Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Leghorn's Last Stand
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“Phew…”
I let out a sigh as I stared at the traces left by my ultimate attack.
If I spouted some cliché line like “Did I get it?”, the bastard who was clearly dead would probably come back to life, so I kept my mouth shut and stayed on high alert.
Sure enough, when I pulled up the minimap right away, there was a red dot—just as I suspected. This wasn’t some punk that would go down that easily.
“Tch! Did I get it?”
[Korrururuk! Thought I was done for. You rotten human! Were you toying with me after figuring it out?!]
“I knew you were alive, so I just played the cliché straight. Right, burger boy?”
[I’ll kill you for sure.]
Fwoosh!
Out it burst from underground, flames trailing behind—Leghorn.
Its upper body looked half-blown away from the aftermath of my ultimate, but after that flashy transformation, its feathers gleamed in a stunning mix of gold and red. With its horns and body even larger now, and eyes burning like fire, an instinctive fear gripped me.
“Well, at least you look badass now. Two chickens for the price of a meal or something?”
[Horururu! I won’t tolerate any more insults! Human! Behold the power of Phoenix Ascension!]
‘Truth is, I’m scared shitless… Tch!’
Yeah, facing this monster head-on had my mind desperately trying to escape reality with dumb jokes.
Damn it, it’s way faster now? I could barely keep up before, but after pulling off that Phoenix Ascension, it was on another level. By the time I blinked, that massive body was already looming right in front of me.
“Shit…”
[Kirruruk!]
Boom!
I barely blocked a kick aimed at my head by jamming my hand and the Titan stake in the way, but my head rattled, and my body launched into the air.
Still dazed from the impact, it was already upon me in the sky, this time stabbing down with its clawed heel.
[Die, human.]
“Gah!”
Thud!
I crashed down with the force, and as its claw pierced my gut, agony exploded in my stomach and back at once.
Blood surged up my throat, choking my breath, and the pain made it hard to stay conscious.
That unfamiliar torment I’d dreaded so much had arrived, leaving me struggling to even control my body, but I fought desperately to get up.
‘Can’t stay down or I’m dead… Ack!’
[How dare you! Pathetic! Human! Food! Give me! This! Humiliation!]
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
This merciless chicken-headed freak wouldn’t let me rise, stomping down relentlessly.
Unlike the first couple hits earlier, it hurt like hell this time too, but my body wasn’t getting pulverized or shattered.
Right—it had the upper hand now and was just toying with me until I died.
Probably too pissed to just kill me outright.
“Urk! Hack! Guh!”
[Puhihihi! That all you got? Chicken-head’s got you pinned~ Let’s drag him off~]
[Shut up! How dare you humiliate me like this—eating you isn’t enough! Now, how should I torture you to death? Kokkokkok! Kokkokkok!]
It hoisted up my tattered, limp body and mockingly thrust its beak right in my face.
Even through my fading consciousness racked with pain, I couldn’t help thinking that despite the Phoenix Ascension, a bird’s face up close was still ugly as sin.
At least the status window I’d left open to check if it was dead was still blinking brightly, and the blood spewing from my mouth helped obscure the view a bit.
‘What’s this?’
[Kokkokkok! Yeah, peck out those eyes first! Then rip off your limbs while you’re still alive and eat ‘em! Kokkokkok! First, get rid of this useless tin can head…]
Clang!
It effortlessly ripped off my helmet with its beak.
Figures—an S-rank monster’s strength. And with that, the full ugly mug of the chicken-head came into clear view.
My blood-smeared status window came into focus too, as its beak inched closer.
[Kokkokgogok! I’ll peck you real good… Gah!]
“…Who said you could peck out my eyes whenever you feel like it? Ptoo!”
Crunch!
I summoned every last ounce of strength and crushed its beak in my grip.
For the record, a bird’s beak is full of blood vessels and nerves.
Yeah, basically like smashing teeth and lips together. So yeah, shattering it unleashed unimaginable agony.
[Kweeeeeek!]
“Guh! Hoo… Hoo… Gulp gulp. My knights! Thanks to you, I’m alive!”
As it dropped me in its own excruciating pain, I rolled back swiftly, pulled the most expensive potion from my inventory, chugged it to recover my health, and thanked my knights who were still battling hard.
The reason a near-dead me could smash its beak? A level-up.
[Congratulations.]
[You have reached Lv. 39.]
That tiny surge of vitality and strength from the level-up let me mount one final resistance.
And that was thanks to my knights fighting the surrounding monsters!
“You guys really… saved my ass!”
[Hmm hahaha, fortunate indeed.]
[We… helped… glad. Krurruk!]
[No time for complacency, Master.]
Right. In that desperate moment, my knights battling nearby monsters got me the level-up I needed for my counterattack.
They couldn’t assist in the direct fight, but buying me this time from death’s door was incredible.
[Kurrurgurguruk! Humaann! Humaann! Gonna… crush you! Humaannn! Kurrurururuk!]
The charging bastard now lacked its earlier sharpness.
Its eyes rolled back, screeching in pain as it barreled toward me.
‘Feels like getting your wisdom teeth yanked without anesthesia, huh?’
That level of torment was probably the worst pain it had ever felt—or maybe the beak was just its weak spot.
Didn’t matter.
I wasn’t letting this chance slip. I timed the Titan stake I’d grabbed earlier perfectly and swung it vertically into its head as it lunged.
[Ku… Grruruk… Kukukuku.]
