Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 169

There was no way to explain this feeling. And so, without realizing it, he found himself reaching for God. Though the cloak was fastened to his back, it was so deeply dyed in crimson that he couldn’t even distinguish the red flower pattern—it was as if he could see it vividly before his eyes. Even when unseen, there are things that can still be perceived. If that wasn’t God, then what else could it be?

Suddenly, his once-weary limbs felt lighter. Strangely enough, time seemed to pass both swiftly and slowly. The blood of countless enemies formed rivers on the ground, and with every step he took, there was a wet, squelching sound. Bloom wished that this moment would last forever—or that it would end as quickly as possible.

For some reason, the enemies' movements appeared to slow. Their openings were clearer, and a sacred, radiant light shimmered around him. Through their reactions, Bloom realized this light was visible only to him. Was this an illusion? Or was God truly watching over him?

God... The god of Solar is watching over me...

Before he knew it, tears of unknown meaning streamed down his cheeks.

Gradually, Bloom's stamina was running out. Yet he clenched his teeth and swung his sword. Exhaustion made him leave openings without realizing it, and such moments became more frequent. But strangely, whenever a weapon lunged at him during those lapses, the blade would veer off-course, twist bizarrely, and grant him yet another chance to live.

How long had he fought in that trance-like state, where even his limbs no longer felt like his own? Eventually, the sun began to set, casting everything in a red glow.

When he came back to himself, everything around him was stained with blood. Gasping for breath, Bloom raised his head. There were no more soldiers attacking him. From beyond the cave, he could hear the groans of retreating enemy troops.

Ripples formed in the puddle of blood he blankly stared into. From its center, a red peak poked up, and then bloomed into a red flower. Bloom’s half-closed eyes widened at the strange sight.

With trembling hands, he cautiously reached out and picked the red flower. Only then did the tension drain from his body, and the sense of reality he had long forgotten returned. He had... endured. Until the soldiers of Sobletz retreated, he had fought so that not a single enemy could set foot in Solar. In the end, he had protected it.

Something surged in his chest, and tears mixed with blood welled up and trickled down.

Turning with the red flower in hand, pain suddenly wracked his limbs—until now they had only felt light. The cloak soaked in blood hung heavy, and his armor felt like it weighed a thousand tons.

Dragging his feet, Bloom forced himself to walk. After hours of battle, his rough breathing showed no sign ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) of calming, and the strain had made his entire body feel leaden. His vision was blurry, and the pounding headache from repeated blows to his helmet was relentless.

The gazes of those watching the blood-drenched knight dragging his trail of crimson were a storm of confusion, horror—and reverence.

Bloom gave not a single glance to anyone else. He walked straight toward Ayra. Lifting his heavy head with difficulty, he saw her watching him with a solemn gaze. Even through his hazy vision, he could tell that Ayra’s complexion was paler than it had been before the fight.

Only then did he realize—it had not been God who had watched over him, but his lord.

Strength drained from his trembling legs, and Bloom could no longer stand. In heavy silence, he collapsed to both knees with a loud thud. His lips, cracked and bleeding, parted as he asked:

"Have I... at last paid for my sins?"

"No."

Ayra’s gaze swept over Bloom’s wounded body as she rose from her seat. Whether the voice that spilled from her lips was warm or cold—he couldn’t tell.

"You didn’t think you could repay it with just this, did you?"

Yet even at those words, Bloom’s eyes held not a trace of anger or despair. He simply looked up at her with endless reverence. At Ayra’s gesture, the red flower slipped from Bloom’s hand and floated up into hers.

From the airborne red flower, a single droplet of blood fell and soaked her pale palm, unmarred by a single callus. Staring at it in silence, Ayra spoke:

"Your sins are vast and deep. From now on, you must continue to atone by my side, Sir Bloom."

"Yes, my lord... I will."

As if he’d been waiting for those very words, Bloom answered with joy—and promptly collapsed. Startled, Ayra rushed to him with wide eyes. Upon confirming he had merely fainted, she let out a deep sigh and then staggered backward, toppling over as well.

❄

"Hehe... hehehe..."

With a wet towel on her forehead, Ayra smiled in deep satisfaction. The gains from this ordeal were enormous—how could she not laugh? Thanks to that, she only made Jinas worry more as he sighed at her collapsing again.

"My lord? Are you feeling unwell? Shall I summon a physician?"

"It’s fine, Sir Jinas. I just overexerted myself, squeezing out too much mana."

"Yes... But if anything seems wrong, please summon a physician at once. You’ve pushed yourself far too hard lately. The crisis has passed—please rest completely for today."

After repeating the warning several times, Jinas bowed to Janus, asking him to take good care of her. Janus, lazily sprawled beside Ayra’s flushed and overheated body, casually agreed with a nod. Once Jinas left, Janus reached out and pulled over the tray of food that had been set.

