Chapter 117
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Trap
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"Chirrp..."
The centipede bowed its head to me for a good long while.
It still looked like a mindless bug, but it seemed capable of properly conveying its gratitude.
Its status window did catch my attention a bit.
There wasn't much noteworthy in its skills or traits, but the line about regressing to its original form upon encountering a fortuitous opportunity stuck with me.
Fortuitous opportunity.
I knew this wasn't just some vague notion.
My eyes could discern what a fortuitous opportunity was.
It emitted a faint golden glow, with a warm light seeping out, like something comforting.
Just like that gold kiwi with the plump, waddling butt.
Swungswung was the same.
Thanks to actually encountering those two, I'd made it this far.
Fortuitous opportunities really did exist.
That little centipede bastard would probably encounter one someday too.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't be me.
I was still far too lacking for that.
"Caw, caw."
Still, cheering it on a bit couldn't hurt.
As if it understood my intent, it bobbed its head in response.
"Hoo..."
Moona wore an intrigued expression.
"If fate brings you together, you might meet again someday."
"Caw-caw?"
If Moona was saying that, did it mean we'd meet again after it evolved?
Knowing that, maybe I should've been nicer to it.
No real reason to dwell on it, though.
It would live its own life.
What I needed to focus on now was hunting that cockatrice, obviously.
After sending the centipede on its way, we drew steadily closer to what we assumed was its nest.
"Be careful from here on out. The poison is thick enough to see with the naked eye."
As Clara the Yellow Falcon warned, the air around us shimmered with toxic miasma.
"Caw..."
Poison, huh.
I still had no real connection to poison.
Thankfully, I'd only met friendly creatures without it so far.
Of course, lacking poison didn't make them any less dangerous—sometimes even more so.
The cockatrice wielded both petrification and poison.
My body had no resistance to either.
So, that visible miasma right in front of me...
Building up poison resistance using it was the top priority.
With no choice, I parted my beak.
Swallowing some of that poison-soaked dirt should build up resistance.
Thud.
But my beak snapped shut again.
The Yellow Falcon's talon had grabbed it.
"...What are you doing?"
"Krrk-caw."
No, just trying to build some poison resistance.
Poison kept rising from the ground anyway—better to eat it once and toughen up.
"You look like you're thinking something weird. You think I tagged along just to guide you?"
"Caw?"
"You don't think I'd only handle navigation, do you? We're not so shameless that we'd make you do everything, winged birds or not."
The Yellow Falcon flapped her small wings.
White powder drifted down from her feathers.
I'd thought it might be some dangerous dust, but I instantly grasped its effect.
Sizzle...
The poison-choked ground began reverting to its original color.
What she'd scattered was a kind of antidote—or neutralizer.
"It's made from Her Majesty's abilities. We don't have a ton, but it's meant for times like this. As you can see, it purifies the miasma to some extent. The poison the cockatrice spits directly is dangerous, but this ground-seeped stuff? It can wipe it out completely."
"Caw!"
My eyes lit up.
What an envy-inducing item.
It could cover one of my weaknesses.
Carry it around, meet a poison user?
Just have Swungswung sprinkle the powder, and done.
"Caw-caw-caw."
A panicked foe gets a chicken-foot kick, and down they go.
After this fight, I'd ask the magpie for some.
"...You're not thinking of asking Her Majesty for some, are you?"
"Caw?"
How'd she know?
"I can tell from Little Wind's face. Your eyes sparkle, and that subtle beak twitch—greed written all over it."
Greed, huh.
Sure, my eyes spun sometimes over shiny things, but that was only for sparkly stuff.
This powder wasn't personal taste—it was for everyone's benefit.
"Would Her Majesty even give it if you asked? Hmm... I dunno. In a way, it's part of her body."
"Caw?!"
Part of her body?
What did that mean?
No way it was magpie powder or something?
"Like... naturally shed claws, I guess?"
"Caw."
I nodded at her words.
Now I understood what the white powder signified.
It was called powder.
Parrots had it on their feathers, and shaking released clouds of white dust—that was powder.
