A bit confused, Shin let out a small breath and stepped closer. Instead of overthinking it, he gently reached out and patted her head.

The moment his hand touched her... The mark on her right hand began to glow faintly, pulsing with a gentle warmth.

Then, the gentle warmth of the boy’s touch spread through Lara, surprising her. She didn’t feel even the slightest trace of fear. Actually, it was almost as though all her fears had vanished as she gazed into his handsome eyes.

Lara’s eyes widened, then softened into a quiet smile.

"I knew it," she whispered. She looked at him again, this time with calm certainty. "Normally... I would feel uncomfortable with any man touching me," she admitted softly. "But with you... it’s different."

Her fingers curled slightly, as if trying to hold onto that warmth.

"You’re not like them," she continued. "You’re... something else." Her smile deepened, filled with trust. "You must be an emissary of good."

’Hey, Master, this is super interesting! This woman has an artificially created system on her hand. It’s a very simple one, so I just messed with it!’ Lilel’s voice echoed in Shin’s mind at the same time Lara was having her revelation.

’You did what?!’ he shouted mentally.

’I made it glow, so she would believe you’re a god. Aren’t I incredible?’

’Why would you do that? I don’t even know what god she believes in,’ he replied with a mental sigh.

’But she’s strong,’ Lilel argued. ’And you wanted allies, didn’t you? Besides, she’s beautiful, don’t you think?’

’Okay, whatever...’ Shin said. ’You can try to understand her mark better later, for now let’s focus on understanding who she is.’ He concluded.

Then his attention shifted to the woman before him, and he remembered Lilel’s words; she was, in fact, beautiful.

Lara set still, her thick, powerful thighs pressing together as the fabric of her tight black pants stretched taut over her impossibly round, plump ass.

The material clung to every lush curve like a second skin, highlighting the generous swell of her hips and the way her cheeks jiggled ever so subtly with the smallest movement.

Her massive breasts, barely contained by the thin white crop top, heaved gently with each breath, the deep valley of her cleavage on full display as the fabric strained against her heavy, perky mounds. A faint outline of her hardened nipples poked through the material, betraying the lingering warmth from Shin’s touch.

Her long, silky brown hair cascaded down her back and over one shoulder, framing her flushed, heart-shaped face.

Those striking blue eyes sparkled with a mix of awe and budding desire as she gazed up at him, her soft, pouty lips parted just enough to show a glimpse of her tongue.

The fluffy dog ears atop her head twitched cutely, while her large, bushy tail swayed slowly behind her, brushing against her wide hips in a hypnotic rhythm.

Focus, we are still on a dangerous test... Shin fought lifting his eyes from her massive boobs.

They needed to leave the area immediately. As strong as Shin was, it would be really hard to defend himself and the other two without a home.

Their best option was to find one of the mini-castles scattered across the savanna. Since it didn’t seem like the wolf-boy would wake up anytime soon, Shin would have to carry him.

He slung Arlo over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then, he turned to Lara, who was still trying to gather her strength.

"Climb on my back," Shin instructed, turning his broad shoulders toward her.

"I-I can try to walk," Lara stammered, a fresh blush creeping up her neck.

"If you fall behind, I’m not waiting. Climb on," Shin said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Lara hesitantly moved closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him hoist her up.

As much as Shin was focused on scanning the horizon for threats, it was physically impossible to ignore the sensation of her massive, soft breasts pressing firmly against his back.

The thin fabric of her crop top offered zero resistance, and with every step he took, the weight of her curves shifted, unintentionally massaging his shoulder blades.

She felt incredibly warm, her scent a soothing mix of wildflowers and sweat.

And, from the girls perspective, the trip was also comfortable. She couldn’t avoid feeling Shin muscular back, and his strong manly scent.

Besides even in the terrifying situation, Lara found herself surprisingly comfortable.

The rhythmic movement of his stride and the broad, unyielding support of his back made her feel an intense sense of safety.

As they walked toward the savanna, Shin broke the silence, asking about how Lara and Arlo ended up in that situation, and how they knew each other.

"We don’t really know each other..." Lara said, her shoulders tensing slightly. "I only met him recently," she added, her voice softer, as if unsure how much she should reveal.

For a brief moment, silence settled between them.

"The three of us, Gut, Arlo and me, have been stationed here as an evaluator for the third phase," Lara explained. "But he betrayed his post. He used an item to make us unable to activate our systems."

"So that is why the two of you are acting so weak..." Shin murmured connecting the dots.

The woman nodded in frustration. If they could fight, there was no way she would have been defeated by a measly newcomer like Vesta.

"He cornered me right after weakening us. He... he wanted to force himself on me. Arlo intervened just in time and saved me, but Gut ordered his lackeys to hunt us down."

"So he was acting like a hero," Shin tightened his grip around Arlo.

Now that he thought back to what he remembered from the games, the wolf boy wasn’t really a hero. He was a good person, sure, but why risk himself so much?

The answer was probably that, more than saving Lara, what he truly wanted was to stop Gut.

"One more thing. Now that I think about it, he seemed completely confident that the higher-ups wouldn’t punish him... or even notice what he was doing." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"It makes sense, he wouldn’t do things like that if he didn’t have someone powerful backing him..." Shin murmured. He actually knew who was behind the rise of Gut.

"He’s using the main Evaluator Base in this area as his fortress," Lara continued, resting her cheek against Shin’s shoulder. "His plan is to capture ’chosen ones’, especially women with high-tier systems. He even recruited a few powerful newcomers, giving them high-grade items and forbidden drugs to act as his enforcers. Just like Vesta."

"Don’t worry," Shin said, his voice calm but laced with a predatory edge. "If he has a fortress, we’ll just have to take it from him."

"Thank you," Lara whispered, her voice tender. She hugged him a little tighter, the embrace warm and unintentionally sensual as her chest pressed flush against him.

After an hour of walking, the silhouette of a stone mini-castle appeared on the horizon, luckily Shin still had most of the third faze memorized from playing so much.

Pushing his pace, Shin finally stepped through the heavy wooden doors of the abandoned structure.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the system pinged, confirming the castle was unoccupied and now acted as a safe zone. Shin let out a breath and unceremoniously dumped Arlo onto a couch. He then knelt, allowing Lara to slide off his back.

As she stepped down, Lara stumbled, her legs still feeling like jelly from the lingering neurotoxin. She managed to catch herself against a dusty table, insisting she was fine, but Shin could see the exhaustion written all over her face.

He didn’t bother arguing. He scanned the room, noting the thick stone walls and the heavy iron door they could barricade. It was defensible.

"Are you okay?" Lara asked, her voice laced with sudden worry as she noticed Shin leaning against the wall, wiping sweat from his brow.

The adrenaline from the fight was finally fading, and the sheer physical toll of using the Decapitator’s blood-draw mechanic was catching up to him.

Lara quickly moved closer, her eyes scanning his body. She noticed blood seeping through the tears in his clothes, specifically on his forearms and palms where the jagged hilt of his sword had pierced him.

"You’re bleeding," she said, her hands hovering nervously over his arms.

Without hesitation, she began looking for a way to help. Tearing strips from the hem of her already ruined shirt, exposing even more of her toned stomach and the underside of her heavy breasts, she crafted makeshift bandages.

She carefully tied them tightly around his hands to staunch the bleeding, her touch surprisingly gentle and meticulous.

"Please, just relax now," she murmured. "I’m already capable of moving quite well; the effect of the poison is wearing off. Leave everything to me, and just relax."

Shin would rather take care of things by himself, but he was indeed too tired to do anything. Using the Obsidian Decapitator twice was too much for him.