Chapter 6: System Gift Pack and the Body Odor Hunter
The second night after the Cursed Doll incident.
Livia lay prone, feigning sleep, while her mind was entirely consumed by the sound of breathing drawing closer from deep within the lair. The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became.
Suddenly, with a "shua," a translucent panel popped up before her eyes.
[System Interface Officially Opened]
Livia was startled; her tail jerked violently, nearly causing her to spring up from the ground.
But she quickly calmed down—
What was meant to come would eventually arrive; the standard "Gold Finger" for transmigrators might be late, but it would never be absent.
The panel floated before her, translucent, with fiery red dragon patterns etched along the edges, looking exactly like a game UI.
The content was divided into four clear columns:
[many children, many blessings system · Main Interface]
1. For every offspring born, obtain Bloodline Evolution Points
2. Offspring Quality Evaluation: Dragon Beast / Drake / True Dragon / Legendary Dragon
3. After offspring reach adulthood, they provide attribute feedback to the mother
4. Beginner's Gift Pack (Awaiting Opening)
Livia stared at the first line for three seconds.
For every offspring born, obtain Bloodline Evolution Points.
She immediately recalled the web novels she had read in her past life:
The "Many Sons, Many Blessings" system—get stronger by having kids. The more you pop out, the more powerful you become. Open a harem, and the world is yours.
At the time, she had complained that this setting was pure nonsense. Isn't giving birth exhausting? Isn't raising kids annoying?
Now, it was her turn.
She continued reading.
Offspring Quality: Dragon Beast, Drake, True Dragon, Legendary Dragon.
She immediately remembered the day she hatched:
The first two eggs couldn't call out their True Names and were crushed by the Dragon Mother on the spot—those were Dragon Beasts.
The third egg let out a "meow" and was also gone.
Only those who could call out their True Names were True Dragons.
She looked up and glanced at Carlos and Sephira nearby.
These two had both called out their names on hatching day. Although Carlos wasn't very bright and bumped into walls every day, the system certified them as True Dragons.
Looking at the third point:
Offspring provide attribute feedback after reaching adulthood.
Which meant—
The more she gave birth, the stronger she would become;
And when the children grew up, they could even turn around and give their mother buffs?
Infinite stacking; the more she birthed, the fiercer she'd get?
Only one word came to Livia's mind:
Ridiculous.
Her gaze fell upon the last line:
Beginner's Gift Pack (Awaiting Opening)
She gave it a light tap with her consciousness.
The panel immediately played an animation:
A palm-sized miniature fire elemental sprite, wearing a tiny grass skirt, hopped out and began tap dancing on the spot.
Tap-tap, tap-tap. It spun wildly in the center of the panel, its grass skirt flying high.
Livia stared at it for thirty seconds.
It was still dancing.
One minute.
Still dancing.
Two minutes.
Livia complained internally:
This loading speed... is it connected to a 2G network?
Even inside a volcano, the signal shouldn't be this bad.
After a full three minutes, the sprite finished its last move, its grass skirt swinging to the highest point, and then—
"Bang—"
It exploded directly into a sky full of light specks.
An item notification finally popped up:
[Items Obtained]
1. [Bloodline Purification Potion (Basic)] — Increases the probability of True Dragon offspring by +5%
2. [Charming Dragon Awe (Passive)] — Increases favorability from dragons of the opposite sex by +10%
3. [Interspecies Breeding Adaptation (Trial Version)] — Allows mating with non-dragon races. 30-year trial period. If not renewed upon expiration, offspring may degenerate into "thinking lizards."
4. [Dragon Nest Perception] — Locates high-quality mates within a 50km radius
Livia stared at the third point for ten seconds.
Then another ten seconds.
Interspecies Breeding Adaptation?
And a trial version?
If it expires in 30 years and isn't renewed, the kids just turn into thinking lizards?
She took a deep breath.
Then another.
System, are you serious?
This is some Dragon Realm pay-to-win mobile game, isn't it?
When a normal app expires, you just lose features; you're directly downgrading the kids?
Isn't that a bit too unscrupulous?
Forcing down her urge to complain, she looked at the fourth point:
[Dragon Nest Perception] — Locates high-quality mates within a 50km radius.
