Chapter 68: I Have Arrived
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: I Have Arrived
I set off on a journey to hunt the Cockatrice.
Swish-Swish cried and clung to me, but it couldn't be helped.
You have to be good until I get back.
And if you can, try to persuade the Snake Queen for me.
To be precise, the goal of this journey wasn't to catch the Cockatrice, but to find traces of it.
Picking up a fallen feather, or discovering its nest.
Even that much would be enough to complete the mission.
But was the Cockatrice I was thinking of really that Cockatrice?
I never imagined a creature like Gomodo would exist in this world.
It was possible that instead of a Cockatrice, a creature called a Gogadurisu existed here.
Of course, according to the Snake Queen's description, the Gogadurisu had the face of a bird, so it was likely the creature I knew… but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.
In fact, the appearance of the Cockatrice changes depending on the legend, so I shouldn't judge it based on my own common knowledge.
Still, since my goal wasn't to defeat it, I didn't have to worry too much.
After all, the one who would be doing the fighting was the Snake Queen.
All I had to do was find traces of the Cockatrice without the King of Birds noticing.
The Snake Queen had said that when the Cockatrice betrayed her, it stole several elixirs and divine artifacts from the temple.
I might just be able to snatch those for myself.
Of course, finding a single Cockatrice in this vast jungle would be a difficult task.
But I could roughly predict its location.
This jungle was divided between the King of Birds and the Snake Queen.
In the Snake Queen's territory were the snakes that served her and the dinosaurs presumed to be her allies.
The Stegosaurus I saw before was one such case—an ally of the Snake Queen guarding the front of the temple. Normally, it would have attacked me on sight, but it probably let me go after seeing Swish-Swish clinging to my back.
In that respect, the Snake Queen's mark now felt like a positive status effect.
It was acting as a sort of pass.
Anyway, even a Cockatrice would be turned into a chicken skewer if it ran into a herd of Stegosauruses. The probability of it being in the Snake Queen's territory was close to zero.
It was obvious, but the creature would be staying in the territory of the Human-faced Bird.
To find it, I had to go to the area where the King of Birds resided.
The King of Birds.
Even with my training, my chances of defeating it were extremely slim.
The Human-faced Bird was a monster on par with the Snake Queen.
I had to find traces of the Cockatrice without being discovered by the King of Birds.
It seemed like a difficult task at first glance, but it wasn't impossible.
I did have a skill called Stealth, after all.
And if I didn't insist on walking on two feet, I could crawl through the undergrowth, hiding my body.
By making good use of the massive trees in the jungle, I could achieve an effect comparable to true concealment.
I would move forward, one secret step at a time.
If it was the Cockatrice I knew, finding its traces might not be that hard.
If there were petrified statues scattered about, it would likely be nearby.
If I heard a rooster's crow, I'd just have to head in that direction.
Alright, let's go find it.
*
Baek Woon and Jang Bong muffled their footsteps as they advanced toward the source of the sound.
Quite some time had passed since they first heard the monstrous bird's cry.
Baek Woon wanted a sure thing. If that monstrous bird managed to escape, he wouldn't be able to obtain its inner core.
For days on end, they had been following it, slowly and carefully tracking its movements.
“Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!”
“Skreeeeaaak!”
Then, they heard the sound of the monstrous bird fighting another beast.
Baek Woon immediately knew this was his chance.
The monstrous bird was large, but the bear-like beast it was fighting was no pushover either.
If he approached while its attention was diverted, he could finish it off in an instant before it could even resist.
“Jang Bong, now!”
Jang Bong grumbled but followed Baek Woon.
Maybe I can get a piece of the action.
That was what Jang Bong was thinking.
If Baek Woon was the one to subdue the monstrous bird, then he was tasked with the important mission of cutting off any potential escape.
And so, Baek Woon and Jang Bong rushed toward the monstrous bird.
“Cock-a-doodle-dooooo!”
The monstrous bird cried out loudly.
Baek Woon pushed off the ground, putting immense strength into his legs.
A chance this good was unlikely to come again.
“Grraaaaaaah!”
The bear-like monster charged at the monstrous bird.
Baek Woon placed a hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
His strategy was to strike while the monstrous bird was dealing with the monster.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Crack-crack-crack.
But his plan shattered into pieces.
Just like the monster, which had turned to stone and crumbled.
“S-Sir Baek Woon! What is that!”
Jang Bong clamped a hand over his own mouth.
They were in the middle of a surprise attack, yet he had screamed out in shock.
It was no wonder he was surprised.
Before his very eyes, a giant beast had turned to stone in an instant.
But that was Jang Bong's problem, and the monstrous bird didn't seem inclined to overlook it.
“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”
The monstrous bird turned its head toward the sound.
Baek Woon met the monstrous bird's gaze.
He clenched his teeth.
He never imagined the bird would possess a petrification ability.
He only knew that it emanated a spiritual energy; he had no idea what species it was.
But Baek Woon had prepared for the unexpected.
While tracking the creature, he had prepared for any potential dangers.
What if this monstrous bird is hiding another power?
