I swaggered into The Iron Bloom, Pyroclast swords tucked in my spatial ring, the curse's 30 kg weight creaking the floorboards like I was stomping a Gromble. Varkoth, my shadow serpent, coiled around my wrist like a Shadowveil bracer, its red eyes glinting. Bera, Middle Master Fire, leaned over the bar, her corset begging for freedom. "Eyes up, pervert," she snapped, but her flush screamed otherwise. Tira, Beginner Grand Master Fire, smirked, phoenix tattoo glowing on her thigh. Lila, Middle Master Earth—Tight Back, my new favorite name—strolled in, tunic hugging her like a second skin. "Quad Storm's complete!" I crowed, pinching Lila's backside. An earth spike grazed my thigh, bruising it. "Touch me again, and you're gravel," she growled. Tira laughed, "Tight Back's got your number!" I grinned, groin guard etched "Supreme Sword Sleeps Here" gleaming. "Ladies, my supreme sword's ready for all of ya!" The crowd roared, tossing coins, my legend swelling.
Elder Sani, some Lightning geezer, slapped a 2-star mission scroll on the table. "Crystal Cavern. Get a Beginner Novice Crystal Orchid—40 Level 3 Spirit Stones. Beginner Knight's 120, but Expert's a myth. Beasts start at Beginner Scholar." I scoffed, "Expert or bust, Sparky!" Bera rolled her eyes. "Dumber than a Gromble." Tira's smirk burned. "We'll blaze it." Lila's stone-cold stare hid a spark. I packed Zenoite barbed wire, Moonflower sap, Gromble oil, and Flash-Bang Bombs—Zenoite shards mixed with Glowvine, one-use wonders. Varkoth hissed, tail flicking up, and Tira, via spiritual sense, caught its "Fleshling's greedy" vibe, chuckling. "Don't flirt with my snek, Tasty Bird!" I winked. Varkoth's eyes blinked pride, loyal to me but digging Tira's mind-chats.
The Crystal Cavern's entrance sparkled like a drunk's dream, stalactites dripping Qi mist. Four Beginner Scholar Crystal Scorpions, Earth and Crystal vibes, scuttled out, pincers shrugging off Bera's fireballs and Tira's flame kicks. Lila's earth spikes dented their shells. My curse slowed my dodge, legs creaking, but I carved a scorpion's leg with a Pyroclast sword, Varkoth's Shadow Bind locking another's claws. "Your fire's weaker than my ale burps!" I taunted, pinching Tira's hip. Her fire orb singed my braid. "Focus, idiot!" Lila's tremor dropped a stalactite, crushing two scorpions. My Heaven Splitter bisected the last, curse gouging the floor. "Supreme Elf, one; bugs, zero!" I looted 1 kg Crystal shards, worth 10 Level 2 Spirit Stones. Bera snapped, "Stop groping!" but her blush betrayed her.
We collapsed in a glowing alcove, munching Gromble ribs. I slapped Lila's thigh. "Tight Back needs my massage." Her earth spike grazed my groin guard, making me yelp, "My supreme sword!" Tira cackled, "Tiny target!" Bera's Middle Master Fire sparked in her eyes. "Hands off, or I roast you!" I grinned, "Roast me, blaze me, I'm yours!" A fireball charred my shoulder. The girls bickered—Bera mocked Lila's "quarry-flat rear," Lila jabbed Bera's "sagging melons," Tira boasted her "canyon hips" trumped both. I egged them on, "All divine, goddesses!" They pummeled me, bruising my ribs, my masochistic chuckle echoing. Varkoth flicked its tail at Bera's glare; Tira, via spiritual sense, caught its "Chaos fleshling" vibe, smirking. At rest, the curse's faint healing eased my bruises.
Day two, three Peak Scholar Crystal Lizards, Crystal element, ambushed us, their scales laughing off Bera's Blazing Crescent and Tira's fire orbs. Lila's stone lances chipped uselessly. Mid-dodge, curse slowing me, I got cocky. "Vortex time!" I planted my Pyroclast swords parallel to the ground, one above the other, and spun, the curse's 30 kg pressure fueling a fire-darkness whirlwind. Air sucked in, choking two lizards; the third got sliced to bits within 4 meters. Only Peak Masters or tanky beasts could've survived. Stamina drained, I gasped, curse slowing recovery. Bera gaped, "What was that?" Tira, mind-chatting Varkoth, warned Lila, "He's reckless." Varkoth hissed approval. I tried chatting a dying lizard, "Got a story, Shiny?" It snapped, grazing my arm. Lila raised a brow, "You care about beasts?" I winked, "Beasts, curves, fame—Supreme Elf's got range!" Loot: 2 kg Crystal scales, 20 Level 2 Spirit Stones.