High-quality mates.
Sounds decent enough.
She activated it with her consciousness.
The panel switched to scanning mode. After three rotations, the results popped up:
[Scan within 50km radius complete]
[Dragons: 0]
[Wild Boars: 17]
[Other: 1 solitary human male (52 years old, hunter, has body odor)]
Livia: "..."
The lair instantly fell silent.
Only the gurgling sound of the magma remained.
She stared at that line for a long, long time.
17 wild boars.
1 solitary human male.
52 years old.
Hunter.
Has body odor.
System, you call this a high-quality mate?
Do you have some kind of misunderstanding regarding the word "high-quality"?
Not even the grilled lamb kidney stall owner in the night market of an urban village from my past life had such heavy tastes.
Expressionless, Livia closed the panel directly.
Out of sight, out of mind.
This system... talking about it would be an embarrassment to all dragons.
Keep it hidden, let it rot in my stomach; I absolutely cannot let another dragon know.
She lay down again, resting her chin on her front claws, staring blankly at the lava lake, trying to calm down.
Just then—
"Rumble—!!"
A violent tremor suddenly erupted from deep within the lair.
This time, it was stronger than any before.
Large chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, crashing into the lava lake and splashing high pillars of magma.
Fissures began to split open along the rock walls, and those ancient runes flickered within the cracks, on the verge of extinguishing.
The Dragon Mother snapped her eyes open.
She stood up with a "shua," her eighty-meter-long body whipping up massive waves in the magma.
Her golden vertical pupils instantly constricted to pinpricks, staring intently into the darkness deep within the lair.
Livia also stared fixedly in that direction.
In the darkness, the sound of breathing echoed once more.
This time, it was incredibly heavy, close, and clear, like a mountain was gasping for air.
The tremors grew stronger.
The fissures in the rock walls widened.
The light of the runes grew dimmer.
The system panel unexpectedly popped up on its own, with red warnings flashing frantically:
[Detected unknown lifeform approaching...]
[Energy Level: Unable to evaluate]
[Suggestion: Evacuate immediately, or prepare for battle]
Livia looked at the panel, then at her own body, which was barely larger than a dog's.
Evacuate? To where?
This was the inside of a volcano; going out meant death.
Battle? With what? Use her auto-aiming fireballs to give someone a scratch?
The Dragon Mother had already slowly crawled out of the lava lake, her tail pulling out of the magma, an eye-piercing orange-red light glowing between the gaps of her scales.
Without looking back, her voice was cold and heavy:
"Hide in the back."
Without a word, Livia took Carlos and Sephira and retreated for their lives, all the way to the furthest corner of the lair. The three wyrmlings huddled together, their bodies tense, staring into that darkness.
The vibrations drew closer and closer.
Large rocks fell continuously, booming as they hit the ground.
In the darkness, that breathing sound was right before them.
The light in the Dragon Mother's throat grew brighter, nearly illuminating the entire lair.
Suddenly—
Another light shone in the darkness.
It was also orange-red.
But the color was deeper, as dark as coagulated blood.
Livia stared at the source of that light, her heart stopping.
She saw it clearly.
The thing in the darkness.
It was a head.
A head even more massive than the Dragon Mother's.
Its scales were dark reddish-brown, like dried, blackened bloodstains.
The eyes were vertical pupils, but there was no light within them, only a void, like two bottomless abysses.
Its mouth was slightly ajar, revealing two rows of fangs that were halfway broken, with shards of bone stuck between the teeth.
That monster slowly emerged from the darkness, staring at the Dragon Mother, at the lair, and at the three wyrmlings huddled in the corner.
On the system panel, another line of text popped up, blood-red and piercing:
[Target Detected:??? · Flameburner]
[Status: Deceased]
[Energy Level: Ancient Dragon Corpse (Activated)]
[Suggestion: Run]
Livia's mind went blank.
Deceased?
Ancient Dragon Corpse?
Activated?
A dead dragon... has climbed back up?
The Dragon Mother's voice, terrifyingly calm, echoed softly through the lair:
"You're back."
That dragon corpse did not speak.
Only its hollow eyes stared at her quietly.
Like two abysses slowly opening.