Fifteen Minutes Later
Kain stepped out of Tower Alpha and into the morning chill with his coat half-draped over his shoulder and a slow, deliberate swagger.
Aiden, bouncing like a cracked mana crystal, practically vibrated beside him.
"I packed snacks!" he announced.
"Also rope, mana potions, a collapsible tent, backup rope, spicy jerky, a charm that might be cursed, and matching cloaks!"
He held up two identical black cloaks with flaming red trim.
Kain stopped walking.
Stared at the cloaks.
Then at Aiden.
"No"
"But–"
"No cloaks"
"But Holly already put hers on–"
"Holly can wear whatever she wants," Kain said, then added under his breath, "She has knives in her shoes"
Aiden blinked.
"Wait, really?"
From the side path near the eastern gate, Holly approached with graceful indifference, flipping a butterfly knife between gloved fingers.
Her hood was up, her hair in a tight braid, and yes, her boots had a faint glint of steel.
"I don't like the color," she said without breaking stride.
"Red trim screams wannabe vigilante"
Kain gave his usual lazy smirk, his eyes looking her up and down.
'Not bad… she looks rather sexy'
"I tried," Aiden mumbled, sulking as he stuffed the cloaks back into his bag.
They walked through the outer courtyard in silence, passing students on their way to class or training.
A few turned to stare, not at Aiden, who was humming the theme from Monster Slayer Re: The Movie, but at Kain.
Specifically, his hair, which still looked very much like it had lost a fight with a wild animal.
Holly noticed.
"You didn't brush it?"
"Didn't get a chance"
"Didn't you say that yesterday?"
"No. Yesterday I said I don't care"
Aiden laughed.
Then stopped laughing as they reached the Rift Gate.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the air seemed to hesitate.
Three black-cloaked guardians stood watch, silent sentinels with faces hidden behind horned masks.
Kain stepped forward.
The guardians didn't move, but one of them nodded once.
"Clearance granted. Rift 87-A. Three Students. No retrieval team"
Aiden swallowed.
"No retrieval?"
Kain shot him a sidelong look.
"You wanted adventure, didn't you?"
"I mean, yeah, but I also wanted to keep my liver"
"You can live without one," Holly said helpfully.
"No, you can't!"
Kain chuckled as he looked at Holly.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 28% | Loyalty: 30% | Lust: 17%]
[Emotion: Excited]
["I hope Aiden will protect me"]
He licked his lips as he touched the rift, quickly absorbing him along with Aiden and Holly.
'Time to raise those meters!'
A few seconds later…
The rift spat them out with all the grace of a drunk god.
Aiden landed on his face.
Again.
"Ow! My nose!" he groaned.
"I think I landed on a squirrel"
"It's bone ash," Holly replied flatly, scanning the horizon.
"…Oh"
Kain landed last, knees bent, one fist planted in the dirt, gauntlet-clad hand crackling faintly from residual mana.
He rose slowly, ash dusting his coat, yet somehow made him look cooler.
Aiden gave a shaky thumbs-up.
"I'm fine! Totally cool!"
Kain didn't respond.
He was already glancing toward Holly, noting the way she instinctively placed herself between Aiden and the wind-swept ridge.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 30% | Loyalty: 32% | Lust: 20%]
[Emotion: Alert – Protective Instinct Triggered]
He let a slow smile touch his lips.
"You moved fast," he murmured, brushing ash from his coat.
Holly gave him a short look.
"Didn't want him to trip into another portal"
"Sure," Kain said.
"Or maybe... You didn't want to lose him"
Holly blinked, expression unreadable.
"Don't read into it"
Kain nodded, easygoing as ever.
"Wasn't"
Aiden, meanwhile, had his bag open again.
"I brought extra water bottles! They're shaped like little mana flasks—oh! Jerky! Anyone want jerky?"
"No," Kain and Holly said in sync.
"…More for me"
The wind picked up, carrying a dry, metallic scent.
