Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Master of Rapid Fire
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I gazed at the meat roasting to a perfect golden brown.
"Shuooo.... Owooo...."
Sungsung clapped beside me, smacking his lips in anticipation.
Did he already know how good the meat would taste?
What a guy—could only go "juwap" and yet he knew what was delicious.
I had no idea how much effort it took to grill this capybara meat.
I couldn't let the fire die out, but I couldn't keep it on my body for too long either.
I fussed around endlessly, trying to keep the embers alive even as my feathers singed.
In the end, with a bit of sacrifice, I saved the embers and even transported them to the mansion's fireplace.
Now we were grilling meat in this restaurant, which was a total fire hazard.
"Hmm... Truly.... I had just remade my clothes, only to use them as kindling...."
Kiwi stared off into the distant mountains.
As he said, Kiwi was naked now.
His clothes were made of leaves perfect for catching fire, making them ideal for carrying embers.
"So the thing that stripped the traveler of his clothes was not the wind, but the sun. I see."
He seemed a bit awkward about it, but Kiwis didn't wear clothes anyway, so it was normal.
"Kakak."
Now it was time for the crow's wisdom to shine.
It felt a bit off showing wisdom in front of a sage, but I was a genius crow at least.
I skewered chunks of meat on a branch and spun it with my beak.
It turned into something like an automatic grill.
Well, not automatic—I was the one spinning it.
"Sung sung!"
Sungsung clapped, fascinated by the sight.
Sizzle.
Whoosh.
Occasionally, fat dripped from the meat, flaring up the flames—a sight that whetted the appetite perfectly.
"Shuoooong!"
"Ho, what an efficient setup. If there's a next time for meat, I could use this."
"Kakak."
Even the sage seemed impressed, calling it a first. I felt a bit proud.
He wasn't surprised by grilling meat over fire at all, taking it as obvious. A sage was a sage, indeed.
Creak, creak creak.
I spun the branch for ages.
Sungsung reached out to help but realized his stubby arms were useless and started dancing awkwardly instead.
I had no idea why the dance, but it was probably his way of cheering me on.
Kiwi....
Asking that tiny body to work would look weird anyway.
How much time passed like that?
"Kaak."
I was starting to worry my feathers might catch fire when the armadillo capybara barbecue was finally done.
"Shuwoong...."
"Hoo...."
Sungsung and Muna watched with interest.
Alright, kept you waiting, huh?
"Kagak!"
Time to eat.
At my cry, everyone focused on the capybara meat plated on wooden dishes.
Peck, tear, gulp.
It was a simple process, but the result was anything but.
It was so delicious I wondered how I'd survived on bugs all this time.
"Kaak, kaaaak...."
My eyes misted up for no reason.
I used Sungsung to wipe my eyes, then dove back into the food.
"Shuuwoong!"
Sungsung inhaled the well-cooked meat with his usual "juwap" sounds.
"Mm, quite good. The fat has rendered out for a clean, lean flavor. Healthy taste. The warmth unique to fire-roasted meat is heating me from the inside."
I just thought tasty, tasty!, but Muna gave a professional critique.
The sage trait overshadowed it, but Muna had another descriptor.
【Skills】
「Mimicry LV10」
【Traits】
「High-Speed Thinking」
「Gourmet」
「Sage」
Gourmet.
I had no idea how a kiwi could be a gourmet, but as a sage kiwi, no need to question it.
"Irresistible flavor. The leanness is addictive. Pairs with the capybara's subtle sweetness. Like a Skarnas salad."
You don't have hands anyway?
Should be "my beak keeps going back" or something.
Still, praise from a gourmet kiwi felt great.
Even if it was praise for the already-dead capybara.
We enjoyed the meat for a good while.
The capybara was huge, and I was the only one who could meaningfully eat it, so there was plenty.
Sungsung was sucking something else out of it, and Muna—kiwi-sized—didn't show any sign of eating no matter how aggressively he went at it.
"Shuuu...."
Sungsung, belly full, stuck to the floor like a black sesame mochi.
"Excellent. If I'd brought more kiwi fruit, we could've enriched it further. Ah, this is called cross-contamination...."
I won't ask how he knew about cross-contamination or why he explained it to me.
Sage and all.
Thus ended our hearty meal.
But our friend, the armadillo capybara, hadn't just left meat behind.
Its body was unique: tender meat wrapped in coarse capybara fur,
then covered by armadillo shell.
Butchering it had been no joke.
If the belly hadn't been soft, I might've tossed the meat.
