Griffon Carnage in the Forest Canyon

Aerial battle over the forest canyon. The vivid premonition of death I'd felt fighting the Succubus Lord. Two griffons had grabbed my head and legs from different directions, spinning me around. So this was their hunting method! They weren't attacking each other, and that earlier cry had clearly been a call to a fellow hunter. Griffons were this cunning?! Think fast! Think!

Krunch—the sound of my Metal Skin crumpling echoed. At this rate, I'd be crushed like a tin can, twisted into a bloody rag, spraying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blood everywhere.

I checked the status of my [Recycle] skill. I'd used it too much already; it was definitely on the brink.

I needed to save some for attacks. Recycling 10KG of Metal Mimic took half a day, so I didn't have much stockpiled. The light weight was backfiring here.

'Already hitting rock bottom?!' I'd been stockpiling whenever I had time, aiming for 200KG, but it'd all melted away in that short span. The gains were ridiculously low compared to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time invested. Turning to rubber would just stretch and tear me apart; [Bopal Weapon] would fly off even if I grabbed it on the fall—no point. They wouldn't have overlooked that anyway. Griffons moved freely in the sky, with agility in sharp braking and turns that wyverns couldn't match, despite their size.

Then, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a flash of inspiration. "[Gender Swap]!"

I slapped my hand on my body and activated the skill. My whole frame began shrinking. The sudden size change made the griffons screech in confusion, flapping wildly as they twisted their heads to chase me. I swapped back to male form, plummeting, with the two griffons tracking me. One clawed into the cliff face, ripping out rocks and hurling them at me. I slashed the incoming boulders with my spirit sword, only to find both griffons vanished right before my eyes.

Plunging through pitch darkness, unable to tell up from down, I flailed and scanned around. "Kieeeek!!!" A griffon's roar echoed, and from the shadows, one folded its wings, sharp wind magic swirling as it slammed into me, forcing an emergency brake midair. I couldn't block with the spirit sword—it flew from my grip, embedding deep into the distant cliff. I had to retrieve it somehow, but stuck in the rock face instead of flat ground, no amount of waving brought it back.

My body slowly fell again. A drill-spinning griffon dove from above, beak stabbing down to pin me. Krunch-crunch—sparks flew as beak met my metal arm. The wind magic-wrapped shell of my arm was being shaved off by the accelerating, spinning griffon's beak as it spread its wings.

"Grraaak!" Then the other griffon surged from below the cliff, spinning with wings spread, stabbing its beak into my back. Sandwiched between the two rotating griffons—propelled by wind magic without even flapping—I screamed in agony as I was ground down like metal in a drill, thrashing wildly. No ground in midair for balance; wild arm swings just flailed uselessly. The griffons calmly spread distance, wings out.

"Kyaaak!!" "Kiieek!" They split left and right, flapping to unleash a whirlwind laced with rain that smashed into me. Boom—the impact shook my vision, blood pouring from my nose, maybe from the head jolt. Clear Mind forcibly snapped my fading consciousness back. But my limbs wouldn't respond; I was in freefall. One griffon snatched my leg, rocketing vertically upward. How high would it go? The ascent dragged on endlessly.

Whoosh—sudden brightness pierced my vision; I forced my eyes open. Dizzy sight, nosebleed unrelenting from pressure changes. We'd climbed above the clouds—the griffon—and what I saw was like an underwater scene. Whales and massive dragons soaring the skies, a giant clutching lightning, something singing... indistinct. It felt familiar, but consciousness flickered. Oxygen shortage? Thoughts fragmented.

Only then did the pain of talons digging into my leg jolt me awake. Metal Skin had worn off! "Kiyaaaak!!!" The griffon stabbed its beak into my gut. I countered by turning my body to rubber as it tried yanking out my innards. It clamped down, wildly shaking, pulling, chewing, stabbing, probing my neck and head. Rubber elasticity kept me intact, but the gut-wrenching pain filled my throat with blood—a horrific sensation.

No respite; it gripped my head in its talons and began descending. "Kyaaaak!!!" Wings folded for high-speed dive, arms thrust forward, it spun again. It glared, mocking me to die. Some intelligent hunter's cruel tactic—I thrashed, but accelerating wind and gravity pinned even my fingers.

Burrowing back into the rain, endless high-altitude drop toward darkness. It sneered that even shrinking wouldn't save me now. Animal Speech let me feel its frenzied emotions. Drugged into madness, but instinct pure beast: burst me, crush, shove my head in its beak, smash my brains and savor. Vivid in its eyes.

"Ughhhk—" The canyon landscape visible between its gripped talons. I flipped my palm and activated [Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaur].

A massive glow-in-the-dark dinosaur erupted sideways, twisting its trajectory into a cliff-smashing crash-crunch. Wings torn, legs mangled, head half-caved from the wall—yet driven by kill-lust, the griffon battered me against the cliff with its forelimbs before plummeting into an underground cavern.

"Kek, kehk... kugh...!" Should've used [Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaur] right before impact... no time. Clutching my chest, recalling rubber elasticity saved me, I struggled to breathe. Lungs rejected air. Vision splintered. Only leg injured, no bleeding, but cumulative shock screamed through my body. Bones rattled, joints dislocated—immobile. Collapsing face-down, consciousness fading, I remembered one griffon left and clenched my fist.

'Can't let that thing reach the inn...' At first, mindless rampage let it dominate. But its brutal tactics screamed human-level intellect. Drug worn off? Or poison in marrow driving berserk insanity? Unknown. This griffon could grab rocks, drop them on the inn to collapse it.

I had to end it here. 'Why hire mercenaries? Dwarves can make gates—black curtain ties include dwarves? Or mercs? Empire link? But Po'runga said she didn't know about the griffon's state. So if the griffon's mad... something she doesn't know intervened.'

Slowly, coolly piecing it together. Masked man: merc paid for job only. I'd confirmed rain clouds clustered only over the forest from above clouds. Someone made it rain deliberately. Skill? Racial trait? Demon power? Nosebleed endless. Drunk-stagger legs, shaky vision. Brain rejecting gravity after endless tosses and whips.

Stumbling up, head raised—what I saw: the griffon devouring its dead comrade. Tongue out, grinning, it smashed the rock-killed head to pulp, lapping brains, shaking its rear. Bloodshot eyes met mine; I gasped.

'Elf poison...?' Goddess said Gwangnyeoncho plant toxin burrows to marrow, turning victims insane. Elves even used it to make mothers kill offspring, she groaned. ...Elves? After Empire mercs, elf poison? Overkill to muddy investigation. What were they after, going this far? Elves hate all races—how'd they get it? Rethink: Someone positioned to have elf poison. Long-lived, buying means, or dwarf and elf allies.

I pressed the Constellation Ticket from the goddess between fingers, tore with teeth.

'Screwed.' Why do these constellations love magical girls so much? Magical girl constellation? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Cold sweat wondering what nightmare skill it'd be.

"I'm really screwed."