Chapter 71: Mine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Mine
Should I call it a breath?
No, this was a destruction ray.
Not just any destruction ray, but one named the Gaegaek Death Beam.
…Why did it have to have a name like that?
I’ll put that aside for now and focus.
Kwagagagagagak!
The blue ray shot from my mouth flew toward the Cockatrice.
I wasn't worried about missing.
Its range was wider and its speed faster than I'd expected.
Jjeooooooooong!
A massive shockwave erupted.
The Cockatrice seemed to resist for a moment, but it was helplessly pushed back.
I poured every last bit of my power into it.
If I couldn't finish it now, there wouldn't be a next time.
Kwaaaaaang!
A massive explosion occurred at the end of the beam's path.
The large trees nearby were swept up in the blast, falling one by one.
Kukwaaaaaaang!
I spewed out the beam until I felt like coughing.
Kukwaaa….
The sound gradually faded.
That was the maximum firepower I could muster.
Kuguguuuu….
The Cockatrice lay collapsed on the ground, unmoving.
I thought it was amazing that its form was even somewhat intact.
To think I tried to take that thing down the conventional way.
My stiffly hardened body began to move little by little.
The power of petrification was wearing off.
I'd defeated it.
Since the petrification was fading, I had no choice but to believe I had finished it off.
…But why wasn't I leveling up?
Could it be that it has another head?
No, that couldn't be it.
Even if it had ten more heads, it shouldn't have been able to get up.
The beam I just fired was powerful enough to disintegrate its entire body.
There was a hole in the Cockatrice's body large enough to be seen from here.
No matter how many heads it had, with a hole through its heart, it had to be dead.
Logically, it was impossible for it to get up in this state.
Besides, wasn't the petrification wearing off?
It was reasonable to assume it was dead.
All the evidence pointed to that conclusion, but one thing suggested otherwise.
The level-up notification hadn't appeared.
The status window doesn't lie.
If such a powerful enemy died, I should have definitely leveled up.
The Cockatrice didn't stir.
It was long past the point where it could be playing dead.
A chill ran down my spine.
Could the status window be broken?
If not, was it clinging to life through some unknown power?
My instincts were screaming at me to rush to its corpse immediately.
I needed to keep hitting it with Dragon's Claws to prepare for the worst.
But the petrification was only just starting to wear off; I couldn't move my body freely yet.
I couldn't run to it.
All I could do was watch.
Guguguk….
I felt like I was being overwhelmed by something unseen.
It was a very unsettling feeling.
It was then.
A scene that defied all logic unfolded before me.
“Ggrrrk….”
Black blood trickled from the mouth of the Cockatrice that should have been dead.
A disgusting sound, like phlegm gurgling in a throat.
“How dare you….”
The Cockatrice, now just a mangled piece of meat, staggered to its feet.
Its body was in no condition to stand.
Its arms and legs were shattered, and the head that should have been on its neck was gone without a trace.
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that it could stand up.
But with no head, how in the world was it speaking?
And how could a Cockatrice, which could only mimic the cries of birds or chickens, speak human words?
My whole body shivered.
I wanted to control it, but my body trembled uncontrollably.
Instinctive fear took hold of me.
“To kill… my subordinate….”
It was a voice I had heard once before.
“A snake… with legs….”
The monstrous beast that resembled a bird with a human face.
The Human-faced Bird, the King of Birds.
He hadn't appeared in person.
There was no way I would have missed that enormous body.
It was speaking through the Cockatrice's body.
Every single one of its vocal organs should have been crushed.
Tududuk.
Its face burst out from the Cockatrice's torn body.
“In my territory… killing my subordinate… causing a disturbance….”
The voice was filled with rage.
“Grrrrr….”
I could feel that the Human-faced Bird was forcibly holding onto a creature that should have died long ago.
Even if it wasn't its true body, there was no way I could win against it now.
The power to keep something dead from dying was a power that defied reason.
I couldn't guarantee a victory even in my best condition, let alone now, when I had used up all my strength.
“However… I've taken a liking to you.”
Its grotesque face stared straight at me.
“I shall give you… one last chance….”
Flash!
An unpleasant purple aura shimmered.
I knew what this was.
The technique it used when I first met the Human-faced Bird.
Something that could be called a form of brainwashing.
