Chapter 70
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Predator of the Shadow Canyon
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A massive bird swept over the spot where they had been, its body blotting out the sky.
"A griffin?"
"Nah, just a big bird!"
Damn big bird!
This is big bird!
Woke up to lightning outta nowhere lol
Snowman's face lol
Oddly enough, the bird merely grazed past Kang Seol's group without touching them, but its talons snagged the innocent firewood, shattering it to pieces.
"Damn it! Come on out!"
Clunk! Clunk!
Karen tried to draw her sword from its sheath but ended up just flinching awkwardly, like a master mime portraying a broken machine.
What disaster would befall her if she actually drew it?
"Draw already! Please, just draw!"
"Karen! No time for that! Brace for the next impact!"
"Urgh... Guess I'll have to bash it with the scabbard first."
Kang Seol's Insight Eye activated.
Kupa: Predator of Shadow Canyon
Grade: Rare
Estimated Level: 15~24
Among the corpse eagles that serve as the root stock for Kupa, this one possesses a particularly unique trait.
Its growth varies greatly depending on its diet. The reason Kupa dominates the skies of Shadow Canyon is because it preys on the countless hardy creatures infesting the entire canyon.
This mighty corpse eagle suddenly appeared in Shadow Canyon one day and gradually grew to the top of the canyon's food chain.
Even if you're faced with an ugly, foul-smelling corpse eagle in the canyon, make sure you don't catch Kupa's eye. There are no rumors of Kupa eating humans yet—but that might just be because anyone who could spread such rumors has already ended up in its belly.
Basic Abilities: [Raking 2], [Prey Sense 1], [Will-Shattering Cry 2], [Rock Throw 1], [Body of Steel 1]
Special Abilities: [Corpse Feast 1], [Nutrient Surge 1]
Kang Seol was surprised enough that the raptor was one of the predators ruling this vast Shadow Canyon, but he was even more shocked by its name.
"Kupa? Kupa?"
Kiruruk!
"Incoming! Hurry..."
"Nah, looks like that's it?"
"...What?"
Kiruuuuk...
Contrary to the dramatic flair of its entrance, Kupa merely stirred up the campfire once and vanished.
"What the hell? That was anticlimactic..."
"If we'd kept bumping into it, we would've been in real danger. We can't fly, and this is a canyon known as the grave of the wingless. Plus, for someone who can't draw her sword, you sure talk a big game."
"I said I can't draw it, not that I can't fight. Sure, it's frustrating as hell without it, though."
"Either way, hmph. Hey! Snowman. What now?"
"...Huh?"
"Should we relight the fire? Or find somewhere else since this spot's exposed?"
"Let's move. Somewhere with a roof if possible."
"Canyons are full of holes. We can crawl into any and make the owner our dinner if need be."
As Jamad packed their gear, Karen approached Kang Seol.
"What's up?"
"Huh?"
"Freaked out by the attack? Should've woken you sooner."
"Nah, that was fine. I sensed it coming anyway. Sleeping soundly in Shadow Canyon would've been the real joke."
"Then why'd you zone out like that?"
"Well, you see."
Kang Seol continued his train of thought as he spoke.
"...Never mind. Probably just my imagination."
"What? Don't toy with me!"
"We need a new spot first. We'll talk slowly then."
Kang Seol brushed Karen off, but it wasn't his imagination.
No way it was.
'Kupa... you're alive?'
This Shadow Canyon was the place where Kang Seol—or rather, Kiria the raptor hunter—had met his end.
And where his loyal summoned beast, the devoted corpse eagle Kupa, had been left alone.
'How can this be...'
It had happened long, long ago.
Dredging up memories over a decade old, not even nostalgia, was utterly exhausting.
Kururu... kuru...
Snowman, why a corpse eagle of all things? The party's taking sanity penalties from the stench.
"Sorry, but Kupa's my companion raptor."
...Don't ever pick a summoner class next time. Prioritize performance. Corpse eagles eat a ton, grow slow, barely listen, are vicious, and stink to high heaven. All downsides, no upsides.
"It got pushed out of the nest by its siblings. If I hadn't taken it in, Kupa would've died."
That's why you shouldn't make it your main. Just release it when it's convenient.
"It follows me. Kupa will definitely be a big help later."
So many charismatic raptors out there, and you pick a corpse eagle... Think those talons that can barely catch bugs will help in adventures?
The masked man was right.
Raptor hunters relied on raptors as their main summons.
Expert archery, survival knowledge, and more formed the class, but the raptors they handled were paramount.
Each raptor had unique traits.
Some resisted elements fiercely; others snapped steel with their beaks.
These were the breeds raptor hunters adored.
But corpse eagles? Thoroughly ignored, for all the reasons the man listed.
Kiria's choice of one as his companion made him an oddity among players.
Back then, Snowman was just another nameless player.
The adventure continued, and Kiria's Kupa grew day by day.
Soon, it perched heavily on Kang Seol's arm.
That was right around then.
When Kiria's party entered Shadow Canyon.