In the end, its skull cracked open, spewing brains and blood as it collapsed. The Phoenix Ascension faded, reverting it to a plain white-feathered chicken.
Its life force was insanely tough—it let out eerie cries and foamed at the mouth briefly—but soon its breathing and heartbeat stopped.
“Did I… get it? Whew… But!”
Ignoring the status messages about rewards for slaying it, I immediately turned to the next threat.
Yeah, the enemy wasn’t just this chicken-head.
That horse-headed demon—name was something like Pferdemuskiski or whatever. The horse bastard!
[Puhihihi, impressive. A chicken-head who achieved Phoenix Ascension, and you still took it down. Purruk!]
“You wanna fight too?”
[Puhihi! If you’re up for it, I could oblige, but you don’t look like you want to?]
“You’re right. No more fighting for me. This chicken-head just wouldn’t listen~”
Yeah, even with the potion, my insides were a mess, heavy bleeding.
No way was I facing a fresh Archdemon Beast in this critical condition.
Good thing it seemed reasonable.
[Purruk! Then relax. We’re not exactly buddies. Oh, right—that idiot forgot its place and jumped in on its own… Hmph! Came for fun and got itself killed. Stupidity has limits.]
“Cool. Guess I’ll take your word and head out. Gotta grab my loot first, though. Fought for my life here…”
Where Leghorn’s corpse had been, a mountain of magic stones and items now piled up.
I scooped them into my inventory quick, called my other knights, formed a retreat formation, and got out.
Sure, there were still chick beastmen and chicken beastmen—Leghorn’s minions—but they didn’t pursue.
[Puhihi! Smack smack, puhihihi! Smack smack. Go easy. I’ll devour all these masterless chicken-heads. Purruruk! Hihihi! Kids, feast time!]
[Hi hihihi!]
[Hihi hihi!]
Pferdemuskiski called its horse-head beastmen, and they mercilessly tore into the orphaned chick and chicken beastmen.
Good they weren’t chasing, but the gruesome scene still turned my stomach and chilled me.
[Well done, though. A splendid battle and wise retreat, Master.]
[Master… fine knight… I’ll support you… rest.]
[We’ll wake you near the city. Get some shut-eye, Contractor.]
Basking in my knights’ comfort and praise, I slumped against Krokbane’s back.
Adrenaline crash and potion wearing off—blood seeped from my wounds again, pain flooding back.
My body was a swollen, broken mess everywhere.
Amid the agony, I endured without passing out, regretting coming here today.
‘Fucking hurts. Next time… pack medical supplies… painkillers for sure. Ugh, and… never fight an S-rank monster again.’
A razor-thin victory that left my blood running cold.
If I hadn’t leveled up and crushed that beak, I’d be its meal right now.
No more of that tension, pain, rewards, or level-ups.
‘Back home, just farm D- and C-ranks easy. Ha… Sob!’
Having paid the brutal price of an S-rank monster’s danger, fear, and pain in experience, I gritted my teeth through it all, swearing to myself.
Near the city, chug another potion, then straight to the hospital.
With Awakeners and demons still raging in a massive war, one more hospitalization wouldn’t raise eyebrows.
***
Even after Yoo Seongwon felled the S-rank monster Archdemon Beast-Leghorn, the Seoul front remained chaos.
Endless demons and S-rank monsters pressed on. Humans fought desperately with modern firearms and weapons, Hunters unleashing magic and skills.
[Krrrng! Woof woof! Grab the humans! Woof woof! Hey! You two left flank, you right! Support now! Woof!]
‘Two left, one right.’
From the opposite hill, the dog-headed Archdemon Beast-Tosa Dog directed demons and monsters toward the sector she guarded, dog-head beastmen swarming in.
She’d deployed standout A- and B-ranks, but Shin Somi heard it all in her head.
‘Good they don’t know about Judgment’s Mixed Formation.’
Judgment’s Mixed Formation. No visible change in the landscape, but within its bounds, she could hear any info she wanted—a specialized magic.
Downside: only works in the area, immovable once cast, limited use.
“This front can’t fall. Left: two B-ranks—one Jindo, one Chihuahua. Right: A-rank disguised as Shepherd-head! West: demon pack tunneling in! Relay now!”
“Yes, Guild Master!”
In a battlefield like this, holding formation, she was a natural radar and wiretap.
Detecting demons and monsters undetectable by normal means, alerting allies to cut casualties and enable swift response.
Plus, low realm but support and disruption spells bound enemies, easing ally attacks.
‘Phew~ Wonder if he saved Ayoung.’
Commanding, her mind fretted over whether Yoo Seongwon had rescued her daughter.
But she shook it off, refocusing to minimize sacrifices here.
[Krrrng! You useless mutts, can’t even hunt right… Hm? What? Uh, what? The chicken-head’s dead? And that horse-head prick’s hogging all the eats? Damn it!]
‘Horse-head? Chicken-head?’
[Ururung! No time to hunt these bland humans! Full retreat! Full retreat! Damn, can’t let it snag the best cuts! Pull back now—switch targets to the chicken-head’s headless minions! Woof! Woof woof! Awooooo!]
With its howling broadcast, Tosa Dog’s minions halted their advance one by one and fled.
Simultaneously, other fronts stirred—Archdemon Beasts battling S-rank Hunters got the word and withdrew.
“What the…?”
“Why’re they pulling back?”
“What was their goal?”
“Beats me, but good for us… Battle’s over? Woo!”
Humans gawked incredulously at the retreating demons and monsters, questioning it all.
But in the end, cheers erupted for surviving the brutal fight.