Let's get one thing clear.
I didn't plan to get half-naked in a candlelit tent with a hot healer girl. Again.
It just sort of happened.
I mean, technically, I was here for "aura stabilization."
But the way Lira kept brushing my shoulders and humming in that "I'm totally going to kiss your soul and steal your stats" voice?
Yeah. Suspicious.
"You're tense," she whispered, fingers gliding over my neck.
I tried not to shiver. "Probably because of the daily monster attacks and sleep deprivation."
"Or maybe," she said, leaning in closer, "because you're not letting go."
[Libido Meter: 83%]
Bond Aura Link: Lira Sync Initiated
Effect: +10% Charm effectiveness, +5% Bond acceleration
Her fingers trailed down my chest.
I was shirtless again. Somehow. I swear she slipped it off with one smooth motion while I was distracted by her eyes.
[Warning: Passive Skill "Aphro-Haze" Detected]
Charm Field Active – Mild Lust Effect Applied
This woman was dangerous.
But in the soft, healing, "I'm gonna straddle you for therapy" kind of way.
"I could help you," she said, voice velvet. "Balance your aura. Calm your chaos. Release… tension."
I swallowed. "Is this where you put your hand on my chest and say 'you're holding back'?"
"No. This is where I climb onto your lap and show you how deep an aura can connect."
She slid closer.
My system was vibrating. Every stat I had was throbbing in unison.
Except—
[Alert: Dungeon Surge Detected – Proximity: Safezone 17 Perimeter]
[Emergency Quest Triggered: SURGE BREACH]
Danger Level: High
Objective: Defend the Safezone
The tent shook.
Screams. Sirens. Gunfire.
Outside, the sky was shifting. Clouds turned black. Purple lightning danced along the walls. The air smelled like ozone and rotten meat.
Lira's eyes snapped open. "No…"
I jumped up, grabbing my gear. "Guess my aura's staying tense for now."
She touched my wrist before I left.
"Don't die, Hiro."
I winked. "Not before I find out what your full session includes."
Safezone Outer Wall – Twenty Minutes Later
I ran like hell through chaos.
Infected had breached the outer gate. Not the shambling type either — these ones were faster. Meaner. Red-veined with glowing eyes and too many limbs.
"Move!" someone shouted. "Don't let them reach the inner sectors!"
Gunfire lit the night. Sentries scrambled. The tower lights flickered under the surge.
Then I spotted her.
Raven.
Boots kicking through mud, shotgun in hand, already bleeding from a graze on her forehead. She looked feral.
And she looked pissed.
"Hey!" I shouted. "Guess who almost got spiritually railed before the apocalypse interrupted?"
She looked at me, deadpan. "You're lucky I need you alive right now."
I smirked. "That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."
She tossed me a spare magazine.
"Flank left. Don't get cocky."
"I am cocky."
"I will shoot you."
We hit the frontlines.
I activated Night Prowl. The shadows welcomed me like an old friend.
[Night Prowl Activated]
Stealth: +10%
Charm Effectiveness: +10%
Raven Bond Gain: +1% per interaction (Night)
Enemies swarmed. Some climbed the walls. Some burst from the ground. But we held our line.
Mei showed up mid-fight, blades flashing. Lira followed close, her palms glowing with radiant pulses that burned through corrupted flesh.
We were a team now — chaotic, hot, under-leveled, and somehow not dead.
At one point, Raven covered my back while I cleared a path.
She growled, "Why do you always attract these kinds of women?"
I grunted, swinging my bat into a crawler's head. "Must be my personality!"
[Bond Progress – Raven: 23% → 27%]
Passive Triggered: Combat Intimacy – Increased synergy under shared danger
[Bond Progress – Lira: 6% → 12%]
Effect: Coordinated Aura Channeling – +15% healing received when near her
The longer we fought, the more in sync we became.
Every time Raven reloaded, I covered her.
Every time Lira healed me, I tanked harder.
Every time Mei shouted, "You guys better not die before I get laid!" — we fought harder, out of pure fear.
Post-Battle – Dawn at the Gate
The breach was sealed. Corpses smoked in the rising sun. The air was thick with death, ash, and the smell of victory.
I leaned against a metal wall, panting, shirt gone again (why always the shirt?), blood dripping from a shallow cut on my cheek.
Raven approached, tossing me a canteen.
"You didn't die," she said.
"Yet," I croaked. "Still might."
"You were… decent."
"That's the most praise I've ever gotten from a woman fully clothed."
She sat beside me.
For a moment, we just breathed.
Then Lira appeared.
Still elegant. Still glowing. Still calm.
She knelt beside me, checking my injuries.
"You pushed your aura too far," she said. "I'll need to realign you later."
"…Will I need to take my pants off?"
"Only if you want a full release."
Raven glared.
Lira smirked.
I blinked. "Did I just become the plot of a hentai battle academy romance?"
[Libido: 92% – Surging]
Recommend: Intimacy Cooldown
Side Effect: Bond Overlap Tension Triggered
[Harem Dynamics: Early Conflict Triggered – Resolution Path Pending]
The sun rose slowly.
I had a million questions. Too many feelings. And a very awkward erection hiding under my jacket.
But I was alive.
And they were still here.
One shotgun goddess.
One magical temptress.
One pervy ninja sidekick.
And me?
Just a guy with a dirty class, a glowing bat, and a future full of chaos.