NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: The Crocodile Man
Noon.
Garde lay as usual on the rocks, basking in the sun.
The river water splashed on the rocks, and the splashing droplets occasionally fell on him.
His long, thick tail dangled into the river.
Swinging back and forth.
From a distance, he looked no different than a crocodile sunbathing.
Yes.
A crocodile!
Garde wasn’t human, although in this land, creatures like him were collectively referred to as humans.
But in Garde’s own view, he wasn’t really human.
He was more like a crocodile man!
Apart from having two hands, two legs, and a head like a human, he could also walk upright.
Garde didn’t feel he had anything human about him.
At the age of eighteen, Garde was already a mature crocodile man… well, an Archosauria.
To avoid the Archosauria girls who were trying to court him, Garde deliberately found this quiet place.
But, if you insist, this place wasn’t really that quiet either.
Two figures appeared in the distance, approaching him.
“Garde, why are you hiding here again? The chief and the others are looking for you.”
“Gavial, you didn’t reveal my location, did you?”
Hearing the voice from behind, Garde’s heart tightened, and he quickly asked.
“What do you think?”
The girl named Gavial had a bright smile on her face, and seeing her expression, Garde immediately understood.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle the honey for tomorrow and the day after!”
Garde patted his chest, after all, he had tough skin and could withstand a few bee stings.
However, whether it was Garde’s misconception or not, he felt that Gavial wasn’t entirely satisfied with his response.
“Hmph.”
With a light snort, Gavial looked at the distant waterfall.
“Garde, when we’re bathing, you can’t peek.”
“Um! no peeking!”
Beside Gavial, a small figure nodded in agreement.
On the rocks, Garde turned over and made a reassuring gesture.
Seeing this, Gavial seemed even more dissatisfied.
“Tomimi, I suddenly want to beat him up right now!”
“Huh?”
“Is my body that unimpressive?”
Both Garde and Gavial were Archosaurias, but their appearances were worlds apart.
If Garde lay on the ground, he looked just like an ordinary crocodile.
But unlike him, Gavial, aside from her tail, looks almost no different than a normal human.
Forest green short hair, light golden eyes.
Because their tribe lived in a vast rainforest, with the humid and hot air, Gavial wore only a thin shirt and a skirt, revealing large areas of her pearlescent, fair body.
The environment in which the Archosaurias lived made the women here different from those in the city. In her almost transparent shirt, you could faintly see the contours of her abdominal muscles, giving her a wild and natural beauty.
Especially Gavial’s appearance, even someone as picky as Garde had to admit that Gavial was a genuine beauty.
She exuded a youthful vitality all over her.
Staring at Garde’s back, after a while, Gavial suddenly said, “Tomimi, What if, you go and try to seduce him?”
The main reason why she said this is that, even though he was willing to be close to her when they were kids, now that they were grown up, he always kept his distance when he saw her, so she wondered if he was actually interested in young looking or petite girls.
“Huh?”
Gavial’s little girl looked at Garde’s tall figure and said shyly, “Wouldn’t that be a bit improper?”
Smack!
Then, Gavial’s thick tail gave her a light hit.
“What’s gotten into you?” Gavial said, looking displeased. She was just joking, why did the child take it seriously?
If she was saying such things, she’d have to wait another seven or eight years!
“Waa~” Tomimimi covered her tail, her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Gavial, feeling wronged.
‘It was you who suggested I try to seduce him.’
Garde closed his eyes, pretending not to hear the conversation between the two.
Marriage is a man’s grave, just look at their Village Chief, Juan.
Because he got married, he didn’t even dare to drink now.
He was still young, he wanted to have a few more adventures, and he hadn’t seen the world outside yet!
Thinking like this in his heart, Garde didn’t change his mind.
Because his current life was just right for him, satisfied with three meals a day, and not having to worry about too many troubles.
Even if he had conflicts with others.
No need for words.
A fight would do.
All of this was because of his secret.
When Garde closed his eyes, a panel appeared in front of him.
#======#
Character: Garde
Code name: None
Gender: Male
Combat experience: None
Birthday: February 28
Race: Adakrys
Height: 198cm
Oripathy Status status: Non-infected
Physical strength: Excellent
Battlefield mobility: Standard
Physical endurance: —
Tactical planning: Normal
Combat skills: Excellent
Originium Arts Adaptation: Normal
Current Hero Template: the Butcher of the Sands (Renekton) Level 2.
#======#
Although Garde was a native crocodile in this world, his soul came from another world.
Moreover, when he crossed into this world, he accidentally loaded the hero template of a crocodile man with the nickname “Butcher of the Sands” from a game.
Thinking about his own world of crossing, and thinking about the strength of the crocodile men in their heyday.
Garde was ecstatic.
In their prime, Renekton was a demigod, and in a world where even the top-tier individuals were considered strong, wasn’t he like a god of war?
It wasn’t until one time that Garde awakened the power of Renekton.
At that time, he realized that the Butcher of the Sands didn’t bring him strength.
But a curse!
Once indulging in the power of the Butcher of the Sands, the rage would continue to expand, eventually devouring his sanity.
Knowing the truth, Garde’s ambitions disappeared in an instant.
What was the use of having power without a mind?
He didn’t want to become estranged from his loved ones!
On the rocks, Garde continued to bask in the sun until he heard a rustling sound.
*Bang!*
Several pieces of clothing fell onto Garde’s face, carrying the fresh scent of the young girls.
“You lie there and don’t move. We’ve entrusted our clothes to you!”
“Gavial, don’t decide on things like this on your own!”
“No turning around, or we’ll beat you!”
Garde stopped his attempt to turn around and removed the clothes covering his face.
What’s the big deal, it’s just two shirts and a skirt?
“I told you not to turn around, didn’t I?”
“Ah, they’re all exposed!”
‘Don’t say things that can be so easily misunderstood!’
Garde gave Tomimimi an annoyed look.
They had only taken off their tops and skirts; they still had their undergarments and bandeau inside. It wasn’t so easy to be completely exposed.
“Anyway, if you have nothing to do, help us wash these clothes.”
Gavial stood with her hands on her hips, giving orders.
“Yes, yes.”
Garde sighed.
He touched Gavial’s thin shirt and then his own pants. When would he have a decent piece of clothing?
Thinking about how his head was no different from a crocodile’s, and looking at Gavial, who, apart from her tail, was almost identical to a regular human beauty, Garde couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
Could this alternate world get any worse?
Why were all the Archosauria women such beauties while their men were all crocodile people?
The clothes that Gavial had just taken off were still slightly sweaty, feeling damp to the touch.
Suddenly, Garde felt like a pervert for washing a girl’s clothes.
He needed to be discreet.
But things didn’t go as planned.
A voice rang out.
“Hey, Mr. Crocodile, why are you holding a girl’s clothes?”