My Dungeon Daddy System: Raising Monsters and Waifus Underground-Chapter 89 - The Hotbox

The silence that followed the explosion of the Pheromone Bomb wasn’t the silence of death. It was the silence of a deep, collective intake of breath.

The lobby of the Twilight Casino was no longer black and violet. It was a hazy, shimmering pink. The air was thick, heavy, and tasted like spun sugar mixed with pure, distilled lust. It was the biological weaponization of "The Bedroom Eyes."

Reed stood frozen against the bar, his heart was hammering against his ribs, not from fear, but from the residual adrenaline of the alchemy and the sudden, overwhelming spike in the room’s ambient temperature.

In front of him, Lady Isolde, the Roseblade, the S-Rank Duelist who had threatened to peel him like an apple moments ago, swayed on her feet.

Her rapier, a masterwork of enchanted steel, clattered to the floor. She didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes, usually cold and sharp as cut diamonds, were now blown wide, the pupils swallowing the irises entirely. Her breathing hitched, transforming from the steady rhythm of a warrior into the shallow, desperate panting of someone who had just run a marathon... or was about to run a very different kind of race.

"You..." Isolde whispered. Her voice was husky, slurred, and terrifyingly intimate.

She stumbled forward. She didn’t attack. She invaded.

She slammed her hands against the bar on either side of Reed, trapping him. She leaned in, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She inhaled deeply, a long, shuddering sniff that made Reed’s skin crawl with a confusing mix of terror and arousal.

"You smell like..." Isolde moaned, her nose brushing against his pulse point. "Like burnt sugar. And danger. And... blood."

The scent of the Void Blood on Reed’s bandaged hand was acting like catnip. To a high-level adventurer attuned to mana, the raw, chaotic energy wasn’t repulsive; it was intoxicating. It was the ultimate forbidden fruit.

"Lady Isolde," Reed said, his voice tight. He tried to push her back, but she was solid muscle wrapped in expensive leather. "I believe you dropped your sword."

"Forget the sword," Isolde mumbled, her lips grazing his earlobe. She pressed her hips against the bar, effectively pinning Reed between the mahogany and her own body. "I want to sheathe something else."

"System," Reed thought desperately. "Help."

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[Status Effect: MASS CHARM (Level 99)]

[Target Status: HORNY ON MAIN]

[Recommended Action: Do not engage. Repeat: DO NOT ENGAGE.]

"A little late for that," Reed grunted as Isolde’s hand wandered down his chest, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of his velvet coat.

"Why is this so soft?" she complained, tugging at the fabric. "Take it off. I want to see the battery."

While the leader of the Gilded Rose was busy trying to undress the Dungeon Lord, the rest of her elite squad wasn’t faring much better.

Near the entrance, Vala, the Tower Shield Tank known as "The Wall," had dropped her legendary shield with a resounding CLANG.

She stood swaying in the pink mist, her heavy plate armor creaking. She looked around, dazed, until her eyes landed on Bertha.

The Head Orc Matron was standing by the stairs, looking confused. She cracked her knuckles. "DO WE SMASH NOW, BOSS?"

Vala let out a small, high-pitched squeak that sounded ridiculous coming from a six-foot-tall woman in full plate.

"Big..." Vala whispered.

She charged.

Bertha braced herself for impact, raising her fists. But Vala didn’t tackle her.

Vala hugged her.

It was a full-body flying glomp. Vala wrapped her armored arms around the Orc’s waist and buried her face in Bertha’s abs.

"So sturdy," Vala whimpered, rubbing her helmet against the Orc’s leather waistcoat. "Hold me. I want to feel the squeeze."

Bertha froze, her hands hovering in the air. She looked at Reed, panic in her piggy eyes.

"TINY BOSS! THE METAL LADY IS VIBRATING! SHE IS MAKING WEIRD NOISES! DO I CRUSH?"

"Do not crush!" Reed shouted over Isolde’s shoulder. "Just... hold her! It’s a cuddle pile! Defensive cuddling only!"

