Through the Darkness
The massive body of the Cockatrice emerged from the shadows.
“Shibal. That fucking monster bird.”
I drew the sawblade from the sheath on my back. Arin and Doran came into view, along with the blood giant warriors. The blood giant warriors charged fearlessly at the Cockatrice. Arin and Doran were desperately trying to pull themselves away.
“Arin!”
“Kyaaaak!”
I couldn’t tell exactly what the blood giant warriors had done, but one thing was certain—they had pissed that chicken-headed bastard off to an insane degree!
“Kwoooooooook!”
The Cockatrice let out a hellish cry. Shibal, if a rooster’s crow actually had power, would it sound like this? Just the sound alone made my limbs go numb and crushed my will to fight.
The Cockatrice, brimming with imposing presence, collided with the blood giant warriors.
“Kyaaaaak!”
The blood giant warriors were flung in every direction like toys. The lucky ones collapsed while vomiting blood, but the unlucky ones turned into stone on the spot. A petrification curse flowed through the Cockatrice’s body. It meant that any contact would instantly turn you to stone!
One of the blood giant warriors shouted something. The warriors immediately split apart to the left and right. The Cockatrice charged forward. Its target was the massive bonfire the warriors had lit. Its enormous body slammed straight into the pile of firewood!
“That tough bastard.”
Sparks flew in all directions. I was worried it might actually turn into fried chicken, but the Cockatrice remained completely fine even after being drenched in flames. In the heart of the inferno, it flapped its wings like a madman. Unfortunately, the alchemically created fire didn’t extinguish easily.
While the Cockatrice was busy struggling, our party moved.
“Anyone who doesn’t want to die, stay back! Everyone else, follow me!”
Haneul took the lead, with me right behind her. At the very rear, Roa and Maya followed closely. After them, the blood giants streamed along in a line. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d moved in such a large group since entering the dungeon. My heart was pounding for no reason.
Roughly eight people were fighting the Cockatrice from the front. More than twenty warriors were attacking from behind. It didn’t feel like primitive hunters taking down a mammoth—it felt like the entire village’s warriors had been mobilized to hunt a single Cockatrice.
The Cockatrice shrieked as if it were vomiting blood.
“Kwoooook! Kwoooooooooook!”
“Kyaaaak!”
I saw Arin covering her face as she fled. She wasn’t an explorer, so it couldn’t be helped. No one would blame an ordinary person for having their mentality shattered.
The warriors surrounded the Cockatrice and thrust their spears. The Cockatrice focused solely on extinguishing the flames. I observed the scene. Something… was starting to make sense. A simple way to pull a monster’s aggro.
“It’s the nest.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a Cockatrice nest over there. Cockatrices dig holes to lay their eggs, then seal the entrance with their petrifying breath.”
Memories from playing Dungeon Overseer resurfaced. As expected of a roguelike game where every possible statistic was implemented, Dungeon Overseer had a dedicated tile for a Cockatrice nest. A Cockatrice was a monster that combined the traits of a chicken and a snake. Naturally, it laid eggs.
I had figured out how the blood giants had drawn the Cockatrice out. They had set fire to an area where a nest was likely to be. That was how they pulled its aggro. The principle was simple. If the fire spread, the temperature of the eggs buried in the ground would rise. All the eggs it had laid would turn into stone-cooked eggs. The Cockatrice was going berserk to stop that from happening.
“Kyaaaak!”
Every time the Cockatrice flapped its wings, sparks flew everywhere. Arin screamed while covering her face with her sleeve. The distance between her and the Cockatrice was too close for us to do anything.
“Hajun!”
Maya stamped her feet in frustration, unable to do anything. I wanted to do something too, but no clear solution came to mind. A way to rescue Arin without the Cockatrice noticing? It was impossible unless we brought a Level 9 Guardian.
A blood giant wearing a mask let out a battle cry.
“Uwooooooo!”
“Children of the sun! Slay the demon of the earth!”
“Ooooooo!”
