Lex walked through the streets with his newly acquired sword and thought about his next steps.
First, he needed a shower and some clothes. Although he couldn't care less about people seeing him naked, he didn't want to stand out too much. There was no need to draw attention to himself yet.
'Let's wash first. There should be some water somewhere,' he thought as he glanced down at his dirty body.
He turned and headed toward the nearest building—an old apartment complex, maybe three stories tall. The windows were broken. The front door hung off its hinges, creaking as the wind pushed it back and forth.
Inside, it smelled like rotten and stale air. The lobby was dim, lit only by what sunlight managed to slip through the broken glass. Lex stepped around without thinking, skillfully avoiding the glass shards, bare feet silent on the dusty floor.
A staircase led up. A hallway ran deeper in. He glanced around once, then started for the stairs—
He stopped.
Someone was lying on the floor at the far end of the hallway.
A woman in her late twenties was curled up against the wall, clearly unconscious. Her black hair was tied back in a loose bun, with strands falling across her face. She wore a faded blue dress that looked like it had seen too many days without a wash.
Her feet were swollen and red, and she was racked at the heels. One foot had a trail of dried blood running down to the ankle, as if she had just walked for miles. Her skin was ashen, and she seemed to be starving.
Even like this, something was striking about her. High cheekbones, long lashes, a sharp jawline mostly hidden under filth.
Her lips were cracked but full. The kind of face you'd expect to see on a magazine cover—except here, on a dusty floor, half-dead.
Lex approached her, eyes drifting over her face.
There was something familiar about it.
'This woman…'
Then it clicked, and her nickname appeared in his mind.
"The Sower."
Of course. He remembered now. She will be pretty feared in the future. However, it would not be for her strength but rather because of her strange aspect.
Or, as Lex once put it—a competitive whore aspect.
Her Aspect, Two for One, was bizarre. Once activated, it allowed her to become extremely attractive and...fertile.
However, the actual effect would only show once she successfully got pregnant by another player. The child born would inherit a copy of the father's Aspect.
It would not be some watered-down version either—just weaker since the child wasn't a player and couldn't reinforce the aspect with traits or blessings.
Still, a raw copy of a powerful aspect? That was dangerous on its own.
And if she managed to keep the semen of a powerful player, she could build an army of copies. She could be considered a "cloning factory".
If Lex remembers correctly, her predecessor, the last user of Two for One, was kept as a breeding slave on one of the lower floors until she was finally assassinated before the aspect reincarnated through her.
The aspect itself was already scary enough. However, what truly made her dangerous was when she combined her power with her partner's.
Another player. Nicknamed "Father Patchwork".
His Aspect, "Donation of Patchwork," let him temporarily borrow the aspect of anyone who willingly offered it. But once again, this aspect would be pointless without the multiple traits needed to strengthen the borrowed aspects. It was weak on its own.
But it wasn't when it worked with Two for One. Usually, no matter how strong an aspect was, it wouldn't matter past a certain point without traits backing it up. But together, they found a synergy.
The sower would walk around and seduce strong players and get pregnant by them.
Once the children were born, Father Patchwork raised them—fed, sheltered, and loved. In return, the children lent him their powers.
Slowly, "Father Patchwork" would build a collection of dozens and hundreds of powerful aspects while the children would become a power bank.
The best part is that he didn't need traits. Some Aspects, when stacked, could have the same or even stronger effects than the original.
She seduced. He nurtured. She bred the arsenal. He became the weapon.
And now? Here she was. Curled up on the floor like a half-dead mutt. Skin pale, feet swollen and cracked, one ankle streaked with dried blood.
Looking at her state, it was clear that she had just finished the aspect selection and had just obtained her aspect. She was likely just teleported back.
'The aspect selection is pretty simple. We must keep advancing no matter what while dealing with the increasingly strong creatures the game would put in the way. Seeing her state, she probably lucked out and didn't encounter any. It fits her current state: pale, swollen, and bloody feet but no other external wounds.' Lex tilted his head, watching her a moment longer.
