LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 3: Chapter 3- Eros Flux
Keith's hand gripped her hair tightly, holding her in place even as her knees buckled and her body began to fall. With his other hand, he slipped through the gap in the metal grill to reach her apron pocket.
Knowing well that there was a chance this woman had another glass vial of acid, he slid his slender fingers inside and found exactly what he expected—a glass vial filled with the same transparent fluid that she had just used against him, the corrosive acid sloshing around inside.
Without a moment's hesitation, Keith, still clutching her bloodied hair, loosened his grip on her frail body, which had been supported mostly by his hold.
As he retracted his hand, her body slid against the metal bars of the cage before she fell to the ground.
Thud
He turned his attention to the lock of the cage.
The gaps between the bars were just wide enough for his thin hands to squeeze through.
He tipped the vial, allowing a controlled stream of acid to drip out.
Fzzzztt
The lock hissed and bubbled as the acid began to eat away at the metal, steam rising in wisps around him.
He focused intently, ensuring that not a single drop was wasted; it was his only chance to escape this cage.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally heard a faint pop—the lock crumbled to dust.
With a soft creak, the cage door swung open.
Keith stepped out cautiously, moving deliberately even though exhaustion weighed heavily on his limbs.
Standing upright felt oddly foreign; his body was stiff and frail, but he pushed through it.
His claws scraped faintly against the stone floor as he surveyed his surroundings.
The grim scene that had remained partially obscured from his view inside the cage came into sharp focus: tables littered with grotesque tools glinting under the flickering torchlight, dissected bodies sprawled across slabs, their faces locked in expressions of agony, and vials of unknown liquids bubbling ominously with an unsettling, faint glow.
'Experimentation lab…' The realization hit him like a punch to the gut, bringing with it a wave of urgency to escape this nightmarish place.
It was not merely a prison; it was a factory of death, designed to break people—bodies, tools, jars, all evidence of horrific experimentation.
Keith's fingers brushed against the chain still shackled to his ankle; corrosion had already made it brittle.
He bent down and yanked it off, tossing the broken link aside with a clang.
That's when something caught his eye.
There—lying in a pool of blood surrounding the unconscious maid—was a dagger. Its slick surface reflected the dim light, and the edges appeared razor-sharp.
But the most bizarre part? It was the same dagger the woman had produced seemingly out of thin air after a flash of light.
Glancing around, he noticed that several beings, each with different features—some with green skin, others with beast-like ears and tails, and even a few with pointed ears—lay mutilated across the space.
It dawned on him that these weren't merely humans playing dress-up; this was their true form, twisted and broken.
He realized with a shudder that this world didn't resemble anything he remembered.
At that moment, the sudden materialization of the dagger in the woman's hand only fueled his curiosity.
Leaning down, he reached for the dagger to understand the reason it had suddenly arrived in her hand—mostly wondering if it had such an ability to do so.
As soon as his clawed fingertip grazed the blade—
SHnnnnNG!
A brilliant, golden window of light erupted before his eyes, startling him. Letters began to etch themselves across its surface, shifting and shimmering like molten metal.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
EROS FLUX ACTIVATED.
DETECTION OF MONARCH COMPLETE.
Monarch of Debauchery Established.
Status Update---
Name: Keith Eros
Race: Goblin
---
WELCOME TO EROS FLUX.
FIRST RESCUE PACKAGE REWARDED: 10 EROS POINTS (ONE-TIME OFFER).
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
'!'
'...this.' Keith was taken aback, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the window.
However, he quickly regained his composure and began to read the information displayed before him.
His name was there; and then he noticed that his race was categorized as goblin.
He recalled hearing those same words from that woman who had screamed at him, calling him a disgusting goblin.
It dawned on him that, rather than being human, he had been born into a race called goblin.
But what was this mention of debauchery?
And Monarch too?
There were numerous confusing aspects to the window that had materialized in front of him.
Driven by curiosity, he lifted his hand and attempted to touch the screen, only to have his hand pass right through it, causing the surface to ripple as if it were a pool of water.
'What is this...' he murmured to himself.
This was not just his first encounter with something like this; it was his first experience with everything occurring in this world.
The various forms of beings' corpses he had encountered were entirely new to him, each one more confusing than the last.
Glancing back at the screen that had appeared when he touched the dagger, he turned his attention to it once more, stretching out his hand again in the hope that this window would vanish if it indeed had anything to do with the dagger.
As he did so, he noticed the letters on the screen began to change.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
Artifact Interaction Window
Name: Veinrend Fang
Tier: Shattered
Dominion: Poison Field (Dormant)
Integrity: 20% (Dilapidated)
Condition: Weak and Fragile
Void Flux Resonance: Available (5% remaining) (Requires Void Flux energy to empower abilities)
---
Options (View All)
1. Inspect Artifact
2. Extract Artifact
3. Repair Artifact
4. Synchronize Artifact
5. Sacrifice Artifact
6. Store Artifact
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
'...an artifact...' Understanding the information presented in the window wasn't difficult for Keith, especially since it revealed the specifics of the dagger before him.
The dagger was named Veinrend Fang, and according to the details displayed, its overall condition was labeled as weak and fragile, with only about 20% of it deemed useful—at least that much was clear.