“Is a dragon… a snake, or a bird?”
The King of Birds asked the same question as last time.
No matter how many times it asked, my answer would not change.
Grind….
I clenched my teeth, trying to resist somehow.
“Do you think you can resist in your condition…?”
Pshuk.
Blood burst from the wounds I'd received earlier.
“Think carefully. About your future as my subordinate….”
The unpleasant sensation of something entering my mind.
A vicious brainwashing that twisted my thoughts to its will.
“Imagine yourself with wings of freedom… spewing fire from your mouth, flapping your great wings and soaring freely through the sky….”
It was frustrating, but anyone could easily imagine what it was describing.
A body covered in dragon scales growing wings meant only one thing.
A dragon.
If I accepted its power, couldn't I become a dragon?
Not a creature that was a dragon in name only, like a Bearded Dragon or a Green Basilisk, but a real dragon.
A dragon covered in black scales that flew through the sky and breathed fire.
Was there any reason to refuse?
No matter how close a Gomodo was to being a spirit beast, it couldn't compare to a dragon.
I could skip countless evolutionary stages and become strong in an instant.
“I can see your desire… You pretend otherwise, but I know you too wish for a human body….”
If I became a dragon, I could probably take on a human form.
I'd be able to use something called Polymorph.
“It is the instinct of all spirit beasts… Now, if you just accept my power, you can obtain everything you imagine… Become mine… Kill the snake, and become a subordinate of the bird….”
The voice that had sounded so horrible at first began to sound sweet at some point.
I felt as if all my problems would be solved if I just listened to those words.
Did I need to keep risking my life, struggling just to survive?
With overwhelming power, all the problems I'd worried about would simply disappear.
“Is a dragon… a snake, or a bird?”
As if I'd fall for that.
“Grrrrrrr….”
I let out a low, ferocious growl.
It was a declaration of my will to never submit to it.
“Your resistance is meaningless….”
Flash!
Another flash of light erupted.
“Now that one is dead, the burden should be lighter.”
My mind grew hazy.
I could instinctively tell I had reached my limit.
The fact that I was still holding on was nothing short of a miracle.
If even the slightest bit more pressure was added, I might succumb to it.
“Serve the King of Birds.”
Grrrrrind.
The moment I clenched my teeth.
Fwoosh.
I felt one of my scales heat up intensely.
No, it wasn't just a feeling.
One of my scales was turning gold.
It was a warm light, like a mother's embrace.
[The Snake Queen's Mark activates.]
Jjeooooong!
A golden flash burst forth.
At the same time, a pair of white arms wrapped around my body.
I couldn't feel a physical touch.
An illusion.
No, it was more like a spiritual form.
But for some reason, I felt a warmth.
The unique warmth of a reptile, which could also feel slightly cool.
I lifted my head and looked at the owner of the spiritual form.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
An expressionless face.
It was an all-too-familiar face.
The Snake Queen's spiritual form stared at the Cockatrice with a cold gaze.
To be precise, she was staring directly at the massive spiritual form of the Human-faced Bird visible around it.
“You've crossed the line, King of Birds.”
“You… how?”
There was clear bewilderment in its voice.
“Why do you covet what belongs to another?”
Neither the King of Birds nor the Snake Queen was in their true body.
One had appeared temporarily by borrowing the body of a dead monstrous bird.
The other had sent her spiritual form through some unknown power.
But the aura they exuded far surpassed my own full power.
“Is he your subordinate…? How dare you enter my territory….”
The King of Birds said indignantly.
The atmosphere was so tense it felt like they would clash at any moment.
The Snake Queen scoffed at his reaction.
“A subordinate, is that how you see our relationship? Ohoho. Yes. I suppose that's the only way you can think.”
“…You mean he is not your subordinate? Then why have you set foot in my domain, Snake Queen?”
“You tried to covet what belongs to another, so of course I had to come.”
“If he were your subordinate… I could understand…. But to come here for one who is not your subordinate is incomprehensible…. Tell me the truth, Snake Queen. What is he to youuuu!”
A booming voice that echoed throughout the entire jungle.
The Snake Queen's beautiful face wrinkled for a moment.
She gently caressed my ear, then raised a finger to her lips.
“Shhhhh.”
She answered with an expression that said, Why would you even ask something like that?
“He is mine.”