The fact that a player with an aspect was here means that the aspect selection is ending. It also implies that more players with aspects will start appearing.
'The timing is about right-'
Then she woke up.
Her eyelids fluttered open with a slow, trembling effort. For a moment, her gaze was hazy, unfocused. Then, her eyes met Lex's.
She blinked as if not believing what she saw.
A naked man, covered in something disgusting she couldn't quite describe. The man was standing over her like Death with no scythe—just a sword in his hand.
She didn't scream, nor did she panic. She just looked at him.
She tried to speak but failed. Her voice was hoarse, raspy. She swallowed, then tried again. "This... is it the end?" she asked.
Lex said nothing.
She smiled weakly. "No...I would've died already... if you planned to kill me."
She wasn't wrong. If she were useless, he would've walked past without blinking. If she were dangerous, even in the far future, he would've opened her throat before the first word left her mouth.
But she was neither right now.
Her eyes flicked down for a moment, and for the first time, something other than exhaustion stirred behind them. She had to do everything in her power to survive.
She shifted slowly, as if drawing strength from the absurdity, pressing her back to the wall. Her breath was uneven, but her gaze sharpened.
"If you help me," she said softly, "I'll be yours. You can use me. However you want. I'll be your toy, your pet, your whatever-you-need."
She leaned back, lifting her hips slightly, fingers slipping down to her thigh and then under her dress. Her movements were slow—not sensual, just desperate.
Still, she made it seductive. Somehow.
With a tired smile, she slid her torn underwear down past her knees and let it fall to her ankles. Then she spread her legs—just slightly.
Letting him see everything. No shame. No hesitation.
The air around her changed and was quickly filled with a sickly sweet smell, like wilted roses dipped in honey and sweat.
Her aspect activated.
She was weaponizing herself and successfully using her newly acquired power even though she had just obtained it.
But that was expected. Once someone obtained their Aspect, they would immediately know how to use it; it was instinct. It became natural, a reflex as automatic as breathing.
And for her, this—this seduction, this manipulation of desire—felt even more natural now that she had an aspect supporting it.
The scent she exuded was subtle but unmistakable now. It clung to the air like smoke from a sweet-burning fire.
She leaned forward slightly, dragging her dress lower on one shoulder, exposing more skin from her collarbone to her upper chest. Her voice was still hoarse but softer now, almost intimate.
"I know what I am," she whispered. "I'm not strong. I'm not clever. I'm just… useful. And I could be useful to you."
She reached down, her fingertips grazing the skin of her inner thigh, her eyes never leaving his.
"You don't even need to pretend to care. Just—protect me. Feed me. Wash me. You can use me however you like. I won't ask questions. I'll make it feel good."
Her legs shifted again. Wider now. The dress rode up.
The perfume grew stronger. It was now akin to syrupy sweet with a sharp, animal edge. It wasn't just smell anymore. The aspect was trying to appeal to the most primal human instinct.
Yet, Lex still didn't move. Not even a twitch.
Her eyes flicked down, finally, between his legs—expecting something, hoping for even a small reaction. A flicker. A twitch.
There was nothing. Nothing at all. Her brows furrowed slightly. Then rose in surprise. She blinked.
"…You…"
A pause.
Then, her voice cracked with something between confusion and panic.
"You prefer men?"
Lex's head tilted half an inch. Still silent.
She stared at him—searching for a flinch, a scowl, a smirk. Anything.
But his face might as well have been carved from stone.
Even if her target resisted her aspect, this was where most would feel shame, anger, or something.
She didn't get that from him.
She was good at reading people even before the Game. Her job and life depended on it. But Lex? Not even a reaction. Truly nothing. She couldn't read this man at all. Lex's gaze had absolutely no expression.
It unsettled her.
She swallowed hard, the confidence beginning to crack around the edges.
Then Lex said something that made her freeze. "Are you done?"