Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 195

Before Ayra could fully comprehend the words, a foreboding chill brushed down her spine.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Humans born with the potential to become a dragon’s mate will, until they are fully bonded to one, constantly draw dragons toward them.”

Ayra’s mouth slowly fell open at Janus’s explanation. Her gaze shifted back to the thirty-two dragon cores—those Janus had hunted, or rather, eliminated while staying in Solar. From the red dragon’s eyes staring at her, a sticky possessiveness oozed, thick and unmistakable.

“When a mate is first born, any dragon can sense their presence. They’ll vaguely know the direction, but not the precise location. So, they just wander around a single area.”

Janus added in a languid voice, “You especially drew them in more than most.”

“And when they encounter their own kind, they see them as competitors and kill, and kill again.”

“Then what you’re saying is...”

Ayra thought back to how young she had been when she first entered the labyrinth, and just how powerful the concealment magic cast on that place was. More than anything, the mage who managed the labyrinth had used a spatial transfer artifact to bring Ayra there. In other words, all traces of her presence had been severed from Solar. She imagined dozens of dragons wandering around the region, searching for her while she was hidden away in that labyrinth—and felt a shiver crawl down her spine.

“It’s rare for someone to go this long without forming a bond.”

Ayra had stayed in the labyrinth for nearly twenty years...

“The number of dragons one attracts also depends on their potential. Usually, it’s just three or four at most—but you were an exception.”

A dark, murderous glint flickered in Janus’s eyes. It was a feeling every dragon was born with—a deep-seated hatred and loathing for their own kind.

“They swarmed this cramped land like insects. I killed them whenever they appeared. That’s why none have dared come near Solar in the past few years.”

As Ayra listened to Janus speak, a dull ache filled her head like a blow to the mind.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

“What exactly is this ‘potential’ you’re talking about?”

“From what I gathered from the memories of the dead dragons, it felt something like this: just how well could a human interact and bond with a dragon...”

Janus’s expression suggested he thought this “potential” referred to Ayra’s innate affection and fascination with beasts and dragons. But what Ayra thought of in that moment was Pebble’s ability—or rather, her own awakening magic.

A researcher who loved magical beasts and dragons... and yet, she couldn’t fully rejoice. While she had been hidden in the labyrinth, Solar had nearly been reduced to ash multiple times. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that Janus had been there...

Her gaze returned to the dragon cores. The lords had coveted those cores and sought to seize her city for them. Dragons had also sought to claim her, their mate, and targeted her land. Without intending to, one dragon and one human had joined forces and slowly driven Solar toward ruin.

She suddenly recalled the day Janus subdued the Karcal. Thinking back now, the claw that had struck her barrier hadn’t even seemed that threatening. And Janus—who had abandoned everything he was doing to rush in and instantly slaughter that dragon—his quiet, merciless killing intent came back vividly. That dragon must have also wanted Ayra for a mate, just like Janus.

“What are you thinking about right now?”

A soft voice echoed beside her ear, snapping Ayra out of her thoughts. The red eyes of a beast imitating human affection scanned her face, as if licking it with their gaze. Janus was watching closely, curious whether his mate might dare show sympathy toward another dragon. His expression was clear—if she did, he would not hesitate to act.

Only then did Ayra fully understand why Janus had never mentioned other dragons to her. What he feared wasn’t just her feelings toward them—it was the innate compassion any human would naturally feel. She was dancing dangerously close to the line Janus had drawn. Realizing this, Ayra quickly composed her expression.

“Now that it’s come to this, tell me honestly. There aren’t any other dragons in Solar right now, are there?”

“None besides me.”

“Then outside of Solar? In Bolni, or Sobletz—or any other lands?”

Seeing no reason to hide anything further, Janus answered without resistance.

“There are a few.”

“How many is ‘a few,’ exactly?”

“Dunno. I’m not sure myself.”

Ayra groaned, raking her hands through her hair. This is fucking insane. The reason Solar was racing toward destruction wasn’t because of its debt to Sobletz and Bolni, nor the dragon cores buried beneath the keep. She almost wished it was Sobletz’s dragon causing all the trouble—at least then the answer would be simple.

If several dragons started clashing in Solar... of course the territory would be annihilated. It’d be a miracle if anything survived. It took Ayra a long moment to regain her composure. She swept a trembling hand through her disheveled hair and spoke.

“Enough with this secret relationship.”

She pointed a finger at Shinje, who was still reeling from the revelation that she’d been casually wandering around in a literal field full of dragons with no regard for her life.

“Shinje knows I’m your mate. I’m sure he leaked it to Sobletz. And if the dragon you killed last time wasn’t one of Sobletz’s...”

Janus’s brow twitched. He had arrogantly assumed that simply hiding Ayra’s identity as his mate would be enough to keep the other dragons at bay. As Ayra spoke, a sudden realization silenced her.

