Farmboy becomes King with the Lust System

Jae froze mid‑step, the sound of the scream still ringing in his ears. His thoughts raced, trying to place the source, when Sun's sharp shout cut through the confusion like a whip.

"Yuna!"

The name snapped Jae's head around instantly. Sun didn't even hesitate. He broke into a run toward the direction of the scream, his sword already drawn, the edge catching the faint dungeon light.

"Come on!" Sun barked without looking back, his tone more of a command than a request.

Jae tightened his grip on his mana blade and sprinted after him. Elise and Ryn didn't need to be told twice, they followed at full speed, the four of them pounding down the winding, uneven path of the cave, the sound of their boots thudding against stone echoing wildly through the tunnel.

When they finally burst into the cavern where the scream had come from, the scene that greeted them was chaos.

Princess Yuna stood pressed near the wall, her hand still glowing faintly with mana but her breathing was ragged. Around her, her team looked battered, their formation broken, several of them leaning heavily against the stone for support.

The massive bodies of several sasquatches loomed around them, their broad backs and hunched postures blocking most of the exit paths. The monsters' guttural growls echoed off the walls, rumbling deep enough to make the ground vibrate under Jae's feet.

"Yuna!" Sun's voice cracked with fury as his eyes swept over his sister, checking quickly for injuries.

She looked up and managed a small, sheepish smile, scratching her cheek lightly as though caught sneaking sweets out of the royal kitchen.

"I was… curious," she admitted, her voice soft but tinged with guilt, or at least the impression of guilt.

Sun's expression twisted. His jaw clenched so tightly Jae could hear his teeth grind.

"Curious?" Sun's voice rose like a whipcrack, sharp enough to make some of Yuna's team flinch. "Do you have any idea what could have happened? Do you.:."

"Sun."

Jae's calm but firm tone cut through the lecture.

Sun whipped his head toward him, fury still simmering hot in his glare, but Jae didn't back down.

"Save it for later," Jae said evenly, nodding toward the sasquatches who were shifting slowly, preparing to lunge again. "We're still surrounded, remember?"

For a moment, Sun didn't speak. His nostrils flared as he took in a deep breath, trying to rein himself back under control. Finally, with one last glare at Yuna, he muttered, "Fine. Later."

Turning away, Sun barked quick orders to both groups. His voice carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed, and both teams instinctively shifted into formation, gathering their weapons and pulling mana into their limbs.

"Yuna, stay behind," Sun ordered sharply. "Everyone else, focus fire on one target at a time. Don't spread out."

Jae stood beside Sun at the front line, his mana blade glowing with a faint, steady light.

The first sasquatch roared and charged, its heavy footsteps shaking loose dust from the ceiling.

Sun leaped forward to meet it head‑on, his sword slicing in a clean arc that left a shallow gash across its arm. Jae darted in on its flank, his blade striking just behind its knee. The monster howled in pain and staggered, giving the others an opening to rush forward.

The fight was brutal but efficient. With both teams working together, the monsters couldn't keep up with the barrage of spells and strikes that rained down on them from all sides.

Minutes later, the last sasquatch crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud that sent tremors across the cavern floor.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and burnt fur. Everyone stood still for a moment, breathing hard, letting the silence settle in after the chaos.

As the tension bled away, Sun turned immediately back toward Yuna. His jaw was tight, his voice clipped.

"Why," he asked slowly, each word carrying restrained anger, "would you put yourself in danger like that?"

Yuna's head lowered slightly. Her expression was the picture of remorse, her lips pressing into a small, regretful line.

But Jae, standing just a little behind Sun, knew her too well. He caught the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, the way her shoulders weren't truly slumped but just lowered enough to look convincing.

Yuna was never remorseful. Not really.

Jae fought to keep the corner of his lips from quirking upward, hiding the smirk that wanted to escape.

Sun didn't seem to notice. He shook his head in irritation and turned toward Yuna's team, gesturing toward the scattered monster corpses.

"We'll split the crystals," Sun said flatly.

One of the boys from Yuna's team started to suggest an even share, but Sun's gaze shut him down immediately.

"My team just saved yours," Sun said firmly. "We'll take the larger percentage.

The other team members exchanged reluctant glances, but they didn't argue further. They knew there wasn't much of a choice here.

Once the crystals were divided and packed away, Sun turned back to the combined group, his tone regaining its usual clipped efficiency.

"We're moving as one team from here," he announced. "Higher numbers, better chance of survival."

No one objected. After what had just happened, having more bodies to fight was an obvious advantage.

"Yuna," Sun added, his voice sharpening again, "stay in the middle of the group. Don't step out of position, no matter what."

Yuna gave a small nod, lips pursed but saying nothing.

XXX

The merged team pressed forward through the narrow tunnels of the dungeon, their footsteps crunching softly over gravel and loose bits of rock. The air seemed to grow heavier the deeper they went, as though the cave itself was warning them of what lay ahead.

When the next chamber opened up before them, they didn't even have time to rest before shapes began crawling from every direction

A sickening chorus of chittering and screeches filled the space as spiders, bats, and more sasquatches emerged from cracks in the walls and dark holes in the ceiling.

The cramped space made movement difficult, forcing them all to stay close together as spells and weapons clashed with monstrous limbs

"Keep formation!" Sun's voice cut through the chaos. He moved like lightning, his blade carving vicious lines through the air as he struck down two bats in quick succession and then pivoted to block a spider's stabbing leg.

But even with Sun's speed, Jae was faster.

His mana blade flowed with every movement, clean and precise, never wasting a single swing. He ducked beneath a spider's lunging attack and severed its head in one clean strike before spinning around to deflect another bat mid‑flight.

The fluid rhythm of his strikes was impossible not to notice.

"Damn, he's fast," one of Yuna's teammates muttered, awe slipping into his tone even as he cast another fireball toward the cave ceiling.

Another whispered, "Did you see that counter? He's insane…"

The admiration spread quickly, their voices carrying even through the din of battle.

Sun's jaw tightened at the words, his strikes becoming even sharper, almost as if trying to outpace Jae by sheer will.

Elise, standing a bit behind them while throwing quick bursts of light magic to heal small cuts, watched Jae with a swell of pride that she didn't bother to hide.

When there was a brief pause in the fighting, she reached out and touched his arm briefly, her fingers squeezing just enough for him to feel it through the hum of mana in his body.

"Good work," she said, her voice low but warm.

Jae turned his head slightly, meeting her eyes, and smiled.