That Elusive and Mysterious Hero (11)

In short, there seemed to be no other choice but to give it a try. In her mind, Si Jiu gave a fierce middle finger to the higher-ups of the Bureau, suppressed her simmering irritation, adjusted her mood, and then began to climb.

[Host, what are you doing?]

The system, apparently convinced that it had come clean with Si Jiu, no longer bothered to hide its true personality. The flat mechanical voice was replaced by a childish, soft, and adorable tone.

"I'm climbing up to kiss it. By the way, is this your original voice?"

[We can extract and synthesize any voice. According to the data, this one is most likely to make people lower their guard and develop affection. Do you like it, Host?]

"...It's fine, I suppose."

[Good luck, Host.]

Si Jiu: "..."

She struggled upwards, finally collapsing on the dragon's nose, panting. "Forget it, this is exhausting. I'm done climbing."

Initially, she’d considered that when Charles triggered the unlocking prompt, he’d kissed her forehead. She had wanted to climb up and kiss the big black dragon’s brow.

Si Jiu bent down and planted a smack right on the dragon’s nose tip.

[Beep... World Male Lead identity unlocked. Name: Xiu. Race: Black Dragon.]

[This world’s Male Lead golden finger: Magic Immunity. Delivery method: Kiss in specific circumstances. Remaining delivery time: 29 days, 8 hours. Host, please do your best.]

[Darkness does not mean evil, and light does not mean goodness. The sin lies not in the blade that kills, but in the hand that wields it.

Ten thousand years ago, when Xiu was still an egg, he was secretly hidden away by the sanctimonious High Priest of Light, who sought to exploit him to gain the supreme power of the Dragon God and the secret of immortality.

The so-called 'evil' hatchling spent decades imprisoned and tortured by the so-called 'righteous' but cruel priest of light.

Once his draconic bloodline was awakened, the young black dragon broke free, killed the wicked priest, but sustained grave injuries in the process.

The black dragon was cursed with a spell of light.

Magic continually corrodes the black dragon’s formidable body, which cannot heal itself.]

[The evil priest left behind a secret research journal on black dragons. For millennia, a hidden force has never ceased its pursuit of power and everlasting life.]

[When the black dragon’s last drop of blood is shed, this plane will face collapse.]

[Kissing is humanity’s most direct expression of love. Parents kiss their children, wives kiss their lovers, and people always feel the warmth and strength of being loved in a kiss.

Temporary side quest issued: Kiss him as much as possible. His physical wounds and emotional scars need your kisses to heal.]

Si Jiu: "............" Damn it!

"As expected, this is not a proper department in a proper company."

The system replied with embarrassment: [I don’t know how it turned out like this.]

Upon closer listening, embarrassment was merely a cover for guilty conscience.

"So, what are the specific circumstances?"

This time, the system was genuinely ashamed: [Insufficient conditions. I don’t know yet.]

Si Jiu: Fine. I don’t even feel like swearing anymore.

She lay on the black dragon’s nose, dispirited. "Let’s not talk about the quest for now. Isn’t my daily survival the most pressing concern? There’s nothing here but gold and jewels, not a single leaf, and those damn tentacle monsters won’t let me leave the cave. Am I supposed to survive on air?"

She raised her hand and smacked the black dragon, muttering, "Does this guy survive on air too? How hasn’t he starved after thousands of years? Or does sleeping mean he doesn’t need to eat?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the black dragon before her slowly lifted its eyelids.

A pair of pitch-black eyes, like two enormous wells, stared back at her. At the center of each pupil, the iris was golden, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

Si Jiu could see her own reflection clearly in his eyes—her golden appearance shining like a gold ingot.

System: [I was about to tell you, the black dragon does awaken to feed at irregular intervals. He’s awake now.]

Si Jiu: "..."

"Hi, Xiu. Good morning," Si Jiu trembled as she raised a hand, striving to display a friendly, charming smile.

[Why isn’t there a favorability meter? His gaze gives me chills. Is he planning to eat me?]

System: [He... probably won’t eat you.]

Si Jiu finally relaxed a little.

[But the black dragon harbors deep hatred and disgust toward humans.]

"............"

[So he might tear apart any human he lays eyes on. Eek~]

As the system finished speaking, Si Jiu saw the dragon’s golden iris gradually elongate and narrow, finally transforming into a vertical slit like a snake's pupil, making her skin crawl.

The ground trembled.

No, it was beneath her that was shaking.

The dragon snorted out a blast of scorching breath, moved its head, and Si Jiu, unable to keep her balance, tumbled down with a roll.