"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Having caused a power outage for the entire building, Razer immediately went to apologize.
Fortunately, in the city outskirts, power outages happened every few days, so everyone was used to it. Since Razer apologized and the wiring wasn't damaged, the building manager decided not to pursue the matter.
When she heard that she didn't need to pay compensation, Razer finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But as she opened the door and stepped into her room, she looked up and froze.
"Who are you!?"
Her first instinct was to pull out her weapon and retreat into a corner, her gaze wary as she stared at the massive figure now sitting upright in her room.
<+>
After waking up and surveying his surroundings, Garde, despite the lack of lighting, quickly noticed that this was probably a girl's room. Thanks to his excellent night vision, he could see clearly.
The room was small but tidy.
To his left was a modest bed that looked like it would collapse if he lay on it.
Directly ahead was a desk and a small bookshelf. The furniture bore obvious signs of being handmade. Garde could tell because he often made his own furniture when he couldn't buy any in the city.
The bookshelf held many books, most of which were about Columbian customs, language, and culture. Garde thought such books were useless.
Columbian culture and language? Please. Columbian and Victorian languages were nearly identical aside from accents, so what was the point? That said, learning Columbian was undeniably practical; mastering it was equivalent to learning Victorian, which allowed you to get by in Columbia, Victoria, and several nearby countries.
On his right was a dining table and a small bathroom. Garde peeked inside and noted the lack of shower facilities. The water faucet was metered, with a monthly quota—exceeding it would incur fines.
This confirmed to Garde that he was still in Sargon. He had heard from Rhine Lab operatives during his journey to the Hotlands that Columbian cities did not restrict water usage.
Still, it wasn't the basic amenities that confirmed this was a girl's room.
What gave it away was the small window in the corner, where a set of clothes hung, including undergarments—a bra and panties, white and simple, clearly chosen for their low cost rather than comfort.
Garde quickly averted his gaze.
He noticed he was covered in dirt. Seeing a bucket of water and a towel nearby, he cleaned his face and then his body. Lastly, he glanced downward and covered his face in exasperation.
When will I ever get a pair of pants that doesn't fall apart?
He grabbed the window curtain and wrapped it around himself.
Click!
The door opened.
The room's electricity had been restored, and Garde saw a petite Vouivre girl with short gray hair walk in. She wasn't tall, her figure wasn't impressive, and she was slightly chubby, but her soft, round face gave her an inexplicable charm.
However, the girl was clearly startled by him. She backed against the wall and drew her weapon.
And so, the scene at the beginning unfolded.
<+>
"You're... that Adakrys man!?"
Razer finally made the connection. Garde now looked so different from before. If his earlier state resembled a scruffy vagabond, his current appearance was that of a stunningly handsome man who could turn heads wherever he went.
Every inch of his skin, every scale, every muscle, combined to create the impression of a perfectly crafted sculpture.
No, not even an ordinary artist could sculpt such a masterpiece!
Garde nodded.
He pointed to his throat and shook his head to indicate that he couldn't speak for now. Then, he gestured toward the paper on Razer's desk and mimed writing.
The gestures were simple enough for Razer to understand.
She felt a pang of pity—she hadn't expected Garde to be mute. Then again, she thought, someone who looked this good and had a pleasant voice would be too perfect.
If Garde knew her thoughts, he would have been both amused and exasperated.
He wasn't sure what was wrong with his throat, but it was likely burned during his fight with the Black Dragon. While it would have left an ordinary person mute, for him, it just meant a few days of silence.
Garde noticed his status screen had updated:
#======#
Character: Garde
Code Name: None
Gender: Male
Combat Experience: ???
Birthday: February 28
Race: Adakrys (Primordial Draco)
Height: 220 cm
Oripathy Status: Non-infected
Physical Strength: Perfect
Battlefield Mobility: Excellent
Physiological Endurance: —
Tactical Planning: Standard
Combat Skills: Outstanding
Originium Arts Adaptation: Standard
Ascension Power Adaptability: Standard
Current Hero Template: The Butcher of the Sands (Renekton) lv6
Remarks: Did you eat something you shouldn't have?
#======#
As soon as Garde woke up, he realized something shocking—he had grown taller. Again. This time, he shot up over ten centimeters in one go, leaving him speechless at the rapid growth.
But I'm already eighteen!
His second growth spurt should have ended long ago. Could his body stop growing already? Garde had never been short, but now, at a towering 220 centimeters, looking down at Razer felt like watching a grade-schooler.
A first-grader, at that!
With the level-up, his attributes had also changed. Some of his weaker stats were catching up, and his physical strength was nearing the next tier.
Most importantly, a new attribute, "Ascension Power Adaptability," had appeared. It didn't look particularly flashy, but Garde could tell that he no longer had to rely on Renekton's rage amplification.
Although he was only level six and his control over the Ascension Power was just starting—as indicated by the description—it was enough to grant him a five-second ultimate.
No, even longer than five seconds!
Without paying any cost, as long as his body had sufficient Ascension Power, Garde could wield the power of an Ascended being.
This alone was enough to elevate Garde beyond the mortal realm, placing him alongside gods and Feranmut-like creatures.
After all, in this world, truly god-like beings or Feranmuts who could roam freely, like the Black Dragon, were exceedingly rare.
As long as no nation deployed mobile cities or fleets of high-speed warships to hunt him down, he could live without fear.
But this wasn't enough.
What Garde had now was power to fight such entities, not to match them. Accepting Renekton's rage was like walking a tightrope; while it succeeded this time, there was no guarantee it would in the future.
Only by increasing his level and mastering the Ascension Power could he achieve true strength.
Garde understood that Renekton's fury merely awakened the latent potential within his body. If he could fully control the Ascension Power, then he, like Renekton, would be capable of fighting the Black Dragon.
And having power on par with the Black Dragon was necessary to confront the Seaborn.
Garde had a plan for this.
Continuing to level up seemed unlikely. Even after defeating or killing the Black Dragon, he had only gone from level four to six.
And that was after fighting countless mechanical Nightzmoras and disaster beasts. The Black Dragon only boosted his experience bar by about one and a half levels. The higher his level, the more experience he needed for the next.
Where on earth am I supposed to find so many Feranmut to kill?
Garde also noticed that his racial designation had changed. He suspected he might've bitten off chunks of the Black Dragon during their fight.
However, the change didn't impact Garde significantly. It felt like earning a new achievement. Whether or not he still qualified as Adakrys was now questionable.
Lastly, Garde recalled a message left by Ho'olheyak in the dreamscape:
"Transaction complete. You owe me three favors."
This gave Garde a small sense of relief. It meant that Saria and the others had succeeded.
With the help of Babel's team, leaving the Hotlands shouldn't have been difficult for Saria and her companions. This meant Garde wouldn't have to make a special trip to check on them.
Still, he thought it best to write Saria and the others a letter and arrange a meeting place.
"Sir? Sir!"
A voice snapped Garde out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Razer holding out paper and a pen.
Accepting them, Garde gave her a warm smile.
He wrote:
"My name is Garde, from the Acahualla region. Thank you for saving me!"
"You can call me Razer."
Razer had initially worried Garde might not know how to write. But when she saw his elegant handwriting, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy—it was neater than hers.
An Adakrys man with such a massive build... could he be the reserved type?
However, noticing Garde's misunderstanding, Razer quickly corrected him.
"It wasn't me who saved you. It was a friend of mine. I'm just looking after you on her behalf."
Hearing this, Garde smiled, his impression of Razer improving further.
But the name Razer... it rang a bell.
Wasn't that the real name of Liskarm?
<+>
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