The Verdant Labyrinth was a disorienting place. Bioluminescent moss cast an eerie green glow on twisting, root-choked paths. Michael moved with a caution that was entirely new to him, his senses heightened. The [Basic Weapon Proficiency] trait didn't make him a warrior, but it made the heavy branch in his hand feel like a tool instead of a dead weight.
'Right, left, jab,' he mentally rehearsed. Don't swing wildly.
His primary goal was Chloe, but the labyrinth had other ideas. A series of panicked shrieks echoed from a clearing to his left, followed by a guttural hiss that was decidedly non-human. The rational part of his brain screamed at him to run the other way. The opportunistic part, however, was curious.
He crept to the edge of the clearing and peered through the foliage. The scene was straight out of a low-budget monster flick. A student—a girl with glasses and a C-Class insignia on her torn jacket—was cornered against a large, pulsating mushroom.
Her attacker was a monstrous, six-legged insectoid creature the size of a wolf, with a chitinous shell and dripping mandibles. A Gloomweaver. Michael had seen them in the academy's bestiary. Low-level, but deadly to the unprepared.
The girl, whose name he vaguely recalled was Elise, was fumbling with a small knife, her hands shaking so badly she could barely grip it. She was trying to press the button on her safety bracelet.
"Come on, come on!" she whimpered, her voice trembling with terror.
The Gloomweaver skittered forward, its mandibles snapping. It was clear she wouldn't get the button activated in time.
Michael's first thought was cold and practical, 'Not my problem. A C-Class kid. She probably looked down on me too, in her own quiet way.'
But then another thought, colder and more calculating, surfaced. 'This is a test. A test of the only power I have. And saving a 'damsel in distress'... that has to be worth something, right? Maybe not Lust Points, but... leverage. A reputation.'
It was a huge risk. His combat trait had only about forty minutes left. But the potential reward—a debt owed, a witness to his "unexpected" capability—was too tempting.
"Hey! Ugly!" Michael shouted, stepping out into the clearing.
The Gloomweaver's head swiveled towards him, its multifaceted eyes glinting. Elise stared, her face a mask of shock and confusion. "S-Sanchez?"
Michael didn't answer. He hefted his branch, the [Basic Weapon Proficiency] guiding his stance. The creature charged, a blur of chitin and rage. Time seemed to slow. Michael didn't try to meet its charge. He sidestepped, just as the knowledge in his mind instructed, and brought the branch down in a sharp, punishing jab on the joint of one of its middle legs.
There was a sickening crack. The creature shrieked, stumbling as the leg gave way. It was off-balance. This was the opening.
"Now! Its underbelly!" Michael yelled at Elise.
Spurred into action by his command, Elise lunged forward with her small knife, driving it up into the soft tissue where the creature's thorax met its abdomen. Greenish ichor spurted out. The Gloomweaver convulsed and collapsed, twitching before falling still.
Silence returned to the clearing, broken only by their heavy panting. Elise stared at the dead monster, then at Michael, her eyes wide behind her glasses.
"You... you killed it," she stammered. "But you're... F-Class. How did you...?"
Michael leaned on his branch, trying to look nonchalant despite his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. "It's just a Gloomweaver. They're dumb. You just have to know where to hit." He tapped his temple. "Knowledge is a trait too, you know."
It was a complete lie, but it sounded good.
Elise looked at him with a new, profound respect. "You saved my life. I... I was sure I was going to be sent back. Or worse. Thank you, Michael. Thank you so much."
She used his first name. The gratitude in her voice was genuine. Michael felt a strange, foreign sensation. It wasn't the illicit thrill of earning Lust Points. This was different. This was... power of a more conventional kind. The power of being looked up to.
{Indirect Act of Dominance & Protection Recognized. Target: Elise (C-Class). Status: Deeply Indebted.}
{Lust Points +25.}
Michael's internal eyebrows shot up. Well, well. The system appreciates a good performance. He hadn't even touched her. He just saved her. And it paid out. This system was more flexible—and more twisted—than he thought.
"Don't mention it," he said, his voice casual. "But we shouldn't stay here. The noise might attract more. Or... other competitors." He glanced meaningfully in the direction he'd last heard S-Class voices.
Elise nodded vigorously, quickly wiping her knife and standing closer to him, seeking protection. "Right. Of course."
As they moved away from the clearing, Michael led the way, a new spring in his step. He had a temporary ally, a handful of new points, and a confirmed hypothesis: his power could grow not just through perversion, but through manipulation and calculated heroism.
