Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 181

Strike while the iron is hot — Ayra decided to eliminate the Karkal at first light. This kind of matter only got worse if dragged out. The longer it took, the more people would be injured, public approval would drop, and only Teon would profit.

Before announcing the Karkal subjugation to the residents, Ayra asked Janus:

“Janus. Can you fight the Karkal in front of the castle? I’d like the townsfolk to see you in action... though, would the castle be damaged? Like the walls collapsing or something?”

“You think it takes that much just to kill those things?”

Janus snorted like he’d heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. But his lips curled in a sharp arc — he clearly understood what Ayra wanted.

“Sure, I’ll do it. Besides, it’s better for me to stay near you anyway.”

Though he’d been prickly at dawn just from people looking at him, perhaps he was eager to move his body after so long — Janus agreed readily.

Before he could change his mind, Ayra immediately announced the Karkal subjugation throughout the estate. Remembering how much they’d gained from promoting Bloom last time, she decided to go big now that Janus had given permission. She declared the subjugation would happen right in front of the castle and temporarily opened the outer castle wall so anyone could watch. She even quietly set up a booth for steamed buns — currently being pushed as a local Solar specialty.

Ayra’s approval rating was at its peak. The people of the estate had strong trust in their young and beautiful lord. Anxious after the recent attacks and casualties, they rushed to the castle wall, believing their hero Bloom would take care of things again.

But when the castle gate opened, it wasn’t Bloom who came out — it was another man.

A red-haired man strolled out like he was taking a casual walk behind the mountain, yawning and dragging his feet. The crowd of residents packed along the castle wall murmured as they watched him step onto the open field.

“Isn’t that... that red-haired guy?”

“Yeah, there’s only one head of hair that red in all of Solar — that’s Janus.”

“Isn’t he the lord’s consort or something?”

“The lord’s consort? He is pretty handsome... But why would the lord’s consort be fighting ma-beasts?”

“I heard he used to be a mercenary.”

“I heard he was just a thug?”

Listening to the townsfolk chatter, Ayra straightened her collar. Since when was Janus so famous in Solar? Apparently, over the past ten years, he’d built a wide network under the pretext of looking for his lover. Though in reality, Ayra was the only human even remotely connected to him...

From atop the watchtower, Ayra looked down at Janus, who was leisurely stretching. The sight reminded her of the time Janus slaughtered the entire Ocampania pack in an instant. Today, he needed to do the same — wipe out the Karkal horde in spectacular fashion, leaving a deep impression on the townspeople. That was Ayra’s aim.

‘This way, I can implant a positive image of dragons.’

Though things had improved recently, there were still plenty in Solar who considered mages heretical. Even the High Priest Act viewed both mages and dragons as unholy beings. So Ayra wanted to lay some groundwork before revealing Janus’s identity. She figured that if he fought off Karkal to protect the castle, just like Bloom, his popularity would rise.

‘Solar marble, steamed buns, Bloom, and Janus...’

She could brand them all as symbols of Solar and export the products, raking in magic stones. Then she could inscribe warming magic throughout the castle, line the soldiers’ winter coats with thicker cotton, cultivate the wastelands, build her own private research lab, and then...

As those happy dreams unfolded, Janus finished his light warm-up. Ayra pressed herself against the edge of the bell tower and stared wide-eyed at him.

Janus had once dug a massive pit as a birthday gift and imprisoned a horde of ma-beasts inside. Based on that, it was clear dragons had the ability to either create ma-beasts or at least control them. How exactly did dragons summon ma-beasts? The very thought made Ayra’s heart race.

Moments later, Janus stood tall in place.

A deep vibration began to resonate from around him: woom, woom, woom... Crimson waves shimmered outward like ripples across water. The dragon’s eyes glowed a savage red, and when he opened his mouth, he spoke in Dragon Tongue — a command ma-beasts could never resist.

Come to me. And die by my hand.

