The hallway narrowed into a short stairwell, its pink-stained marble steps gleaming under the dim, pulsing glow of the game, eerily clean and hushed compared to the slime-drenched chaos of prior chambers.
The group ascended cautiously, shoes slapping against the slick surface, the musky air tinged with a faint, teasing sweetness that clung to their skin, the dungeon's lewd pulse throbbing softly beneath their feet.
No slime.
No traps.
Just an unsettling quiet, heavy with the promise of the game's next perverse trial.
At the stairwell's peak, a polished bronze door stood ajar, framed by gold sigils that shimmered with a sultry, ominous light, their intricate curves pulsing like a heartbeat across the arch.
Kota slowed, his breath catching, sweat beading on his brow in the humid haze, his hoodie clinging to his frame, the game's unseen interface prickling at the edge of his vision.
The inscription above the entrance glowed with elegant, menacing script.
"Only the worthy may lead. Dominance will be tested. Trust is submission."
He squinted, his stomach tightening, a knot of unease twisting in his core.
This wasn't from the base version of Carnal Labyrinth EX. Not even the DLC.
A randomized chamber or a punishment route—either way, the game's logic was shifting, its lewd mechanics baiting them into unknown territory.
Miki glanced up, her flushed face tense, breath uneven. "You know this part?"
Kota shook his head, his voice low, wary. "No. This is either randomized, or… a punishment route."
Reina crossed her arms, her violet eyes narrowing, a bead of sweat tracing her jaw. "So we backtrack?"
"No. The dungeon doesn't do dead ends. This is the only way forward now," Kota said, his gaze locked on the sigils, their pulsing curves whispering the game's cruel intent.
Aika stepped forward, her presence poised despite the sweat dampening her hair, her glasses glinting in the crimson glow, her breath still ragged from Saki's erasure but her spine straight, radiating control.
"Kota," she said softly, her voice steady, cutting through the musky tension.
He turned, meeting her gaze.
"You've gotten us through more than we deserve," she said, her tone calm yet weighted with resolve. "But you're still a student. Let me handle this one."
Kota frowned, his pulse quickening, the game's warning script flashing in his mind. "This isn't about pride. That inscription—it's bait."
"I'm not disobeying you," Aika said, raising a hand, her fingers trembling faintly in the humid air. "I'm asking to contribute."
Reina opened her mouth to object, her breath hitching, but stopped, her arms tightening across her chest.
Kota studied the glowing sigils again, their lewd curves pulsing faster, then looked at Aika.
It wasn't defiance in her eyes—guilt, professional guilt, the weight of a teacher still trying to lead despite the dungeon's humiliations.
"I'll go slow," she added, her half-smile strained but determined. "Just an inspection."
He hesitated, the game's unseen mechanics prickling at his senses, then nodded, his voice firm. "Call out if anything pulses or moves."
Aika's half-smile lingered, and she stepped through the bronze threshold, her silhouette framed by the sigils' sultry glow.
The moment her foot crossed, the door slammed shut with a wet, echoing thud, the bronze surface rippling like liquid flesh, sealing her inside.
"—Wait—!" Kota lunged, his hand grazing the slick metal, too late.
Aika spun, her eyes wide, but the door was already sealed, a flash of pink magic pulsing across its edge—a lock forged by the game's perverse code.
The inscription above morphed, its script writhing into new, menacing words.
"Authority Detected. Correction Initiating."
Inside, the chamber flared with a blinding, crimson glow, the dungeon's pulse surging, its lewd intent awakening within.