Chapter 2: Blood in the Water

The wounds on his body are so gruesome, they hurt just to look at. I don’t dare look closely.

The smell of salt and blood lingers in the water. I close my eyes, feeling around his chest with my hand. Found it. My palm brushes against a bump—must be the heart-protecting scale. I get a little excited—finally about to finish the quest!

I tug hard.

Derek lets out a muffled grunt.

I’m so startled I open my eyes. A few strands of Derek’s hair fall over his forehead, his face flushes, and his body heats up.

My eyes get red. He looks like he’s in so much pain. I hurt him. I’m about to pull out his scale. It must hurt so much.

My tears fall uncontrollably. Crying, I rub him a little, hoping he’ll feel better.

Derek’s cold face twists with pain. He bites down, glaring at me like he wants to tear me apart.

Did I hurt him again? Will he die? I’m so guilty, I’m bawling.

Wuwuwu I’m a bad person. My sobs sound like a kid who lost their ice cream on the Fourth of July. The system loses patience.

"Are you dumb? How many times have I told you—the mermaid princess is a villain! Do you know why she’s called a villain?"

The system realizes it’s being too harsh and softens up. "Stop crying, be bold, rip it out! He’s the male lead—no matter what we do, he won’t die."

I blink, wipe my tears, and bite my lip. The system’s right. If I fail again, not just me, the system will be in deep trouble too.

I steel myself, lean close to Derek’s ear, and trembling, announce, "Derek, this time I’m using all my strength."

My voice shakes, words drifting through the water like a secret nobody wants to hear. The scale on his chest is getting harder under my fingers, but no matter how I pull or scratch, it won’t budge.

Derek’s breathing gets faster and faster, but tied up by the spirit-binding rope, he can’t fight back. His body is taut, his chest burning hot. He seems at his limit.

Suddenly, Derek lets out a roar. A burst of dragon aura explodes from him, scaring me into retreat, my tail flipping up in fright.

The system finally gives me some credit. "Nice! This guy’s screaming like he’s dying. Must hurt a lot."

I check the panel—whoa, his anger value is skyrocketing. Wait, why’s the excitement value going up too?

The system goes quiet, then suddenly realizes: "Must be the anger lighting his fighting spirit. Men, am I right? The more riled up, the more fired up."

I nod and ask softly, "Then should I... rub him some more?" But then I remember the main task and get confused. "But I still haven’t pulled out the scale?"