My Taboo Harem System

Chapter 143: One Thousand Six Hundred and Ten

The translucent blue window hovered silently before Denzel, its words refusing to disappear.

[Phase One Completed.]

[Would you like to proceed?]

"...Proceed?"

The word slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

His brows slowly knitted together as he stared at the floating notification for several long seconds, waiting for something else to happen.

Nothing did.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

"the fuck is phase one?"

He ran a hand through his hair, scratching lightly as if the answer might somehow be hiding there. The message had caught him completely off guard. If anything, it only raised more questions than it answered.

Since waking up with this mystical system, he’d completed missions, earned rewards, and somehow stayed alive.

But never—not once—had it mentioned anything about phases.

His gaze narrowed.

Denzel folded his arms and looked at the screen with growing irritation.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you actually explained things instead of throwing cryptic messages at me."

Silence.

As expected.

He let out a dry chuckle and stretched his shoulders, feeling several joints pop before exhaling slowly.

"Yeah... figured."

He was about to dismiss the notification entirely when the blue window rippled.

For the first time since it had appeared in his life...

The system responded.

[The information was provided as vividly as possible for player’s optimal understanding.]

[Host has fulfilled all requirements necessary to complete Phase One.]

[Would you like a brief on any of these points?]

Denzel remained rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on the glowing screen.

A slow breath escaped his lips.

Everything was happening far too abruptly.

He lifted a hand and rubbed his temple, trying to organize the flood of thoughts crashing into one another.

"...You’re moving too fast."

His voice was quieter this time.

"If you’re going to tell me I’ve completed some mysterious first phase, then at least start from the beginning."

He looked up at the floating panel, his brows drawn together.

"What exactly was Phase One?"

The blue screen shimmered.

[The Harem System was designed to aid the Host’s continual growth and development.]

Denzel frowned.

The words continued appearing one after another.

[Phase One existed for a singular purpose.]

[To guide the Host through the establishment and acceptance of the initial boundaries required for the System’s operation.]

His eyes slowly traced each line.

Initial boundaries...

So that’s what all those awkward encounters, missions, and rewards for normal heinous taboo acts had been for.

Before he could fully process the thought, another notification surfaced.

[The Host has successfully met all prerequisites.]

[Phase Two is now available.]

[The System’s functions will henceforth expand in order to better assist the Host’s continued growth.]

Silence settled over the room.

Denzel simply stood there.

Blinking.

Reading every line again.

He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling anymore. Confusion...Relief?

Perhaps it was all three.

Ever since obtaining the system, he’d convinced himself it was nothing more than an absurd reward machine, a bizarre existence that handed out points whenever he completed increasingly embarrassing harem-related objectives.

But this...

This felt different.

Much bigger.

He slowly exhaled and absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair.

"...Designed?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You keep using words like designed... programmed."

He lifted his gaze toward the floating screen.

"Programmed by who?"

For a brief moment...

Nothing happened.

Then another line quietly appeared.

[Requested information is currently unavailable to the Host.]

Denzel stared at it for several seconds before letting out a dry laugh.

"Of course it is."

He dragged a hand down his face and shook his head.

"Just like in every system story I suppose."

The panel remained silent.

He clicked his tongue.

"...Fine."

He inhaled deeply before slowly releasing the breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Getting irritated wasn’t going to make the system any more cooperative.

He rolled his shoulders, stretched his neck, then looked back at the screen with a steadier expression.

"Let’s try this again."

"If you’re saying I’ve entered Phase Two... What exactly do you want me to do now?"

The system remained silent for nearly three seconds.

Then fresh lines flowed across the translucent panel.

[Phase Two focuses on the Host’s comprehensive development.]

[The creation of taboo harem relationships remains one of the System’s core functions.]

[However, Phase Two extends beyond interpersonal objectives.]

Denzel’s expression gradually became serious as he continued reading.

[The Host must learn to survive genuine hardship.]

[Future challenges will involve conflict, danger, adaptation, and growth.]

[Merely completing System missions is insufficient.]

[The Host must learn to overcome adversity through personal judgment, experience, and resilience.]

Another notification surfaced.

[Adaptability is an essential trait of a superior Host.]

[A versatile Host possesses a greater probability of long-term survival.]