They'd arrived in what looked like a sunken battlefield.
Broken weapons half-buried in the dirt, scorched armor fused to twisted trees, and the bones… the bones were everywhere.
That's when the shrieking started.
Thin-limbed horrors emerged from the haze, half-rotted, plated in rust, too many joints, too many eyes.
Aiden screamed and brandished a dagger backward.
Holly stepped up, blades drawn.
But Kain was already gone.
His boots hit the ground hard, thud, then the gauntlets lit up in flickers of red runes.
He moved quickly.
One gauntlet caught a screamer by the throat, crushed it into the ground with a sickening crunch.
Another swung wide, crack!
A bony jaw flew off.
Gauntlet after gauntlet, strike after strike, he annihilated them with precise brutality, every punch efficient, smooth, a dancer of violence in the fog of war.
Holly got maybe one kill in.
She noticed that.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 31% | Loyalty: 34% | Lust: 21%]
[Emotion: Quiet – Self-Reflecting]
Aiden peeked up from behind a rock.
"Did we win?!"
Kain just wiped his gauntlet clean on a tattered cloak.
"They were scouts"
The shrieking got louder.
"Scouts?" Aiden asked, voice cracking.
"Yep. The real fun's on the move"
Aiden swallowed, eyes wide.
"I… I don't like the sound of that…"
Holly scanned the horizon, alert.
"How many exactly?"
Kain shrugged.
"Dunno. Could be hundreds"
Aiden made a strangled sound.
"Hundreds?!"
The shrieking grew closer, louder.
Aiden trembled, looking ready to bolt.
"Hundreds…" he whimpered.
Kain took a deep breath, feeling adrenaline start to buzz.
"Hey. Relax"
Aiden stared.
"Relax?'
"Th–there's an army of skeleton men about to kill us, and you say 'relax!'"
Aiden clenched his jaw, trying to steady his breathing.
His vision kept going out of focus.
Holly stayed close, daggers out, eyes on the horizon as the shrieking drew nearer.
Kain looked at them both.
He could see the fear in Aiden's eyes, the tight grip on his blade.
'He is going to pass out at this rate…'
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 35% | Loyalty: 37% | Lust: 30%]
[Emotion: Curious]
Kain chuckled to himself as he slammed the first one to the ground.
Holly stabbed a passing skeleton.
Her gaze flicked to Kain's smirking face.
"Something amusing?"
"Oh, nothing," he said while slamming a group against the floor.
"I just find it funny how while we do all the work, Aiden is pretending to help"
"But what did I expect?"
Holly's brow furrowed, eyes never leaving the horde of monsters.
"He's doing his best," she said, defending him.
Kain rolled his eyes.
"Look, you may like him all you want, but still, shouldn't you choose a dude who–"
She cut him off with a glare.
"Choose? Choose what? And don't presume to know who I like!"
He smirked, his voice taking on a mocking tone.
"Oh, c'mon, I see the way you look at him"
"Like he's your knight in shiny armor. It's adorable, really"
"As well as pathetic. Hazel, Nina, as well as you, should have chosen wisely"
And in a low whisper that seemed to anger her.
"No wonder Lupa and Aqua cheated on him with the blue-haired bastard"
Holly's grip tightened on her daggers, eyes narrowing.
She didn't respond, but her body language spoke volumes.
Kain smirked, pleased that he'd struck a nerve.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 20% | Loyalty: 27% | Lust: 15%]
[Emotion: Disgusted]
'Shit... I didn't mean for her meters to lower'
Kain finished killing off the mid-boss with a single hit when he turned to Holly.
"Um... look–"
Her gaze could've cut glass.
"Save it," she snapped.
Her voice was like ice, her words sharp and cold.
"I don't want to hear it"
"Holly"
She ignored him, resuming her watch, eyes scanning the battlefield.
Kain's smirk faded, replaced with something... apologetic?
He hadn't meant to anger her this much.