There were nearly thirty blood giants. Only one Cockatrice. The weapons in their hands were nothing but primitive tools made of stone. Relying on their innate physical strength and combat experience, they charged at an enemy they could not defeat. Heart-wrenching screams echoed from all directions.
Our party members joined in to help the blood giants. That was when it happened.
The Cockatrice took a deep breath.
“Oh, shibal!”
Its chest swelled massively. This was the Cockatrice’s breath weapon—Petrifying Breath!
“Maya! Get out of the way!”
The Cockatrice exhaled its petrifying breath. It was a special breath formed by combining the essence of the earth with a curse. A gray mist spread low across the ground like rising dust. A moment later, a hellish scene unfolded.
Maya couldn’t close her mouth at the shocking sight before her eyes.
“Ah… Ah…”
The brave warriors who had been fighting the Cockatrice from the start. They were hit directly by the gray fog with no time to dodge. The blood giants caught in the breath gradually stiffened, and starting from their toes, the petrification curse turned them all to stone.
With a single breath, nearly twenty blood giants had become stone statues. The statues, twisted in fear and agony, looked like the ruins of Pompeii.
And Maya froze in terror, unable to move.
“Maya! Snap out of it!”
The decisive reason why high-level monsters couldn’t be defeated by simply swarming them with low-level characters. Once morale broke, they couldn’t do anything.
“Maya!”
Maya had fallen into a panic. No matter how much you explained it beforehand, knowing it in your head and seeing it with your eyes were completely different. I had told her the petrifying breath was dangerous, but seeing it in person, its power was utterly shocking.
Calming Maya down was important, but there was something more urgent. Although Maya was far from the Cockatrice, the breath attack had split our party in two. Haneul and Roa were still close to it.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
At that moment, Haneul’s piercing scream rang out. My breath caught in my throat. I saw Haneul being kicked by the Cockatrice and sent flying. Sharp claws had pierced holes through her body, and blood was pouring out. Covered in dust and blood, Haneul rolled across the floor.
Piiing!
Roa’s crossbow trembled with a bursting sound. The bolt completely pierced through the Cockatrice’s eyeball.
“Kwooooooooo!”
Roa, who had avoided a tail attack with a back tumble, discarded her crossbow and drew two daggers, retreating backward.
I had to save them immediately.
“Roa! Haneul!”
I gritted my teeth. After coming this far, I couldn’t lose any more party members. These were people who had trusted only me and followed me into this dark dungeon. I had to become the anchor for their faith.
Stay calm, Hajun. If I die here, it means this is the limit of my ability. The Crown of the Forgotten and everything else wouldn’t matter. Think. Think again and again! There has to be an answer for me.
I immediately ran toward Haneul.
Two alchemists. Plenty of potions. I just need to use every consumable I can here.
Revive Haneul and restore Maya’s mentality. About ten blood giant friends are still left to buy us time. If I can’t kill the Cockatrice under these good conditions, then I’m a fucking idiot.
Yeah. I can do this.
“Haneul!”
I approached the injured Haneul first. Her face had turned deathly pale, and she was trembling violently. She had been kicked by the Cockatrice, but she was lucky enough not to be petrified. The only damage was that her left side had been completely torn open by its claws. Bright red internal organs were spilling out from the gash.
Haneul’s guts lay scattered haphazardly across the gray dust. It was a fatal wound. The bleeding was severe, and it wouldn’t be strange if she died from shock at any moment. Haneul’s mental strength was the only thing keeping her conscious despite such injuries.
“O-Oppa…”
“Haneul. Are you still with me?”
“Hajun-oppa. Hajun-oppa. Hic… ugh… I-I don’t want to die… ugh. Ugh.”
With her face horribly contorted, Haneul begged for her life. There was still hope.
“You can survive. Haneul. You can survive.”
“I-I can’t breathe…”
Haneul clutched my arm with both hands. There was no strength in her grip. Her hands shook like she had severe tremors.
“Maya!”
I called for Maya, but she was too busy trying to catch her breath with her hands on the ground. The extreme stress was preventing her from breathing properly.
“Goddammit!”
