Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 159

In a space devoid of any light, just darkness pervading, a silk spider made its presence distinctly known by clicking its mandibles. Its eight simple eyes shone with an intelligence surpassing that of beasts, and its arachnid body harbored qualities unlike those of ordinary creatures. After setting up its silvery webs in all directions, the silk spider crouched down.

How long had it waited? After what seemed an eternity, a grotesquely shaped magical beast tore through the web, approaching the silk spider. Caught in the otherworldly eyes devoid of any emotion or sentience, the spider did not falter. Although this type of beast typically harbored relentless hostility towards living beings, this time was different.

The beast lingered around the silk spider for a while, eventually getting ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) bitten by its venomous fangs but it did not react. As the venom took effect, the beast collapsed and crumbled into dust, leaving behind a magic stone. The silk spider swiftly devoured the stone, repaired the torn web, and then crouched down again, waiting for its next victim.

Amidst a dream about the familiar silk spider, Ayra revisited a question she had long pondered:

'Why are magic stones often found inside the bodies of magical beast subspecies?'

Somehow, she felt she was on the verge of understanding the answer.

Suddenly unable to move her feet, she looked down and realized her shoes were stuck in a web. Losing her balance in a moment of distraction, she fell heavily. Instead of the oppressive darkness, she now found herself in a forest she recognized from before. As she struggled to free herself from the web, someone approached from the darkness. It was her lover.

'Janus...!'

Though her lips moved, no sound came out. Ayra stared at him, spellbound. His eyes, devoid of any whites and blood-red in color, and his body covered in scales with sharp claws, were hauntingly beautiful.

And yet... his lower body was obscured by ambiguous darkness, causing her inner disappointment. Janus smiled gently and leaned over her. As she looked up with a pounding heart, he kissed her tenderly, then drew his lips back longingly.

Between his sharp teeth, a long tongue flickered serpent-like. From the dark cave of his throat, something that looked like a blazing torch flowed out. On closer inspection, it was not a torch but a darkly sparkling crystal. It resembled lava held within, and a burning ember of crimson fire rolled into Ayra's open mouth.

Startled, Ayra swallowed the ember inadvertently, and an unbearable heat surged within her. The pain was so intense it felt as though her insides were burning. She opened her mouth to scream, but only rasping breaths escaped. Suddenly, Janus was gone, and the earth began to tremble. It was an earthquake.

The heat emanating from Ayra set the trees ablaze and the ground split open. As a tall tree fell, revealing high mountains and wide plains, Bolni crumbled instantly. The city burned, and people screamed and died.

From Bolni, a threatening fissure spread, heading towards Solar. The sound of cracking earth filled the air as lava flowed from the crevices of hell. The moment the earthquake's aftershocks reached Solar, Ayra woke from the nightmarish dream.

"Gasp, gasp..."

Regaining consciousness, Ayra felt as if she were in a sauna, so intense was the heat enveloping her body. Every cell seemed to radiate its own burning presence. Groaning in agony, she tossed and turned, feeling something alien lick her earlobe.

"Uh, what..."

"Shh, just sleep some more."

It was Janus's tongue, apparently. Ayra sighed wearily and closed her eyes again. Despite having slept for what felt like a long time, her exhaustion had not fully dissipated. Yet, she couldn't fall back asleep. In her blurry vision, something sparkled energetically. Squinting, she saw it was the system window of the pebble.

[Urgent Quest! Save Commander Bloom]

What, another urgent matter now...? Half-dazed, Ayra shot upright.

"Wait. Save Bloom? What's that about?"

Looking again, the pebble seemed to have been waiting for her to wake up, rushing towards her and busily tapping her hand like a small pebble-sized fist. Its urgent motions indicated the need for her to wake up immediately. It then quickly displayed the details of the urgent quest.

