EP.56
This isn’t right.
Why is a Human-Faced Bird suddenly showing up?
This is a Wuxia world, a place where dinosaurs quietly practice martial arts.
…Is it actually stranger to have dinosaurs roaming around in a Wuxia story?
A Human-Faced Bird isn’t out of the question.
I steadied myself and examined the Human-Faced Bird.
It floated in the air without flapping its wings.
Its gaze was fixated on the colorful parrot swirling in the sky above.
“I am the king of birds! Caw-caw!”
The king of birds.
Yeah.
It was big enough to deserve such a title.
Let me check it out.
[Target cannot be appraised.]
My eyes stung with pain.
So, it seems I can’t appraise this creature either.
Like the Titanoboa evolved into a Hydra, this one must have transcended ordinary life forms.
To borrow Tang So-young’s words, it might be classified as a divine beast.
I suppose I could be called a divine beast too, but I’m still lacking in many respects.
“Uoohhh…!”
The Human-Faced Bird let out a deafening roar.
It turned its head and fixed its gaze precisely on my location.
That face was all too familiar.
It had a human face that could be comically perceived at first glance.
With its bizarre appearance, adorned with decorations resembling black feathers running from its head to neck.
“Uoohhh!”
A pressure bore down on me.
The chilling gaze was locked onto me.
An unsettling presence.
Its grotesque mouth opened at an odd angle.
“You….”
The Human-Faced Bird began to speak.
Well, it’s only natural, given it has a human face.
“Do you… think?”
But its words weren’t fluent.
It sounded odd, as if it were forcing itself to mimic human speech.
Its voice was unpleasant, like nails scraping metal.
“Uoohhh!”
Another thunderous roar.
Just from that roar, I could tell it was a being of a different caliber.
If it showed hostility toward me, I would find it hard to escape alive.
But then again, I was relieved to see it wasn’t attacking immediately and was attempting to engage in conversation.
“You who bear the Dragon Scale….”
Dragon Scale.
It seemed this creature was interested in the scales covering my body.
Perhaps if I responded appropriately and offered a few scales, we could negotiate.
…Though I wasn’t quite sure how to respond.
“Is the dragon… a bird or a snake?”
A statement sprang forth that diverged from my thoughts.
Is a dragon a bird or a snake?
What on earth does this mean?
What intention does it have in asking me such a thing?
Caught off guard, I struggled to formulate an answer, when suddenly, a vision flowed into my mind.
“The Dragon of Fear… is it a snake or a bird…?”
The Dragon of Fear.
I saw a massive dinosaur.
As it gradually shrank, it transformed into a different creature.
The question it posed was precisely this.
“Is the Dragon of Fear an ugly snake or a beautiful bird?”
Is a dinosaur a reptile or a bird?
The image flooding into my mind became clearer.
I felt as if my body was slipping out of my control.
As if I would speak and think against my will.
Yes.
From the moment I laid eyes on it, I began to feel dazed.
I had to provide the correct answer to the Human-Faced Bird’s question.
Thoughts kept layering themselves in my mind.
When had I last felt this sensation?
Right.
It was back when I witnessed the Spinosaurus’s vision.
That was the feeling I had then.
“Is a dragon… a snake? Or a bird?”
It seems it looks down on me.
Could it be that it thinks a dinosaur could be a bird?
Is the Tyrannosaurus just a feathered chicken?
[「%! 자■□ 」 is activated.]
Zzzzttt!
The disturbing thoughts enveloping me shattered.
“Caw-caw! The lizard has defied the king of birds! It has provoked the king of birds!”
Provocation?
“The provocation came from your side first.”
EP.56
“You’re overstepping your bounds…”
The Human-Faced Bird glared at me with a displeased look.
Flap.
Its enormous wings moved once.
Whoooooosh!
A fierce wind rushed toward me.
Crack!
It was just a single flap of its wings, but it nearly sent me flying backward.
I barely managed to brace myself with my claws.
This creature is extraordinarily strong.
To it, I’m probably just a mere snack.
“You who possess the Dragon Scale… I shall ask one last time… Is the dragon a snake or a bird?”
Confronting the Human-Faced Bird is not a wise choice.
Running away is inconceivable.
How could I escape from such a terrifying creature?
The only option I have for survival is to submit to its words.
If I acknowledge that dinosaurs are not reptiles but birds, I might live.
Right.
If I say that the Tyrannosaurus is, in fact, a cowardly scavenger covered in feathers, I could prolong my life.
But.
But really.
What meaning does it have to survive in such an ugly manner?
Crack-a-doo!
[Using “Reverse Scale lv1.”]
[Temporarily acquiring “Reverse Eruption Technique.”]
