Chapter 69: I, Descent
I set out on a journey to capture the Cockatrice.
Shikshik clung to me, crying bitterly, but there was nothing I could do.
“You must stay well until I return.”
“And if possible, try to persuade the Snake Queen.”
In truth, the exact purpose of this journey wasn’t to capture the Cockatrice, but rather to find traces of it.
Perhaps I could pick up a fallen feather or discover its nest.
Even that would be considered mission accomplished.
But was the Cockatrice I was thinking of really that Cockatrice?
Had I ever imagined that such a creature as the Gomodo would exist in this world?
There might be a creature called Gogadurisu, not the Cockatrice.
Of course, according to the Snake Queen’s explanation, the Gogadurisu had a bird’s face, so it seemed like the one I knew, but there was no harm in being cautious.
After all, the Cockatrice’s appearance constantly changed depending on the legend, so it wouldn’t do to judge it based on my common knowledge.
But since my goal wasn’t to defeat it, there was no need to worry too much.
After all, the one who would use their strength was the Snake Queen.
I only needed to find traces of the Cockatrice without alerting the Bird King.
According to the Snake Queen, the Cockatrice betrayed her and stole some of the temple’s elixirs and sacred artifacts.
I might be able to snatch those for myself.
Of course, finding a single Cockatrice in this vast jungle would be difficult.
But I could roughly predict where it might be.
This jungle was currently divided between the Bird King and the Snake Queen.
In the Snake Queen’s territory, snakes that served her and dinosaurs presumed to be her allies had gathered.
The Stegosaurus I saw before was such an example—a Snake Queen’s ally guarding the front of the temple. Normally, it would have attacked me on sight, but seeing Shikshik clinging to my back, it must have let it slide.
In that sense, the Snake Queen’s brand was now more than just a beneficial status; it acted as a sort of pass.
Anyway, no matter how formidable the Cockatrice might be, if it ran into a pack of Stegosaurus, it would end up skewered like a chicken on a stick. The likelihood of it being in the Snake Queen’s territory was close to zero.
Of course, it would be staying within the territory of the Inmyeonjo.
To find it, I had to go to the region ruled by the Bird King.
The Bird King.
Even though I had trained, the chances of me defeating it were extremely slim.
The Inmyeonjo was a monster comparable to the Snake Queen.
I had to find the traces of the Cockatrice without being detected by the Bird King.
At first glance, it seemed like a difficult task, but it wasn’t impossible.
I did have the *Stealth* skill, after all.
If I didn’t insist on walking on two legs, I could crawl and hide my body in the bushes.
If I made good use of the giant trees in the jungle, I might even achieve an effect similar to *Stealth*.
I moved carefully, step by step.
If this was the Cockatrice I knew, it wouldn’t be too hard to find traces of it.
If I found statues that seemed to be petrified all around, it would be nearby.
If I heard the sound of a rooster crowing, I should head that way.
Alright, let’s start looking.
***
Baekwoon and Jang Bong advanced cautiously toward the source of the sound.
In fact, it had been quite a while since they first heard the cry of the monstrous bird.
Baekwoon wanted to be sure. If the monster bird escaped, they wouldn’t be able to obtain its Core.
They had been slowly, persistently following the monster bird for days, tracking its movements.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“Screeech!”
Then they heard the sound of the monstrous bird fighting with another beast.
Baekwoon immediately realized that this was his chance.
Even though the monster bird was large, the beast that resembled a bear was no pushover.
If they approached while it was distracted by the bear, they could finish it off without it even putting up a fight.
“Jang Bong, now!”
Jang Bong followed Baekwoon despite grumbling.
Perhaps he could snatch a piece of the spoils for himself.
That was Jang Bong’s thought.
If Baekwoon subdued the monster bird, his job would be to prevent it from escaping.
With that, Baekwoon and Jang Bong rushed toward where the monster bird was.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The monstrous bird let out a loud cry.
Baekwoon put all his strength into the legs that pushed off the ground.
There might never be another opportunity as good as this.
“Graaaaah!”
The bear-like beast lunged at the monster bird.
Baekwoon reached for the sword at his waist.
His strategy was to strike while the bird was occupied with the beast.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Crunch, crackle.
But his plan was shattered.
Just like the beast, which turned to stone and crumbled.
“B-Baekwoon, what is that?!”
Jang Bong covered his mouth.
They were in the middle of an ambush, but he had been so shocked that he cried out.
It was understandable.
The enormous beast had suddenly turned to stone before his very eyes.
But that was Jang Bong’s problem, and the monstrous bird didn’t seem inclined to let it slide.
“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”
The monstrous bird turned its head toward the sound.
Baekwoon locked eyes with the bird.
He clenched his teeth.
He never expected that bird to possess the power of petrification.
He only sensed a mystical aura and didn’t know what kind it was.
But Baekwoon had prepared for this.
He had anticipated the possibility of danger while tracking the bird.
Was the bird hiding some other power?
