Chapter 164: The Greedy Snake (Third Chapter, Requesting Votes)

He really left.

Looking at Kusla, now motionless in the room, Li En felt a pang of emotion.

Some people, when they're beside you daily, feel insignificant—even annoying—but when they're truly gone, you realize something's missing.

"Huh."

He slowly got out of bed, yet felt no post-surgery weakness as expected.

He reached out, touching the spot where the wound had been in his memory—but found no scar at all.

It felt as if all of it had been a dream.

"I sent for a priest." Seeing Li En's dazed expression, Violet Rose seemed slightly uneasy.

Li En clenched his fist, stood up, and smiled at Violet Rose.

For a girl who had cared for him for three days, he didn't feel he should burden her with his negative emotions.

"Looks like it worked."

He didn't need to feel it—after taking two steps, he sensed boundless strength coursing through his body.

When he rose too abruptly just now, he'd unconsciously left a handprint on the bed.

Looking back at the obvious imprint, Li En was slightly startled—and the changes on his Codex panel plainly revealed the transformation of his body.

【Biological Name: Multi-Headed Juvenile Dragon (Black Dragon, Red Dragon), Biological Rank: Silver, Status: Strength 14, Physique 16, Agility 10, Spirit 14】

Strength increased by 4, Physique by 5, Agility by 4—and Spirit, the hardest to raise (theoretically unchangeable), jumped directly by four points.

This, perhaps, was thanks to the gift of the Mind Flayer Overmind and the Black Dragon brothers.

"This boost seems a bit ridiculous."

Clearly, Li En's stats now surpassed those of a normal Silver species—clearly evident when compared to Talia, also a Silver species.

【Biological Rank: Silver, Status: Strength 11, Physique 11, Agility 14】

Their total base stats were 40 versus 36—seemingly close—but the gap in Strength and Physique was so vast that in combat, it would result in outright hardware dominance.

In actual fights, the weaker side would very likely lose their grip during sword clashes.

During collisions or damage exchanges, Li En would survive while Talia might be crushed outright.

At this point, Li En's strength had already surpassed the 13-point threshold of an ogre—the Cursed Ogre Gloves were now completely unusable.

And this meant Li En could now attempt to crush ordinary ogres with his bare hands.

The agility gap in combat would be barely noticeable—agility was more an evaluation of bodily balance and overall speed. Combined with Li En's Dragon Eyes, this difference posed no real problem.

Moreover, Li En's Spirit was at least five to six points higher—resulting in an overwhelming hardware advantage overall.

This was still under the assumption that Talia herself was already a powerful and rare advanced specimen.

"So this is what a Dragon is? No wonder they're the kings of hard stats."

The most obvious trait of Dragon advancement is superior physical stats.

Another example was Dainya's stats, which Li En had once probed.

【Biological Rank: Gold, Status: Strength 16, Physique 18, Agility 12】

Her stats mirrored Li En's almost exactly—highest Physique, second-highest Strength, decent Agility—a classic, well-rounded Dragon type.

Her Spirit wouldn't be low either; in fact, it was very likely her primary stat.

Dainya's physical stats, considering only Strength and Physique alone, were already close to those of a Hill Giant.

Li En stood up, jumped, threw a few punches—and faintly heard the whistle of displaced air. Compared to when he first arrived in Huicheng, he was vastly stronger.

With this body and his three professions, Li En had finally become a true powerhouse with his own combat system.

He glanced in the mirror—his appearance hadn't changed noticeably; no extra head had appeared.

Yet Li En could sense another thought stream operating at over ten times his normal speed—likely far exceeding his own computational capacity.

"Two horns." Beneath his hairline, two faint red horns had sprouted—undetectable unless you looked closely.

In each palm, a tiny "scale" had formed—a pale white crystal.

"A mana outlet?"

This was the mana outlet Kuku had promised—finally placed in the palms to avoid wear from impacts.

But it also made it convenient for ambushes.

Li En closed his eyes, sensing the vast difference between his current physical and spiritual state and what he'd felt before sleep.

"Where are Sallyman and the others?"

Having confirmed his own condition was excellent, Li En naturally turned his attention to the current situation.

He'd unknowingly slept for three days—how was the embassy faring? Where were Sallyman and the others?

"They returned two days ago—likely already arrived." Hearing this, Li En nodded, exhaling in relief.