Patience is bitter, but its fruit sweet, they say.
The fur and shell that hindered me became vital resources.
"Mm, I can craft jewelry from your gem now."
"Kagak!"
A sage indeed.
He'd promised accessories, but local materials had limits.
Leaves or vines like his clothes would wear out fast.
I'd been doubtful, but the armadillo capybara delivered a gift.
"Yes. That helmet the ghost wears. I can reinforce it with the leftovers."
"Shuooooong!"
Sungsung's body elongated.
He seemed thrilled at Muna's proposal.
The acorn helm Sungsung had was more like a bowl now, but no reason to miss this chance.
"Wind, grasp here. Ghost, fetch those fallen scales?"
"Sung!"
Sungsung, usually wary of Muna, obeyed eagerly for better gear.
Muna directed but was tiny, so physical labor fell to me and Sungsung.
We worked on crafting until the sun began to set.
"Shuoo...."
"Kaaak...."
Sungsung and I collapsed together.
Muna's demands were exhausting.
But the results were solid.
Sungsung's helmet fused with armadillo parts, tougher and prettier.
My gem became a ring-like band I could wear.
"Even if you grow, no issue. Made with elastic materials."
To fit from talon through ankle, elasticity was key.
I'd imagined a necklace, but a ring.
Sage things.
Not a huge change, but wearable anytime was a plus.
「Sage's Wisdom」
A masterpiece from the Sage.
Wisdom eroded by madness restored its true form upon meeting the Sage.
Wearing it boosts skill power and greatly reduces bodily strain.
The wisdom grows with the wearer.
Huh?
What?
I wiped my eyes with Sungsung and looked again.
"Kaak?"
The description changed?
Obviously better now?
I glanced at the item, then at Muna.
"Why the shocked look?"
"Kagak!"
How could I not be shocked?
Just a little tinkering, and this?
I fluttered my wings slightly, eyeing Muna warily.
This okay?
「Sage's Protection」
A fine work from the Sage.
The acorn that started with one crow blossoms its power.
Perfectly blocking an enemy attack with this stuns them briefly.
And what's this!?
"Shuooooooo....!"
Sungsung couldn't see status windows but sensed the extraordinary power.
I wanted to smack that plump kiwi butt in praise.
Top-tier compliment.
Who knew our first encounter here would lead to this.
I'd seen him as a suspiciously knowledgeable kiwi, but now my view of Muna changed.
"Kakakak."
Muna was a proper sage, and kiwis the wisest birds.
"Hmm. You two look strange. But glad you like the items."
"Shuuuwoong!"
How could we not?
Sungsung grabbed his upgraded acorn helmet and practiced swings.
I slipped the ring onto my ankle.
Weird on a human, but on a crow, it had character.
Like a hawk with a cool accessory.
Worth the sunset toil.
"Shuaang...."
Nocturnal Sungsung yawned with the helmet after a long day.
Fair enough.
Twilight time now.
「Twilight Feather LV1」
Shocked at using a skill I'd never touched, but I instantly knew why.
"Oh, indeed."
「Twilight Feather LV1」
Dyes some feathers in twilight hues.
Twilight feathers gain steel-like hardness and move at the user's will.
Effects amplify in special conditions.
What were those special conditions?
Right now.
The moment the sun set, sky dimming.
My feathers began to glow with twilight colors.
"Shuooo....!"
Sungsung's sleepy eyes bulged.
No wonder.
Nothing like my previous uses.
Normally, Twilight Feather only dyed a portion reddish.
Now, my entire plumage turned twilight.
"Kakakak...."
What did that mean?
Unlike handling one feather usually, now I controlled every single one at will.
"Thought it was wind, but sun after all."
Of course, using all would leave me plucked bald, so moderation.
Still, incomparable to normal me in combat power.
A hundred feathers? No one could block steel-hard barrages.
"Kagak, kakakak!"
No one could stand against twilight me, so I laughed fittingly.
「Twilight Feather LV1」 effect fades.
And back to normal.
"Kak?"
What.
Why back already?
...Barely a minute passed?
......
No way twilight form lasted only this long?
How to even use it?
Dang, ruined the vibe.
"Hmm. I see. Immense power, but fleeting. Birds' unavoidable fate."
Muna eyed my lower half with half-lidded eyes.
I wanted to believe he meant the ring, but it felt elsewhere.
I flapped urgently to guard my dignity.
"Kaaaaak!"
...Not short!
Not all birds are like that!