Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Shadow Crow
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My reflection in the moonlit puddle could be summed up in one word.
Cool. Definitely.
"Shwoooong...."
Shwoongshwoong seemed to agree, staring blankly at me.
There was still a hint of youthfulness, but the fact that downy fluff had been replaced by proper feathers was a remarkable achievement.
It might look no different from any other crow at a glance, but a closer look revealed stark differences.
These pitch-black feathers.
Look at these iridescent feathers, forged from condensed shadows.
Of course, an outsider might ask what makes them different from regular crow feathers—that's why amateurs can't cut it.
"Shwoong!"
See? Even Shwoongshwoong was nodding in agreement.
Not just my appearance, but my size had grown considerably too.
I couldn't measure it precisely, but I was about the size of a Eurasian eagle-owl.
You know, the kind from my old world—not some mutated bird from this one.
My wings were shorter by comparison, but I was still growing.
And my skeletal structure oddly resembled an eagle-owl more than a crow.
Since Shadow Crows were nocturnal hunters, it made sense to take after night-flying birds.
I wasn't fully used to it yet, but I could fly through the sky under my own power.
Swoosh.
Plus, the takeoff was nearly silent.
Probably due to the owl-like bones—whatever the reason, it was great news.
After reviewing my applied traits, I flew toward the village center with Shwoongshwoong.
"Shwoong."
Shwoongshwoong looked oddly pleased, like we were heading out for a picnic together.
Fair enough—even though I'd evolved, he'd grown quite a bit too, so he was probably feeling the same.
"Oooong...."
As we flew along with Shwoongshwoong, we encountered something I could call an enemy.
"Triririk...."
A massive pumpkin-headed thing drifting through the sky.
"Treleret...."
The perfect practice dummy had appeared.
It hadn't spotted me yet, so I slowed down and approached cautiously.
【Jack-o-Lantern】
A monster with a glowing pumpkin head.
Created from a wish to ward off evil spirits, it ultimately fell to corruption and became one itself.
No noteworthy skills or traits to speak of.
Sweet Taste, at best?
Not something I needed, but it did make me curious about the flavor inside that pumpkin head.
"Triririk...."
Swoosh.
I took off silently into the sky above.
Shwoongshwoong perched quietly on a tree branch.
Ready to drop an acorn for support fire if needed.
I appreciated the sentiment, but if things got that bad, we'd be in deep trouble—and you'd need to run.
Once at a good altitude, I dove toward it as quietly as possible.
Swooooosh!
"Trelet!"
The Jack-o-Lantern noticed me at the last second.
It spun desperately to evade, but it was too late.
Crack!
Like a falcon snatching prey, I slammed my talons into its back like a bullet.
"Triririiiit!"
My talons sank into its body, wrapped in black cloth like Lace's.
Which meant that as a Shadow Crow, I could land effective hits on these things anytime.
"Treleret!"
The pumpkin head looked utterly flustered by my ambush.
Can hardly blame it.
Who expects a crow to ambush you in the dead of night?
Before it could counter, I pressed the attack.
Screeech!
Crunch!
"Triiiiit!"
A satisfying sound rang out as a hole punctured its pumpkin.
It had taken two solid hits before it could even react.
Flying was proving to be ridiculously overpowered.
You could almost always secure first strike.
"Trelet!"
But it wasn't letting a third slide— the pumpkin spun wildly.
Clang!
Yellow light burst from the pumpkin head.
That must be the Glow trait.
Not blindingly bright, but enough to obscure my vision momentarily.
Whoosh!
It reared up and charged straight at me.
Blind with light, then crush with its tough pumpkin.
Simple, but a solid combo.
Any normal foe would panic the moment their sight was stolen.
Screeeeech!
Just before its spinning head connected, I let out a crow's cry.
"Caw."
The pumpkin hurtling toward me passed right through my body.
To be precise...
Tzzt...
It phased through me as I turned to shadow.
Like Lace's body, I could transform into black shadow for a short time.
As the status described, I could even hide directly in shadows.
The duration was short, so evasion-only for now—but that was plenty.
The Jack-o-Lantern sailed harmlessly through me.
My scattered feathers reformed, body intact, and its back now exposed.
"Caw."
I mocked it with another cry.
Then...
Screeeeeeeeech!
Talons gripped its body; beak hammered its head.
Boom!
Like grabbing its hair and slamming it into the ground.
Crack-cra-crack.
The Jack-o-Lantern's pumpkin head shattered, filling the air with a sweet aroma.
"Kek-kek!"
My first battle as a Shadow Crow ended just like that.
I'd worried about losing acorn helmet support after growing bigger, but this ability covered it.
It consumed stamina and lasted briefly, but that was understandable.
Ignoring any physical attack was insanely strong.
First-time foes wouldn't know, guaranteeing a dodge and counter.
"Shwoooong!"
Shwoongshwoong fluttered over, acorn helmet bobbing.
Come here, buddy.
"Caw."
I'd been curious about this pumpkin flavor anyway.
It even had Sweet Taste as a trait.
How good could it be to warrant a trait slot?