However, the other three categories—tier, dominion, and void flux resonance—were entirely new concepts to him.
'It would be troublesome if someone came along,' he thought, glancing warily into a dark, narrow corridor that was devoid of light.
He surmised there was likely some sort of gate that was currently locked. Resolving not to allow his guard to slip, he redirected his focus back to the window in front of him.
As he examined the six specific options displayed, he realized he had the ability to click on them individually or view them all at once.
After a moment of consideration, he made the decision to click on "View All."
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
Options (Hide All) ( Total Eros Points = 10 )
1. Inspect Artifact
Details:
Tier: Shattered
Dominion: Poison Field (Dormant)
Integrity: 20%
Extraction Cost: 5 Eros Points
Repair Cost: 1 Eros Point per 1%
Upgrade Requirement: Combine 10 Shattered-tier fragments to form 1 Dim-tier fragment.
2. Extract Artifact
Cost: 5 Eros Points
Extract Veinrend Fang as a usable artifact. The artifact will lose all remaining integrity during this process.
3. Repair Artifact
Cost: 1 Eros Point per 1% repair.
Repairing to full integrity (80%) will cost 80 Eros Points.
4. Synchronize Artifact
Activate the Poison Field Dominion. (Shattered level)
Cost: 50 Eros Points
Both holder of bloodline and host will be able to use the Dominion.
5. Sacrifice Artifact
Convert Veinrend Fang into Shattered-tier fragments or Eros Points.
Gain: 1 fragment or 5 Eros Points.
6. Store Artifact
Store Veinrend Fang in the inventory for later use (only applicable if the artifact is extracted).
---
Notes on Veinrend Fang
A fragile blade, Veinrend Fang holds remnants of a long-lost bloodline's poison mastery.
Fully repairing or awakening its Dominion could unlock devastating toxin-based attacks.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
'Eros Points...' One thing common to most of the options he noticed was these Eros Points, which he had seen a moment ago in the rescue pack rewards when the window first appeared.
'Isn't there any tutorial here?' he clicked on the window as his hands led it up and down. Finally, he clicked on the total Eros points to understand how one could acquire these coins and what significance they held.
As he did, another window popped up.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
[ Current Total = 10 Eros Points ]
Actions aligning with the Monarch of Debauchery amplify point rewards.
━────────⊹⊱♡⊰⊹────────━
'This....' Keith was gazing at the window, attempting to make sense of it.
'!?'
Abruptly, his gaze snapped to the tight corridor as his ears caught an almost imperceptible sound that soon transformed into a more distinct one.
KRIEEEK
The metallic groan of the door scraping upward echoed sharply, snapping Keith's attention like a taut string.
His eyes narrowed, razor-sharp and unblinking, locking onto the dimly lit passage beyond.
'!?'
Without a flicker of hesitation, his body surged forward, the dagger gripped tightly in his hand, its edge gleaming as he brought it forward while tearing through the air—holding it like a karambit knife.
Even before any other sound could come through the passage, muscles coiled like springs ready to snap, not waiting for a single millisecond.
He had no time for thought—only action.
SCKHLT
"Ghhkk—!"
The sound came first.
A sickening, wet thud of flesh being pierced, followed by the sharp sting of air being stolen from his lungs.
His vision blurred as a glowing arrow tore through his chest with unnatural precision.
Blood erupted from the wound in a crimson arc, the warmth splattering against his neck and hands.
His movements faltered, the dagger slipping from his grip.
It clattered to the ground, lost amidst the echo of his failing heartbeat.
Thud
Keith crumpled to the floor, his knees giving way as if tons of weight bore down on him.
His body fell to his knees, hand loosened with eyes fixed in that direction.
"Huh....?" Pain roared through him, but it was distant—muted, as if his senses were drowning in molasses.
His groans were not of pain, but mostly of shock, considering he had not even seen anyone there, nor felt anyone's presence, yet an arrow had pierced his body.
His eyes darted downward, catching the jagged hole in his chest; there wasn't any flesh there, as if a whole lump where his heart had been vanished.
The faint glow of the arrow dissipated, leaving nothing but blood that pooled around him, the bitter scent of iron filling his nostrils.
'What… happened…?'
The thought was disjointed, broken, like the fragments of his collapsing body.
Cold tendrils crept through his limbs, numbing them yet amplifying the ache in his chest. Surprisingly, everything was bearable; it was the shock of the situation that felt so painful.
He was on guard all the time; there wasn't anyone inside the place except him or the maid who posed any threat, except for those two slave cages.
Yet, the arrow came from the direction of that narrow path.
Confusing was the passage where in this dying state, he could clearly see even until now; it was still empty, just like before, with only a door that he could see clearly being still locked.
It's been exactly 1 minute and 13 seconds since he fell to his knees, yet there was no one there.
Not only that, he clearly saw how that arrow materialized near his chest—it came out of thin air.
'What the hell...'
Then it struck—a familiarity.
That same cold, suffocating pull that had claimed him once before in his past life.
A cruel déjà vu.
It was death.
His vision dimmed, the light fading from his eyes as if snuffed out by an unseen hand.
His gaze fixed on nothingness, hollow and vacant.
The world around him blurred into oblivion, his consciousness sinking into the inky void.