"Want something to eat?"

"Mm, I don’t have much of an appetite. Just a little."

Janus fed Ayra a few spoonfuls of the meal Jinas had brought for the lord, then poured the rest into his own mouth. Lately, his appetite had been unusually strong. Ayra casually pulled out a bundle of dried meat from her subspace storage—special order from the kitchen—just for him.

As the dragon with beastlike appetite gnawed and crunched through the bones, Ayra smiled contentedly and opened Bloom’s stat window.

<Bloom>

HP: 2,349

MP: 192

Physical Attack: 23,654

Magic Attack: 0

Favorability: 100♡

[View Details]

Title: Crimson Knight

Job: Captain of the Knights

Strength: 465

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

Intelligence: 152

Skills: Command, Non-lethal Strike, Smite, Defense, Zealot’s Trance

Title List: [Click!]

Captain of Solar’s Knights, Survivor of Aksion, Great Sinner of Aksion, Righteous Butcher

Related Person: ??? [Click!]

Current Thought: Unlocked upon reaching Spirit GM’s max level

Scanning the stat window, Ayra recalled the day Bloom had fought alone.

By the end of that long battle, Bloom’s HP had dropped from roughly 16,000 to just above 1,000. It was a number that clearly showed just how close to the limit he had fought.

But through that brutal fight, Bloom had grown. His mana had increased, and he had gained new skills like Non-lethal Strike and Zealot’s Trance. His titles had also expanded—but among all his stats, one stood out above all others.

His Favorability—wasn’t just high. It had reached 100.

“Favorability 100...”

To Ayra, that number carried great significance. She could now more clearly define the ambiguous concept of Favorability.

In her view, Favorability wasn’t merely a sum total of all forms of affection. Rather, it numerically expressed how absolute the person was to the holder of that affection. The higher the Favorability, the more one was willing to stake their life, beliefs, and future on the object of their devotion.

Whether it was a parent for their child, lovers for each other, or a retainer for their lord—the system, via the Spirit Pebble, defined such absolute feelings under one term: Favorability.

And yet, Ayra felt neither pride nor joy at Bloom’s Favorability being 100. Becoming someone’s absolute being—especially when that someone was a retainer under her responsibility—only made her already heavy shoulders even heavier.

Honestly, rather than being lord of a freezing territory, it would have been far more comfortable to idle away in the warm south, researching in a cozy labyrinth. Still, even thinking that, she had no intention of abandoning Solar now.

Closing Bloom’s stat window, Ayra summoned the quest completion screen she had postponed checking due to fainting. As if waiting for this moment, Pebble leapt up and let out a grand fanfare.

<Quest Complete!>

[Righteous Butcher (2)]

Survive until Sobletz army retreats (Achieved)

Caution: Quest failure results in permanent loss of retainer

Reward: Public approval increase, Hero evolution

<Emergency Quest Complete!>

[Save Captain Bloom]

While the lord fainted, what happened to the estate? Let’s hurry and hear the reports! (Achieved)

Rescue Captain Bloom before he is executed in Sobletz! (Achieved)

Successfully defend against the invasion of Sobletz! (Achieved)

Caution: Quest failure significantly lowers public support and remaining countdown

Reward: Public support increase

[Multiple Quest Successes! Special Bonus for the hardworking user!]

Bonus unlocks in 24 hours :D

(Time remaining: 23:59:59)

As she stared at the flurry of success messages, a pleased smile spread across Ayra’s face. Truly, the brutal effort had paid off.

Of course, no matter how skilled Bloom was as a knight, and no matter how favorable the terrain was, it was impossible for one man to face 5,000 enemies alone. In order to make the impossible possible—and to ensure Bloom would not die—Ayra had made several arrangements. One of them was Janus.

The day before Bloom’s deployment, Ayra made sure no one else was around, then quietly asked for Janus’s cooperation.

“Janus, could you help Bloom this time?”

If he tried to refuse, she’d planned to throw her whole body into convincing him. But perhaps because it was his partner’s request—or maybe just because he was bored with nothing else to do—Janus agreed easily.

“Sure. Dealing with a bunch of humans isn’t a big deal.”

“It’s just... you’ll have to help secretly. Without anyone noticing...”

Trailing off, Ayra slipped something into Janus’s hand. Curious, he looked down—and saw small beads, half made of stone and half of metal. The sharp-witted dragon instantly understood her intention. With a low chuckle, he replied:

“Trying to make a hero, huh? That’s a new one... but sounds fun. I’m in.”

It seemed he regarded the whole thing as little more than a passing amusement—but for Ayra, having a dragon’s help was a massive win.