I recalled it mainly kept wings from getting wet.
Come to think of it, they were gathering power to oppose Dabih and Vega, right?
I could guess what that power was.
Powder that prevented feathers from getting wet.
And Dabih and Vega, who nullified feathers and rained to ground flight.
The queen planned to overcome their abilities with powder.
Not just any bird's—the queen's powder neutralized poison, and it might work on Dabih and Vega too.
"Caw-caw."
She had a plan all along, huh?
That explained all the parrots around, combining their powder.
....
But did magpies produce powder?
As far as I knew, no.
If magpies did, then me too.
Well, since she was originally a harpy, it worked out somehow.
Moona was some kind of kiwi bird, I was some kind of crow, so she was some kind of magpie.
"Of course, she'd give plenty for the final battle... but giving powder means... Argh, no! Here, take mine instead!"
Did powder have some special meaning?
And she had it too?
"Caw-caw."
Bird life had its incomprehensible quirks.
Anyway, thanks to the Yellow Falcon's white powder, the area was purifying.
The poison vanished, replaced by brimming vitality.
If we weren't prepping for battle, I'd have rolled in the dirt.
"Good. We've pushed back the cockatrice's domain a bit. Actually, its poison acts like eyes and ears."
"Caw?"
"Like... spiders? They sense prey on their webs instantly. Cockatrices marking territory with their power have similar instincts."
...So we've already been spotted?
I flapped my wings slightly, giving her that look.
"Nah, don't worry. That's why we came at night. It lost its domain power, and no sun's up. Blind as a bat now."
The Yellow Falcon spoke with oddly excited tones.
"Not that it's easy prey, but for a raptor like you... you can take it."
She chattered up at me.
Yeah.
Petrification was still a wildcard, but with a surprise attack, I could hunt it.
Plus, without Command Roar, its petrification weakened drastically, right?
Domain poison cleared, potential backup batteries removed.
No sun either.
"Let's head deeper. Ah, there—some feathers on the ground. We're almost there!"
The Yellow Falcon whispered, voice low.
Probably had to stay quiet from here.
Waking it would be a hassle, so I nodded silently.
Moona and Swungswung did too.
Swungswung perched on my shoulder, staring ahead without a sound.
A few minutes later, we found its nest.
Petrified beast remnants littered around, huge rocks shielding the nest.
"Found it. It's in there, so... ambush and done. Ready?"
No sounds came from within.
Deep asleep, as the Yellow Falcon said.
Surprise attack, then overwhelm—cockatrice hunted.
"Alright, like I said before..."
The Yellow Falcon began gathering power.
For a lethal strike on the cockatrice.
I prepared Twilight Feather too, but something felt off.
It should be in that nest.
But Crow's Eye showed no cockatrice info.
【Twin Horn Boar LV13】
【Pumpkin Head Bird LV11】
All my Crow's Eye picked up were names of creatures petrified by the cockatrice.
I knew exactly what that meant.
The rock nest held only its petrified prey.
The Yellow Falcon was convinced it was inside.
Why?
To the naked eye, it looked just like a cockatrice in there.
I swept my wings, pulling the Yellow Falcon into my embrace.
"Guh...! Wh-what the...?"
Cockatrice.
Smarter than I'd thought.
Unlike what the Yellow Falcon said, it knew we were invading.
And deliberately placed bait in the nest.
The stone prey mimicked its shape perfectly in the dark.
It was a trap.
Pretending to be inside, waiting to counter our attack.
BOOM!
As I rolled with the Yellow Falcon in my arms, a massive boulder crashed where I'd stood.
If I hadn't dodged, it'd have been fatal.
Mutual ambushes neutralized.
But odds favored us.
Its attack thwarted, and we knew its weaknesses—advantage ours.
If not for that cry.
"Cock-a-doodle-doooo!!"
"Wh-what? Command Roar...? How...?"
The Yellow Falcon trembled in confusion.
The sequence made no sense to her.
Same for me.
"Caaaaaw!"
No, you can't use that at night!