He glanced back at Elise, who was following him like a lost puppy. A slow, smug smile spread across his face.
'This is even better than I planned,' he thought. 'First, I save the damsel. Then, I corrupt the princess.'
The initial adrenaline of the fight faded, replaced by the steady, eerie hum of the labyrinth. Michael led the way, his senses alert, while Elise followed a step behind, her earlier terror softened into a nervous awe. The silence between them was thick, but not uncomfortable.
"Your Trait," Michael finally said, not looking back. "It's not combat-oriented, is it?" He already knew the answer, but he needed her to talk, to open up. Information was a currency almost as valuable as Lust Points.
Elise adjusted her glasses, a faint, shimmering light emanating from her fingertips for a second. "No. It's called [Empathic Link]. I can sense the basic emotional state of living things. Mostly it just gives me a headache in crowded hallways." She sighed. "My family are all researchers. They were so proud when I manifested a Trait, even a C-Grade one. They thought it would be useful for calming agitated magical beasts or understanding dungeon ecosystems."
'And instead, you're here, almost getting eaten by one,' Michael thought. But aloud, he said, "Sounds more useful than knowing exactly how many pencils are in my backpack." He offered a self-deprecating smirk over his shoulder.
To his surprise, Elise didn't laugh awkwardly or look away. Instead, she looked thoughtful. "I felt it, you know. The Gloomweaver. It wasn't angry. It was just... hungry. A simple, primal drive. It's scary, but it's also... sad." She hugged herself. "I froze because I felt its hunger, and it felt so overwhelming."
That was her weakness. Her Trait made her hesitate, made her see the monster in the creature instead of just a threat to be eliminated. It was a fatal flaw in a world like this.
"But you," she continued, her voice gaining a note of admiration. "You didn't hesitate. You saw a problem and you acted. How? With your... uh..." She trailed off, embarrassed.
"With my useless Trait?" Michael finished for her, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. This was the perfect opening. "My Trait didn't help me there, Elise. What helped me was paying attention in bestiary class while the S-Class jocks were flexing. What helped me was being so used to getting pushed around that I learned how to spot an opening." He stopped and turned to face her, his expression serious, a complete fabrication that felt utterly real. "They think we're weak because our Traits don't make explosions. But surviving when everyone expects you to fail? That makes you strong in a way they can't understand."
Elise's eyes widened, hanging on his every word. He was reframing their weakness as a secret strength, and she was completely buying it. He could see the gratitude in her eyes crystallizing into something deeper: respect, and a sense of shared purpose.
{Target's Emotional Dependence Increasing. Likelihood of Compliance: High.}
{Lust Points +10.}
'Excellent,' Michael thought, a thrill running through him. 'She's not just grateful, she's idealizing me. I'm her F-Class hero.'
"My motivation is simple," Elise said, her voice firming with newfound resolve. "I don't want to be a researcher who just reads about dungeons in a safe lab. I want to understand them from the inside. To really know them. But to do that, I need to be strong enough to survive them. I need an artifact that can protect me." She looked at him, her gaze intense. "You... you could help me. And maybe, with my [Empathic Link], I can help you. I can sense hostile intent, or maybe even find creatures before they find us."
Michael pretended to consider it, as if he hadn't been planning to use her from the moment he saved her. 'A human early-warning system? That was incredibly valuable.'
"A partnership, then," he said, extending his hand. "We watch each other's backs. We both get out of here with what we want."
Elise took his hand, her grip surprisingly firm. "Partners."
As they continued, the dynamic shifted. They moved together, with Elise occasionally pointing out a direction. "This way feels... calmer. Less predatory." Her guidance was genuine, and it kept them away from two more Gloomweaver nests and a patch of aggressive, venomous fungi.
During a short rest by a glowing stream, she shared her water canteen with him. "You're nothing like what they say in the halls, Michael," she said softly.
"Oh? And what do they say?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
She looked down, embarrassed. "You know... that you're quiet. Weak. That you don't fight back."
Michael gave a low, calculated laugh. "The strongest predators know when to stay still. Let your enemies underestimate you. It's the greatest advantage you can have." He let the words hang in the air, watching her process this profound-sounding but utterly manipulative advice.
She nodded slowly, completely captivated. The distance between them had closed. She saw him not as a victim, but as a strategist, a hidden blade.