Abyss of Dual Cultivation: Goddess's Lust system

Even after taking out the insect base, things did not slow down for the trio. They had to dispose of the rest of the insects on their way out and then smoke out the rest of the monsters.

It was a time-consuming but mindless process that could be easily taken care of. But it also served to remind Aurora of how things had been in past.

While the circumstances of her cooperation with Quince and Clove were not ideal, they were similar to her past life.

“Wow, things are so much easier when you have an extra hand around. It makes me want to keep you around longer.”

Aurora felt her neck turn at a breaking speed at hearing those words come out of Quince. At the same time, a shiver passed down Aurora’s back and her instincts told her to run as far as she could.

Aurora had rarely gotten compliments from Quince in her last life. The man was busier on finding Aurora’s flaws than complimenting on a deed well done.

That was why every time Quince as much as hinted at the praise, you could tell that he had an utter motive.

“Whatever you are going to ask – I will not do it. Find someone else to do your dirty work.”

Quince’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. Clove let out a joyous laugh at Aurora’s side at the unexpected comeback.

Aurora was more than aware that not many people have said ‘no’ to Quince in his lifetime. He was far too important to be angered.

But those people did not know Quince as Aurora did. Quince was not an omnipotent entity, he was just a human and he was more than capable of rational thinking.

“You won’t even hear my request out? Maybe I did underestimate you after all.”

Quince’s words were muttered under his breath but they were not muffled enough not to be heard.

“I don’t want anything to do with the tower and that also includes you both. I have my own life to live.”

p-ᴀ-ɴ-ᴅ-ᴀ-ɴ-0-ᴠ-ᴇ-ʟ、ᴄ(ᴏᴍ) Aurora felt Clove’s eyes glaring into her but she ignored those glaring eyes. Clove had attachment issues but she got over people easily enough.

Aurora had promised herself not to take Clove under her wing until she had all of her souls in gathering. But it was going to take a long time for that to happen.

“I agree. So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to look for the Death Pool now? You know you are courting death, right?”

Clove jumped at Quince’s words. Her eyes were filled with concern and Aurora felt her resolve waver in the wake of such emotions.

“You should not head there. No human had ever returned alive from there. You will die if you head there now.”

Clove sounded scared. Her voice sounded unlike anything Aurora had ever heard before and she felt her resolve almost breaking at the begging tone.

But as soon as that thought came to the mind images of her new home and everyone dependent on her also flashed by. It helped Aurora make up her mind.

“I know it sounds like a crazy idea to head toward the Death Pool but I have my reasons. I am not suicidal enough to throw my life away for no apparent reason.”

Clove did not look like she believed Aurora but Quince seemed to be having no problem in this regard.

His eyes met Aurora’s and she was not sure what he saw in them but he decided to divert Clove’s attention.

“Clove, we should start looking for a way back, or the tower will send reinforcement after us. Our team is also waiting for us on the 6th floor so we should leave now.”

“But we cannot leave Aurora here alone. What if the queen is still alive and decided to come back.”

“Then Aurora will have to deal with it on her own. But I don’t think that will be a problem knowing her power level.”

Aurora was not sure what surprised her more – Clove’s desire to help her out or Quince’s confidence in her skills. This was quite opposite of her last life.

‘Who knew staying away from Quince in his childhood and not butting heads with him could help me gain his respect.’

“You both should start heading back or the tower will get worried. I am sure this place has no communication capabilities with the outside so you’ll need to set up an external array.”

Since they all were at the same party, for now, Aurora decided to part her words of wisdom with the other two. Unlike them, Aurora had faced such a situation before.

She did not mind helping her two dear friends out in the least.

“We will do that. Be careful when you go out and hope your journey ends alright.”

Quince’s parting words were not as big of a shock as they would have been in her previous life. It made Aurora wonder how different life would have been had she been more mature in her last life.

‘Would our relationship have been better if I did not egg Quince about his obvious crush on Clove?’

But the time for regrets and ‘what-ifs’ had long passed. Both Quince and Aurora were no longer the people they had once been and their surroundings had changed as well.

===========================

“Are you disappointed to see her go? I was so sure you would try to stop her by any means possible. You even sabotaged the gate to separate Aurora from her companions.”

Quince watched his companion with guarded eyes. Clove had an impassive face but he never trusted her face to tell him how Clove felt.

“So you knew about that already? I admit that I was not thinking straight when I made that decision but I don’t regret it either.”

Quince wanted to pull his hair out of frustration at his childhood friend’s actions. She dared to not even sound guilty when she admitted to her crimes.

Did she not care what consequences her actions caused for the people around her? What if Aurora’s other two companions had landed in a situation just as dangerous as their own?

“Before you ask- No, I did not care what happened to those other two extras. They were an eyesore anyway and I would have preferred to kill them but I chose to practice restrain.”

Quince could only shake his head at his friend’s cruel words.

He had known that Clove could be cruel but it was different when he had to face her true self head-on.

“Anyway, how do we get back to floor 6? Do we have to take the transportation device again?”

“We might have to. We don’t have much time left before we need to send a report back to the main tower branch.”

Quince flinched at Clove’s angry look. He was beginning to notice Clove’s moods more and more. And he was also becoming certain of one thing – Clove hated the tower with a passion.

He was sure that there had been a time Clove real liked being in the tower. She had worked hard to be where she was.

But things had changed somewhere and Clove’s like had turned into cold indifference and then into hate.

‘It all started when Clove met Aurora, right? That was the beginning of it all.’

Quince shook his head at that absurd thought. As far as he remembered, Clove had a certain dislike for the tower. It had nothing to do with Aurora or her appearance.

“By the way, why did you decide to disturb the insect nest in this base? We would have had an easier time killing these monsters off if you did not do it.”

Quince did not doubt that it had been Clove’s doing. There was no one else alive in this base and Clove had a knack for landing herself into difficult situations just because she found them to be fun.

“Why did I do it? Just to test a few things out and maybe to get rid of my boredom as well. And thanks to that, I got to see something amazing.”

Clove’s eyes had a shine to them. It was different from anything Quince had seen before.

If he had to compare it to something, he would say that it was akin to the shine an addict got when they saw a drug they liked.

“In that case, I feel sorry for Aurora who is going to become a victim of your obsession. Seems like she will have a hard life ahead of her.”

“Don’t say that. I will make sure Aurora is happy by my side.”

Quince didn’t even pretend to be surprised. He already knew this was going to happen a long time ago.

“Hey, Quince, what will happen if I decide to leave the tower? Do you think Aurora will like me better?”

“Clove, you better not dare. Lady Minerva will not allow that to happen at any cost. Besides, I am not sure I want to test her right now. She is not in the best of her moods.”

Clove went quiet at his words but Quince could see that she agreed with him.