The "partnership" with Elise proved more profitable than Michael had dared hope. Her [Empathic Link] was a fantastic tool for navigation, but it was her growing emotional dependence that was the real treasure trove.
Michael, the consummate opportunist, began to farm Lust Points with the precision of a seasoned gardener tending his most valuable crop.
It started subtly. As they navigated a narrow canyon filled with whispering winds that sounded like voices, Elise shivered. "It feels... mournful here."
Michael saw his opening. He moved slightly closer, not enough to be overt, but enough that his arm brushed against hers. "It's just the wind playing tricks," he said, his voice dropping to a low, reassuring murmur. "Don't let the labyrinth get inside your head. Stay focused on me."
He was feeding her the classic protector script. 'Look to me for stability. I am your anchor.'
Elise glanced up at him, her fear softening into gratitude. She leaned into the brief contact for a second longer than necessary.
{Target's Emotional Vulnerability Exploited. Sense of Security Provided.}
{Lust Points +15.}
'Jackpot,' Michael thought, a smug satisfaction warming him.
Later, when they stopped to rest in a small, relatively safe alcove, he employed a different tactic. He offered her a protein bar from his meticulously organized backpack.
"You need to keep your strength up," he said, his tone practical, but his eyes held a carefully crafted look of concern. "A faint empath is no use to either of us."
It was a backhanded gesture, mixing care with a slight critique, designed to make her strive for his approval. She took the bar, her fingers brushing against his.
"Thank you, Michael. For everything. I don't know what I would have done without you."
He gave her a weary, heroic smile. "Just part of the partnership." Then he added, injecting just a hint of suggestive teasing into his voice, "Besides, a smart, pretty girl like you shouldn't be monster food."
The compliment, wrapped in a context of survival, made her blush deeply. She looked away, flustered but undoubtedly pleased.
{Target's Self-Esteem subtly linked to User's approval. Flustered Emotional State Detected.}
{Lust Points +20.}
He was building a feedback loop. Her fear and insecurity created a need; he provided validation and protection, and the System paid him for the emotional transaction. It was beautifully manipulative.
The pinnacle of his farming came when they had to cross a treacherous, moss-covered log over a ravine. The drop wasn't fatal, but it was certainly bracelet-activating.
"I... I don't know if I can," Elise whispered, her knuckles white.
"This is the only safe path my [Keen Inventory] can calculate," Michael lied smoothly. "I'll go first. Hold my hand. Don't look down, look at me."
He crossed easily, his [Basic Weapon Proficiency] lending him a sure-footedness he normally lacked. Then he turned and extended his hand. Elise, trembling, took it. His grip was firm, dominant. He pulled her across, her body pressing briefly against his as she stumbled onto solid ground.
She didn't pull away immediately. She was breathing heavily, her face close to his, a mix of relief, fear, and something else—a dawning, intense attachment.
"You're safe," he whispered, his face inches from hers, his gaze intentionally intense. He held the position for a three-count, letting the tension and her racing heartbeat peak, before slowly releasing her.
{Proximity and Controlled Physical Contact during state of high emotional arousal.}
{Lust Points +40.}
Elise took a wobbly step back, her face flushed a deep crimson. "Th-thank you." She couldn't meet his eyes.
"Anytime," Michael said, his voice casual, as if he hadn't just orchestrated the entire scenario to mine her emotions for points. He turned away, pretending to scan the path ahead, a viciously triumphant grin on his face.
{Total Lust Points: 110.}
He had more than doubled his points without doing anything more risqué than holding a girl's hand and whispering in her ear. Elise was now firmly under his spell, seeing him as her brave, slightly mysterious savior.
She had no idea that every blush, every flutter of her heart, every grateful glance was being meticulously harvested and converted into the currency of his perverse power.
'This is too easy,' he mused, stealing a glance at her as she composed herself.
Guided by Elise's [Empathic Link], which she used to sense "pockets of calm" and "wells of primal hunger," they had managed to avoid the labyrinth's most obvious dangers. But now, the emotional landscape had shifted. Elise paused, her head tilted, a frown of concentration on her face.