He took a step closer, hand partially raised.
"Holly, listen–"
She whipped around, daggers raised in a defensive stance.
"Back. Off," she warned, voice low.
Kain hesitated, his outstretched hand wavering.
Or so it would seem, this rat bastard knew how to play his cards right.
His usual smirk returned.
"I can help you get with Aiden before Hazel and Nina"
Holly's eyes widened, her guard faltering for a split second.
"What are you..."
She trailed off, clearly caught off balance by his sudden offer.
Kain saw her expression change, the curiosity in her eyes warring with her anger.
He pressed his advantage.
"Wouldn't it be nice? To be his official girlfriend... like Aqua and Lupa once were before they dumped him?"
"Don't you want to hold his hand?"
"Whisperer sweet promises?"
Holly's cheeks flushed, her grip on her daggers loosening ever so slightly.
"Shut up," she muttered, looking away.
Kain chuckled, noting the way her cheeks were starting to turn a soft pink.
He'd hit a nerve, alright.
"But I guess if you don't want my help, that's fine! I'll just help Hazel or maybe Nina win his heart"
Holly's head whipped back up.
The thought of either Hazel or Nina winning Aiden's heart made her blood boil.
Kain watched her with a smug expression, silently congratulating himself.
Her eyes darted to the side, her conflicted expression clear.
She was fighting an internal battle, her desire to maintain her anger warring with her growing curiosity.
He took another step closer, voice low and almost conspiratorial.
"Imagine it. Having Aiden wrapped around your finger…"
Holly tried to harden her expression, but the pink in her cheeks deepened.
"That's... that's not--"
Kain smirked, cutting her off.
"Aiden's a sweet guy, and he's got some hidden talents"
He whispered, "Be the one to heal his broken heart"
Her breath hitched.
She visibly tensed, conflicted feelings warring within her.
Kain noticed and leaned in, his voice soft and almost comforting.
"You don't have to do it alone. I can help. Together, you and I…"
Her thoughts raced, her desire for Aiden warring with her instincts to keep her distance.
Kain continued, his tone careful and deliberate.
"Up to you, of course," he said as Aiden ran up to them.
"Everything okay?" he asked, sensing the tension in the air.
Holly snapped out of her trance, quickly regaining her composure.
"Fine," she said curtly.
Kain just shrugged, his usual smirk plastered on his face.
"Just discussing tactics," he replied.
'And how I'll soon convince Holly to do NTR sex hahaha'
Aiden chuckled, oblivious to the undercurrents of the conversation.
"Well, whatever it was, can we get going? My mana supply is running low"
Kain shot him a dumbfounded look.
"How the fuck is it low when you didn't do anything?"
Aiden winced, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey, I was defending myself, okay? That takes mana, you know"
Kain rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"Defending yourself? More like flailing around like a scared chicken"
Aiden shot him a dirty look.
"Like you're any better, Mr. Punch-Everything-That-Moves!"
Kain chuckled as he flicked Aiden's forehead.
"Let's just continue, we have more monsters to kill"
Aiden rubbed his forehead, trying to look annoyed, but a small smile escaped him.
"Fine, fine. Lead the way, oh fearless leader"
Kain smirked as he continued walking down the stone path.
Only glancing back to see if Holly followed.
[Secret Objective Progress: 67% — Corrupt Aiden's Image of Friendship]
[Bonus Path: Emotional Substitution — "I want someone like Kain…"]
[System]
[Both quests will be merged]
[New Quest!]
[Trick Holly into doing erotic things with you]
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 25% | Loyalty: 37% | Lust: 35%]
[Emotion: Curious]
["What does he mean.... He'll help me out?"]
Kain licked his lips as he looked over at Holly, who was walking with Aiden.
Helping him drink the mana recovery potions.
Holly caught his gaze, her expression guarded.
Her mind was racing, her thoughts a jumble of conflicting emotions.
She couldn't deny the attraction she felt towards Aiden, but...
