The cellar was no longer just a room; it was a crucible.
Lux hovered over Elara, his eyes burning with a feral, red luminescence. The [Wolf-Blood Stamina Pill] was doing more than just keeping him awake; it was rewriting his instincts. He didn't just want to save her. He wanted to claim her. Mark her.
Elara lay beneath him on the dusty rug, her skin pale as moonlight, her body shivering violently as the Ice Curse fought its final stand.
"Do it, Lux," she gasped, her legs wrapping around his waist, pulling him down. "Burn it out of me!"
Lux didn't need to be told twice.
He connected with her—body, soul, and mana.
[Union Established.]
[System Activation: Dual Cultivation Mode.]
[Injecting Yang Aura...]
The moment they joined, a shockwave of energy blasted outward, rattling the wine racks.
"AAAAHH!" Elara arched her back, a scream tearing from her throat.
It wasn't pain. It was a sensation so intense it bordered on madness. Lux's energy wasn't the gentle, warm stream she had felt earlier. Fueled by the mutated wolf core, his mana was a raging torrent of fire and bestial aggression.
It slammed into the wall of ice blocking her heart.
HISS.
Steam rose from her skin. The sweat on her body evaporated instantly.
[Warning! Foreign Mana Detected.]
[The 'Mutated Shadow Essence' from the pill is reacting with the Target's 'Glacial Core'.]
[Mutation Imminent.]
Lux gritted his teeth, sweat dripping from his forehead onto Elara's chest. He could feel the resistance inside her. The curse was a living thing—a parasite of cold magic left by that Archmage. It tried to freeze his "member," tried to push him out.
"Oh no, you don't," Lux growled, his voice vibrating with a growl that sounded inhuman.
He grabbed Elara's wrists, pinning them above her head. He drove his hips forward, forcing the rhythm, forcing the energy deeper.
"Take it all, Elara! Adapt or break!"
Elara sobbed, her head thrashing from side to side. The black veins on her chest began to glow. But instead of fading, they started to... shift.
The pure, blue mana she used to wield was being corrupted by Lux's chaotic injection. The Shadow Essence clung to the Ice. It didn't melt it—it infected it.
The white frost covering her skin turned a deep, bruised purple. Then, pitch black.
[System Alert]
[Critical Breakthrough!]
[The 'Ice Curse' has been devoured.]
[New Attribute Born: Obsidian Ice.]
"Lux...!" Elara's eyes snapped open.
Her irises, once a warm hazel, were now a piercing, glowing violet.
She didn't scream anymore. She gasped, a sound of pure, overwhelming ecstasy as the blockage shattered. Power—immense, terrifying power—flooded back into her limbs.
She sat up, breaking Lux's pin with terrifying ease, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a crushing kiss.
She bit his lip. Hard. Drawing blood.
The mana loop completed.
Lux poured his chaotic vitality into her.
She poured her refined, newly evolved mana back into him.
The cellar temperature dropped to freezing, but the shadows danced like flames.
The Next Morning
Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the cellar door, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
Lux groaned, shielding his eyes. His body felt heavy, but... strong. Stronger than he had ever felt in either life. The persistent ache of being "trash" was gone. His mana circuits felt full, humming with energy.
He looked down.
Elara was asleep on his chest.
But she looked different.
Her chestnut hair now had streaks of midnight blue running through it. Her skin, usually pale, now had a faint, pearlescent sheen. And on her left shoulder, extending down to her breast, was a new tattoo—a black spider lily encased in ice.
[System Report]
[Rest period complete.]
[Level Up! Level 3 -> Level 5]
[Status Updated.]
Lux sat up carefully, trying not to wake her, and summoned his screen.
Name: Lux von Greylock
Rank: F+ (Awakened)
Level: 5
Mana: 150/150 (formerly 0/10)
Unique Skill: [Eros Cultivation (Rank C)], [Aphrodisiac Hands (Rank D)]
EP (Eros Points): 2,500 (First Union Bonus)
"Holy..." Lux whispered. 2,500 points? That was a fortune.
He then looked at Elara's status.
[Target: Elara Vance]
[Status: Bonded / Evolved]
[Rank: A- (Recovering)]
[Class: Shadow-Rime Assassin]
[New Trait: Cold-Blooded Devotion]
Description: Her ice can no longer be melted by normal fire. It freezes the soul as well as the body. She is now immune to fear.
Elara stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open.
Those violet eyes locked onto his.
She didn't blush. She didn't look away shyly like the maid from yesterday.
She smiled. A slow, predatory smile that sent a shiver down Lux's spine—not of fear, but of anticipation.
"Good morning, Master," she purred. Her voice was an octave lower, smoother.
She sat up, the sheet falling from her bare body. She stretched, her joints popping satisfyingly. She looked at her hands, flexed her fingers, and a dagger of pitch-black ice formed instantly in her grip. It radiated a chilling smoke.
"It feels..." Elara stared at the black ice, fascinated. "Heavy. Cruel. I like it."
She dissipated the dagger and crawled over to Lux, resting her head on his knee.
" The curse is gone. And I am stronger." She looked up, her expression one of absolute worship. "You remade me, Lux."
Lux reached out and ran his hand through her streaked hair.
"We're just getting started, Elara. But first..."
He looked at the System Shop icon blinking in his vision.
"We have 2,500 Points. And we're living in a ruin with no food and a broken door."
Elara stood up, unashamed of her nudity, and walked toward her torn maid uniform.
"I will hunt for food. With this power, the wolves in the forest are nothing but prey."
"No," Lux stood up, feeling the new strength in his legs. "We don't need to hunt like savages."
He tapped the [Shop] icon.
[Welcome to the Eros Shop (Level 1)]
* Consumables (Potions, Pills)
* Skills (Combat, Utility, Bedroom)
* Items (Weapons, Armor, Lifestyle)
* Gacha (Summoning Tickets - 1000 EP)
Lux grinned.
"Elara, get dressed. We're going to do some shopping. It's time to turn this haunted house into a fortress."