CHAPTER 122: ...TABOO LOVE

The gentle rush of the river sounded like a lullaby gliding through the forest—a soft murmur in the quiet night, brushing against their ears and vibrating gently through their bones. It wasn’t just the river either. But none of that really mattered right now.

What truly mattered was that Tonya and Steve had finally made it to the water. They moved slowly, weariness in their steps, the weight of what they had just witnessed still pressing down on them like a shadow they couldn’t shake. They needed something—anything—to pull their minds away from that horror. And besides, they looked filthy. A quick wash wouldn’t heal their hearts, but at least they could keep themselves clean, for now.

"Steve..." Tonya’s familiar voice reached out to him softly, threading through the hush of the forest.

Steve turned at the sound, glancing over his shoulder. There was nothing but trees swaying gently behind him. Still, he thought he heard her voice faintly. He replied anyway, his voice low.

"I’m on my way."

But his hand lingered over the notebook—the author’s notebook—resting open in his lap. His mission wasn’t over. He still had a task to complete. If he did, the system promised him a reward: a magic healing potion.

"I can’t just forget my mission," he muttered under his breath.

"Not now."

As much as he wanted to let everything go and enjoy the moment—maybe even give in to the warmth he felt around Tonya—he couldn’t ignore what needed to be done. There were priorities. Responsibilities.

Sarah was still out there, alone in the dark, the mysterious magic guard girl he’d encountered before. Abandoning her just to indulge himself felt rather... stupid.

"I can’t just spend the whole night with Tonya." he thought, shaking his head.

"As tempting as that is... maybe I can kill two birds with one bed, like I did with Fiona." A faint smirk touched his lips.

His eyes dropped to the page once more. The words stared back at him-

"Player, upon completing his harem with Tonya, will be rewarded with a godly gift—healing potion."

He hovered his pen above the paper, then paused just before adding the final punctuation. For a heartbeat, there was silence—then—

[Ding!]

A soft chime rang out. The system’s familiar sound and following that was a system notification which blinked into existence before him, glowing faintly.

[Task Failed]

He blinked, eyes wide, before groaning under his breath.

"Come on... Are you serious right now?" he muttered.

"How am I supposed to twist this into a logical path to get that potion?"

He rubbed his temples, thinking.

’Just because I sleep with her doesn’t mean I get healing powers. I’m the son of Hades. My whole trick is destruction. Healing isn’t exactly in my blood.’

Then the thought struck him.

’But what if... I wrote another way?’

He grabbed the pen again, moving swiftly.

"It has to follow the rules of the world," he reminded himself aloud.

"It has to make sense. Be believable."

He began scribbling:

"Player, upon slaying a single goblin from the goblin clan, gains insight into the location of ingredients required for a healing potion."

He stared at the sentence.

’Was that possible?’

Another pause. Then—

[Ding!]

[Task Completed!]

The words lit up before him, and he laughed, unable to help the grin stretching across his face.

"No way... That actually worked?"

All he had to do now was slay one goblin. Just one. And he’d gain the knowledge he needed. Easy—at least in theory.

"I’ve got the puppeteer’s strings" he reminded himself.

"Steve doesn’t need to worry—I can control a goblin, make it snap its own neck if I have to."

But then his brow furrowed.

’How the hell am I supposed to isolate a single goblin? The clans usually move in groups... separating one will be the hard part.’

Before he could finish that train of thought, he heard his name again—soft, but firm.

"Steve."

Tonya.

Steve spun around immediately at the sound—and froze. Just a few paces behind him, standing half-hidden in the veil of forest mist, was Tonya. For a moment, his heart skipped. He hadn’t expected her to be that close.

Startled, he snapped the author’s notebook shut in one smooth motion, clutching it to his side as he turned to face her, masking any guilt with his usual, innocent grin.

"Tonya," he said, trying to sound casual—though her sudden appearance had caught him off guard.

She crossed her arms beneath her chest, her voice cool but firm.

"Come on. We don’t have much time," she said, her eyes scanning the treetops warily.

"We never know when those... things might come back. If you want to clean up, this is the chance. We can’t afford to waste more time standing around in the open."

Steve nodded quickly, his grin softening.

"You’re right," he said, slipping the notebook behind him, out of sight. A faint smile curved on his lips, one he couldn’t quite suppress.

"Let’s go."

Tonya didn’t wait. She turned sharply, her long legs carrying her forward with a graceful but impatient stride. Steve’s gaze followed her... and then dropped.

’God.’

His breath hitched slightly.

Even under the modest clothes she wore, there was no hiding the luscious curve of her hips, the way her thick, plush ass swayed with each step—slow, deliberate, hypnotic.

It bounced gently with her movement, soft waves of motion that rippled beneath her clothes, teasing him with every sway.

There was no shame in her walk—if anything, she moved like a woman who knew the power of her body. Confident. Natural. Unaware of the storm she was stirring in him.

Steve’s mouth went a little dry.

He swallowed, eyes tracing the sensual arc of her backside, then slowly moving down the length of her thighs, before traveling back up again—drinking her in.

’Damn...I love taboo love.’ he thought, biting the inside of his cheek to ground himself. His heartbeat thudded harder.

’That ass alone could get me to sin twice.’

She glanced back briefly, as if sensing his stare—but didn’t say a word.

Steve quickly looked away, clearing his throat, but a playful smirk danced at the edge of his lips. Yeah... his mission could wait a little. Right now, all he wanted was to follow that sway, lose himself in that softness, even just for a moment.

And so, notebook tucked away, mind half on his task and half tangled in his temptation, Steve followed Tonya as they both descended toward the river—the steady sound of the rushing water growing louder with each step.