<Urgent Quest!>

[Save Commander Bloom]

What exactly has happened in the estate while the lord was unconscious? Rush to receive reports from your officials. (Unachieved)

Save Commander Bloom, held captive in Sobletz and facing execution! (Time remaining: 4 days 15 hours)

Successfully defend against the invasion of Sobletz! (Unachieved)

Reward: Increase in approval rating

Note: Failure of the quest will significantly reduce approval rating and remaining D-days.

Barely awake, Ayra read the quest details slowly and then bolted up from her position. Janus, who had been lounging leisurely on the bed, yawned hugely and looked disappointed as he licked his lips.

"You..."

Ayra started to question Janus as she climbed out of bed but stumbled, a sinister feeling crawling up her spine. How long had she been lying down that her legs were so weak? She pulled the bedside rope to alert Janus and questioned him.

"What exactly did you feed me? Was it poison?"

Instead of answering, Janus grinned, his red eyes and white teeth shining menacingly and ominously in the dimly lit space.

"I fed you the most valuable thing I possess."

"The most valuable thing?"

"Guess how much a dragon's magic stone would cost in human terms."

What? Dragon's magic stone... Is he saying he fed me his magic stone? That must be a joke, right? Ayra doubted her own ears when the bedroom door suddenly burst open, and instead of a servant, it was Jinas who entered. Seeing Ayra awake, his pale face brightened.

"Lady! You're awake!"

The urgency in Jinas's voice sounded almost desperate as he called for Ayra.

"Jinas."

"How do you feel? The physician said you collapsed from overwork... Has your fever subsided?"

Distracted by the urgent quest, Ayra waved her hand to indicate she was fine. Nevertheless, Jinas came close to inspect her condition.

"Jinas. What exactly happened while I was unconscious?"

"Ah..."

His face darkened instantly. After hesitating, fearing she might collapse again, he took a step back.

"Why don't you eat something first? You've hardly eaten anything for a week."

"A week...?"

Ayra's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe she had been unconscious for an entire week. It felt like she had just slept deeply for about twelve hours. Jinas sighed, a mix of relief and concern, then quickly regained his composed demeanor.

"I'll prepare so that you can attend the council meeting immediately after you eat."

"Thanks, that would be great."

"It's truly fortunate you woke up without any complications."

With a slightly trembling voice, Jinas quickly left the room. Ayra watched his retreating figure sternly, then whirled around to press him further. The idea of a dragon's magic stone excited her.

"Why did you feed me your magic stone?"

"Technically, it was a piece chipped from my stone. Haven't you ever wondered how the mates of dragons manage to live as long as their draconic partners?"

Of course, she had. How could a mere human, a mate of a dragon, become immortal and live out the lengthy life of a dragon... But despite scouring through all the records on dragons she could find, she had never come across any information, leaving it as an unresolved question.

Until now, it wasn't unheard of for humans to ingest magic stones. However, when humans did so, they usually just caused stomach upsets and passed through without any effect.

But was a dragon's magic stone different? Ayra rubbed her stomach unknowingly. The intense heat had gradually subsided.

"Congratulations. Now you won't die until I do."

Janus, lazily sprawled out, clapped nonchalantly. Ayra frowned, examining her body. She even opened her stat window to check, but nothing special had changed—her HP wasn't suddenly 9,999,999. The only thing that had changed without her knowledge while she slept was Janus's favorability, which had unexpectedly reached 82.

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"I won't die?"

"More precisely, you won't die of old age. You could still die from fatal injuries. Of course, I wouldn't let that happen."

Janus's voice was brimming with confidence. Ayra still couldn't quite believe it and just stared at her own hand. It felt almost surreal, like waking from a dream or still being in one, to suddenly become immortal.

"Okay, I understand why you fed me your magic stone. But did you have to do it so sneakily?"

She thought it was a reasonable complaint, but Janus, who had been becoming one with the bed, suddenly sat up straight. Ayra's attention momentarily drifted to his sculpted abs writhing seductively, but Janus began to explain seriously.