That very consideration had caused the delay.
But the monstrous bird had never once used that power.
Even when it hunted, it simply rammed its targets with its massive body, never using the power of petrification.
A hypothesis formed in Baek Woon's mind.
Could it be that this monstrous bird knew it was being followed?
Was it hiding its power, waiting for the hunters to reveal themselves so it could counterattack?
Baek Woon realized Jang Bong's scream hadn't mattered at all.
This cunning, monstrous bird had known everything from the start.
Just as Baek Woon had worried about the bird escaping, the bird had been worried about Baek Woon and Jang Bong escaping.
It had hidden its power, pretending it could only attack using its physical abilities.
Baek Woon scoffed at himself.
I thought I was the hunter, but I was the prey.
But he hadn't given up yet.
He drew the sword from his waist.
Shwiiiiing!
It was a sword he had received back when he was still called a promising talent.
If he couldn't overcome this trial, he would remain a First-Rate martial artist for the rest of his life.
Branded with the shameful title of an "Eternal Promising Talent."
Grind.
Baek Woon gritted his teeth.
A sword art that struck from thirty-six directions simultaneously.
The profound principles of the Thirty-Six Swords of the World were about to unfold.
Crack-crack-crack.
Baek Woon realized his legs wouldn't move.
“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”
Baek Woon was looking into the monstrous bird's eyes.
That's right.
He had made eye contact with a Cockatrice.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
Before the Thirty-Six Swords of the World could even be unleashed, Baek Woon had become a statue.
Witnessing the scene, Jang Bong was horrified.
“H-Hieaaaaaaak!”
He immediately turned and began to run.
This was beyond absurd.
Baek Woon was a First-Rate martial artist.
He was the kind of man who could easily dispatch two of those tall, monstrous birds if they attacked him.
For such a man to be defeated without even putting up a fight…
This was not an opponent a Third-Rate martial artist like himself could handle.
Jang Bong didn't look back.
Swoooosh!
He could instinctively tell that the monstrous bird was chasing him.
I have to run.
I have to hide.
I have to survive, no matter what.
Those were the only thoughts in Jang Bong's mind.
He pushed through the tall plants, running for his life.
“Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!”
At first, he had thought the rooster's crow was comical, but in this situation, it felt different. He felt like a worm in front of a chicken. His whole body trembled.
“Pant… pant…”
Jang Bong ran with every last ounce of strength he had.
His legs caught on rocks, and he fell over and over again.
But he couldn't stop.
“Heok…”
The strength was draining from his legs.
Jang Bong had to make a choice.
Continue this meaningless escape, or find a place to hide and shake it off while he still had some strength left.
He was running out of energy.
Jang Bong desperately tried to find a hiding spot.
“Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!”
But his relief was short-lived.
The creature's cry grew closer.
Jang Bong finally managed to hide his body in the crevice of a large rock.
“Hu-eup… eup…”
But was this place safe?
Jang Bong asked himself, but the answer was no.
“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”
The cry grew louder.
Jang Bong realized it wouldn't be long before the monstrous bird found him.
He closed his eyes.
In a tiny voice, he did the most foolish thing in the world.
“P-Primordial Heavenly Venerable… Primordial Heavenly Venerable…”
Jang Bong was not a Taoist priest.
He was desperately calling for the Primordial Heavenly Venerable only because he was mimicking the martial artist who had been killed by the Tang Clan's divine beast.
Only now did Jang Bong understand why that man had called out for the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
It was his last hope.
Making a sound would let the monstrous bird find him.
But even if he stayed silent, he would be found all the same.
Jang Bong continued to pray to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
He begged to be saved from this hell.
It wasn't just the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
He prayed to every being that came to his mind.
But there was no answer.
“Hic… huah…”
Jang Bong realized his death was near.
Let's pray one last time.
Jang Bong cleared his mind.
Since this is the last time, which being should I pray to?
The young lady of the Tang Clan came to his mind.
The woman he had coldly abandoned after encountering the dragon in the swamp.
Because he was a coward, because he was selfish, he couldn't say a word even after witnessing the Bloody Lion's atrocities.
No. In fact, he had been somewhat grateful to the Bloody Lion.
Thanks to him, he had managed to save his own skin.
Was it because of that?
The story Tang Soyeong had told him surfaced in his mind.
The divine beast worshipped by the Tang Clan.
A being without a physical form, but a divine beast that Tang Soyeong had firmly believed in.
“K-Gomodo. O, Gomodo… P-please…”
It was ridiculous.
His last prayer was to a divine beast whose appearance he didn't even know.
“Hahahat…”
And it was the divine beast worshipped by the Tang Clan girl he had abandoned.
Jang Bong gave a wry smile.
Right.
Even if I were a divine beast, I wouldn't save trash like myself.
He had truly lived a sinful life.
If nothing else, if I ever meet the Tang Clan girl again, I must apologize.
That was Jang Bong's thought.
…
…….
“Gek-ge-gek.”
Jang Bong doubted his own eyes.
He instantly recognized what that being was.
Old Death with a Tail.
It was Gomodo.