My Taboo Harem System

Chapter 144: Behave

He remained seated on the cold ground, his legs crossed beneath him while one hand rested against his jaw, fingers absentmindedly rubbing his chin. Silence settled around him once more, yet his mind was anything but quiet.

Phase Two.

The words echoed in his head like the toll of a distant bell.

It was still a mystery.

Every revelation the system had given him so far had only uncovered another layer of secrets hiding beneath the previous one. What he had once believed was the complete picture now felt like nothing more than the surface. Piece after piece, the truth was being peeled away, and with every answer came twice as many questions.

’...It’s almost like I’ve been playing on easy mode this whole time.’

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

If Phase One had merely been preparation...

Then what exactly was waiting for him now?

His fingers stopped moving.

There was only one way to find out.

His gaze drifted toward the newly acquired skill resting in his status window.

[Full Body Recovery]

Its description was deceptively simple, but experience had already taught him that the system loved underselling its gifts.

’Recovery... but how far does that actually go?’

Would it simply heal injuries?

Would it strengthen his body’s endurance by allowing him to recover endlessly?

Could he push himself beyond his limits during battle without worrying about lasting damage?

The possibilities were... intriguing.

’The first thing I should do is test its defensive capabilities. See how much punishment I can actually take before it reaches its limit.’

His eyes wandered toward the dark horizon before he sighed.

"...That’ll have to wait."

Training with Virgil had already consumed the entire night. Dawn wasn’t far off now, and throwing himself into another brutal experiment wasn’t exactly practical.

He leaned back slightly.

Then...

Another idea slipped into his mind.

One so absurd that a slow, malicious grin crept across his face.

"...Or..."

The grin widened.

’I could always give it... a different kind of test drive.’

A certain brunette immediately appeared in his thoughts.

"Maria..."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

"’It’s been quite a while since we’ve had any fun together.’"

His smile became undeniably mischievous.

His gaze returned to [Full Body Recovery], and an embarrassingly genuine curiosity surfaced.

’Just how effective would this skill be during... my conquest?’

He deliberately stressed the last word in his mind.

It sounded infinitely cooler than simply calling it flirting.

Besides...

Every harem webnovel protagonist somehow possessed stamina that bordered on the supernatural.

’So... am I finally about to reach their level?’

The thought alone nearly made him laugh.

He shook his head.

’What a ridiculously stupid thing to be excited about.’

...Yet despite himself—

He was already looking forward to conducting the experiment.

He remained where he was for a few more seconds, taking slow, measured breaths as the cool evening air brushed against his face.

For the first time since Denzel ’s relentless training...

He simply rested.

Then...

His brows knitted together.

’Hm?’

Something was changing.

Just as he was about to inspect his body—

[Full Body Recovery has been activated.]

His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"...I didn’t activate it."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, another blue panel appeared before him.

[Full Body Recovery is a passive skill.]

[Passive skills remain active at all times and do not require manual activation.]

Denzelblinked once before letting out a quiet, amused chuckle.

’So that’s how it works.’

The lingering soreness that had settled deep within his muscles after hours of Virgil’s relentless training hadn’t disappeared all at once. Instead, it faded gradually, almost imperceptibly.

A dull ache left his shoulder.

Moments later, the stiffness in his legs eased.

Then the burning sensation in his back began to dissolve.

It wasn’t instantaneous.

It was... soothing.

As though an invisible current flowed through every fiber of his body, gently carrying away every trace of fatigue. Every passing second left him feeling lighter, stronger... restored.

He slowly clenched his fist.

Then rolled his shoulders.

The soreness that should have greeted those movements...

Simply wasn’t there anymore.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

’A passive recovery skill...’

He had assumed there would be some sort of cooldown... perhaps even an energy cost.

Instead, it worked on its own, tirelessly repairing his body whenever it detected damage or exhaustion.

’That’s... ridiculously useful.’

If it could erase ordinary fatigue this effortlessly...

Then surviving drawn-out battles suddenly became far less daunting.

His grin slowly turned mischievous.

Or...

It could be useful for... other kinds of endurance.

A certain brunette immediately came to mind.

"Maria..."

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

’Looks like tonight is going to be another first.’

Still smiling to himself, Denzelrose to his feet, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and started walking back toward his house.

His body no longer felt weighed down by exhaustion.

Instead...

Every step felt as light as if the night’s grueling training had never happened.

***

The evening slipped by faster than Denzelhad expected.

By the time he returned home, the rain had already begun its quiet descent, soft droplets tapping rhythmically against the roof and windows. The sound blended with the distant rumble of thunder, wrapping the house in a strange sense of comfort.

As soon as the front door opened...

"Welcome home."

Maria was already waiting for him.

A warm smile bloomed across her face as she hurried over, naturally reaching for the light bag slung over his shoulder.

"You look exhausted," she said, concern flickering across her features.