On the fourth night, they bedded down in a makeshift spot on the canyon's edge.
[You have died.]
Instead of morning, that's the message they awoke to.
Even years later, other parties met the same fate, with the cause still unknown.
Fall asleep in Shadow Canyon, and you die.
Such grim rumors deterred players from venturing there.
Kang Seol was certain the giant bird was Kupa—yet couldn't believe how massively it had grown. A contradiction.
'Kupa, you survived.'
Overjoyed yet conflicted—not here as Kiria—he watched Kupa's departure wistfully.
"What's wrong?"
Karen, finding his reaction odd, shoved her face right up to his.
"Boss!"
"Ah! Uh, what?"
"Snap out of it! After coming all this way..."
"Yeah, just lost in thought for a sec."
They trekked until finding a rest spot.
"Found it. This'll do."
Jamad guided them to a suitable shelter.
Thud.
"Whew..."
"Tired? Let's rest up again."
After dropping their gear, Kang Seol sighed. He reached to light a fire out of habit but stowed the wood instead.
"No fire?"
"Cold?"
"The terrain blocks the wind, so not too bad... You expecting that bird back?"
"Yeah, got a bad feeling."
"About what?"
Kang Seol found Kupa's behavior suspicious.
'Why'd it just leave?'
Their old spot had been perfect for an attack from Kupa's view. Yet it only scared them off.
'Doesn't eat humans?'
Insight Eye noted no such rumors, but unverified info meant little. The description even hinted at it.
"Why show up at all?"
"Dunno... maybe... the fire? Probably the fire."
"Right?"
"What else lights fires in a canyon? Adventurers or hunters, that's it."
Never light fires in harsh terrain—basic survival. Monsters worse than cold were drawn to light.
"Fire drew it, fine. But what it did after? Kinda weird."
"You noticed too? Here I thought our boss was buried in worries."
"No fire tonight."
"No biggie. Got warming stones anyway."
Warming stones were adventurer essentials for such times. Clutch one, feel the warmth—it sustained body heat masterfully.
Clutching his, drowsiness hit Kang Seol. But recent events kept sleep at bay.
Thud.
Karen gently placed a hand on his head.
"Sleep. It'll be fine."
"Yeah."
Only then did he finally nod off. Thus ended their eventful first night in Shadow Canyon.
The next day, Kang Seol's group began seriously scouting the canyon terrain.
"Everything here's so huge?"
"Lucky the paths are wide. Otherwise, we'd tumble off anytime."
"The troll has a positive side."
"The fairy complains a lot. Karuna was quiet."
As Karen and Jamad bantered, Kang Seol pressed ahead.
'There... enemies.'
Karen hurried up, saw what he saw, and said, "Goblins."
"Yeah."
Goblins were common in adventures, staples of fantasy worlds across quests and terrains.
Strength varied wildly by spawn and location—tricky, but not worrisome.
Krr... Krraak!
The goblins conversed among themselves, wary.
"What do? Take 'em out? Scouts, maybe?"
"Wondering if we should make noise."
"Scared of that bird?"
"That, and our target might sense it and hole up deeper."
"Possible."
In Pandea, slaughtering every monster didn't yield huge rewards.
Extras only for meaningful kills or loot grabs. Random kills gave minor EXP, nothing more.
'Keeps solo clears in check.'
If one player handled all foes, group prep lost meaning.
Over-rewarding kills could accelerate solo monopolies, so the system prevented it.
"Hmm..."
Karen watched his serious pondering.
"What?"
He noticed her gaze.
"Just... you're so diligent."
"Lives on the line—gotta be. Let's detour. No point wasting time blind."
"Got it!"
Thus, their canyon life continued.
They dodged various monsters, covering wide ground.
But scouting yielded zilch despite efforts.
Five days in.
"Ugh... when can we cook this stuff? If it's that damn bird, just..."
"Hang in there. I'm starving too."
Meals loomed large in adventures. Routine's greatest joy? Chow time.
Kiruuk...
Kupa still patrolled overhead.
They crept spider-trail hunting, avoiding its eyes.
"Hey? Isn't this that spot?"
Karen's eyes widened, grabbing Kang Seol's robe.
"What?"
"Where we spotted those goblins. Path leads here."
"We looped halfway. Half in five days... tight timeline."
"Worst part? No spider, not even webs."
"We know, no need to rub it in."
"Hmm... what's the issue."
They inspected the goblin scouts' old camp.
Karen checked for dropped items; Jamad traced their path.
Soon, the verdict: nada.
"Nothing here. You, troll?"
"Nope. But where'd they go? No tracks for goblins."
"Huh? They should still be around then."
Then.
A trace of something has been detected.
Kang Seol called to them.
"...Here. Everyone, come check this out."
"Why?"
"Think we found it."
Jamad and Karen rushed over.
"What? For real?"
"We found it?"
Kang Seol pointed instead of answering.
"Huh?"
"Ho..."
Jamad and Karen stared at his fingertip and grinned.