A Qi-rich hotspring gleamed ahead. "Round two, ladies? Tie me up, I'll watch!" Bera snapped, "Not again!" Lila growled, "Never!" Tira smirked, "You'd drown in drool." They bathed in undergarments, rotating guard shifts. Bera's shift, I pinched her hip; her fireball scorched my braid. "Worth it!" Tira's shift, I slapped her backside; her fire orb singed my groin guard. Lila's shift, my "Tight Back summit" line earned a smirk. Bored, I spotted a Beginner Novice Emerald Beetle, Earth element, glowing like a gem. "You're like me, Stinky—small but scrappy," I muttered, tucking it into a glass vial. Tira, mind-chatting Varkoth, laughed at its "Odd fleshling" hiss. Lila mused, "More than curves?" I grinned, "Don't tell my supreme sword!" Varkoth's tail flicked, digging Tira's chats.
Day three, five Middle Scholar Crystal Wolves, Earth and Crystal, shattered Lila's earth walls, resisting Bera and Tira's flames. My stamina waned, curse scarring the floor. Varkoth's Shadow Bind trapped two; my barbed wire and Flash-Bang Bomb blinded the pack. Vortex felled three, sucking air, but I collapsed, curse dragging me down. Lila's tremor crushed the rest, yielding 3 kg Crystal fangs, 30 Level 2 Spirit Stones.
Mid-fight, Varkoth's scales pulsed, breaking through to Peak Scholar Darkness, stretching to 2 meters, coiling my arm like a massive bracer. "Daddy's boy grew up with these goddesses!" I cackled, masochistic glee bursting. Varkoth hissed proudly, scaring Bera. "Creepier now!" she yelped. Tira, via spiritual sense, caught its "Proud fleshling" vibe, smirking. Lila shuddered, "Too big!" I spanked the air, "Legends grow, ladies!"
In the deepest chamber, a Middle Grand Master Crystal Tarantula, Crystal and Earth, loomed, legs sparking Qi. Bera's fireballs, Tira's flame kicks, and Lila's stone lances bounced off. My curse slowed my dodge, a leg cratering the floor. "Big bug, meet my supreme sword!" Varkoth's Shadow Bind cloaked me; I rigged Zenoite wire and Flash-Bang Bombs, blinding it. Pyroclast swords blazing, Heaven Splitter, amped by Varkoth's dark aura, cleaved the beast, crystal shards raining. Bera gaped, "No Qi… how?!" Tira's tattoo pulsed, "Freak!" Lila's tremor steadied her shock, "Supreme Elf?" Bloodied, I spanked the air, "Legends, ladies!" Loot: 5 kg Crystal legs, 50 Level 2 Spirit Stones.
The tarantula's lair glittered. My scavenging knack sniffed out an Earth Crystal Mushroom, perfect for Lila's Earth Qi, a Beginner Knight Crystal Orchid (120 Level 3 Spirit Stones), and a Middle Expert Crystal Orchid, worth millions, all one-use. "Jackpot!" I crowed, tossing Lila the Mushroom. "Boost your Tight Back, babe." She nodded, touched. The Expert Orchid went into a magical pouch, hidden in my spatial ring; the Knight Orchid was for the sect. I clutched Stinky's vial, muttering, "Backup legend." Lila smirked, "Weirder than I thought." Bera teased, "Bug over my melons?" I leered, "Melons now, bugs later!" earning a fireball.
We feasted on Gromble ribs, ale, and moonshine berries. I taunted Bera, "Melons, your fire's a sparkler!" She tackled me, claws raking my chest. Tira singed my braid, "My canyon's hotter!" Lila's spike grazed my thigh, "Tight Back crushes both!" Drunk, I groped Tira's hip, "All mine, goddesses!" They pummeled me, leaving me grinning, half-conscious. Varkoth hissed, Tira catching its "Chaos fleshling" vibe, giggling. The girls brawled—Bera mocked Tira's "tattooed plank," Tira jabbed Lila's "rocky rear," Lila snapped at Bera's "flabby flames." My amulet pulsed near a Zenoite shard, whispering "The Child binds the Crystal." I slurred, "Bad berries, hush!" Collapsing, I clutched Stinky's vial, dreaming of curves, glory, and a nagging ruin.