Her eyes flicked over to Kain, who was casually exploring the path ahead.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Kain noticed her look and winked, his expression smug.
He knew he had her hook, line, and sinker.
Aiden finished his potion and let out a satisfied sigh.
He looked at Holly with innocent eyes, blissfully unaware of the tension between them.
Holly's hands lingered just a second too long as she helped Aiden drink from the mana flask.
He didn't notice.
But Kain did.
And Holly knew he noticed.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 40% | Loyalty: 46% | Lust: 69%]
[Emotion: Conflicted – Defensive Attraction Building]
["Did he realize that I might like him more?"]
She averted her gaze, pretending to focus on the road ahead.
Aiden wiped his mouth, gave her a grateful nod.
"Thanks, Holly. You always have my back"
Her chest tightened, cheeks tinged pink again.
"I always will," she said softly.
Kain walked a few paces ahead, arms behind his head like none of this mattered.
It did.
To him, this all mattered.
He turned just enough to speak, voice casual.
"You know," he said, "most girls who go this far for a guy… usually end up disappointed."
Holly narrowed her eyes.
"Is that so?"
"Mmhm." Kain's tone was almost teasing.
"Because they expect him to notice on his own"
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes landing on Aiden, still walking cluelessly ahead.
"He won't"
Holly opened her mouth to respond, but Kain didn't stop.
"Not because he doesn't care. But because guys like him? They're scared of seeing what's in front of them."
She clenched her fists.
"You don't know him like I do"
"Oh, I know him better than you want me to," Kain said.
"He's soft. He's kind. But he's a little broken… man, Lupa and Aqua sure did a number on him"
His gaze sharpened.
"But that's just a sorry excuse to pull you towards a pathetic act of needing help and love"
He took another slow step beside her, voice dropping an octave.
"But you want real love, right? Real raw emotions!"
She hesitated.
The answer didn't come.
Kain smiled faintly.
"You're already halfway to being his replacement crutch, just filling the void he has!"
[System Notification]
[Secret Objective: Emotional Substitution | 82% Complete]
["I'm always the one there for him..."]
Kain's eyes flicked to Aiden again, then back to Holly.
"I'm not judging you, by the way. You're doing fine."
"Shut up," she snapped, voice brittle.
"You're walking the tightrope well," he said, undeterred.
"Just... make sure you don't fall"
Her steps slowed slightly.
He saw it.
She was thinking again.
Doubting.
Wondering.
Was she really what Aiden needed?
He could also be doing the same with Nina and Hazel…
Kain leaned in just a bit closer.
His voice brushed her ear like static.
"You want my help, say the word…"
Then he was gone, stepping ahead again, as if the conversation had never happened.
Holly stood still for a heartbeat too long.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 50% | Loyalty: 70% | Lust: 75%]
[Emotion: Distracted | Guard Lowered]
Aiden noticed she had stopped.
"Holly? You okay?"
She forced a small smile and nodded.
"Yeah. Just… tired"
He offered his hand without hesitation.
"C'mon. I'll carry your gear if it helps"
She stared at his hand.
Such a sweet, stupid offer.
And behind him, Kain stood silently watching, his smirk returned, eyes glowing with that same predatory charm.
Holly took Aiden's hand.
But she didn't miss the way Kain mouthed two silent words as they walked past:
"Soon Enough"
Then the Rift roared around them like a wounded god.
Twisted rock floated in midair, gravity defied.
Veins of glowing crimson pulsed beneath cracked stone.
Something screeched.
Not a bird.
Not anything natural.
It crashed from above, a leviathan of rusted metal and bone, wings like jagged swords and breath like ash and teeth.
Holly moved instantly, twin daggers drawn in a reversed grip, eyes sharp and scanning.
Aiden unsheathed his sword, jaw tight, legs set in a warrior's stance.
But Kain… just stepped forward.
Calm.
Unbothered.