That was why it took them so long to act.
But the monstrous bird had never used that power, even when hunting.
It just rammed into its prey with its massive body without using the petrifying power.
A hypothesis formed in Baekwoon’s mind.
What if that bird knew it was being stalked?
What if it was hiding its power and waiting for the hunters to reveal themselves before striking back?
Baekwoon realized that Jang Bong’s scream didn’t matter.
The cunning bird had known everything from the start.
Just as Baekwoon worried about the bird escaping, the bird worried about Baekwoon and Jang Bong escaping.
It had hidden its power, pretending it could only attack with physical strength.
Baekwoon felt self-mockery.
He thought he was the hunter, but he was the prey.
But he didn’t give up yet.
He drew the sword hanging at his waist.
Swaaang!
It was the sword he received when he was still called a promising talent.
If he didn’t overcome this trial, he would be stuck at this level forever.
Forever bearing the shameful title of “the eternal prospect.”
Grit.
Baekwoon clenched his teeth.
Just as he was about to unleash a technique that attacked from thirty-six directions simultaneously, the essence of the *Thirty-Six Swords of the World*—
Crunch, crackle.
Baekwoon realized that his legs weren’t moving.
“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”
Baekwoon was staring into the eyes of the monstrous bird.
That’s right.
He had met the Cockatrice’s gaze.
Crunch, crackle!
Before he could unleash the *Thirty-Six Swords of the World*, Baekwoon turned into a statue.
Jang Bong, witnessing the scene, screamed in horror.
“Ah… Ahhhhh!”
He immediately turned and began to flee.
This was beyond reason.
Baekwoon was a first-rate martial artist.
Even if two giant monstrous birds attacked him, Baekwoon would have quickly dealt with them.
Yet, he was taken down without even being able to resist.
There was no way someone like Jang Bong, a third-rate martial artist, could stand a chance.
Jang Bong didn’t look back.
Rustle.
He instinctively knew the monstrous bird was chasing him.
He had to escape.
He had to hide.
He had to survive.
That was all that occupied Jang Bong’s mind.
He kept running, pushing through the tall plants.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The cry of the monstrous bird, which he had initially thought was ridiculous, now felt different in this situation. He felt like a worm in front of a chicken. His whole body trembled.
“Huff… Huff…”
Jang Bong ran with all the strength he had left.
He tripped and fell over rocks several times.
But he couldn’t stop.
“Huff…”
His legs were gradually losing strength.
Jang Bong had to make a choice.
Should he keep running in vain, or should he find a place to hide and try to shake off the bird while he still had some strength left?
He didn’t have much energy left.
Jang Bong desperately searched for a place to hide.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
But the relief was short-lived.
The bird’s cry grew closer and closer.
Jang Bong finally managed to hide in a large crevice in the rocks.
“Huff… Huff…”
But was this a safe place?
Jang Bong asked himself, but the answer was no.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The cries grew louder.
Jang Bong realized that it wouldn’t be long before the monstrous bird found him.
He closed his eyes.
In the smallest voice, he did the stupidest thing in the world.
“O, Original Celestial… Original Celestial…”
Jang Bong wasn’t a Tao
ist.
Desperately seeking the Original Celestial was something he mimicked from a warrior who had been killed by the Tang Clan’s mystical creature.
Only now did Jang Bong understand why that warrior had desperately called for the Original Celestial.
It had been his last hope.
If he made a sound, the monstrous bird would find him.
But even if he didn’t make a sound, it would find him all the same.
Jang Bong continued to plead with the Original Celestial.
He begged to be taken out of this hellish place.
It wasn’t just the Original Celestial.
He prayed to every entity that came to his mind.
But there was no answer.
“Hah… Hah…”
Jang Bong realized his death was near.
He decided to make one last prayer.
Who should he pray to for the last time?
A vision of the Tang Clan’s daughter appeared in his mind.
The woman he had abandoned after encountering a dragon in the swamp.
He was a coward, selfish, and couldn’t stand up to the Blood Lion’s atrocities.
No, he even felt some gratitude toward the Blood Lion.
Because of him, he had survived.
Perhaps that was why.
The story Tang So-yeong had told him flashed through his mind.
The divine beast worshipped by the Tang Clan.
An entity without a physical form, but one that Tang So-yeong had firmly believed in.
“G-Go, Gomodo. Gomodo, please…”
It was laughable.
To think that his final prayer would be to a divine beast he didn’t even know the appearance of.
“Hah…”
And it was the divine beast worshipped by the Tang Clan’s daughter whom he had abandoned.
Jang Bong let out a wry smile.
Yeah.
Even if he were a divine beast, he wouldn’t save trash like this.
It had been a life full of sins.
If nothing else, he would at least apologize if he ever met the Tang Clan’s daughter.
That was what Jang Bong thought.
….
……
“Ggegegek.”
Jang Bong couldn’t believe his eyes.
He immediately recognized what that being was.
A tail-bound ancient death.
It was Gomodo.