.
Barely concealed.
"The rewards."
"The power."
"The opportunities."
He stepped forward again.
"Our boss would value someone like you immensely."
Inside Rossâs mind, calculations ran endlessly.
Recognition.
Promotion.
Status.
Power.
All within reach.
If he could bring West in.
West didnât turn around.
"Iâm not interested."
He opened the door and left.
Aria immediately stepped between Ross and West.
"If you go after himâ" she voiced with a cold tone.
"Iâll break up with you."
Ross froze in place.
---
Outside, the night air felt cool, quiet and peaceful.
Finally, West could move on the streets again without being chased.
He walked toward the bus stop as streetlights illuminated the empty road.
He exhaled slowly and then a familiar presence appeared beside him.
Gorâthala had emerged silently, walking beside him with her massive figure towering over everything.
She looked down at him.
"...Master was copulating with the human woman."
West eyes widened as he froze mid-step.
He turned sharply.
"Shush!"
He lowered his voice.
"You saw that?"
She nodded calmly.
"I did not wander far."
Her voice remained neutral.
"I had to protect master."
West rubbed his face.
"...Of course you did."
She continued walking beside him with a thoughtful expression.
"...Why does masterâs woman stay with another male?"
West blinked.
"...What?"
She elaborated calmly.
"She resides with another male."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Is this how humans behave?"
She paused.
"Do humans share partners?"
West sighed deeply.
"Itâs complicated."
He looked ahead.
"...Sheâs not officially my partner."
Gorâthala frowned faintly... she didnât understand.
Even after he tried explaining.
Her mind struggled to comprehend human relationships.
They were inefficient.
Confusing.
Illogical.
She recalled the sounds from earlier.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"...The human woman was very loud."
West coughed awkwardly while she continued.
"...Was she enjoying it that much?"
West laughed softly.
"Youâll understand someday."
Gorâthala entire mind went blank as she stopped walking.
Her thoughts froze.
"Does master intend to copulate with Gorâthala?"
Her heart skipped.
West immediately noticed her expression and turned around.
"Thatâs not what I meant!"
He rubbed his temple.
"...Forget it."
He exhaled.
"Itâs time to go home."
Gorâthala nodded as her body dissolved into light, returning to the summon domain.
Inside the summon domain, she stood silently, thinking.
Her hand rested over her chest, feeling her beating heart.
"Gorâthala would not refuse if master desired it..."
Her loyalty was absolute.
---
West boarded the bus completely unaware of Gorâthalaâs thoughts.
He sat quietly and watched the city pass by through the window.
Tonight had been chaotic, violent, intimate and transformative.
He returned home later, collapsed onto his bed and slept.
---
Light filled the room as Morning came.
West groaned softly and before he could sit up, multiple system notifications appeared in his line of sight.
[ Achievement Completed: Defeat Multiple Awakened Opponents ]
[ Opponents Defeated: 4 Tier-1 Awakened ]
[ Achievement Rank: Rare ]
[ Rewards Granted: ]
+300 Cuck Points
+10 Strength
+10 Speed
+10 Confidence
+Skill Acquired: Combat Instinct (Passive)
Westâs eyes widened but before he could reactâ
Another notification appeared.
[ Achievement Completed: First Sex ]
[ Status: Completed ]
[ Rewards Granted: ]
+350 Cuck Points
+15 Seduction
+10 Charm
+Special Trait Unlocked: Dominant Presence
West sat upright instantly.
"...What?"
Thenâ
A third notification appeared.
[ Hidden Quest Completed ]
[ Quest Title: Forbidden Proximity ]
[ Objective: Have sex with target while partner of target is within immediate proximity ]
[ Status: Completed ]
Westâs eyes narrowed as he recalled back at the apartment with Ross.
His eyes narrowed.
The system responded accordingly.
[ Rewards Granted: ]
+550 Cuck Points
+20 Seduction
+15 Confidence
+New Skill Acquired: Emotional Manipulation (Lv.1)
West stared at the screen.
His total Cuck points had skyrocketed from this one encounter and his power had just increased dramatically.
West sat upright on his bed with the early morning light spilling across his face as the system interface hovered before him.
His eyes locked onto the number displayed boldly at the bottom of the panel.
[ Cuck Points (CP): 2,876 ]
He exhaled slowly.
"...Thatâs insane."
This was by far the highest amount he had ever accumulated.
He had enough to reshape himself entirely and not just by buying skills or increasing sub stats but also with buffs...
The traits...
The passive enhancements...
He navigated to his SKILLS panel.
---
[ACTIVE SKILLS â Equipped: 3 / 3]
⢠Adrenal Control â Lv.2
⢠Shadow Anchor â Lv.1
⢠Silver Tongue â Lv.1
[LOCKED SKILLS â Unequipped]
⢠Emotional Manipulation â Lv.1
⢠Combat Instinct â Lv.1
---
West frowned slightly.
"Only three slots..."