As the beast dove, he didn't even flinch.
He moved too fast.
Too perfect.
A blur of motion and violence.
One punch.
One.
His gauntlet-clad fist slammed into the creature's skull mid-dive.
A shockwave rippled out, flattening trees, shaking stone, and shattering bone.
The creature screamed once, then exploded midair, its body tumbling in molten chunks to the blackened earth.
Silence.
A quiet chime echoed in his mind.
[Currency Acquired: +3,200 Gold | "Execution Bonus – Brutality x17"]
Aiden stood frozen.
"...What the hell was that?"
Holly didn't answer.
She was still staring at Kain.
No awe.
No fear.
Just… that strange, burning curiosity again.
Kain rolled his shoulder like it'd been nothing.
"Huh. Thought it'd last longer"
Aiden stepped forward, clearing his throat.
"I was going to flank it from the left—"
"Sure," Kain said, not even looking at him.
They kept moving.
Three more beasts emerged.
Riftborn.
Massive, drooling, nightmarish things.
Each time, Aiden stepped in first, sword drawn, shouting orders.
He swung.
Fought hard.
But every time, Kain would step past him.
No coordination.
No hesitation.
Just end the threat in seconds.
His gauntlets, soaked in abyssal ichor, cracking skulls, punching through armor, ripping monsters limb from limb with terrifying precision.
It wasn't brawling, it was butchery.
Measured, clean, cruel.
Holly moved like a ghost, quick and low to the ground.
But even she slowed down after a while… watching him.
She didn't shield Aiden anymore.
Didn't flank where he called her to.
She watched Kain's footwork.
The way he pivoted.
How he never missed a beat.
Like she was studying him.
Walking closer to him.
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 80% | Loyalty: 80% | Lust: 92%]
[Emotion: Curious | Conflicted | Idealization]
An Hour Later | Make Shift Camp
Kain was sitting near a tree log, drinking his usual beer, when Aiden shyly walked up to him.
"Bro… you mind if I can get some beer?"
Kain raised an eyebrow but shrugged nonchalantly.
"Sure thing"
He opened his belt pouch and handed Aiden a fresh beer with a smirk.
"Thought you weren't much of a drinker though"
Aiden rubbed the back of his head, his eyes making their way to Holly, who was setting up the rest of their defenses.
She had taken off her coat as well as some of the leather armor, leaving her in a white shirt too tight to hold all that in.
Aiden quickly looked away, cheeks red.
"I usually don't, but... I just feel like I need to… relax a little…"
Kain chuckled, his gaze shifting to Holly as well.
"Need to, huh?"
Aiden took a long swig of his beer, trying to act casual.
"Yeah. It's been a long day…"
'Not that I give a shit,' Kain thought with a grin.
'If I can get this fucker to pass out, I can continue making the moves on Holly'
Kain licked his lips as he pulled out a 6-pack of beers.
"Here, sit," he said, patting the spot next to him.
"Have a few if you want"
Aiden hesitated but nodded, sitting down and taking another beer.
Kain looked at Holly again.
She was now setting up the sleeping bags.
The fire flickered, casting shadows on her figure.
Aiden tried to look anywhere but at her, but his eyes kept lingering on her.
"She's something, huh?" Kain said lightly, popping open a beer.
Aiden's cheeks turned redder, and he took a long drink from his beer.
"Holly? Yeah, she's… she's something else"
Kain chuckled.
"You're not good at hiding your feelings, you know"
Aiden's cheeks burned even brighter.
"What do you mean?"
Kain gave him a knowing look.
"Dude, it's written all over your face"
Aiden fidgeted, glancing over at Holly again.
"It's that obvious?"
Kain chuckled, "You did make an artifact that would contain a user's happiest memories for her"
"Yeah... I guess I did do that"
"Do you ever just… tell her how you feel?"
Aiden drank all six bottles, as if preparing himself to confess a secret crime.
"I can't… the same can be said for Hazel and Nina, I feel like a dick you know?"