She remembered the time Janus had demanded a disposable human to kill. Ayra had handed over a death row prisoner, and Janus had kept the man around for days. In hindsight, it was probably to make other dragons mistake the prisoner for his mate.

The criteria for identifying a mate among dragons was simple: can they kill the person or not? So if they killed someone to find out...

A prisoner, sliced in half. A Bolni soldier, sliced in half. Her brother—also sliced in half. Her blood ran cold.

The one who killed her family... had been a dragon from Sobletz. Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding. A raw hatred for the unknown dragon burned through her chest. She let that emotion spill out.

“It was Sobletz’s dragon who killed my family, wasn’t it?”

To her surprise, Janus laughed. But it wasn’t because he found her question funny—it was a cold, scornful laugh, mocking someone else’s foolishness. With an eerily amused smile, he reached out and gently traced Ayra’s tightly clenched jaw.

“Now do you understand why dragons rarely bond with their mates?”

“...Yeah. I understand all too well.”

Apparently pleased by Ayra’s hatred toward Sobletz’s dragon, Janus grinned and asked lightly.

“Then, can I deal with that one now? He’s the guy who blabbed everything to Sobletz. Probably useless by now.”

“No.”

The moment Ayra refused, Shinje’s face lit up—only to instantly fall into despair at her next words.

“I promised Bloom I’d let him ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) handle the spy in exchange for overlooking Ran Graffni’s past mistake.”

“W-What? Ayra! I already told you everything you wanted! If you let me go, I swear I’ll never come near Solar again! I’ll stay out of the labyrinth forever!”

Ayra, not in the mood for his whining, silenced Shinje with a wave of her hand. Ignoring his muffled pleas, she turned to Bloom.

“Sir Bloom, as agreed—I’ll hand over the spy. Deal with him however you see fit.”

“Thank you, my Lord!”

Bloom, visibly moved that Ayra had kept her word, dragged the struggling Shinje out. As someone who had witnessed firsthand the deaths and injuries caused by the Karcal, Bloom would show him no mercy. As Shinje was dragged away, Ayra’s cold gaze followed him—until Janus called her name.

“Let me say this again. No other dragons.”

“Are you really worried I’m going to date another dragon right now?”

Ayra’s mind was on fire, frantically calculating how to keep her territory from falling into ruin. Fortunately, not all dragons were equally powerful, and Janus was the strongest among them.

‘But that’s only assuming it’s a one-on-one fight.’

Even if dragons hated each other, they were still intelligent beings. Any with half a brain would realize they had to take out the strongest one first.

“Of course it’s a problem.”

Ayra turned toward Janus, interrupting her thoughts. His jealousy was honestly kind of cute. She almost said something like You’re my only one. I’d never even look at another... but paused.

‘Still, if things go well, maybe... just observing wouldn’t hurt, right?’

At this point, Janus was far more than “just a dragon” to her. No matter how unique or stunning the next dragon might be, she had no intention of replacing her lover. But this might be her one and only chance to witness dragons going all out in a fight. Couldn’t she just... take notes?

As if he’d read her mind, Janus narrowed his eyes and said with a smirk, “Dragons usually avoid fighting near their mate... but when they can’t help it, they just swallow them whole, you know?”

Ayra swallowed dryly. Considering her opponent was a dragon, it was impossible to take that as a joke.

“...I swear I won’t even glance at another dragon. I stake Solar on it.”

“You already staked Solar before. Stake something else.”

Pebble, who had been hovering near her chest, yelped and darted behind her at Janus’s pointing finger. With utmost solemnity, Ayra swore on Janus’s eyeballs, which she’d receive every ten years, instead.

Ding! A chime rang out—and a system window popped up.

<Quest Complete!>

[Let’s Level Up the Competent Pebble One Last Time!]

*Uncover the ghost spy’s identity (Complete)

*Reveal the mysterious energy source beneath the keep (Complete)

*Discover why Sobletz and Bolni lords targeted Solar (Complete)

*Identify the unknown threat to the territory (Complete)

[Congratulations! Spirit GM has finally reached its final level!]

[The last stat, ‘Current Thought,’ has been unlocked!]

Pebble’s body lit up, drawing both Janus and Ayra’s attention. After glowing brilliantly for a while, the light faded—revealing a very different-looking Pebble. It now floated proudly, a miniature staff in its tiny hand, several glowing orbs orbiting its body like satellites.

“...What’s with this sudden show?”

While Ayra watched with awe at Pebble’s final evolved form, Janus poked the little spirit with a curious finger. Pebble huffed and fluttered in front of Ayra’s eyes, proudly opening another system window.

[Spirit GM’s Ultimate Skill ‘Switching’ has been unlocked! Please use it wisely!]

Ayra, thrilled that the “Current Thought” stat had finally been revealed, blinked.

“Switching...?”