My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 86: The Ember Fruit and the Man from the Water

The massive python moved silently through the water, drawing closer to Claire.

"Little female, you just ate an Ember Fruit. Do you feel any discomfort?"

"Ember Fruit? Discomfort?"

Claire felt incredible. Warm, relaxed, every inch of her body alive, like every pore had opened.

"Not at all. That was an Ember Fruit?"

"Yeah. Ember Fruit. Beastfolk who eat it usually burn from the inside out. But you... how are you fine?"

The titan python spoke without holding anything back.

It had gone through immense effort to find that Ember Fruit tree, then transplanted it beside this hot spring. It had guarded it for over a decade, waiting for the fruit to ripen.

According to what it had heard, cold-blooded rogue beastfolk who ate Ember Fruit could become warm-blooded, no longer the kind everyone despised.

"You really want to become warm-blooded?"

Claire looked at the giant python. Despite its overwhelming size, it felt far more approachable than Jeffrey ever had.

At that, the python started swimming happily around the spring, clearly excited.

"Of course. I hate being cold-blooded."

Claire thought that was strange. To want to change something so fundamental, something you were born as... Was that courage, or just foolishness?

"Who told you that?"

"I overheard others talking when I was young."

Claire didn't quite believe it. Changing from cold-blooded to warm-blooded sounded impossible. More likely, he had been misled.

Still, she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I was too hungry earlier and ate one. If you want, I can compensate you with beast meat."

"Meat? No, no. I don't eat that."

He shook his head immediately, as if the idea disgusted him.

"I was just worried you'd get hurt from eating it. Look, there are still plenty on the tree. Are you full? Want another?"

Claire couldn't help but see the titan python in a new light. His generosity genuinely surprised her.

From his perspective, the Ember Fruit was extremely important. And yet he was willing to share it with someone he had just met.

Both rogue beastfolk. Both snakes. Yet he and Jeffrey were nothing alike.

"Thank you. I'm good. You should keep them. By the way, why were you attacking Jeffrey's lair earlier? Do you have a grudge against him?"

At that, the python's mood shifted.

Under the cold moonlight, with snow still drifting down, his massive body transformed in an instant.

A man stood in the center of the hot spring. His upper body was bare, his skin dark, his build powerful and untamed. His hair was green, soaked and slick, falling down his back into the water. His shoulders were broad, his chest thick with muscle, his entire frame built with raw strength.

Even beneath the surface, the outline of his abs was visible. Every inch of him radiated power.

His face matched the impression. Strong, straightforward features, wide eyes with a clear, almost naive look. A rugged man from the wild, carrying a heavy, instinctive presence.

What caught Claire's attention most were the three beast marks across his cheek.

He was Level 3. No wonder he could fight Jeffrey head-on. Those marks only made him look more dangerous, more alive.

Claire took one look and swallowed hard. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. A strange tension built inside her, something between anticipation and unease.

"Little female, what's wrong? Your face is red. Is the Ember Fruit starting to take effect?"

"N-no. It's just... the spring is too hot."

Claire lowered her head, lying without thinking.

The man moved through the water with ease, then came up beside her. His strong arms reached out and lifted her from the spring.

Claire froze. Up close, his arms were nearly as thick as her waist.

What kind of life did he live to build a body like that?

"Wh-what's your name?"

She stammered.

"I'm Davy Stone. I picked the name myself."

Davy carried her over and set her down beneath the Ember Fruit tree.

"You handled the Ember Fruit fine, so the heat shouldn't hurt you."

Claire leaned back against the tree and felt warmth radiating from it. Even the tree itself was warm.

Beyond it lay layers of snow, piled high and endless. Yet here, heat and cold balanced perfectly, like two opposing forces holding each other in place.

Claire lifted her head, about to thank him, when she caught sight of Davy under the moonlight. His body glistened with a slick sheen, completely bare, not a scrap of fur covering him, laid out in plain view before her.

"Wait..."

Claire blinked, then rubbed her eyes, half convinced she was hallucinating.