Soon, a horde of Karkal appeared across the plain. They crawled toward Janus like obedient dogs following their master, bowing their massive heads submissively at his feet. Janus sneered arrogantly, raised his foot, and stomped on one of their heads. Blood and brain matter splattered—

—or would have, in the fantasy Ayra was imagining as her heart swelled with anticipation. In reality, Janus opened his «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» mouth, and the sharp gleam of his fangs peeked out from beneath his lips.

Then he raised both hands, formed a trumpet shape with them, and brought them to his mouth.

And barked.

A thunderous dog’s bark echoed across the snow-covered wasteland. Ayra, leaning against a loophole in the castle wall (the kind made for firing long-range weapons), staggered. Bloom, standing behind her, quickly grabbed her to prevent a fall.

“Are you alright, my lord?”

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

“I’m fine... Just... my illusion...”

Only a little shattered, that’s all...

Truthfully, Ayra knew full well that despite the name “dragon” being attached to Janus, he was more of a top-tier predator at the pinnacle of the food chain. Other than his middling 18-damage spells, his handsome looks, and a polymorph-like transformation ability, he had almost nothing in common with the dragons of fantasy from her previous life.

Even so, in Ayra’s eyes, Janus right now was nothing more than... a beast.

As her lofty expectations came crashing down, Ayra instinctively clutched her chest. But maybe — just maybe — it was even better that he was so different from typical dragons...

She wasn’t the only one stunned by the man barking like a dog. The crowd of residents leaning over the castle wall to see the Karkal subjugation began murmuring in confusion.

“Why is he barking like a dog?”

“What the hell is he doing?”

“Where’s Sir Bloom? Why is that guy stepping up?”

“Sir Bloom! Call for Sir Bloom!”

The confusion didn’t last long. The crowd, growing disgruntled, started booing and chanting Bloom’s name. But Janus didn’t give a single damn. He continued barking as if possessed by the spirit of a dog.

Soon, the crowd’s jeers and chants began to fade. Janus’s barks grew louder — so loud that each one rang painfully in their ears. The chilling, guttural growls sounded like they were rising from the depths of a bottomless pit. The people’s hearts began to pound with discomfort. Some grimaced and covered their ears; others crossed themselves with trembling hands.

That was when the enormous horde of ma-beasts appeared at the edge of the plains.

Karkal resembled wolves the size of houses. From the single large eye at the center of their foreheads, clusters of auxiliary eyes glittered. Their many tails looked like torn rags. Their gaping maws could swallow a human whole, revealing jagged yellow teeth like stalactites.

A heavy silence settled among the crowd. Even from a distance, even behind the safety of the castle wall, this was the kind of monster most would never see in their entire lives. Just laying eyes on such beasts was enough to instill terror in any normal person.

The Karkal howled from the edge of the plains. Usually, only five or six moved together. But now it seemed as if every pack from the entire mountain range had been gathered. The beasts howled continuously from afar as if unwilling to cross some invisible line.

Janus barked again.

It was like a lightning strike — the Karkal jumped, thrashed, snarled, and growled low with aggression. Like frightened dogs, they yelped, their snarls now tinged with confusion and fear. Some of them, foaming at the mouth like rabid beasts, began to go berserk.

Then they snapped — barking wildly and charging forward.

The townspeople didn’t even breathe. Instinctively, they shrank back, trembling like helpless mice before a cat, unable to move.

One of the Karkal lunged first, maw wide open. Its fangs glistened ominously as it bit down, and the entire crowd gasped. A few people even let out short screams.

But instead of Janus being crushed, the Karkal suddenly yelped — kyaeng! — and sprang back. Blood gushed from its mouth like a waterfall. It let out a choking noise, convulsed, and dropped dead.

Janus hurled the enormous tongue he’d ripped out and lunged at the next one.

Wherever his body collided with the Karkal, their massive forms were flattened and thrown aside. He didn’t even draw a weapon. Just his fists — and wherever they struck, flesh caved in, bones shattered. Instead of beastly roars, the Karkal wailed like whimpering dogs.