Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: An Extremely Sturdy Beak
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This place inside was more comfortable than I'd imagined.
No overwhelmingly strong enemies had shown up yet, and swarms of them came at me all at once—perfect for leveling up.
Thanks to that, I had more than enough food; it was practically overflowing and starting to rot.
And every now and then, I could shake down the humans I ran into for some decent cash.
Of course, not everyone was as cooperative as Erika or Agwen.
More than a few had tried to take my stuff after laughing at a crow wandering around with a ghost and a kiwi in tow.
As for what happened to those people... well, pointing at Swooshy's bulging belly says it all.
...
Not that I ate them or anything. I meant I'd stripped them of all their gear.
"Hmm, how about we head left this time? My sage senses are telling me so."
I was busy gathering loot, but I hadn't forgotten our original goal.
Our objective was to confront the Lord of Tin.
The initial plan was to face him in an empty space with no one around, but things had gotten complicated.
Who could've predicted the entire expedition would come pouring in here?
That's why I was spreading the loot around in the first place.
Anyway, they all needed to leave before I could prepare to take him down.
And in the process, I was getting stronger by grabbing items and beating monsters—a nice bonus.
"Kawk."
Kawk-taechang.
「Crow's Eye LV3」
「Bird's Wisdom LV2」
「Feather of Night LV1」
「Shadow Flame LV2」
「Night Call LV1」
「Sturdy Beak」
「Glow」
「Shadow Form」
「Flexible Bones」
My current level was a whopping 24.
I'd steadily leveled up by hunting those rats.
"Chit? Chijik!"
Like this rat that just showed up.
Kwajik!
"Chieeeek..."
I took it down with a single front paw kick.
When dealing with these guys, I'd been deliberately practicing my martial arts.
The perfect size, the perfect strength.
They were true sandbags.
I examined the colorful feathers on my body.
The four feathers on my chest.
Those were the traits I had equipped right now.
The unused ones were tucked into my wings.
Hunting these rats had netted me a ton of duplicate traits.
「Sturdy Beak」
It hardens the beak, letting you eat even things that aren't edible.
The "sturdy teeth" trait those guys had turned into a beak for me, and now I had over ten stacked up.
That wasn't the important part, though.
The real prize was another trait from the plague rats.
「Remnants of the Plague」
The aura of plague lies dormant.
*This trait cannot be used by this individual.
Catching normal rats didn't drop this one.
To get it, I had to take down the ones with red eyes.
They moved about three times faster than usual, always seeming compelled to head somewhere specific.
Once I subdued one, I got a deep green feather, and its description went like this.
A trait I couldn't use.
First time I'd heard that one.
Here I was, a crow spewing pheromones and firing off flashes of light.
Traits like sturdy jaws or teeth had auto-converted to Sturdy Beak for me.
So for something to be unusable... there had to be more to it.
I stared intently at the deep green feather.
Above all, the key word was plague.
If I hadn't stopped by Gretel's hut, I might not have known, but taking down Red Riding Hood had given me some info.
The Witch of the Deep Sea.
And the Witch of Plague.
Apparently, they had ties to Dorothy, the one I was chasing.
And now plague had cropped up.
Was this really a coincidence?
Things had felt off from the start anyway.
All my actions had followed the Sage's advice to the letter.
Yet the results didn't match what he predicted?
Rather than Muna messing up, it made more sense that some variable had entered the equation.
Someone pulling strings.
Or someone who knew the ruins' layout manipulating things to lure all the humans here.
A large crowd of people.
And plague.
I didn't know exactly who the Witch of Plague was, but the name alone conjured certain images.
In a sealed space like this packed with people, no witch would be happier than one tied to plague.
That was our theory: the Witch of Plague was involved.
We'd planned to deal with just the Lord of Tin, but now Executioners and witches were tangled in it too.
Not the best situation, but maybe we could turn it to our advantage.
Aiming for the snipe hunt.
More precisely, playing the fisherman's role.
...Though maybe I shouldn't use "fisherman" anymore since I'm a bird now?
"Right this time... Hmm, looks like a pretty big guy's coming."
I perked up my head and focused, hearing heavy footsteps charging this way.
Thududududu.
"Grrooo...!"
This guy's eyes were bloodshot red too.