Denzel didn’t speak immediately.

His gaze lingered on those final words.

Long-term...

Survival.

For some reason, those two words carried far more weight than anything the system had shown him before.

Denzel stared at the final line for a long moment before a small, helpless laugh escaped him.

"So..."

He folded his arms loosely across his chest.

"Everything until now has basically been easy mode."

The words hung in the air.

Surprisingly...

They made sense.

Thinking back on everything that had happened since obtaining the system, he had adapted far faster than he ever should have.

The embarrassing missions.

The rewards.

The strange abilities.

Even the monsters he’d encountered.

Looking back, nothing had ever truly pushed him to his limits.

His world had changed...

But it had never completely overturned itself.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"...Phase Two, huh?"

He murmured the words under his breath, almost tasting them.

"I wonder what you’ve got planned for me."

To his own surprise...

He wasn’t nervous.

If anything—

His blood tingled with anticipation.

Whatever lay ahead was unknown.

Dangerous, perhaps.

But wasn’t that what made life interesting?

His eyes drifted back toward the notification that had remained patiently suspended before him.

[Would you like to proceed?]

Denzel took a slow breath.

Then nodded.

"...Yeah."

"I’d like to proceed."

The screen pulsed once.

Then dissolved into countless specks of blue light before reforming almost instantly.

A new notification unfolded.

[Congratulations.]

[The Host has successfully entered Phase Two of the Taboo Harem System.]

[You have received 3000 SP!]

[Your growth has exceeded initial projections.]

[Progress has been successfully documented...]

The final sentence ended with three blinking dots before fading.

Denzel read the message twice before giving an approving nod.

"...Sounds important."

Whether he fully understood it or not...

It certainly sounded impressive.

He let out a quiet chuckle before taking several slow steps backward.

The rough bark of a nearby tree pressed against his back as he leaned into it.

A second later, he slid down until he was sitting comfortably on the grass.

He rested one forearm across his raised knee while the other absentmindedly brushed through his hair.

His gaze remained fixed on the floating blue window.

"So..."

"I’ve entered Phase Two."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Shouldn’t something be different?"

He looked down at himself.

Nothing.

No surge of power.

No brilliant flash of light.

No dramatic transformation.

He flexed his fingers.

Opened and closed his fist.

Still nothing.

"I don’t know..."

"I guess I was expecting..."

He searched for the right words before shaking his head.

"...Something."

Anything.

A sudden rush of strength.

His senses sharpening.

Some overwhelming feeling that would make it obvious he’d crossed into an entirely new stage.

Instead...

He felt exactly the same.

"...Huh."

He shrugged.

"Maybe I was expecting too much."

His shoulders slumped slightly as reality settled back in.

The excitement gradually faded.

Only then did he truly notice how sore he felt.

His legs ached.

His shoulders felt heavy.

Even his back protested the moment he shifted against the tree.

"...Right."

He winced, stretching one arm over his head until a satisfying pop echoed from his shoulder.

"My body’s still a mess."

Another ache traveled through his thighs.

He let out a tired sigh.

"I should probably head home before it gets dark."

"After everything that’s happened today..."

"A hot shower and a bed sound a lot more appealing than standing around waiting for another cryptic notification."

As if responding to the thought—

The blue window shimmered once more.

A new prompt appeared.

[The Host’s physical condition has been evaluated.]

Denzel blinked.

"...Huh?"

More lines appeared.

[Would the Host like to alleviate all accumulated fatigue and physical injuries?]

His brows rose.

"...You can do that?"

Another notification slid beneath it.

[Full Recovery]

Restores the Host’s body to peak condition.

Cost: 1,610 System Points.

Denzel’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He stared at the number.

Then stared again.

"...What?"

He leaned closer to the screen as though he’d somehow misread it.

"One thousand..."

He pointed at the glowing number.

"Six hundred and ten points?"

His mouth slowly fell open.

"Are you serious?"

A muscle twitched beneath one eye.

"Hold on...this can’t be real..."

He looked at the notification in utter disbelief before throwing both hands into the air.

"I get the actual ability to heal from my own fatigue?! What about from damages done to my body?"

The system instantly replied him.

[Yes, Damage is included as well.]