With those expectations, I pecked the pumpkin into smaller pieces.
"Ooooh...."
Shwoongshwoong watched eagerly.
No saliva, but it looked like it was drooling.
Waiting for me to eat first?
Wonder where it learned manners like that—kinda admirable, actually.
"Kek-kek."
I'll eat too, so dig in.
Plop!
I pecked at a chunk.
Like frozen pumpkin porridge packed with sugar.
Not bad, but weird texture.
Still, Sweet Taste wasn't lying—it really was sweet.
Chwap.
Shwoongshwoong liked it too, chomping away.
Nothing diminished in my eyes, but its belly plumped up.
Guess it was eating something.
"Zzaaak...."
As I patted my round belly and considered poking Shwoongshwoong's...
"Shwoong!"
It wriggled over, carrying something glowing.
[Jack-o-Lantern's Pumpkin-Colored Feather]
A feather imbued with some of the Jack-o-Lantern's traits.
Grants 「Glow」 while equipped.
"Chirp!"
What? When did this drop?
Me, missing it? A crow of my caliber?
"Shwoongshwoong."
Shwoongshwoong looked smug, like it was crossing its arms.
Arms too short for that, but the effort was there.
How'd it spot it? It doesn't see glows, right?
Maybe it thought I like shiny feathers, based on mine.
I stretched a wing and gently ruffled its head.
"Shworong...."
It melted blissfully.
Yeah, pick up any feathers I miss from now on.
"Ooooh...."
Like a pet that loots items—useless in fights, but worth keeping around.
And cute, too.
Glow, huh.
Equip this, and I'd evolve into an RGB crow.
Light-emitting skills had tons of uses, so I tucked it into my wing.
With cleanup done, we headed out to hunt again.
Couldn't call it a good night after just one.
"Shwoooong!"
Shwoongshwoong flew ahead like it knew a prime spot.
It's lived here longer, so better with terrain.
Or leading to Laces that bully it?
Didn't matter.
Current me could handle two Laces easy.
But contrary to expectations, no Laces—or even kiwi birds—on the way.
As I wondered where this innocent thing was leading me, Shwoongshwoong stopped.
"Shwoo."
Shwoongnavigation arrived at destination, buzzing around.
A massive building loomed right ahead.
Mansion-sized, but too dilapidated to call one.
Huge, but formless ruins.
Rubble inevitable in ruins, sure.
But this was the goal?
"Chirp?"
"Shwoongshwoong!"
It chomped my wing, urging me inside.
More wrapped than bitten, but it thought it bit.
Enter this dump?
...Wait, this rings a bell.
'There's a large but rundown building on the village outskirts. I sensed strong life force inside. Since it hasn't attacked us yet, it's probably an earthbound spirit.'
Words from that Ethan guy.
A powerful evil spirit in the ruins, strong enough to call evil.
Is this that place?
Shwoongshwoong pretending innocence to hand me over as minion fodder?
...Nah, momentary delusion. Not likely.
Sun not even down, yet empowers Laces to move?
If so, Laces would flock to it.
But here? No Laces anywhere.
No life force either.
So, not Ethan's building.
Safe to enter.
"Shwoongshwoong."
Didn't know why it brought me, but it wouldn't harm me.
If so, it'd have swarmed while I evolved.
"Kak!"
Fine, let's check it out.
Who knows? Maybe Shwoongshwoong prepped a gift set of opportunities for me.
"Huff... huff...!"
The adventurers panted heavily.
They'd been hunting Laces to gauge the evil spirit's power.
With holy silver and a priest, surviving the night should've been easy.
But something unexpected happened.
"Kyahahahat!"
The number of Laces exploded beyond reason.
They'd already exorcised double digits, but over a hundred ghosts remained.
A wave of Laces surged toward their base camp.
They gritted their teeth and held—priest and silver barriers still strong, steadily thinning the horde.
"Th-that thing... fuck...."
Hans, the sword-and-shield warrior, showed fear.
If frontline him was terrified, the others were worse off.
Lucky if they didn't faint.
"Everyone, stay sharp."
Even Ethan's hands grew sweaty with tension.
This defied explanation.
"Hngh... sob...."
This chilling life force.
A sobbing wail, yet laced with inhuman rage.
"Fuckin' hell, what kinda earthbound spirit is that?!"
Hans's emotions boiled over into uncharacteristic curses.
The biggest reason their plan crumbled.
"M-mom... wh-where... are you?"
The mansion's vengeful spirit—thought to be earthbound—had emerged.
Her voice hit, and everyone clamped their ears.
"M-mom... p-pretty... my baby...."
A metallic screech like nails on chalkboard.
Brain-scraping nightmare fuel.
It had suffered mortal agony in life, yet endlessly tore its own guts in death.
A malevolent ghost clutching wilted flowers, endlessly searching for her child.
The evil spirit was a bloodstained ghost bride in pristine white.
"...Change of plans. Hold out as long as possible within the sanctuary."
And after holding? No one asked.
Ethan clenched his teeth.
Without a miracle, over half this party would die.