Primordial Lust System

"B…boss… are you sure about this? This would be breaking the clan's rules, and if we're found out, death is not out of the question!" A skinny young lad spoke up, his voice tinged with caution. Yet the lecherous smile twisting his lips betrayed him, he was only waiting for confirmation.

The other youth cracked a grin before parting his lips. "Didn't you hear that old bitch? The wristbands protect us from one fatal attack. Why only have one when we could have multiple?!" He smirked, unveiling his grand plan.

A group of mismatched youths stood before their newly appointed leader.

A greasy guy with curly hair and a creepy grin plastered across his lips.

Being the first to slay a beast and awaken a class was enough for him to rise as a leader figure, especially since the rest were still regular awakened.

Besides, the plan sounded feasible. What was the point of risking your life when you could just snatch from others?

"Anybody disagrees?" Kraven, the leader, barked, scanning the rest. His words came more as a demand than a question, almost itching for someone to defy him.

Seeing no resistance, he nodded in satisfaction before a lewd smile crept across his face. "If this goes well, we might have a bit of fun," he added, stressing the last word.

The others caught onto his implication and broke into grins, the gravity of what they were about to do erased from their minds.

"We've already determined this is a random allocation dungeon," he explained, preparing to lay out the plan. "So just as we were randomly dropped here as a group, there ought to be another group passing through here…" He motioned toward the dimly lit dungeon walls. "Or even better...dropped right here. The plan is simple: our numbers are in the twenties, far higher than any other group could have… if they even managed to form teams."

The rest of the youths hung onto every word.

"We overpower them with our numbers, snatch the wristbands, and…" He let his voice trail. "Do you understand?"

Nods of agreement rippled through the group as they found places to hide. Numbers played in their favor, but what would tip the scales further was the element of surprise.

All they had to do was wait.

And sure enough, minutes slipped into hours, and after about two, a group approached their hiding place.

***

"Uh… this place creeps me out," a young lady with silky black hair murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Her companions behind her didn't look any better, fear etched on their faces, and with good reason.

For a team fully composed of F-rank talents, it was already a miracle they had made it this far. Or maybe it was simply because they hadn't encountered any monsters yet.

"Remember, all we have to do is survive for 24 hours. It doesn't matter if we don't slay a beast," the girl at the front reassured, her eyes sparkling with determination as colorful strands of hair cascaded down her back.

Still, despite her brave words, she cursed softly about her stupid talent for the umpteenth time. "Astral hair, really?"

There were ranks of trashiness. Just like Aurelian's, his was also F-rank, but his was passive regeneration, which at least offered some use in battle. Hers was utterly useless.

Speaking of him, her brows creased at the thought of Aurelian. He had entered the dungeon alone. She should have convinced him to join them so they could protect each other. She scolded herself for letting him go.

But before her thoughts spiraled too deep, her steps halted instinctively, startling the girls behind her.

"Uh, what's wrong, Amber?" the silky-haired girl whispered, eyes darting everywhere but finding nothing.

"Something… feels wrong." Amber raised her arm, signaling the group to stop.

"You're scaring me, Amber," a girl squealed from the back, tears brimming in her eyes. The entire ordeal of the dungeon was unbearable. If it were up to her, she would've been content living as a mortal, but some mean woman had forced them here. Now she was fighting for her life.

Bitterness surged as tears slipped down her cheeks, until a sudden shift tore her from her misery.

Only a few meters ahead, the ground rippled. With a violent blast, it ruptured, sending rubble flying as a group of twenty youths burst out unceremoniously.

The dust cleared, their figures illuminated by the torches along the dungeon walls. Kraven's lips twitched. Perhaps that hadn't been the best hiding place. In hindsight, it had seemed brilliant, but now, as they revealed themselves, it looked more like a stupid performance.

Still, the gasps from the girls reassured him. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Regaining composure, Kraven wiped dust from his face. A third-rate villain's grin stretched across his lips as he sneered. "Well, well, well… what do we have here? A group of scared, lost little girls? Now hand over your treasures, or you'll regret it!"

Amber scanned the group and rolled her eyes. "We don't have treasures. We're F-rank talents, remember?"

Her words echoed, and embarrassment flushed the boys' faces. Sure, not everyone remembered every talent, but F-ranks stood out like sore thumbs. There weren't many of them, and they were easily recognizable.

"Hmm," Kraven grunted, annoyed at how she was making him look like a fool in front of his men.

"Smart, aren't we? I meant the wristbands!" he snapped, wanting to end this quickly.

"Huh?" Gasps rippled through the girls as they realized what he meant.

Amber's eyes widened in shock. Giving up their wristbands would be no different from a death sentence.

"Thi… this… why?" she mumbled, the cruelty of it astonishing.

They were outnumbered, and even without that, their lowly talents had already condemned them to defeat before the fight even began.

Seeing their reactions, Kraven's face brightened. A surge of exhilaration coursed through him, a wicked smirk reclaiming his face.

If this was their reaction to his first demand, he could only imagine their despair at the second.

And as that thought churned in the back of his mind, realization struck him like a goddamn warhammer.

This was it. His rise to power as a villain.

***

Elsewhere in the dungeon, Aurelian smiled, his obsidian eyes glinting at the loot floating before him.

A scroll of some sort. He could already tell it was a skill. Reaching out, he picked it up just as a prompt appeared.

[Ding! New skill detected! Appraisal of the Dead and Living. With a single look, unveil the secrets of those before you, revealing their strengths and weaknesses. Upgradable. Do you wish to absorb?]

"Nice!" he muttered, eyes glimmering over the description. The fact it was upgradable was already a boon.

Before absorbing it, he turned his attention to the Supreme Records. "Display the first innate skill," he whispered, curiosity gnawing at him.

Sure enough, another notification popped up, and as he read its description, laughter burst from his lips.

[First Innate Skill: Vortex of Doom]