I'd seen plenty of rats, but this was my first boar.
Catching that thing would yield how many meals' worth of meat, I wondered.
"That one's infamous for tasting awful."
If Muna said that, didn't it mean it actually tasted good?
It looked way too grotesque for that, though.
Rats could be skinned and eaten, but this one? Even that seemed tough.
A descendant of boars granted sturdy bodies through someone's experiments.
Heavy gamey smell and uniquely tough meat quality persist even after death, making it unusable as an ingredient.
「Furious Tusks LV4」
「Ram LV4」
「Harden LV1」
「Tough Hide」
「Sturdy Muscles」
「Remnants of the Plague」
Yeah, now we're talking. Finally something besides rats and rat-like pests. I'd been getting bored.
It was a big boar, but I wasn't changing my strategy.
Time to hunt it with the close-quarters combat I'd honed.
Practicing only on small fry would be pointless.
"Krwoooek!"
The boar spotted me and charged in a rage.
I focused on its movements, readying one leg to lift.
Kwagagak!
Right as it tried to gore me with those tusks!
Swaaaak!
I immediately clamped down with my talons.
"Kwaaaak!"
The boar thrashed wildly, its head caught in my talons.
But I couldn't feel my talons digging into flesh.
Its hide and muscles were insanely tough.
That didn't change the fact I'd stopped its movement, though.
So...
I jerked my head back as far as possible, then whipped it forward like a bullet.
Pure woodpecker motion.
If it landed right, it'd punch a hole straight through its skull.
Kaaaaang!
But its defenses were even tougher than I'd thought.
"Kaaak!"
My attack hurt me more.
A foe this sturdy...
How was its body this much like a lump of metal?
No time to complain.
It broke free of my talons and charged right back in.
Kwagagaga!
Forget martial arts—this thing I just had to dodge.
A glow enveloped my orange feather.
Jjeeeong!
A burst of strong light hit, and I shifted to shadow form, evading the attack.
Tszzzt.
"Purr, kwaaak!"
Realizing I'd dodged, it whipped around and zeroed in on my position.
Lucky it didn't go after Muna, whom I'd tossed aside to shadow shift.
I'd underestimated this roadside encounter; it was a real threat.
Bad matchup, I guess.
With my current physical stats, I couldn't hurt it.
But that didn't mean defeat.
"Kawk."
I had a strategy prepared for situations like this.
"Swoosh."
Swooshy replied.
This plan needed his help.
Kwagagagak!
The boar charged big again.
I dodged once more with the Glow-into-Shadow combo.
Tszzzt.
A straight stamina contest with it? I'd lose.
It showed zero signs of tiring.
But I had no intention of playing that game.
This would be our final clash.
I burst from the shadows right behind it.
"Krwok!"
It tried to wheel around, delighted.
Since my attacks couldn't hurt it anyway, it'd take the hit and counter.
I reared my beak back as far as it went, mimicking the woodpecker.
"Kaaaaak!"
Swaaaaaaaaak!
The sound it expected was a thunk. Or a clang.
But...
Kwajik!
"Grwoooek!"
This time, the noise was different.
「Sturdy Beak」
「Sturdy Beak」
「Sturdy Beak」
「Sturdy Beak」
Four Sturdy Beaks stacked.
Swaaaaak!
Jjeeoeoek!
I dropped Shadow Form, and Swooshy swiftly swapped my feathers.
I'd ditched all the evasion and defense utility for pure offense, leaving huge openings.
Couldn't use it often, only in special situations like this—but damn, was it effective.
Against tough-bodied foes, this was the way to go.
Spam utility skills to maneuver behind, then go all-in on attack with Swooshy's help.
If they figured it out mid-fight, it'd be risky as hell, but anyone smart enough to spot it would've beaten me anyway.
Swaaaaak!
Jjeok!
"Kakakakak!"
Enemy defeated.
Now my level was a solid 25.
Just five more, and I could aim for the next evolution.
【Dusk Wing Crow LV25(+)】 has reached max level.
Max level reached. 【Dusk Wing Crow LV25(+)】 can now evolve!
"...Kawk?"
Evolution at 25, not 30?
"Kakakakak!"
You could've said so earlier.
...Not that I'm complaining, status window.