All Chapters of THE ART OF LUST: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
39 chapters
SERIES 3: THE BLOOD WAVE OF PARANGTRITIS Chapter 21: The Rise of the Kraken-Fungi
"HOLY SHIT! THAT’S NOT JUST A TENTACLE, THAT’S AN ENTIRE FAMILY OF GIANT OCTOPUSES HAVING A SOCIAL GATHERING!"Guntur screamed hysterically as his body swung over the edge of the cracked dock. Beneath him, the swirling dark purple seawater churned, swallowing the ruins of 'The Pleasure Dome' resort like a biscuit dipped into hot coffee."Guntur! Grab my hand, you jerk!" Je crawled across the slanted concrete, stretching his arm out with all his might."I can't reach, Je! It’s too far! And this blue slime makes it so slippery!" Guntur was crying his eyes out, his face ghost-white. "If I die, please delete my phone's search history, Je! Please, I'm begging you!"BUMMMMM!A gigantic impact shook the dock. A Kraken-Fungi tentacle, as tall as a five-story building, slammed right next to Je, spreading thousands of purple eyes that simultaneously blinked from beneath its mushroom skin. The stench of fishy blood and rotten jasmine spores exploded in the air, choking their lungs."Master! Step
Chapter 22: Diving into the Sperm Sea
The seawater was no longer clear blue. As Je's body hit the surface, he felt like plunging into a pool of condensed milk mixed with purple ink. The liquid was sticky, warm, and filled with millions of white particles floating like giant reproductive cells searching for an egg. "Damn... so thick!" Je thought. He tried to open his eyes, but it stung terribly. His vision was limited to a meter, blocked by the thick underwater spore fog.PING![Warning: Host Entering 'Liquid Spore Environment'.][Spore Content: 95%. Risk of Biological Fertilization in Lung Tissue: High.][Suggestion: Use 'Internal Pheromone Filter' or you'll explode from inside in 2 minutes!]"Two minutes?! So stingy, damn!" Je cursed mentally. His hand gapped below, trying to find Guntur's ojol jacket or Saraswati's scarf silhouette. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head. Not System voice, but Guntur's like he was gargling. "Jeee! Where are you, asshole?! I can't breathe! The water tastes like stale coconut milk, damn!"
Chapter 23: Whispering Sands and Oceanic Lust
The air on the southern coast of Yogyakarta no longer carried the refreshing scent of salt. Instead, the strong winds blowing from the Indian Ocean brought a thin, brick-red mist that stung the skin. However, for Jendra “Je” Mahesa, this place was a paradise compared to the stifling spore forests in the city center. Here, along the Parangtritis coastline, the 'Cordyceps-Erotica' fungus seemed to be struggling for survival. Salt was a natural toxin for the spores; they appeared shriveled, pale, and far less active than usual. "Damn, finally my lungs are getting some real oxygen, not just perverted mushroom steam!" Guntur shouted as he parked his modified jeep on a patch of hard sand. He immediately hopped out, wiping his side mirror, which was smeared with silver slime. "But why does it feel so creepy, Je? Usually, at this hour, there are tons of people selling roasted corn and renting out horses. Now, all I see are mutant crabs with cauliflower growing out of their shells." Je ste
Chapter 24: Mass Orgasm on the Coast
The water around them began to froth, turning into scalding bubbles that stung their skin. Je felt as if his lungs were being roasted from the inside out as they shot upward, propelled by a surge of golden energy from the Southern Loro Blonyo statue. "Shit! Je! This water isn't just warm, it’s boiling hot!" Guntur screamed mentally. His legs kicked wildly, trying to shake off the slime still clinging to his pants. "I feel like a damn meatball being boiled, daaaaamn!" "Shut up and keep swimming up, Guntur! Saraswati, pull him!" Je commanded. His eyes bulged as he peered through the dimness of the water, which was beginning to reach a rolling boil. Above them, the shadow of the giant Kraken-Fungi writhed in agony. Its tentacles, which had once dominated the ocean, now twisted like worms sprinkled with salt. Its cry was no longer a low-frequency rumble, but a sonic shriek that tore at their eardrums. PING! [Warning: Artifact Energy Reaching Peak!] [System Suggestion: Release 'Massi
Chapter 25: Salt and Tears
The motorboat rocked violently as if it were atop a giant boiling pot. The purple seawater around them was not just frothing but began emitting a suffocating, hot steam. The temperature spiked drastically as the golden frequency from the Loro Blonyo statue at the seafloor reacted with the water's salinity. "Damn it! This really has turned into a giant Tom Yum soup! My feet are cooked, Je!" Guntur shouted, lifting his feet high off the floor of the boat, which was starting to burn. "Sinta, what’s happening?! Why is the water boiling?!" Je gripped the side of the boat, his eyes fixed on the Kraken, which now appeared even more terrifying. Sinta briefly touched the water with her palm before quickly pulling it back. "A chemical reaction, Je! The sea salt is catalyzing the energy from the artifact! That Cordyceps fungus has a protein structure that is highly vulnerable to sodium chloride under high-heat conditions. Look at that!" Je turned toward the titan. The Kraken-Fungi began to m