If I couldn’t get Haneul back on her feet, our chances of winning would drop drastically. We needed a tank to pull the Cockatrice’s aggro. That was exactly Haneul’s role.
That was when it happened.
“Hajun!”
Arin shouted while covering her face with her sleeve. It seemed she had suffered burns from the heat while the Cockatrice was rampaging through the flames. Arin decided to help me instead of Maya.
“Healing potion!”
Arin fumbled out a green potion. Just as she was about to throw it to me awkwardly—
“Detonate it!”
Arin paused for a moment to process my words, then nodded. She hurled the healing potion. It flew across the dungeon, which was bright as daylight from the blazing flames.
Arin shouted.
“Potion Explosion!”
Potion Explosion
Boom!
The healing potion erupted in a brilliant explosion in midair. It spread like a gentle green mist and settled over the dungeon. Within the healing fog, I quickly gathered Haneul’s spilled organs. I pushed them back inside, closed the wound, and secured it with forceps. The healing potion’s mist stopped the bleeding and regenerated the flesh.
“You have to get up.”
I forcibly pulled Haneul to her feet. Her legs trembled violently. Her gladius and tower shield had fallen near the Cockatrice.
“Oppa… please help me… I… I can’t fight…”
Haneul staggered, on the verge of bursting into tears.
“Haneul.”
I steadied her.
“We have to fight now. Even if it’s hard, I need your help.”
I was forcing someone who had already reached her physical and mental limits to stand and fight again. In that sense, healing potions were truly incredible items. I asked Haneul for help. Placing a tank in the front line. That alone would be enough. The difference between having a shield and not having one was massive. The abilities of an Ironclad were needed more than ever right now.
“Hic… ugh…”
Overwhelmed by pain and shock, Haneul couldn’t easily recover. She was half out of her mind. She had been sent flying nearly five meters, rolled across the ground, had her stomach torn open with her guts spilling out, and had danced on death’s doorstep. It was natural for her mind to break.
But if she collapsed now, everything would end.
Haneul sank to the ground again.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I can’t think of anything…”
That was when it happened.
“Oppa!”
Roa’s urgent cry rang out. I slowly turned my head. I saw the Cockatrice’s chest swelling once again. This time, its target was us. The Cockatrice clearly directed its breath toward me and Haneul. A thick fog of death spread. The petrifying breath was approaching.
Ha. Shibal. Did I overdo it by trying to fight?
…It was already too late to dodge. I had to do what I could.
I calmly embraced Haneul. She looked up at me with wide eyes. If I did this, I might turn to stone, but I could protect Haneul. Thinking coldly, what this battle needed right now wasn’t a Necromancer but an Ironclad. Even if I turned to stone, as long as Haneul the tank and Roa the dealer remained, we could win with the alchemists’ support.
I trusted my party members. I closed my eyes and waited for the breath to reach me.
…Right at that moment.
A long robed shadow fell over me. I was so shocked I couldn’t close my mouth.
“Roa!”
When I opened my eyes, Roa was standing in front of me. Roa, with her hood pulled low, shone with her blue eyes as she received the petrifying breath. Her long robe fluttered. Standing tall, Roa blocked the petrifying breath with her body. Her blue eyes rapidly clouded over. Her body slowed. Starting from her toes, she began turning to stone.
“Roa…”
Before she completely hardened, Roa whispered.
“The rest… I’m counting on… you.”
Roa completely turned to stone.
“…”
“…”
Haneul and I couldn’t speak for a while. Haneul staggered and dry-heaved. Tears streamed down her face.
“Shibal, seriously!”
I felt like I was losing my mind. I looked once more at Roa, who had become a statue. The trust toward her comrades. The conviction that she could leave the rest to them. I could feel those emotions from Roa’s hardened face.
I steadied my breathing. Roa had trusted me and left the rest in my hands. Even though she could have easily protected herself alone, she had thrown herself in front of the Cockatrice to protect me and Haneul. The party was finished. It hadn’t completely collapsed yet, but it might as well have.
But I had no intention of running away.
I leveled my sawblade. I stared directly at the Cockatrice.
Today, no matter what, I was going to kill it.