"This… this can't be real," Roxy said in disbelief, "I'm in the novel I was reading. With a system that's forcing me to be a breeder?!"
She pinched herself several times, hoping she was in a dream. But she wasn't.
She was stuck here.
The clock pulsed in front of her.
[Time Remaining: 7:58:42]
Roxy scrambled to her feet, wincing as her bruised knees protested. "Okay. Okay, Roxy. Panic later. You need a man. A male. Anyone who fulfills this stupid ass system."
The pig was gone, scared off by whatever was in here.
Great. So whatever was in here is definitely worse than a moving van-sized boar. And I have to find it, seduce it with my charming face, and get knocked up by it in less time than it takes to work a full shift at a shitty retail job.
"System," she hissed, taking steady steps deeper into the cave. "Define suitable partner. Must it be a bear? Because I'm not doing a bear. I draw the line at fur."
[Target must possess a high-tier bloodline to counteract the curse. Keep moving, Host. He is close.]
"He?" Roxy paused. "Well, at least it's a he."
As she rounded a corner, Roxy was blinded by glaring, shimmering light. She quickly shielded her eyes.
When her vision adjusted, her jaw dropped.
"Holy mother of...."
The cavern opened up into a space the size of a football stadium. The walls were studded with crystals, massive, jagged spikes of amethyst, quartz, and weird, glowing blue stones that pulsed like heartbeats.
Roxy walked through the piles of uncut rubies the size of her head. There were many more she could not name.
"Okay," she muttered, stepping over a diamond. "So the guy is a rock collector. A very intense rock collector. Like, how much is all of this even worth?"
[Time Remaining: 7:28:10]
Roxy sighed in a frustrated snarl. "Okay, fine, fine. Your mission comes first."
As she continued exploring the cave, Roxy suddenly halted in her steps.
"Oh, fuck no!" She shook her head fervently.
Curled up on a massive stone plateau was a monster. Roxy's eyes bulged; she could barely breathe.
It was a dragon. A fire-breathing dragon with wings and scales.
He was massive. His scales were obsidian black. His folded wings were large enough to blanket a small forest. His body moves with every breath.
He was sleeping.
[Ding! Prime Tier-1 Mating Target Acquired: The Dragon King!]
I'm not blind.
Roxy stared at the pop-up. Then, at the dragon. Then back at the pop-up.
"System," she whispered, her voice trembling with rage and exhaustion. "You want me to make babies… with Godzilla?"
[Affirmative. High compatibility detected.]
"Compatibility?!" Roxy shrieked in a whisper, gesturing frantically at the sleeping behemoth. "Look at the size of him! How exactly is the physics of this supposed to work? Do I just... climb on top of him? I'll die! I'll be split in half like a loaf of bread!"
I don't want to even imagine how big he's going to be.
[Physical contact is required to initiate biological assessment.]
Help me understand...
Roxy looked at the timer, taking steady breaths.
[Time remaining: 6:55:42]
"If I touch him, he wakes up, he eats me, I die. If I don't touch him, the timer runs out, I die," She sighed in defeat and frustration.
Why am I even trying so hard?
She crept forward. Her heart was hammering against her ribs.
Fuck it. I might as well give it a try.
The heat coming off the dragon was intense, like standing next to a furnace. Up close, he was terrifyingly beautiful. Dangerous.
Roxy reached out a shaking hand, her fingers hovered inches above a massive scale on his flank.
"Please don't be ticklish," she prayed in a soft tone.
She touched him.
Almost immediately, the dragon shrank. The scales receded, the wings folded in on themselves, and the massive body contracted.
In the blink of an eye, the dragon disappeared. In its place was a man. A naked man.
He was sprawled on the stone, fast asleep. He was huge, easily six-foot-five, with broad shoulders and muscles carved as if molded by a god. His skin was bronzed and gleaming with sweat, his hair a wild cascade of midnight black spilling over the stone.
Holy fuck, he is handsome.
But when Roxy saw the rest of him, her brain short-circuited. Her eyes, possessing zero survival instinct, immediately drifted downward.
"Jesus Christ," she choked out, her legs shaking. "Does he have a permit for that thing?"
[System Scan Complete.
Name: Zarek.
Species: Ancient Dragon.
Assets: S-Rank.]