Chapter 26: A Bitter Victory Celebration
The massive carcass of the Kraken-Fungi slowly sank into the ocean depths, leaving behind an expanding slick of purple organic oil that stretched to the horizon. On the Parangtritis coastline, thousands of zombies previously paralyzed by the 'Sensory Overload' began to stir. Some crawled toward the sea, while others sat in a daze, as if their brains had undergone a forced hard reset. Je stepped out of the motorboat onto the black sand, carrying Sekar’s frail body. Guntur followed behind, his face grimy with oil and tears, dragging his weary feet. "My bike, Je... my N-Max became squid food..." Guntur wailed hoarsely. "There were still three monthly installments left, dammit!" "Shut up, Guntur. You just saved the world with that scooter. You should be proud," Je replied, placing Sekar on a pile of blankets near an emergency campfire built by Saraswati. "Proud, my ass! You don't know what it’s like to pay late fees in the middle of the apocalypse!" Guntur snorted, then slumped onto t
Chapter 27: The Lost Epigraphy
The pale purple light of dawn illuminated the remains of the temple ruins that had just emerged from the seabed. Sinta crouched in front of a coral stone wall, its surface covered in strange carvings—scripts that seemed to breathe, coated in a glowing mucus. Je stood behind her, still cradling the unconscious Sekar, while Guntur was busy scavenging through the rubble, hoping to find something of value. "Damn it, Sinta! We almost died getting swallowed by a giant squid, and now you’re just chilling here reading a wall?!" Je shouted, his breath still ragged. "Quiet, Thief! This isn't just a wall!" Sinta snapped without looking back. Her slender fingers traced the vibrating carvings. "These characters... they aren't Sanskrit, nor are they Pallawa. This is Neural Epigraphy. A script that can only be read if you possess the right frequency." "And? What does it say? Is there a recipe in there to turn Sekar back to normal?" Je asked sarcastically. Si
Chapter 28: The Professor's Prisoner
Je felt as if his head had just been struck by a rusted sledgehammer. Intense nausea churned in his stomach, followed by a cold sensation creeping across his wrists and ankles. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw wasn't the purple sky of Parangtritis, but blindingly bright white LED lights on a sterile metallic ceiling."Damn... where am I? The smell of carbolic is overwhelming," Je muttered, his voice hoarse and cracking.He tried to move his hands, but the clinking of metal immediately greeted him. Je was suspended in a standing position, both wrists shackled by laser handcuffs emitting a cold blue light. His feet were also locked to the steel floor. His shirt had been removed, leaving the Loro Blonyo batik tattoo on his chest, which was now dimly flickering."Awake at last, oh Great Curator. I almost thought the sedative dose was too strong for a thief’s brain like yours."Je turned toward the voice. Prof. Surya stood there, only a few meters away. This time, he wasn't
Chapter 29: The Curator's Dilemma
The lights in the underwater lab dimmed, leaving only the purple glow from Sinta's tube and the blue laser flashes from Je’s shackles. Prof. Surya approached, carrying a neural transmission helmet bristling with fine needle-like electrodes."Don't be tense, Je. Think of this as a photoshoot for a future magazine cover," Surya said as he fitted the helmet onto Je’s head."Damn, if you wanted a photo you should've said so, I would've dressed up first, you bastard!" Je cursed. His teeth gritted as the needles pierced his scalp. "And let Sinta go. You’re getting what you want, aren't you?"Surya let out a small laugh while adjusting parameters on his tablet. "Not yet, Je. Sinta is the sensory bridge. Without her, your libido frequency would shatter my brain before I could even download it. She is the 'capacitor' that holds the overflow of your emotions."PING![System Warning!][External Connection Detected: System 'The Epigraph' is attempting a forced penetration.][Protocol 'Trojan Gift
Chapter 30: Escape from the Underwater Lab
Seawater began to seep through the cracks in the lab's glass walls. Sharp cracking sounds clashed with the deafening blare of alarms. Amidst the chaos, Guntur stood rigid, his purple gas rifle aimed straight at Je’s chest."Guntur! Snap out of it, you idiot! It’s me, Je! Your most handsome friend!" Je shouted, hands raised even as he prepared to lung at any moment."Target... identified... Elimination... One-star... rating..." Guntur’s voice emerged from behind his black visor, raspy and distorted."Damn, they really brainwashed him down to his rating system!" Je cursed. "Sinta, can you do something with that new power of yours?"Sinta stood beside Je, still drenched in blue fluid. Her silver eyes blinked rapidly, projecting thin lines of data into the air. "Guntur's nervous system is tethered to a 'Neural-Leash' protocol in that armor, Je. The control frequency comes from a central unit on his back. I can see the path... it’s glowing bright red to my eyes.""Can you cut it?" Je asked