Shin slowly opened his eyes, feeling a sharp, throbbing ache in his muscles that made him furrow his brows. His vision spun for a fraction of a second as the crackling sound of a fireplace reached his ears.

Where am I? he wondered, his mind slightly foggy. Then, the rough stone walls of the mini-castle came into focus. The backlash of using the Obsidian Decapitator’s blood-draw had finally forced his body into a temporary recovery sleep.

He tried to shift his weight, but his body protested with a dull ache that radiated through his limbs. Still lying down, he realized he was in a spacious, chilly room, illuminated only by the amber glow of the fire.

The warmth from the nearby hearth was comforting, though it wasn’t enough to completely dispel the damp draft of the savanna night.

"You’re awake," a gentle voice drew his attention. "How are you feeling? How are your wounds?"

Shin turned toward the voice and froze.

The first thing he saw was Lara’s massive breasts, heavy and barely contained by her bra, swaying hypnotically with every breath. She’d stripped down to nothing but her underwear, her ruined shirt now used as bandages on his arms.

Her porcelain skin was glowing warm under the firelight. And without clothes, her obscene hourglass made itself clear. Lara had wide hips, a tiny waist, and those enormous, plump tits that demanded his stare.

Every curve was built for fucking, thick thighs, round ass, and those perfect breasts bouncing with each breath. The soft light licked across her skin, highlighting the deep valley between her tits and the smooth flare of her hips.

Shin’s cock stirred hard at the sight. She was a walking wet dream. And there was something about her that allured him constantly.

Focus, Shin thought to himself, forcing his expression to remain perfectly calm. He returned his gaze to her beautiful face.

"What happened?" Shin asked, his voice a low gravel as he sat up against the wall.

"Well, shortly after we sat down, you passed out from exhaustion," Lara explained. "I finished your first aid. After your breathing leveled out, I explored the place, found some dry wood, and lit this fireplace."

Fortunately, she had found a small stash of basic supplies in the castle’s storeroom, including some dried meat she was currently roasting over the fire. And even if she hadn’t, Shin had such things on his storage ring.

"And now I’m going to cook for us," Lara said. "I found a kitchen in this place."

Shin nodded and followed her, but the woman insisted he shouldn’t push himself too much.

Because of that, Shin sat down, simply watching her. And as she turned her back to him, his eyes naturally fell on her massive ass, barely covered by thin panties, which jiggled with every movement.

Each shift of her hips sent those fat globes rippling. Her narrow waist flared out dramatically into that perfect, juicy backside, drawing his stare like a magnet.

As Lara finished cooking, they both sat down to eat. The food was bland, but it replenished some of Shin’s stamina.

After they finished eating, Shin suddenly remembered the spare clothes in his storage ring. He pulled out one of his own shirts and pants and handed them to her.

"It may be large, but it’s better than wearing nothing," he offered.

"Thank you," Lara slipped into them quickly.

But the result shocked Shin. Even though he was a towering 6’5" and heavily muscled, his clothes were tight on her.

The shirt stretched obscenely across her massive breasts, the fabric straining and pulling taut, barely containing her enormous chest. But the one suffering the most was his pants, they were really being stretched to the limit, hugging wide hips, thick ass, and absurdly thick thighs like a second skin.

Only then did she fully realize it; she stood noticeably taller than he, and she was quite muscular herself, especially her legs, which looked deadly. Besides, her body overflowed with exaggerated, mouth-watering curves.

She lifted the collar of the shirt to her nose and inhaled deeply. "Mmm... they smell really nice," she murmured without thinking much.

Right after, she bit her tongue, her eyes widening as a blush crept across her face. She lowered her gaze shyly, clearly embarrassed by what she had just said.

"Forgive me for acting so weirdly," she said softly, toying with her finger.

Then she dropped into a respectful bow. She pressed her palms together at her chest, lowered her head deeply, and gracefully knelt on one knee, her version of a sacred gesture to honor a divine emissary.

"More importantly, now that I can move... I wish to show proper respect to the emissary of God. Thank you for saving my life."

"I didn’t do anything that special."

"What are you saying? You saved me!" Lara insisted, stepping closer. Her hands clenched tightly over her massive chest, squeezing her breasts together under the strained shirt. "Not only that, you saved my entire clan. We will be eternally grateful."

