My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 94: Was He Dead?

67, 68...

The lightning flashes grew thicker, the thunder louder, and each strike seemed to last even longer than the one before.

The storm was definitely picking up.

Now the lightning was as thick as a Claire's waist.

It was hard to picture how scary the eighty-first strike would be.

Every time lightning struck Davy, it drained a little more life out of him. Claire thought he was finished more than once—but the second another bolt started to form, and the thunder crashed down again, he'd lift his head right back up.

Jeffrey quietly let out a curse.

"Man, you just won't stay down! I thought you'd be done after ten hits. But hey, guess that makes you worth my time. Nine more to go—you're not making it through those."

Claire cut him off.

"Davy's gonna make it! I know he will!"

A strange sense of trust filled her chest, and the words slipped out before she could stop herself.

Jeffrey frowned, clearly annoyed.

"Davy? Wow, you got close fast. You've known him, what—a day? And you haven't even said my name once. Don't push your luck. Me liking you? That's already more than you deserve."

Claire turned her head away, a look of pure disdain on her face.

Jeffrey moved around the pool until he found the closest spot to her. Then, without warning, the lower half of his body twisted and shifted into a massive snake tail, snapping straight toward her.

"Whoa!"

Startled, Claire ducked under the water on instinct.

The tail sliced through empty air.

Jeffrey grew irritated, then seemed to realize something as he stared at her beneath the surface.

"You leveled up? Level 1? When did that happen?"

She dodged so much faster now—nothing as she had back in the rogue beastfolk den.

Through the rippling water, Claire looked up at him. The spring water flowed over her face, washing away the dirt on her cheeks and revealing the beast mark underneath.

"So, you really did hit Level 1! Now I'm even more curious. How exactly do you go from a Level 0 to Level 1?"

Jeffrey mused, leaning closer to study her beast-marked face. She looked like a little stray cat.

Claire brushed her cheek, realizing the mud she'd casually smeared on after leveling up had disappeared. Now, her strength was fully revealed.

She had planned to make her escape the moment Jeffrey let his guard down—catch him off guard.

But that plan was ruined. Now stuck in the hot spring, she was safe for the time being since Jeffrey couldn't reach her easily, but she knew she couldn't stay underwater forever.

Jeffrey had already figured that out. He lingered near the hot spring, just waiting for her to make a mistake and come to him.

With nowhere else to turn, Claire could only place all her hope on Davy.

Come on...

Boom!

The eightieth bolt slammed down out of the sky.

A purple bolt struck the barely breathing drake.

Bang!

With a loud explosion, the drake's last remaining horn shattered.

The green mist vanished completely, and the massive body dropped straight to the ground.

"No... Davy!"

Claire watched as the battered drake slammed into the snow, carving a deep trench, then lay still for a long time.

Was he dead?

She didn't dare think further—or step forward to check.

Jeffrey stood at the edge of the trench, looking down at the faintly twitching drake, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Turning into a drake... I've never heard of anyone succeeding. So this is what a drake looks like?"

From a distance, he hadn't seen it clearly. But now, up close, he realized that even battered and covered in blood, the creature still felt untouchable—like something far beyond reach.

The pressure it gave off was overwhelming, a kind of fear that sank straight into his bones.

Then, Jeffrey let out a sharp laugh.

"Overestimating yourself and trying to become a drake? Still, I'll admit—you're impressive. Give it a little more time, and maybe you really could've become a true drake. Too bad... hahaha! Today, I'll be the drake slayer!"

As he spoke, his snake tail shot forward, the sharp tip aiming straight for the drake's heart.

"No!"

At the last second, Claire burst out of the hot spring and threw herself in front of him.

She was soaked through, her damp hair stuck to her face, making her wide eyes look softer—almost fragile—but still stubborn. She spread her arms, standing between him and Davy.

Jeffrey's smile faltered, and he let out a sharp, annoyed huff.

"What's the point of that? Look at him—he's already as good as dead! Hah!"

Claire could hear the drake's breathing growing weaker... until it was almost gone.

Jeffrey pulled back his tail. In that state, even if he did nothing, Davy wouldn't last much longer.

Tears welled up in Claire's eyes. Her nose stung, her chest tight, but she refused to move aside.

At the very least... at least she could protect his body.

Otherwise, Jeffrey might just swallow him whole.

Despair filled her thoughts. She had fallen into a demon's lair again. There was no way she would ever see Zane or Rufus again.

Zane... Rufus... beastlings... goodbye.

She closed her eyes. Maybe it would be better to end things herself than suffer at Jeffrey's hands.

Right then, the storm clouds that hadn't fully cleared rumbled again. The sound started low and distant, like it was coming from far away—then slowly grew louder.