"ROGER. TACTICAL HUGGING." Bertha wrapped her massive green arms around the tank, lifting her off the ground. Vala let out a sigh of pure bliss, her legs kicking happily in the air.

Meanwhile, Elise, the Mage, had found Luma.

Luma was still frozen near the bar, holding the tray of drinks. The slime girl was trembling, her blue gel rippling with anxiety.

"Are they going to pop me?" Luma squeaked.

"No," Elise whispered, drifting closer. The mage’s eyes were swirling with pink hearts. She reached out with a hand glowing with arcane energy.

She poked Luma. Splotch.

"Squishy," Elise giggled. "It creates... resistance."

She poked again. Then she grabbed a handful of Luma’s arm.

"It’s like liquid mana," Elise marveled, her hands roaming over Luma’s gelatinous form. She started kneading the slime like dough. "So... texture. Much... wobble."

"Hehe! That tickles!" Luma giggled, her fear evaporating as she realized she wasn’t being attacked, she was being played with. "Do it again! Use the Mage Hand! It vibrates!"

Elise cast [Mage Hand]. A spectral, glowing hand appeared and began to gently pat Luma’s head. Luma melted into a puddle of happy blue goo on the floor, trapping the mage’s ankles.

"I live here now," Elise declared, sitting down in the slime puddle.

At the end of the bar, Madam Vesper watched the chaos unfold. She hadn’t moved. She had cast a small [Shadow Veil] around herself, filtering the worst of the pink mist, but she was clearly enjoying the show. She took a sip of the Void Draught Reed had delivered.

Her eyes flashed purple. She licked her lips.

"Chaos," Vesper purred to herself. "And debauchery. You run a very interesting establishment, Lord Reed."

"Help me!" Reed mouthed at her, trying to keep Isolde from biting his neck.

Vesper just winked and poured herself another glass. "Sorry, Darling. My contract was to stop the Inspector. Handling your... admirers... is an extra fee."

Reed gritted his teeth. He had 4% mana. He was exhausted. And he currently had an S-Rank Duelist trying to mount him on a barstool.

"Isolde," Reed tried to reason, grabbing her wrists. "You are intoxicated. This is a chemical reaction. You don’t want me. You want... water."

"I don’t want water," Isolde growled, pinning his wrists back. She was surprisingly strong. "I want to know why you smell like the Void. I want to taste it."

She leaned in, her tongue darting out to lick the cut on his hand.

Reed hissed as the sensation sent a jolt of electricity through his arm.

"Spicy," Isolde hummed, her eyes rolling back. "More."

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the main entrance slammed open.

BANG.

A figure stood in the doorway, framed by the moonlight and the swirling pink fog.

It was High Inquisitor Kaelen.

She looked... pristine. She had clearly spent the last few days in a church. Her armor was polished to a blinding shine. Her white tabard was crisp and clean. Her hair was pulled back in a severe, no-nonsense bun. She radiated an aura of "I Have Repented And I Am Here To Do My Job."

"I have returned!" Kaelen announced, her voice booming with holy authority. "My confession is complete! My soul is scrubbed! I am ready to inspect the premises with a clear mind and a—"

She stopped.

She sniffed.

The pink mist rolled over her.

Kaelen blinked. Her nose twitched.

"Is that..." she whispered. "Strawberries? And... sin?"

"Kaelen! Don’t inhale!" Reed shouted, struggling against Isolde. "It’s the bomb! Get out!"

Too late.

Kaelen took a deep breath. Her pupils dilated. The holy aura around her flickered, turned gold, and then settled into a warm, thrumming hum of pure need.

She looked at the lobby. She saw the Orc hugging the Tank. She saw the Mage playing in the Slime.

And then she saw Reed.

She saw him pressed against the bar. She saw the blonde woman in leather straddling his lap. She saw the woman licking his hand.

The "Repentance" shattered. The "Steam Addiction" kicked the door down and set the building on fire.

Kaelen didn’t draw her sword. She drew a breath of pure outrage.

"THAT IS MY SPOT!" Kaelen shrieked.