Denzelonly smiled.

"I’ve had worse."

She rolled her eyes.

"So you always say."

To his surprise...

Another familiar figure emerged from the living room.

Sophia.

She was lounging lazily on the couch with a mug in her hands, casually waving at him.

"You’re back."

Denzelgave a small nod.

"’You’re actually home.’"

Sophia stuck out her tongue.

"What? Am I not allowed to stay in my own house?"

He simply chuckled.

For a time, he had been curious about where Sophia disappeared to almost every day.

But...

Not anymore.

Virgil had already promised that he’d learn the truth eventually.

There was no point wasting energy chasing answers that were already on their way to him.

Besides...

Tonight, his attention was occupied by something else entirely.

Or rather...

Someone.

His gaze drifted toward Maria for the briefest of moments before he looked away again.

’This is only an experiment.’

A grin threatened to appear.

’...Though I don’t mind enjoying the experiment.’

...

Not long afterward, the three of them gathered around the dining table.

Outside, the rain continued to pour, occasionally drumming harder against the roof before softening once again.

Inside...

The fireplace crackled steadily.

Orange flames danced behind the iron grate, bathing the room in a gentle glow while a pleasant warmth spread through the cozy space. Shadows swayed lazily across the walls as the scent of freshly cooked food mixed with the comforting smell of burning firewood.

It was...

Peaceful.

For once.

Sophia happily took the first bite of her meal before leaning back with a satisfied sigh.

"Today’s actually been pretty fun."

Maria smiled while placing another piece of meat onto Sophia’s plate.

"Oh? What happened?"

"I got the day off."

"You... got a day off?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically.

"Mhm. So Mia dragged me all over town."

"Mia?"

"My coworker."

Maria paused halfway through lifting her spoon.

"...Coworker?"

Sophia blinked.

"...Yes?"

Maria stared at her for a few seconds before turning toward Denzel.

"...She works?"

Denzel nearly laughed.

"I had the same reaction."

"H-Hey!"

Sophia pouted immediately.

"What’s with that look? Of course I work!"

Maria tilted her head, looking genuinely unconvinced.

"I honestly thought you just wandered around town all day."

"I do not!"

"You disappear every morning."

"That’s because I leave for work!"

Maria looked at her with narrowed eyes before glancing back at Denzelagain.

"...I’m still not convinced."

Denzelquietly continued eating, hiding the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Sophia groaned dramatically before throwing both hands into the air.

"I can’t believe the two of you have such little faith in me."

Maria couldn’t hold it in anymore.

A soft laugh escaped her lips.

The sound blended with Sophia’s exaggerated complaints, the crackling fireplace, and the steady rainfall outside.

Denzelquietly continued eating, though the smile on his face never quite disappeared.

Maria noticed.

She always did.

She rested her chin lightly against her palm, studying him for a moment before the corners of her lips curled upward.

"...You’re in a pretty good mood tonight."

Denzelglanced at her.

"Am I?"

"You are."

"I think you’re imagining things."

Maria smiled knowingly.

"No."

She shook her head.

"You’re smiling more than usual."

Across the table, Sophia looked up from her meal before alternating her gaze between the two.

"...Now that she mentions it..."

She narrowed her eyes dramatically.

"You do look suspiciously happy."

Denzelraised an eyebrow.

"’Suspiciously?’"

"Mhm."

Sophia pointed her fork at him.

"That smile is hiding something."

Denzelsimply shrugged.

"I’m just being myself."

Both women stared at him.

Then...

They exchanged a glance.

"...Liar," they said almost in unison.

Denzelcouldn’t help but laugh.

Sophia leaned back in her chair, grinning victoriously.

"See? Even Maria agrees."

Maria giggled softly.

"I’ve known you long enough."

She tilted her head.

"You only smile like that when something interesting is on your mind."

Denzellowered his gaze to his plate, choosing not to answer.

Then—

He felt something gently brush against his leg beneath the table.

His body stiffened for the briefest instant.

His eyes instinctively dropped.

Maria’s foot had lightly grazed his.

He looked back up.

Their eyes met.

For the shortest of moments, she wore the faintest hint of an innocent smile...

As though nothing had happened.

Denzelheld her gaze for a second before calmly returning his attention to his meal.

’Behave.’

Sophia was still sitting right there.

Maria, meanwhile, looked entirely unfazed.

"If you’re trying to hide something," she said sweetly, "you’re doing a terrible job."

Sophia nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly."

She leaned forward.

"So..."

"What are you up to?"

Denzelremained silent.

The fire crackled softly behind him while rain continued pattering against the roof.

For several seconds...

Only the sound of cutlery could be heard.

Then, at last, he let out a quiet chuckle.

"...Let’s just say..."

He paused, the smile returning to his face.

"...I’ve been looking forward to tonight for a while."