"No shit, Sherlock," Roxy muttered, her face heating up. "That's not an asset, that's a blunt weapon of destruction."
And it was not even half hard yet....
She crawled closer, unable to help herself as she gulped. He was breathtaking. He looked like a god. Chiseled abs, strong thighs, and a face that was unfairly handsome even when lacking sleep.
But there was a problem. A big one.
He was asleep. Like, dead to the world, asleep. How am I supposed to do the deed if he's asleep?
Wait– that actually works in my favor.
"Okay, System," Roxy whispered, afraid she would wake him. "He's hot and definitely equipped for the job. But how am I supposed to do the deed without him waking up and turning me into a snack?"
[Alert! Target is in 'Deep Slumber'. Arousal levels are currently at 0%. Insemination probability: 0%]
"Well, obviously!" Roxy hissed, rolling her eyes. "He's sleeping!"
[Mini-Task Triggered: 'Wake the Beast'.]
[Objective: Raise the Dragon King's arousal level to 50% to activate his primal instincts.]
[Reward: 'Deep-Sleep Potion' x1 (Guarantees target remains docile during the mating process).]
Roxy stared at the screen, feigning innocence. "You want me to... start him up? Like a car?"
She held in her laugh, though it was hysterical.
[...]
[Correct. Without the 'Deep-Sleep Potion', the target will wake up fully upon penetration. Given his current aggression levels, this will result in: Immediate incineration.]
Which means I'll be turned into a roasted chicken ready to be devoured.
Roxy swallowed hard. She looked at Zarek, making her choice. He looked peaceful. Dangerous, but peaceful. Not looking like a person or a beast that could destroy you in one breath.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered, crawling between his spread legs. The heat radiating off him was intoxicating. It smelled of musk and raw masculinity.
"I'm basically assaulting a sleeping dragon. I am going to hell. Straight to hell." She groaned.
She reached out, her hand hovering over his thigh. His skin was burning hot to the touch.
"Hey, big guy," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Don't wake up. Just... enjoy the dream."
She laid her hand on his thigh to test the waters.
It was as hard as rock. The muscle jumped under her palm, and a low growl vibrated in his chest.
Roxy froze. But the system bar above his head flickered.
[Arousal: 1%]
"One percent?" Roxy scoffed, her shamelessness overriding her fear. "Is that an insult? I have cold hands, sue me."
She moved her hand higher, her fingers trailing over the scorching skin of his inner thigh. It was smooth and inviting.
Zarek let out a sharp intake of breath in his sleep. His hips bucked upward, just once, an instinctive reaction to her touch.
Roxy bit her lip, swallowing. Damn.
She wasn't just scared anymore. A heavy, wet heat was pooling in her own belly. She hadn't been with a man in... well, too long. And this wasn't just a man. This was a beast, a dragon.
She wrapped her hand around him.
He was heavy. Warm. And twitching against her palm.
[Arousal: 5%... 8%...]
"That's it," she whispered, finding a rhythm. She stroked him, her thumb rubbing over the tip. It was leaking pearlescent fluid, slick and hot. "Come on. Get excited for me."
Zarek groaned, a sound so deep it vibrated through her. His brow furrowed in his sleep, his head tossing back against the stone. His hips began to move, grinding up into her hand, chasing the friction.
I bet he has never chased pleasure like this before.
[Arousal: 15%]
"Almost there," Roxy panted. She was sweating now, the heat in the cave stifling. She used both hands, twisting her grip, teasing him with a shameless expertise she usually reserved for her vibrator.
Zarek let out a snarl, his hands clutching at nothing at his sides. Roxy gulped, his hips snapped up, thrusting blindly into her grip.
[Arousal: 50% - Threshold Reached!]
[Ding! Mini-Task Complete!]
[Reward Added to Inventory: Deep - Sleep Potion.]
Roxy let go immediately, scrambling back as a small vial materialized in her hand. Her hand was slick with his fluids, oozing a thick masculine scent.
Zarek let out a whine of loss, his hips searching for her touch even in his sleep. He was fully hard now, standing at attention, twitching, and cumming onto his stomach.
Roxy stared at him, her chest heaving. I can't say I wasn't turned on too...
She popped the cork off the vial.
"Sorry to leave you hanging, big boy," she whispered, climbing over him to straddle his hips. "But the real fun starts now."
A/N: Italics are for her inner thoughts.