Farmboy becomes King with the Lust System

Sun's expression was thunderous as he glared at Jae standing calmly in the middle of his team's formation.

The tension stretched between them, and for a moment, it looked like Sun might say something sharp again, but all he did was exhale slowly through his nose.

"Fine," Sun muttered finally, his voice clipped. "It's not like I have a choice, is it?"

No one answered. The rest of the students kept quiet, watching carefully, because they could practically feel the heat in Sun's mood even from a distance.

"Alright," he said more loudly, turning his back on Jae as if ending the subject entirely. His voice carried clearly over the low chatter that had been building among the other teams.

"Everyone, listen up. We split here. Each team sticks to their assigned path. Stay alert, don't wander, and don't get cocky. "

He gave one last glance around to check if everyone was listening, then gestured to his own team. "Let's move."

Jae adjusted the strap of his sword on his back and fell into step alongside Elise, while Ryn quietly brought up the rear. Sun led the way without looking back.

The mouth of the dungeon loomed ahead of them like the gaping maw of some ancient beast. Even though there were faint runes carved into the arch above the entrance, probably meant to stabilize the structure, it didn't make the dark interior any less foreboding

Jae glanced up at the runes briefly, but the moment he crossed the threshold, a faint chill crawled across his skin. It was as if the cave itself exhaled a cold breath to welcome them. He resisted the urge to rub his arms, instead tightening his fist.

Their footsteps echoed faintly against the stone as they began their descent into the dungeon. The further they went, the less light there was.

Jae's eyes adjusted slowly, but his hearing sharpened, catching the sound of small rocks crunching beneath boots and the soft drip of water from some distant corner. The smell of the cave was earthy, mixed with something faintly metallic, like old blood.

They walked deeper, winding through narrow tunnels and larger open spaces that made it easy to imagine something lurking just beyond their torchlight.

Then, without any cue, the noise started.

It began as a faint grinding sound, like stone scraping against stone somewhere ahead of them.

Sun froze mid‑stride, raising one hand to silently halt the group. Jae stopped as well, head tilting slightly as he focused on the sound

Jae's brow furrowed. He knew that sound. His mind flashed back to the last time he'd heard it, and his stomach tightened in recognition.

"Wait!" he started, but he didn't get the rest of the words out.

From somewhere above, a rush of wings erupted like an oncoming storm.

In the next second, a swarm of dark shapes burst out of a crevice high up on the wall, darting forward with jerky, erratic movements. The air filled with the flapping of countless wings and shrill screeches that bounced painfully between the stone surfaces.

"Bats," Jae muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing.

Sun's head snapped toward the incoming swarm, and without wasting a heartbeat, his voice rang out, firm and commanding. "Formation! Elise, stay back behind us and don't move. You're the healer, so keep your focus there. Ryn, cover her flank. Engage if you have to, but keep her safe first."

Ryn nodded sharply, already shifting his stance closer to Elise with his sword angled defensively in front of them.

Elise's face was pale, but she gave a quick nod of acknowledgment, retreating several paces until she was positioned securely behind Ryn.

Sun then turned to Jae, his eyes gleaming with sharp calculation even through the irritation still lingering there. "And you.." he said, jerking his chin toward Jae. "Since you're the champion of the tournament, you can fight these things with me. Show us what all that hype was about."

Jae arched one brow but didn't bother responding verbally. He just nodded once, stepped forward, and summoned his mana blade with a practiced motion. The familiar hum of energy ran down the length of the weapon as it solidified in his hand, glowing faintly in the dim light.

As he moved, he reached into his system interface to activate his anti‑fire cloak, expecting the reassuring weight of its defense to settle over him. Instead, the word "Unavailable" flashed repeatedly across the system panel.

Jae's grip tightened on the blade.

What?

He tried again. Same result.

His brows furrowed slightly. The cloak had never failed him before, so why was the system blocking it now? He didn't have time to stand there and experiment, but a small frustration lingered in the back of his mind as he dismissed the panel with a flick of thought

Fine. Whatever the system's reason was, it wasn't telling him. He'd just have to fight without it.

"Ready?" Sun called over the sound of approaching wings.

Jae smirked faintly, sliding one foot forward into a balanced stance. "Always."

The swarm hit them like a moving wall.

Sun moved first, his blades flashing in sharp, efficient arcs that cut through the closest bats with clean precision. His strikes weren't flashy but they were fast, perfectly controlled, and each blow carried enough force to slice cleanly through the leathery wings of the monsters.

Jae joined in immediately, swinging his mana blade in a wide slash that lit up the air in a streak of pale blue. The blade sliced through three bats at once, sending them screeching downward to the ground. He pivoted smoothly, twisting his wrist to cut another pair as they tried to dive for his head.

For a few intense seconds, the cave was filled with nothing but the sound of screeches, the crackle of energy from Jae's blade, and the sharp clang of Sun's strikes.

Elise and Ryn stayed back as ordered, eyes darting to track the fight, but there were no injuries yet, meaning Elise's hands stayed ready but unused.

When the last of the bats finally fell to the ground, the swarm's sound died almost as quickly as it had begun. Silence slowly returned, broken only by the fading echo of wings flapping away deeper into the cave.

Jae unactivated his blade, exhaling slowly.

Sun gave the area a quick sweep with his gaze, confirming the immediate threat was gone, then crouched to examine one of the fallen bats. Something glimmered faintly near its clawed foot.

"What's that?" Ryn asked, stepping forward cautiously.

Sun picked up the small shard and turned it over in his fingers. It was a translucent crystal, faintly glowing from within as if storing a sliver of light.

"They look valuable," Ryn said, bending down to grab another from the ground.

Sun's lips pulled into a sharp grin, his earlier irritation replaced by something that looked dangerously close to eagerness. He stood, holding the crystal high so the light could catch it.

"Then it's simple," he said, his voice ringing with conviction. "We take down as many monsters as possible. The team that brings back the most crystals wins more than just points, they win recognition. And we're not letting anyone else take that glory."

His eyes glinted as he pocketed the crystal and glanced back toward the path ahead.

"Let's move. We've got work to do."