"This is... strange," she whispered, pulling Michael behind a curtain of thick, vine-like tendrils. "Ahead, there's a small cave. Inside, I feel a... a quiet intelligence. It's not aggressive like the monsters. It's patient, watchful. But surrounding it, there are three, maybe four, sources of pure, territorial aggression."
Michael's interest was immediately piqued. "A quiet intelligence? That doesn't sound like a monster." A slow grin spread across his face. "That sounds like an artifact. One that's being guarded."
Cautiously, they peered through the vines. The cave entrance was low and narrow, partially obscured by glowing fungi. And just as Elise had sensed, four creatures patrolled the area.
These were not Gloomweavers. They were larger, bulkier, resembling bipedal, reptilian hounds with rock-like scales—Basilisks Hatchlings. Their traits were [Stone Hide] and a petrifying gaze, though these juveniles' gaze could only slow a target for a few seconds. Still, their physical strength was formidable.
"Basilisks," Michael muttered. "Tough, but slow to turn. And lucky for us, no S-Class glory hounds have stumbled upon this yet." He looked at Elise. "Can you get a read on the 'intelligence'? Is it... aware of us?"
Elise closed her eyes, focusing. "No. It's dormant. Like a sleeping consciousness. The guards are the problem."
Michael's mind raced. His [Basic Weapon Proficiency] had long since expired. He had 110 Lust Points. A direct fight was suicide. But the system wasn't just about combat.
I need a distraction. Something that plays on primal instincts, not just strength. He scanned the system menu, his eyes landing on a previously overlooked skill.
{Lustful Aura (Targeted Pulse): Project a concentrated pulse of enticing aura on a single non-sapient creature. May cause confusion, attraction, or agitation. Cost: 50 LP. Duration: 10 seconds.}
It was a gamble. Would it work on monster reptiles? There was only one way to find out.
"Okay, new plan," Michael said, turning to Elise. "I'm going to create a diversion. On my signal, I need you to use your link to project a feeling of panic, of being hunted, directly at that one." He pointed to the Basilisk furthest from the cave entrance. "Can you do that?"
Elise looked uncertain. "I've never tried to project to a creature, only read from them. The academy says it's theoretically possible, but..."
"Forget the academy," Michael interrupted, his voice intense. "You understand hunger, right? Now make it feel like it's on the menu. You're the researcher who wants to understand dungeons from the inside. This is your chance to experiment."
His challenge, wrapped in a reminder of her own motivation, worked. She nodded, her jaw setting with determination. "I'll try."
"Good. Wait for my signal."
Michael focused. He selected the Basilisk closest to the cave entrance as his target and purchased the skill.
{Lust Points -50. [Lustful Aura (Targeted Pulse)] Activated.}
He felt a strange, invisible energy pulse from him, a wave of psychic pheromones that washed over the lead Basilisk. The creature stopped its patrol, its head swinging from side to side. It let out a confused, low growl. It seemed agitated, sniffing the air, its petrifying gaze scanning the area not with hostility, but with a weird, focused curiosity.
Now, Elise! He didn't say it aloud, but he shot her a sharp look.
Elise clenched her fists, her face scrunched in concentration. She was pushing her empathic ability in a way she never had before.
The Basilisk on the far side suddenly recoiled. It let out a startled hiss, whipping its head around as if expecting a predator to be right behind it. The feeling of being prey, artificially implanted in its mind by Elise, triggered its territorial instincts. It saw the agitated, confused Basilisk near the cave as the source of this new, unseen threat.
With a furious roar, the panicked Basilisk charged its confused packmate.
Chaos erupted. The two other guards immediately joined the fray, unsure who to attack, turning the organized patrol into a violent, snapping brawl of scales and claws.
"Now! While they're distracted!" Michael hissed.
They didn't need to be told twice. Staying low, they skirted the edge of the clearing, using the noise of the reptilian fight as cover, and slipped unnoticed into the dark, narrow mouth of the cave.
Inside, the air was cool and still. In the center of the small cavern, on a natural pedestal of stone, rested a single object. It was a delicate, silver bracelet, from which hung a small, polished geode that sparkled with a faint, internal light.
