Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 120

It was working—Ayra could tell the acid bomb had some effect. But she couldn’t fully focus on that result. No matter what kind of reagent it was, a bomb was still a bomb. The jolt from the blast lifted her bodily off the ground; her mind blurred after she slammed into something hard. Her entire body throbbed like it had been shattered, and a hot rush burned across her forehead before blood trickled down.

"Ugh... urgh..."

Groaning, she barely managed to regain consciousness and lifted her head. Janus was curled up tightly. It was the first time she had landed a meaningful hit. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. His index and middle fingers melted and fell to the ground with a plop, but new fingers immediately sprouted in their place. A regenerative ability unlike anything found in this world. Every melted patch regrew instantly.

From Janus’s mouth came a low, guttural rumble—not a human sound, but a krhhk, krrrk, like something scraping from throat to chest. At first, she thought he was writhing in pain. But no—when he lowered his hand, his half-melted, grotesque face was smiling.

It was as if he'd gone so far past anger that he’d lost his mind. The bloodlust rolling off him stung her skin.

"Ah..."

A faint sound escaped Ayra’s lips. She knew how serious this situation was—yet even so, a smile crept to her own lips. It was because she saw something glorious: beautiful, ruby-red scales blossoming across the melted parts of Janus’s body. A divine sight.

Janus, who had been thrown far by the explosion just like her, took a step forward. Each time his scale-covered hand moved, there was a crack, the sound of bones snapping back into place, and the soft shhhh of crystal-like scales rubbing together. He had abandoned his sword entirely. In its place, alien claws with crimson, jewel-like nails reached for Ayra.

So this is how she would die—at the hands of a dragon.

No... at the hands of Janus.

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

A strange mix of bitter sorrow and joy welled up inside her. But there was no strength left—not for spells, not even to dodge. As Janus approached, she was barely able to lean against a wall, gasping for breath. That was when pebbles and dust trickled down from above her.

She lifted her head weakly. Overhead loomed one of the massive buildings in the ruins, cracked like a spiderweb from the quake and explosion. Pillars and walls were slowly collapsing toward her. Staring up blankly, she shut her eyes tight.

In that final moment, the only thought that passed through her mind was: If I’m going to die, I’d rather be torn apart by a dragon than crushed like this.

Then came a thunderous crash as the stones fell. It was like the heavens collapsed. But strangely, she didn’t feel the pain of her body being crushed. Was it adrenaline? Or was she already dead?

When the sound finally ceased, Ayra slowly opened her eyes. Darkness surrounded her—buried, it seemed, beneath the ruins. No, not just buried—something was covering her.

She gasped in shock as that something moved, shaking off the rubble and dust.

It was... Janus.

Pebble slipped out of Janus’s body and returned to Ayra’s. She didn’t even have time to register what that meant before her mind blanked out again. Right in front of her—gleaming—was the dragon’s scale. A priceless treasure, the likes of which she’d never seen in her entire life.

She raised her hand without thinking, reaching for the scale—but her breath caught painfully. She must have hit her shoulder badly; stars exploded behind her eyes.

"...Don’t move."

Krhhk, the dragon still growled faintly like a beast. His voice came from above her. His expression as he looked at the dust-covered Ayra was complex—part confusion, part frustration, part anger. But at least, for now, he didn’t seem like he was going to kill her. Ayra's tense body slowly loosened in relief.

Janus held her tightly in his arms, exhaling raggedly like a feral beast. His breath was hot against her neck, his teeth sharp and close enough to bite. Then, right by her ear, she heard the grating crunch of him grinding his teeth.

[Janus Rehzedet: Status Effect – Acid Poison (132 seconds)]

It was only when she saw the system alert that Ayra realized Janus was still suffering from the acidic burning. She swallowed dryly. Pebble, now inside her again, displayed his real-time damage in floating numbers above his head.

1345... 1360... 1358...

The scales on his body rustled up and down like reversed fur, shimmering and lifting only to settle again. When she opened the stat window, Janus’s HP was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} steadily decreasing. But his regeneration rate was so fast that the number dropped only slightly in the hundreds range.