"Lupa and Aqua… they did a number on me, and I don't want to drag that into a new relationship. I want to return those pure feelings for me"
Kain nodded, pretending to understand and care.
His expression was carefully arranged, sympathetic at the surface, but secretly thrilled at Aiden's confession.
"I get it, man. You want to give her an untainted relationship, free of all the bullshit"
"Exactly. Holly deserves more than my past baggage"
Aiden finished his last beer with a sigh, his eyes on Holly again.
"I just wish I knew if she felt the same way... You know?"
Kain gripped the rocks next to his thigh, he knew Aiden was a fucking moron, but he couldn't be this fucking stupid.
The way Holly looked at Aiden, hell, the way Hazel and Nina looked at him… innocent love, pure love, romantic love…
Yet this fucking moron couldn't even see it?
Fuck.
Then he wonders why Aqua and Lupa chose him instead of this fucking dumbass… still... he must continue to play the role of the best friend.
"Well… I'm sure that when you wake up… she'll confess…"
Aiden's vision got blurry as Holly ran up to him.
"Is… that… so?"
He said before collapsing to the ground.
Holly was instantly at his side, her expression worried.
"Aiden?! Is he drunk?!"
Kain looked down at the empty bottles and shrugged with a casual smirk.
"Looks like it"
She shot him a glare.
"You let him drink 6 times his normal limit?!"
"Come on, give me some slack," he said with a scoff.
"He seemed like he needed it"
She gritted her teeth but didn't say anything as she checked Aiden's breathing, sighing in relief when she felt it.
"He's asleep… heavily"
[System Notification]
[Holly | Affection: 85% | Loyalty: 85% | Lust: 95%]
[Emotion: Semi-Horny]
Kain licked his lips as he pulled her onto his lap, hands already grasping her ass.
"So… did you make up your mind? You seem to want my lessons now"
Holly tensed at the touch, her cheeks reddening slightly.
But her voice was firm.
"Don't get cocky"
Kain chuckled, his grip on her tightened as he planted a trail of kisses on her neck.
"Cocky? Nah... just confident"
She pushed him away, still sitting on his lap, staring defiantly.
"Aiden is your best friend and the mate I've chosen"
Kain rolled his eyes as he lightly patted her ass.
"Hmm, you think Aiden would choose you over Hazel and Nina?"
"A full Elf and Draconic? Just to be with a half-elf?"
Holly bristled, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, a crack in her confidence that Kain noticed instantly.
He seized the opportunity, his hand tracing up her thigh as he leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, seductive tone.
"But you… You'll do whatever you want, right?"
Holly shivered at the touch, torn between her loyalty to Aiden and the intense attraction she couldn't deny.
She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What… what are you suggesting?"
Kain licked his lips as he helped her slowly grind against his cock.
"Like I said before, I'll give you lessons on how to please a man, and you get new techniques on seducing a man, boom, use it on Aiden and he's yours"
She bit her lip, unable to deny the tingle of excitement that shot through her at the idea.
But she quickly shook her head, pushing Kain's hand away.
"It's wrong… I can't betray Aiden's trust"
Kain didn't back down, his hand creeping around to her inner thigh as he whispered in her ear.
"Is it betrayal if he'll never find out?"
He kissed her neck, leaving a bite mark.
"I can satisfy all your sexual needs, and Aiden can have your emotional side. Is that a fair deal?"
'Not that it matters because in the end… I'll have you all to myself before he wakes up'
The words danced in her ears, tempting, seductive.
It was wrong.
She knew it was.
But… would it be so bad if Aiden never found out?
Would it be so bad if…
As he trailed kisses down her neck, she closed her eyes, her resolve weakening with every touch of his lips on her skin, every whisper of his breath against her ear.
Kain felt her hesitation and smirked, his fingers inching closer to her core.
"Just…"
She swallowed, her voice quiet and breathy.
"Just… for one day"