Chapter 52: The Necklace Mystery

Standing in front of Luke was a woman. Gorgeous. Shirtless. Pale skin, long golden hair, delicate features—and a body so absurdly sculpted it made his brain short-circuit.

One word flashed through Luke’s mind: Perfect.

His eyes involuntarily wandered to the two very prominent, very round reasons he was forgetting how to breathe.

Focus, Luke. Look away. Look away. For the love of all that’s sacred—Look. Away.

“G-give me the necklace, Luke!” Her voice was sharp—urgent. And so was the katana pointed at his chest.

Luke instinctively raised his kukri, ready to deflect. But his mind was in shambles.

Look? Don’t look? Look? Don’t look.

A civil war raged in his head.

The blade in her hand was dangerous. But the other weapon… Those hypnotic breasts…

“Damn it!” Luke tossed the necklace toward her and spun around like his life depended on it.

“D-don’t turn around!” she snapped, diving for the pendant.

Luke exhaled slowly.

Guess that was it. My entire life’s worth of luck—gone. All because I just saw the most beautiful boobs in existence.

“What the hell are you thinking?!” The voice was masculine again.

Luke turned slowly. Allison was back. The male version.

He blinked. “I think I just ran out of luck and cursed myself with eternal misfortune.”

“What?!”

Allison still had his katana raised, flushed with panic.

Luke stared at him—at her—for a long moment.

“Wait… so you’re a girl?”

Allison sighed, sheathing the sword. He pulled a shirt from his bag and began dressing.

“My system gear was damaged. It’ll take a while to repair. Good thing I grabbed spare clothes in the village.”

Luke still looked like someone had hit him in the head with a frying pan.

“Wait… when you’re a guy, do you… y’know… have—?”

Allison’s face turned bright red.

“No! I don’t have a dick when I’m in male form!”

Luke’s eyes widened.

“That’s why you always went to the bathroom so far from me…?”

Allison didn’t answer. He just marched up and grabbed Luke by the collar.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

His voice was low—dead serious.

“No one can know I’m a girl. Got it?”

Luke was silent for a second… then nodded.

“There’s no one here to tell anyway—except Charlie. But she saw it all already.” He crossed his arms. “I won’t tell a soul, as long as you keep quiet about Charlie being my skeleton.”

Allison released him. “I’d never say anything about your skeleton, your bloodline, or anything else. I have standards.”

Luke smiled. “So do I.”

A beat of silence passed.

Then Allison murmured, just above a whisper: “I ran away from home.”

Luke shrugged. “It’s fine. I don’t care about your past.”

Allison looked… relieved. Like she’d expected a wave of questions. But Luke didn’t ask.

Don’t care? Damn it. I care a lot! Why did she run away? Why disguise herself as a man? And that item…?

He took a deep breath, trying to keep it together.

“Let me ask you something,” he said casually. “That item—the one that changes your appearance. Is it hard to get?”

Allison narrowed her eyes. “Why? Planning to disguise yourself as a woman?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Luke snapped, a little too quickly.

She gave him a suspicious look, raising one brow.

“I just need to be prepared. Now that I know items like that exist, it means anyone could use one to impersonate someone I know. Gender, face, anything. I need to keep my guard up.”

Allison folded her arms. “Fair point.”

She glanced at the sealed door behind them. And for a moment, both of them were just… quiet. A shared secret hanging in the air. And behind it—a small, strange trust.

Allison crossed her arms again.

“Items like that are extremely rare. Not just on Earth—anywhere.”

“That rare?” Luke asked, brow furrowed.

“An artifact that completely alters appearance? That’s overpowered. I doubt you’ll ever find another like it. Maybe there are some skills that mimic the effect, but actual items like this?” She shook her head. “They’re basically extinct.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Luke frowned.

That kind of item… must be worth a fortune. Maybe even illegal.

Before he could press further, Allison sighed.

“I don’t want to talk about myself.”

Luke nodded. “Fair.”

He brushed past her, heading toward a half-open door at the end of the hall. But inside, his mind was chaos.

I really spent days next to a woman? Sharing food… fighting side by side… and I never knew?

“I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear that thing you said about my body.” Allison’s voice came low, almost a whisper, tinged with embarrassment.

“I’m embarrassed. You’re the first person who’s ever seen me naked since I was a baby.”

Luke swallowed hard.

The first person…? Since she was a baby? I’m cursed! Absolutely, irreversibly cursed.

“It’s fine. It’s over.” He tried to sound serious. “Let’s just focus on what matters—getting out of this creepy dungeon.”

FOCUS, DAMMIT!

His brain refused to listen. He’d only ever seen boobs in videos. In real life? Way better.

He shook his head like he could rattle the thoughts loose.

Life or death, Luke. Get your head straight!

He took a deep breath and peeked through the door.

The corridor ahead stretched long and silent. Nothing like the sewer they came from.

The stone walls were engraved with detailed patterns, elegant and deliberate. Ornate rugs lined the floor, and antique paintings hung between golden sconces. The torches burned steadily in crafted holders, casting a soft, warm light.

This wasn’t some damp underground passage. This looked like a floor straight out of the Forgotten Temple dungeon.

Luke gripped his kukri tightly. “No other way forward. We move.”

Charlie and Allison both nodded.

But… Luke noticed something strange.

Charlie looked tense. More than tense—annoyed. And not just in general. She kept glaring at Allison.

Why?

Luke narrowed his eyes.

What’s her problem?

Now wasn’t the time to dig into it. They had to move. They had to figure out what the hell this place was.

***