He didn't think it strange they'd left him behind; the embassy was eager to report back, and waiting three days was impractical.

That Violet Rose had stayed behind for him, however, surprised him—she must have been busy too.

"The two juniors are in terrible condition—they'll need further treatment. We don't have much here, but priests are plentiful." She sighed; she'd worked overtime constantly these past days and couldn't leave.

Now that things had stabilized, she finally had time to focus on her own matters.

"Hey, little brother Li En, don't talk about boring work stuff—this is Haoburongyi freed-up date time! Look at me a little, okay?" The girl was clearly annoyed that the man kept bringing up work.

After breakfast, Violet Rose dragged Li En out onto the streets. Rarely visiting the Underworld, and now with no pressure, they naturally had to explore its specialties.

But more importantly, Li En owed Violet Rose a great deal—and now that he had time, he naturally intended to fulfill his "go on a date" promise.

As for when he'd made that promise, Li En couldn't remember—but he vaguely recalled having given his word.

"Is this necklace pretty?" While Li En was still trying to recall when he'd promised, Violet Rose pulled him into the next shop.

"Pretty."

"Is this dress pretty?" The girl held it up, twirled around.

"Pretty."

Li En clearly wasn't the type to enjoy shopping with girls—he usually just gave vague, indifferent replies.

He wasn't lying—he truly couldn't tell the difference between "Secret Spider Pattern" and "Spotted Spider Pattern," nor understand the theological meaning behind those tiny statues. To him, they all just looked exotic and nice.

Yet even this half-hearted praise made Violet Rose delighted—and she promptly had him buy everything, stuffing it all into her Buzhiduoshaozaizhong space bag.

For this date, Violet Rose insisted Li En pay—partly as thanks for her efforts. Li En smiled and agreed immediately.

He'd profited greatly from her services, and her care left him unsure how to respond—now, spending money made him feel at ease.

Yet along the way, the girl kept visiting ordinary shops selling cheap trinkets priced in copper coins—and Li En felt increasingly embarrassed buying them.

"This wooden harp…"

"Very pretty. Buy it."

"Is this ring pretty?"

"Pretty—wait, don't tell me you mean what I think you mean! Why are you pouting?!"

Li En had almost bought Violet Rose a ring.

Her failure made her sulkily kick pebbles on the ground—Li En sucked in a breath. Was she not teasing him? Had she been serious all along?

But soon, she perked up again, cheerfully dragging him to the next date spot.

Having finally driven Sallyman away, such a rare opportunity couldn't be wasted.

The date lasted until after dinner, when Violet Rose had to return to treat the two juniors.

At night, looking at the empty house and the doll-like Kusla, Li En felt an odd sense of emptiness.

"Go to sleep early." Today, he didn't feel like reading or training—he simply went to bed early.

He expected a dreamless night—until midnight, when a strange sound seemed to arise.

"Ugh."

Suddenly, he felt the sensation of sleep paralysis.

He snapped his eyes open—and saw two long, orange-yellow serpent eyes in the darkness. He jolted awake—but the next moment, he smelled the familiar floral scent, and relaxed.

"Rose?"

"Mm, it's me."

Li En had just lowered his guard when one glance fully woke him in terror!

That outfit—how could it be so revealing? There couldn't be two pieces of cloth!

He tried to cover himself—but couldn't move.

Then he saw the girl slipping under the covers—and his soul nearly left his body.

"Wait!!" Li En wondered if he was dreaming—how could this happen?!

"No waiting!" For the first time, Violet Rose refused Li En's request—her voice tinged with Weiqu.

"Aren't I good to you? Why do you refuse me?" Her voice cracked with tears.

"I'm not refusing you. Our feelings aren't strong enough yet—we need more dates." In this moment, Li En's complete inexperience showed.

"A few more days, and we'll have feelings!" Hearing Li En hadn't outright rejected her, her tears vanished instantly—Violet Rose's voice brightened with delight!

She wouldn't stop now—once word got out, more competitors would appear!

Get him first, then talk about feelings!

Once a snake locks onto prey, it hesitates not at all!

Swallow him whole, and no one can take him away!

"Wait—not dates, but days?!" Li En's final cry sounded utterly powerless.

And his resistance after regaining freedom seemed half-hearted at best.

(End of Chapter)