"Extremely High... Libido?!"
I read the words aloud, shocked and horrified by what I saw being displayed my status effect window. My mind struggled to comprehend the curse I had been suffering from.
How could I not be stunned? The very idea of a curse involving 'libido' was absurd!
"Hehehe... Hahaha~!" The silver-haired Guild Master burst into hysterical laughter, clearly amused by my shocked and confused state. "To think that your curse involves lust and debauchery~. How very fitting for the greatest debaucher of Greek mythology~. Hahaha~!"
The vixen-like woman kept howling with laughter at my predicament, while I remained in a state of shellshock from the revelation.
The thought that I had been cursed had never even crossed my mind until now. If it had, I should have received some sort of notification from my supposed 'RPG' system, announcing the curse. I would have checked my status effect window in the first place...
I hadn't even considered the possibility of being cursed, let alone with something that would affect my libido.
I had normal human desires, of course; I knew that much. I desired female companionship just like any other hot-blooded male.
However, I had never been this overwhelmed by feminine charms—not until today. Since waking up from my relic-induced coma, I had been plagued by this strange, uncontrollable craving for the opposite sex...!
And the source of it... it was...!
"The relic...!" I exclaimed as realization dawned on me. I raised my right hand, the one adorned with Zeus's golden ring relic—!
"H-hey, what the hell?!"
"That's right, Mr. Isaac~," Guild Master Yunxia purred, suddenly hugging me from behind. I could feel her ample assets pressing against my back. "Your oh-so-great and powerful relic is also the source of your oh-so-unfortunate curse~."
She mocked me, keeping her alluring, soft figure as close to mine as possible, effectively freezing me on the spot.
That 'something' within me... it was my libido all along. It had made a fool of me with its antics, and now it was making me a fool again as it rooted me to the spot, allowing this vixen of a woman to caress my body like I was some sort of helpless prey.
This damn woman didn't even stop there—she rested her head on my shoulder, her fingers delicately tracing the cursed relic on my right hand.
"Mr. Isaac, do you not know that pretty much all relics are cursed?" she asked, her mischievous smile visible from the edge of my vision.
"H-huh...?" I muttered, barely able to form words as I struggled to hold back my libido from bursting out of control.
"Of course, not~," she answered her own question with amusement. "Relics are very closely guarded adventurer's equipment, not only for the great power they bestow... but also for the great curse that they carry."
"...!"
"You don't see those high-ranking adventurers flaunting relics all over their bodies on the big screen, do you?" she asked again, her voice dripping with condescension.
"Ugh...!"
"Hehehe, cat got your tongue, Mr. Isaac~?"
But I could barely muster a response to her teasing question. It took all of my willpower not to "attack" this woman on the spot.
I couldn't, of course. Not only would that make me a criminal, but there was also a gnawing sense of dread that both the 'snake eyes' woman, who was still glaring at me, and this vixen of a Guild Master...
They both could end my life in an instant if I made one wrong move.
I could feel it—the vast difference in our power, just as I could sense the difference between myself and the snake-eyed woman, who seemed to be waiting for any excuse to eliminate me.
"Relic... the treasure left behind by divine entities..." The Guild Master began, her voice soft as she gently caressed my hand. "They are reminders that those divine beings once walked among us..."
I listened to her monologue, almost as if she were retelling a long-forgotten fairy tale.
"These relics... they allow humanity to experience what it is like to become them..." She continued, her fingers tracing the gold ring on my hand in a soothing manner. "They let humanity relive the strength that these beings once possessed... BUT OF COURSE, it's not just their might that humanity can experience!"
"...!"
She suddenly grasped my hand tightly, her fingers entwining with mine in a forceful, passionate grip.
"They also allow humanity to relive their greatest curse!"
"C-curse...?!" I managed to mutter through clenched teeth, repeating her word as I felt the weight of the curse settle over me.
Without warning, she held onto my head, forcing our eyes to meet in a heated gaze.
"The divines left us with their greatest VICE!" she shouted, her voice intense as she locked her gaze with mine, her malicious smile cutting deep into my soul. "The very thing that not only proved their own humanity to us... but also the very thing had led to their downfall!"
She continued to stare into my eyes, her grin almost animalistic... before it gradually softened back into her usual mischievous smile.
"That's why almost no professional adventurer ever actually dons a relic proudly," she explained, her gaze still heated. "The power granted by these relics is often overshadowed by the curse that comes with them..."
I... I listened attentively to her reasoning...
It made sense.
Suddenly, I understood why none of the 'hero' parties ever showcased their supposed relic collections during their adventure expeditions that I'd watched like a million times...
The only time I had ever seen a relic in action... was by the 'hero' themselves, using just one specific relic... and that was it.
Even though many of them boasted about the number of relics in their possession, none of them ever actually saw the light of day...
"And do you know what's the most amusing thing about these powerful, yet cursed relics?" The Guild Master asked suddenly, her grin widening with amusement.
"..."
I didn't answer, knowing she would reveal the answer herself anyway...
"And here it is," she continued, her voice dripping with dark satisfaction. "Once you've donned them..."
"You can never let go of them for the rest of your life~!"
"What...!?"