Alligator's Ark of Tomorrow

However, it wasn't until a group of little devils rushed forward that Gard realized something was wrong.

Why have those kids all grown taller?

She's almost as tall as him?

Gard quickly realized that it wasn't that the kid in front of him had grown taller, but rather that he had become shorter and looked like he did when he was a child!

As a child, Gard was not as strong as he would become. At best, he was just a slightly stronger Adaklis cub, and he couldn't gain the upper hand against Vayvan, who had the best average physical attributes among the various races of Terra.

However, his extensive combat experience taught Gard what to do at this moment.

Facing three Waiva cubs at the same time, he risked getting injured, focusing his attack on the largest Waiva brat. Since he was going to get punched three times, he was determined to at least punch that brat once.

Before long, Gard was bruised and battered, and the brat named Toby was also beaten by Gard and was crying loudly.

After doing all this, Gard turned to look at Seria.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Although he could directly use the power of ascension to return to his original form, when he thought about how badly Seria was bullied when she was a child, Gard decided to be a righteous partner and avenge Seria.

Unbeknownst to Gard, while he was fighting the three Waiva brats, little Serea was secretly watching him from the sidelines.

After he finished hitting, little Serea pushed the toy car in front of Gard.

"The car is broken."

"Oh, this gear is loose. I'll screw it back on for you."

When it comes to handicrafts, that's a field that Gard is familiar with!

He turned around and easily borrowed tools from the surrounding shops.

Although he didn't understand why these shops happened to appear around him so coincidentally, it didn't stop Gard from fixing the toy car in no time.

When Gard handed the repaired toy car to little Serea, Serea's eyes seemed to light up. Being looked at like that, Gard was immediately filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Clutching her toy car, little Serea bowed deeply to Gard.

"Thank you. My name is Serea. What's your name?"

"Galder".

It wasn't that Gard was aloof, but rather that he felt that since he had helped Serea teach the people who bullied her when she was young a lesson, the dream should end now, right?

But no.

The surrounding scenery changed again.

Just as Gard came to his senses, he saw a fist coming toward him.

"Look at the fist!"

Driven by instinct, Gard chose to take the blow head-on, then raised his hand to strike the attacker.

But soon he heard a gasp and saw that the person he was punching was a young girl who looked seven or eight parts like the grown-up Serea, only much more youthful.

Gard's punch caught the girl off guard, so she had to dodge backward.

As a result, the girl fell backward, and Gard changed his fist into a palm, trying to grab her.

In the end, the two fell together.

"Gald, what are you doing? We agreed not to fight back, how could I possibly beat you!"

The girl's annoyed voice almost caught Gard off guard.

Is this something that Seraya could say?

This isn't blaming, it's just being coquettish!

"Hmm, Gard, what are you daydreaming about?"

The girl's fist slammed into Hamgard's chest.

"Hurry up and keep going, I can't let you leave me too far behind."

"Oh."

Gard was completely bewildered; he couldn't understand why Seria's dream had turned out this way.

Is Seria having a nightmare?

What's going on with Seria now?

Gard realized that perhaps something had happened in Seria's dream before he arrived in hers.

Even the power of ascension is not omnipotent or omniscient.

He could only guess that the scene would continue to change until Serea returned to her original form.

As Gard had expected, he didn't spend much time with Seria in her youth before the scene changed again.

This time, he wasn't on the street, nor was he in the training room.

He stood in a corner of a banquet, dressed in a black suit and tie, looking out of place among the others around him.

As the atmosphere at the banquet reached its climax, a young woman from Waiva wearing a gown became the focus of everyone's attention.

However, she refused all the men's invitations to dance with her and went to the crocodile man's side.

She raised her hand and extended it to Gard, asking, "Mr. Gard, may I invite you to dance with me?"

……

(These four chapters are about 10,000 words. I will try to update earlier in the future and strive to return to normal updates as soon as possible. I can't handle updating like this anymore.)

Chapter Sixty-Six: Dancing with Dragons

The lights at the banquet were dazzling.

The crocodile people living in the rainforest could never have seen such a spectacle. They worked from sunrise to sunset, and even the fluorescent lights that were later installed in their houses were purchased by Inam from the city.

But in this dream, it's not like that. He is an Adaklis living in the city. He has known a Vaiva girl named Serea since childhood. The two play games and grow up together, and eventually both get into Trimont Polytechnic University.