"I did?" Shin blinked, clearly confused.

Lara nodded quickly, a little too eager, her heavy breasts jiggling with the motion. As she shifted, she tugged absently at the tight fabric. With every movement she made, the buttons on his shirt looked like they were going to snap, letting her huge tits slip free.

"I think I should explain to you," Lara flashed a beautiful smile at Shin’s confusion. "In our clan, we serve the goddess Elyndra, Keeper of the Veil."

She took a small step back, straightening her posture. One hand moved to rest over her heart, while the other lowered, her fingers curling as if recalling a ritual she had performed countless times.

"She is the god who guards everything precious in this world. And I..." She hesitated for a brief second, her eyes dropping before she forced herself to meet him again. "I was chosen as her sacred virgin."

Her voice grew quieter, but firmer.

"It means my body and spirit must remain untouched, so that I may act as her vessel. One day, we will need her power, and if the secret virgin fails with her obligation, she won’t be able to come and save us."

Her fingers tightened slightly against her chest.

"If I were to lose it, even by my own weakness, I would no longer be worthy of being her vassal. Worse... I might invite her fury upon myself and my people. But in my final moment, when I prayed for her help, she was gentle enough to send you to me."

Lara stared at Shin with eyes of pure devotion and gratitude. She had the look of a religious fanatic seeing its own good.

"Eh..." Shin wondered what words he should say next.

’User, we have company,’ Lilel reported. ’Three participants approaching the castle. They don’t look particularly strong, but be careful.’

Shin narrowed his eyes and decided to leave their conversation for later.

"We have a problem," he immediately informed her of the invaders, who at that point were already entering the castle.

"Please, rest my lord," Lara said, all her muscles on her body tensing. "Allow me to purge the enemy."

Before the man could say anything himself, Lara stepped forward, her gentle and shy demeanor vanishing completely.

Instinctively, she tried to activate her system, but the moment she did, she gasped, her back arching in sudden pain. A searing heat flared between her shoulder blades, and a complex, glowing red rune burned visibly through the thin fabric of her tunic.

The effect of the system blocker was still active.

’Ooh, what is that?’ Lilel’s voice echoed in Shin’s mind, ’I need to study this!’ She moved closer to Lara, eyes filled with curiosity.

Meanwhile, the girl gritted her teeth; even with her system powers entirely blocked, her natural physical strength was more than enough to handle these thugs.

"Get out of here, now," she ordered. Her voice was imposing, carrying the heavy, territorial growl.

The intruders sneered, clearly underestimating her, but in the next instant, Lara vanished from her spot.

Relying entirely on raw physical speed, she reappeared directly in front of the lead invader, driving her fist into his stomach.

The impact echoed through the stone hall like a cannon shot. The man’s eyes bulged, all the air leaving his lungs in a wet gasp. He fell heavily to his knees, clutching his abdomen.

With a single physical blow, their leader was defeated.

The two remaining invaders immediately understood their mistake. One of them released a cloud of venomous smoke in Lara’s direction, his goal not to defeat her, but to distract her.

In that same instant, he grabbed his leader, and the two fled as fast as they could.

"Don’t go after them," Shin ordered in a firm voice before Lara could give chase. "It’s not worth it, and it could be dangerous."

"As you wish," she replied, her soft demeanor returning almost instantly.

She’s stronger than I expected, he thought in silence. If she could cause that much damage without her system, she was probably extremely powerful.

Shin could easily defeat her in her current state, but once she regained her full strength, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He wondered whether Gut was weaker or stronger than her at this point.

In the game, Gut only appeared five years from now, so it wasn’t a reliable reference for his current power.

With the obsidian sword, Shin might be able to defeat a weaker evaluator from the third phase, but Gut was likely among the strongest of them.

"Hey! This is super interesting... the structure is incredible!" Lilel came gliding around Shin’s head excitedly, interrupting his train of thought. "The blocker is amazing."

"Where... am I?"

A groggy voice suddenly cut through the moment.

Shin and Lara turned to see Arlo standing in the doorway of the side room, rubbing the back of his neck, looking completely confused and exhausted.