Liam didn't wake up.
He was woken—by the system.
A deep, pulsing vibration in the base of his skull.
[SYSTEM MANDATE – PRIMARY QUEST LINE ENGAGEMENT REQUIRED]
> Progression Delay Detected: Core Bond Limit Approaching
Next Objective Unlocked:
Harem Rite Trial – "Union of Ten"
Condition: Initiate sexual engagement with ten distinct bonded females
Minimum: Rank 1 Affection
Time Limit: 21 Days
Failure: Core Decay | Infection Reactivation | Emotional Memory Degradation
Complete the ritual. Or die.
Liam sat up, drenched in sweat.
His body wasn't in pain.
His mind was.
The system had whispered plenty of twisted things before—but this?
Ten.
Ten women.
And not just connection. Not emotional trust.
Sex.
Now.
He stumbled out of the barracks as the first light of dawn split the sky.
He needed air.
He needed distance.
He needed to think.
But the system didn't wait.
[System Notice – First Target Opportunity Identified]
> Subject: Dr. Sienna Quill
Role: Medic, Age 27, System-Neutral
Compatibility: 76%
Status: Bondable
Initial Approach Recommended: Emotional Vulnerability Path OR Dominant Tension Path
Liam cursed.
The system had started pushing profiles. Presenting women like cards in a deck.
He didn't like it.
But he didn't ignore it.
Because behind the lust, behind the fantasy… was death.
If he didn't move forward, the infection would win.
He found Dr. Sienna in the lower clinic ward, elbow-deep in blood.
Not hers.
A scavenger had been dragged in, half his chest torn open by what looked like claws.
She was stitching without trembling. Focused. Calm.
Liam stood silently in the doorway.
"You watching or bleeding?" she said without turning.
"Neither," he answered.
She finally looked up.
Green eyes. Sleeves rolled to her elbows. Her hands were red to the wrists.
"I've seen you around," she said. "The Rot-Kissed boy."
He flinched. "That what they call me?"
"Better than 'Harem Host,'" she added with a smirk.
Liam stiffened. "You know about that?"
She didn't answer. Just cleaned her hands.
"You're not the only one with watchers in their skull," she finally said. "Some of us just silence them."
Liam stepped forward.
"I need your help," he said.
She met his gaze.
"And what do I get in return?"
[System Bond Trigger – Dr. Sienna Quill]
> Bond Type: Strategic-Tension
Rank: 0
Status: Open
Risk: Moderate
Optional Route Unlocked: "Beneath the Skin"
Objective: Earn trust by revealing system condition
Reward: Initiate Rank 1
He told her.
Everything.
The quest. The time limit. The curse.
Her face didn't flinch.
"You're either crazy," she said after a long moment, "or exactly what this world made."
"I don't want to do this," Liam said, voice shaking. "But I have to."
She stepped forward, eyes calculating.
"Then let me offer a deal."
Liam blinked.
"What kind of deal?"
"You don't fake it with me," she said. "No romance. No promises. Just survival."
She reached for his collar, gripped it hard.
"If we do this, it's clinical. Like surgery."
Liam hesitated… then nodded.
And Sienna kissed him.
No heat. No slow burn.
Just precision.
And a shiver that traveled all the way to his rot-soaked core.
[Bond Level Initiated – Dr. Sienna Quill: Rank 1]
> Trait Unlocked: Immune Link – Bonded Sex slows rot advancement by 200% for 72 hours
Infection Suppression: Increased
Harem Rite Progress: 1/10
Lust Control: 32%
Later, Liam sat alone in the Sanctuary courtyard.
Hands trembling.
Not from guilt.
From clarity.
The system wasn't evil.
It was truth.
Raw. Unforgiving.
And if he wanted to live…
He had to keep going.
That night, Maya found him.
"You're changing," she said.
He looked up.
"You hate it?"
"No," she whispered. "I hate that I understand it."
She sat beside him, leaned on his shoulder.
"I'll stay," she said. "As long as you don't stop being you."
He didn't answer.
Because he wasn't sure who "he" was anymore.