{Artifact Detected: [Pendant of Borrowed Power].}
{Allows the user to mimic a single combat trait of a witnessed target for a duration of 10 minutes. 24-hour cooldown.}
Michael's eyes widened. It was perfect. It wasn't permanent power, but it was a key. A key that could unlock the abilities of every S-Class student he despised.
Elise stared at it, her empathy likely sensing the dormant potential within. "Incredible," she breathed.
They had found it. Now, the only question was, who would claim it?
The air in the cave was thick with silence, a stark contrast to the bestial roars and sounds of clashing scales outside. The faint, internal light of the geode cast shifting patterns on the walls, illuminating the tense faces of the two students.
Elise stared at the [Pendant of Borrowed Power], her expression a mixture of awe and longing. This was exactly the kind of artifact she needed—something to grant her the protection her own Trait lacked.
Michael, however, was already three steps ahead. His mind, sharpened by a lifetime of calculating odds and recognizing opportunities, analyzed the situation with cold precision.
'She wants it. She needs it. But I can use it better.'
The System had given him power, but it was a shadow power, one of manipulation and lust. This artifact was different. It was a tool for direct, tangible conflict. He could mimic Brad's [Granite Fist] or Chloe's [Sonic Screech]. The possibilities for both revenge and point farming were endless.
He couldn't just take it, though. Not after building this "partnership." He had to manipulate the situation, as always.
"It's amazing," Elise whispered, taking a half-step toward the pedestal. "I can feel the potential sleeping inside it."
"Wait," Michael said, his voice low but firm, placing a hand on her arm to stop her. It was a controlling gesture, but he made it feel protective. "Artifacts in places like this can have traps. Or a guardian we haven't seen."
Elise froze immediately, her eyes wide with a fresh dose of fear. "You're right. I wasn't thinking."
{Target's Impulse Controlled through Feigned Concern.}
{Lust Points +10.}
Michael gave her a reassuring smile, the hypocrisy of it all giving him a private thrill. "Let me check. My Trait might not be flashy, but a keen eye for detail is good for spotting triggers."
He approached the pedestal slowly, making a show of examining the ground and the stone itself. Of course, there was nothing. The real trap had been the Basilisks outside. After a suitably dramatic pause, he nodded.
"It looks clear." He picked up the pendant. It was cool and surprisingly heavy in his hand. The geode's light pulsed softly, as if in rhythm with his heartbeat. He turned back to Elise, who was watching him with hopeful, anxious eyes.
He held the pendant up between them. "This... this changes everything, Elise. For both of us."
"It does," she agreed, her voice barely a whisper.
"This is the power we need to stop being their punching bags," he continued, his tone becoming fervent, persuasive. He was weaving a narrative, pulling her into his web. "But a tool is only as good as the hand that wields it. If you use this, you could borrow a strength trait for ten minutes. But then what? You're still you, and they'll still come for you."
He saw the doubt flicker in her eyes. He was preying on her deepest insecurity—that her core self was inadequate.
"But if I use it," Michael said, leaning in slightly, his gaze intense, "I can borrow a Trait, any Trait, and I can use it to create an opening. To humiliate them. To show them that the person they think is nothing can wield their own power against them. I can break their spirit. And once their hierarchy is shattered, there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to rise." He let the pendant swing gently. "I'm not just fighting for me, Elise. I'm fighting for all of F-Class. For you."
It was a magnificent lie, wrapped in a sliver of truth and delivered with the conviction of a revolutionary. He was offering her a cause, a place in his grand, vengeful design.
Elise's empathy was reading his intense passion, his seemingly selfless fury at the system that oppressed them. She wasn't sensing the cold, manipulative calculation beneath it. She saw a leader.
"You're right," she said, her voice firming with resolve. She looked from the pendant to his face. "You have a plan. I... I just want to survive. You should take it, Michael. Use it. For all of us."
{Target's Personal Desire Subordinated to User's Grandiose Narrative. Significant Emotional Yield.}
{Lust Points +50.}
{Lust Points: 120.}
Michael allowed a look of grave responsibility to settle on his features. "Thank you, Elise. Your trust... it means everything." He fastened the clasp of the pendant around his own neck, the geode settling coolly against his chest. The power felt right there, dormant, waiting.
"Come on," Michael said, his voice now laced with a new, confident authority. "Let's get out of here. We have what we came for."