'So, in Seria's imagination, I was the kind of genius who could easily get into a top Columbia university like Trimont Polytechnic University with just a little effort?'

Gard stood out like an outsider at the banquet, out of place with everyone, because he could not allow himself to indulge in such a delusional dream.

He wouldn't allow it, nor would the power of ascension.

However, when he saw Seria walking gracefully toward him in a black gown that she only wore to banquets, Gard's heart couldn't help but flutter.

Because it's so beautiful!

It's hard to imagine what Serea would look like in a gown. Gard even thinks that if Serea were to attend a banquet, she would definitely be dressed in men's clothing.

Despite spending a lot of time running under the sun, Serea's skin looks as if she has never been exposed to the sun, fair and flawless.

Her long, white hair was carefully styled and cascaded down her back, while the hem of her black halter-neck dress hung to the ground, her waist slightly cinched to accentuate her figure.

The fiery red tail swayed restlessly, revealing the turmoil in Seraya's heart.

Approaching Gard was like a beauty and a beast.

She raised her hand and extended it to Gard, asking, "Mr. Gard, may I invite you to dance with me?"

Gard thought it was somewhat absurd.

Whose dream is this?

Mine is still Serea's?

He couldn't help but think of Gavial, who was far away in the rainforest, and Laurentina, whose whereabouts were unknown.

He wanted to say, "Seria, it's time for you to wake up."

Serea grasped Gard's hand and asked.

"Can't I even dance one dance?"

In that instant, Gard understood that Seria was very clear-headed, more so than anyone else; she had not lost herself in the dream.

She just wanted to use a dream to do things she would never normally do.

If someone had stood up for her when she was bullied as a child.

If her toy car gets smashed, someone will help her fix it.

When she needs comfort, someone can be her support.

Will things be slightly different in the future?

What Serea saw in her nightmares, Gard had no idea, but he could still grant her this small request.

"Of course."

Gald took Serea's hand. Compared to Serea, Gald was much larger. Fortunately, Serea was tall for a woman, which allowed them to keep their dance steps in sync.

"Gald, I always thought you couldn't dance."

"Or perhaps they'll just perform bizarre sacrificial dances like those in those primitive tribes?"

Gard wasn't surprised that Seria would think that way, because he really couldn't dance anything more complicated, and his muscular physique alone was enough to make most women shy away from him.

Therefore, it is truly remarkable that Serea can keep up with his pace.

"I'm just curious, how do you know so much in a rainforest where there's no communication or signal?"

Serea followed in Gald's footsteps, and sometimes she would lead Gald by the hand. Although it was their first time dancing, the two of them seemed to have rehearsed a thousand times.

Not a single mistake was made, not a single error was made.

"I just like reading."

Serea wasn't angry at all listening to Gard spout nonsense that even he himself didn't believe.

Only at this time can she find peace in her heart.

There's no need to think about life in the Rhine, no need to recall the moments spent with like-minded partners, and no need to worry about the uncertain future.

Let go of all burdens, don't bear them alone, learn to rely on others.

This seems like a good solution.

Is that enough?

Gard's voice rang in Serea's ears.

"We need to wake up."

Seria tightened her grip on Gard's back as she recalled everything she had seen in her dream.

Everyone will die!

She didn't want to face that nightmarish scene; she didn't want to struggle anymore, she didn't want to try.

If no one stands in front of her, she can only raise her shield, because no one but her can protect Rhine's life.

Even she, in her moments of despair and helplessness, longed for someone to stand beside her, to stand before her.

'You are not alone!'

She also wanted someone to say that to her!

"Because you are Serea!"

Seria stopped walking, but Gard did not.

Because this dance is not finished yet.

"You must wake up!"

Without a doubt, there was no room for negotiation for Serea.

"Rhine Life needs you, your comrades need you, and many people are waiting for you to return."

"So you must wake up!"

The banquet decorations disappeared, and the surrounding crowd became blurred, leaving only a few figures standing clearly in the distance—those were the people Serea truly knew.

Even dreams cannot reflect things that do not exist. In this dream, what Serea saw and experienced were all real events.

The only difference is that in this dream, Gard is present.

It was like grasping at a straw in despair.

Seria leaned against Gard, her tone gradually becoming as stern and cold as ever.