5 hours later…
Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting warm light over a room that could rival a mansion for a commoner.
Plush furniture filled the space, and a bed so massive it could have belonged to a king dominated the center.
Liam and Sharon sat atop it.
A stack of money lay between them, which they were meticulously counting and bundling into bricks.
The TV murmured softly in the background before switching to a news channel.
[Trending News: Newbie hunters Sharon and Liam reportedly discovered a black gate, claiming demon hounds emerged from it. An angel is said to have appeared to save them. Bringing home black mana crystals supposedly from the hounds, the WOA confirmed their high value and generously compensated the hunters. However, the black gate has vanished, and their existence is under investigation. Hunters are cautioned to remain vigilant.]
The screen then showed statements from elite hunters speaking on this matter.
Some even offered to pay Liam and Sharon for intel on the gates and the mysterious "angel" that saved them.
Liam chuckled, holding up a brick of money. "We've grown famous!" His eyes sparkled. "And rich too!"
"Yeah…" Sharon murmured, her gaze low.
"You don't sound happy!" Liam frowned. "Don't tell me you feel guilty!"
Sharon drew a shaky breath. "It's just… I'm afraid. We fed all our party members to those hounds and barely escaped ourselves. If it weren't for that mysterious person, we—"
Liam clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shhhhh… Are you an idiot? What's there to fear? We survived. The goddess saved us. And now we're rich. Stop sulking and enjoy it!"
But Sharon couldn't shake the guilt. Images of what had happened haunted her: the stench of blood, the screams of their party members dying in the hounds' jaws, their grins as they pushed them to death.
**
Earlier…
Right after losing consciousness, something or someone rescued Max.
The demon hounds that wanted to chew him suddenly whimpered in fear, stepping back.
This was no ordinary being. Power radiated from it, far beyond that of the hounds.
Within seconds, the hounds never saw what attacked them. They saw themselves howling in agony and collapsed, one after another, dissolving into pixels and leaving behind black, glossy mana crystals.
Even the hounds chasing Liam and Sharon met a grisly fate, impaled by shadowy veins erupting from the ground.
Meanwhile, Max's world went dark, a void where up and down, escape and doom, all blurred together.
Then a voice called to him. He turned and saw someone who looked human, but wasn't.
Curved dark horns crowned her forehead. Her skin was purple, fingers and toes tipped with black claws, lips painted black, and… she was completely naked.
She extended a hand, smiling warmly.
"Do you want to live?" her voice echoed through the darkness, her figure the only light emanating this dark void.
"Yes… I don't want to die," Max whispered.
Her smile widened. "Are you ready to go against everything you've believed since childhood? Against the whole world?"
"Against… the whole world?" he echoed, bewildered.
"I'll give you the opportunity to gain power you've always desperately needed," she said softly. "The power to change the world. To defy the goddess."
"The goddess…?" Max frowned.
"Yes. It's a long story, but she and I are enemies. To understand yourself, I must first break the seal."
"The seal? What…?"
She touched his forehead. Pain throbbed through Max, making him shake violently, as if a dying horse was giving its last kicks.
Suddenly, images, events, and memories flooded his mind.
"I—I remember," he stammered. "This… this isn't my first life!"
The being smiled. "Glad the seal was broken."
Though most of his memories were vague, he remembered living on a place called Earth, much like Alhazar but without swords, magic, monsters, or dungeons.
He was a total shut-in, obsessed with reading smut and watching hentai.
One day while crossing a road, he stared when a girl ahead of him got her skirt flipped by wind. Frozen in place, he was hit by a passing truck and died.
"Why… why had I forgotten my past life?" he asked. "My reincarnation?"
"It's Aurora's doing," she explained. "She seals reincarnators' memories to maintain her 'pure' world. There's a long story to that too, but no time now. Your body is near death. Want me to heal you in exchange for obedience?"
Max didn't know who she was, a demon or goddess but he needed to live.
"I agree. I'll do whatever you say!"
She smirked.
"But why me?" he asked.
"You're nothing special. I just got a liking to you. And your past memories are key to the task I'm giving you."
"Task?"
"Yes," her voice dropped. "I want you to break the system. For centuries, the world has enforced 'purity.' People don't know sexual joy. Even desire is considered sinful. I want you to free them! Teach them pleasure, degeneracy, and defiance against the church and goddess!"
She rested a hand on her hip, chest proud as she spoke. Since regaining a few of his past life memories, seeing her naked now, Max felt awkward. Never had he ever set eyes on an incredibly luscious being like her. Shaped like an hourglass, her skin was smooth like soft yogurt. Breasts so big he coukd probably burry his face on them, and it was her tongue that caught his attention the most; red, long and forked, gradually coming out of her mouth like that of a serpent.
"Be proud, Max Willsons." She said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Im giving you a noble mission to save the world! You'd be the hero you've always dreamed of becoming."
"But… wouldn't that trigger my purity gauge? And get me hunted by the WOA?"
"Don't worry," she said with a hand over her breasts. "Your hand with the purity gauge was chopped off by demon hounds. Besides, I promised to give you an opportunity to get strong to fight back!."
"Ooookay," he said skeptically.
She twitched her eyes. "Why the doubt?" She pouted. "Your heartbeat is getting faint… we've wasted enough time. Until next time, human!" She winked and vanished, plunging everything into darkness once more.
Back in the dungeon, she appeared over his injured and broken body, assessing his injuries. One arm was gone. She pulled a fresh one from her own, blood splattering the floor, and attached it perfectly on him. Then she healed him completely.
"Consciousness should return in an hour. To prevent another attack, I'm putting an invisibility barrier over you."
She cast it over him, making his presence disappear from a naked eye.
After that, she heard footsteps approaching and instantly vanished before they could see her clearly.
If a conscious human saw her, they'd go mad.
Liam and Sharon, however, caught a glimpse.
"Who was that?" Sharon whispered, eyes wide.
"Whoever it was, she clearly saved us. She must've been heavenly sent. But forget that! Look at all these crystals!" Liam's eyes sparkled.
Sharon glanced around. Max was nowhere to be seen. Likely eaten. Just like the other party members they had pushed back.
She shook her head, pushing the thought aside and helped Liam gather the crystals.
And that's how the two became instantly rich and famous.
TBC