Chapter 184: Just Like a Puppy

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Just Like a Puppy

Seraphina Sinclair leaned over the table, steadying her mind as she began to paint the runes.

The atmosphere inside the mobile cabin was tense.

The Sunflower’s thoughts were ringing nonstop. The little one had been constantly warning of danger, but never once did its thoughts mention how to resolve the threat.

Although Seraphina hadn’t expected to get an answer from its thoughts in the first place, she still found it a bit too noisy.

It was so noisy she couldn’t quiet her own mind.

The Dragon Egg, on the other hand, was content. Perhaps because the cotton quilt it rested on was so soft, it was gently rocking from side to side, looking utterly comfortable.

The more comfortable it seemed, the more uncomfortable Seraphina felt.

But its parents were watching her every move from outside, so Seraphina couldn’t do anything to it.

After staring at the Dragon Egg for a while, she sighed and tried to calm herself down to paint her runes.

’I should just keep moving. I’ll use the Invitation Letter to go to The Coliseum later. In any case, I can’t waste any more time.’

At three in the afternoon, Seraphina Sinclair looked up from the yellow Blank Talisman Paper.

Her preparations were more or less complete, and she had used up all of today’s sunshine.

Her luck hadn’t been all bad; she hadn’t encountered a path BOSS today. It was a small chance to relax amidst a string of misfortunes.

She stood up and stretched her arms, which brought some relief to her faintly aching back.

The rune painting had taken a long time.

Maintaining one posture for an extended period while concentrating meant that an aching back and waist were to be expected.

Seraphina Sinclair was long used to it.

She did a final count of the runes in her possession. After a quick calculation to confirm she had enough to handle a monster tide, she took out the Invitation Letter for The Coliseum.

Seraphina Sinclair clasped her hands together, her eyes closed and her expression pious. "Please let the reward be a Skill Book I can learn!"

’That’s not too much to ask, is it?’

As she was thinking, an extremely faint but clear "CRACK" sound suddenly reached her ears.

The source of the sound was very close, right behind her. Although quiet, in the silent mobile cabin, it was like a clap of thunder.

Seraphina Sinclair’s body stiffened. She slowly lowered her clasped hands. With a near-frozen sluggishness, she turned around, bit by bit.

The source of the sound was precisely the dark blue Dragon Egg she had placed in the nest of soft quilts.

A clear crack had appeared on the top of the once smooth, warm, giant egg.

Immediately after, the crack spread rapidly like a spiderweb, and a series of fine "CRACK" sounds followed one after another.

’The egg... it’s hatching?!’

’Why so soon?’

’I’m not ready for this!’

Seraphina Sinclair’s heart leaped into her throat. She subconsciously took half a step back, tightening her grip on the newly painted runes in her pocket, her gaze locked on the continuously cracking egg.

’If it shows even a hint of aggression, one of the two of us is dying today!’

’Or both of us!’

Be it a blessing or a curse, there was no escaping it.

And what was coming had finally arrived.

"CRACK—CRASH!"

A large piece of the eggshell was pushed open from the inside and fell away.

Then, under Seraphina’s anxious gaze, a small, dripping wet head covered in sparse, matching fuzz struggled to emerge from the opening.

It seemed to have exhausted its strength, its little head drooping over the edge of the eggshell as it panted softly.

It wasn’t large—only a bit bigger than a common falcon. Compared to the mountainous bodies of its parents, it was pitifully tiny.

The little creature’s eyes were closed, the fuzz on its head matted with a bit of albumen, making it look rather pathetic.

It shook its head with effort, then its eyelids trembled and slowly opened.

Seraphina held her breath.

What met her gaze was a pair of eyes like the purest rubies.

Unlike its parents’ massive, slitted pupils, which were filled with pressure and bloodlust, these eyes were perfectly round, carrying the innocence and clarity of new life, and even a trace of... timid curiosity.

And...

’Affection?’

Seraphina immediately furrowed her brow. ’This thing looks completely harmless. How could it possibly kill us?’

The little creature blinked its ruby-like eyes, its blurry vision sweeping across the strange new world before precisely locking onto the closest, and only, living being—Seraphina Sinclair.

"Aow..."

An extremely faint, trembling cry escaped its mouth, so soft and sweet it could make one’s heart melt.

It tilted its little head as if trying to identify something. Then, it struggled, using its still-uncoordinated limbs and a pair of small, fleshy wings to clumsily push aside the surrounding eggshell fragments.

The little thing’s entire body was finally exposed to the air.

It shook its body, as if trying to fling off the mucus, but without success.

It shook again, and after realizing it wasn’t working, it simply gave up. It raised its head, stared unblinkingly at Seraphina, and then began to stumble toward her with faltering steps.

As the creature moved a little closer, Seraphina moved a little farther back.

’Give me a break...’

’I’m practically traumatized by this thing, how could I possibly get close to it!’

The little creature seemed to notice the living being’s resistance and let out an extremely dissatisfied "Awooo."

But because it had just hatched, its cry had no force behind it at all; it was even a little cute.

Though it was hardly the time, Seraphina couldn’t help but be reminded of a meme that had circulated on the internet in her past life.

*Awooo~ Roar of the evil dragon!*

Seraphina: "..."

’So, I’ve finally seen a real dragon now.’

For some reason, she didn’t back away any further.

The little creature proudly raised its head, let out another couple of "aows," and dragged its limp, wet body forward, advancing toward Seraphina with determined steps.

When it reached Seraphina’s feet, it seemed to use up its last ounce of strength, collapsing softly and gently rubbing its little head against the top of her shoe.

"Aow... aow..."

It tilted its head up, looking at Seraphina with those pure, innocent ruby eyes, and let out a cry that was both dependent and a little fawning.

At that moment, Seraphina felt as if something had gently nudged her heart.

The ferocity and aggression she had anticipated never appeared.

This little life, freshly hatched from its shell, showed nothing but the affection and reliance of an imprinted hatchling.

It saw her as the person closest to it.

Seraphina’s tense body relaxed slightly. She crouched down, hesitantly reached out a finger, and gently touched the soft fuzz on the little creature’s head.

Far from dodging, the little creature squinted its eyes in enjoyment, rubbing its little head more forcefully against her finger and letting out a contented purr from its throat.

’Why is it acting like a puppy?’

Seraphina fell silent. She turned her head, refusing to look at it, but her fingers betrayed her and gave it another scratch.

The little creature was clearly enjoying the scratching. The purring in its throat grew louder, and it even tried to wrap its still-weak little claws around her finger.