Then, a hot tongue licked the shell of her ear. As if he could eat her right now, he ground his teeth and gulped, making an obscene swallowing sound. Ayra was stunned, staring at his reddened sclera and shimmering scales as his tongue slithered down like a snake to her bleeding forehead.

"What the...?!"

Of course—when the acid bomb had exploded, some of the reagent had gotten on her too. But Ayra, with her high magic resistance, only felt a mild sting. Janus, however, had just dragged a deadly poison into his own mouth. Right by her ear, she heard the sizzle of his tongue burning, and her breath caught.

[Janus Rehzedet: Status Effect – Acid Poison (156 seconds)]

Just like his skin, where red scales had emerged, even his tongue had changed into something inhuman. Shhhk—he licked the blood-caked side of her temple again. The texture of his tongue was far too rough, sending goosebumps up her neck. This wasn’t a human tongue anymore.

"...You."

His voice, hoarse and raspy, hissed as if there was a hole in his throat. With one human eye and one inhuman one, Janus tilted his head, staring at her. Ayra, entranced, raised her hand and touched his eye. Her fingers gently traced his narrowed expression, then moved to the edge of his eye where the white should’ve been.

It felt like glass—smooth, hard, unnaturally cold. She gasped quietly. It was unlike touching any living creature’s eye—more like a jewel.

But after a few blinks, his eyes returned to normal. Just human. Apparently, a few minutes had passed—long enough for the reagent’s effect to wear off. The scales on his skin also began to fade.

As Ayra coughed from the dust clogging her lungs, Janus clicked his tongue softly. Then, rising from where he had shielded her, he pushed the fallen pillar off with a thud.

Ayra slowly pushed herself up, watching him warily. The acid bomb had produced far more destructive results than she’d expected. When she saw his body melting, she had assumed she would be torn to pieces in the aftermath. But now... this was not a result she could have predicted.

Janus didn’t seem angry. Nor irritated. He simply looked blank, deep in thought. Occasionally, he glanced at her. Ayra, dazed from exhaustion, tensed as he stood. Reflexively, she reached out and grabbed his pants.

Janus looked down at her in mild surprise. Ayra blurted out:

"...Do you want to do it?"

His expression turned strange. Understandably. This was not the kind of moment anyone expected such a thing. But it wasn’t lust driving Ayra—it was the Favorability notification window.

She had thought she'd imagined it when her head got hit. But no—Janus’s Favorability had been steadily rising during their battle. For a human who’d just risked their life fighting a dragon, she simply couldn’t comprehend his psychology.

Why? Is this pervert really into pain?

Or was he thrilled to be attacked?

Can sadism and masochism coexist in one being?

Maybe to a dragon, all of this is just elaborate roleplay...

I’ve seen his eyes and skin—what does a dragon’s real reproductive organ even look like?

She was too tired, too cold, and her mind kept drifting to strange places. But one thing was clear: she was glad he didn’t kill her. And yet, she couldn’t just let him leave like this. Pride? Who cared. She’d already braced herself for death. She’d do anything to keep him here.

"You like this kind of stuff... don’t you? If you want, then fine. I don’t care if it’s a month, or two—just do it..."

Janus didn’t reply. Maybe his tongue was still melted. He simply looked down at her with an unreadable expression. When she tried to push herself upright again, she stumbled and knocked her head into his thigh. Still, she didn’t let go of his pants.

She coughed, choking, and Janus bent over again. Ayra seized the chance and grabbed him by the collar. She fought to stay conscious, her mind going hazy. With eyes burning blue, she glared at him. But her vision was too blurred to see his expression.

She was at her limit. Her HP, her MP—both were gone.

"You... touch my territory, and I won’t let it go."

She had fought tooth and nail to keep it from collapsing under debt. Even as she blacked out, Ayra held on with everything she had, snarling her final threat—

Then she slumped forward.

Before her vision vanished completely, she saw it.

*Janus’s Favorability* 35