Sometimes, beliefs are more important than life itself.
To think that I would dare to belittle dinosaurs as birds?
“Grrr…”
The term “Saurus” itself denotes lizards.
Dinosaurs cannot be anything other than reptiles.
It matters not what the truth is.
That is the path I believe in.
That is my conviction.
“Were you… a servant of the ugly… Queen Serpent…?”
The Human-Faced Bird mumbled incomprehensible phrases.
I braced myself to counter its attack.
Its mouth twisted open at a grotesque angle.
Kreeeeeek.
And then a mass of profound internal energy converged at one point.
Could it be…
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!
A destructive ray aimed to pierce anything.
If it hits me, I’ll die.
I mobilized every resource at my disposal.
I charged, executed a tail swipe, performed the subdragon movement, and the wall-hopping technique.
I tried to evade that attack by combining all of them.
Bsssssssh!
The destructive ray pulverized the ground, mercilessly shattering colossal trees.
I managed to dodge the direct hit somehow.
However.
[Warning! HP is insufficient.]
Even grazing it caused an excruciating pain throughout my body.
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that my limbs are still intact.
It hurt, but I could still move properly.
I needed to remain calm.
It’s not over yet.
There was still one last move left in me.
If I could deal a fatal blow to it, I could escape from here.
“Indeed… the Dragon Scale…”
Swoosh…
The Human-Faced Bird slowly flew toward my location.
It wouldn’t be able to unleash such a formidable technique consecutively.
To kill me, it had no choice but to get closer.
Just a little bit.
Just a little bit more.
[Using “Reverse Scale lv1.”]
[Temporarily acquiring “Bone-Shattering Resonation Technique.”]
And then it happened.
“Kieeeeeeeeeek!”
A gigantic pterosaur dove down toward the Human-Faced Bird.
【Pteranodon lv23】
【Status】
“Vengeful,” “Angry”
__________________________
【Pteranodon】
Weighing around 50 kg, it is lightweight, but its wingspan measures 6.25 to 6.5 meters, and its body length is 2.6 meters, making it a massive pterosaur. Its claw-like talons at the wing tips allow it to cling to cliffs and trees effectively. It prefers a hunting method that involves vertically diving from the air like a waterbird.
__________________________
It was a Pteranodon.
“Ugh… inferior dragon… those wretched creatures…”
Three Pteranodons launched an assault on the Human-Faced Bird.
Had they been caught in its destructive ray?
No, something felt different.
Pteranodons do not engage in such battles.
In fact, if they had seen that destructive ray, they should have opted to hold their breath or flee far away instead of attacking.
However, that wasn’t the case.
“Disgraceful…”
It felt as if it had known all along.
I sensed emotions beyond mere rage.
The battle between the three Pteranodons and the Human-Faced Bird began.
It was an aerial clash into which I couldn’t insert myself, even if I wanted to.
I didn’t know the details, but this was an opportunity.
A chance for a strategic retreat.
As I dispersed the internal energy that had gathered in my hands, I swiftly turned in the opposite direction.
I had intended to make one last gamble with the Bone-Shattering Resonation Technique, but unexpected fortune fell upon me.
Luck is also a skill.
Thank you, Pteranodon.
I promise I won’t eat one when I see it again.
*
With my weary body, I barely managed to escape. No, I achieved a strategic retreat.
[HP is insufficient.]
【Komodo LV9】
HP: 45/990
MP: 130/410
【Titles】
“Beloved by the Spider”
“Master of the Silver Dragon Cave”
“Lord of the Swamp (Lower)”
Though my limbs were intact, my physical condition was no different from that of a corpse.
My MP was gradually recovering over time.
However, my HP remained stagnant.
Perhaps I should be thankful that it hasn’t decreased.
Before my eyes, two of the fearsome birds I had caught danced before me.
Had I brought them with me, my HP would have likely recovered.
First and foremost, I needed to restore my condition to its original state.
There were three ways to recover HP.
The first was to utilize my title.
By immersing myself in water, I could recover HP, albeit slowly.
But there was no water source nearby.
Skipping that option.
The second method was to aim for a level-up and shedding.
To level up, I would need to defeat strong enemies, but in my current state, I was more likely to become the material for someone else’s level-up.
The last method was to eat something.
While this method is less effective than leveling up, if I could fill my belly with something, I could regain some HP.
Had I encountered even the bugs I had previously ignored, I would have eaten them immediately.
Strangely, there were no living creatures in this vicinity.
Had they all fled due to the destructive ray’s aftermath?
I needed to get something into my mouth somehow.
….
After all, there’s no law stating that I must die.
There was a snake nearby.
It seemed to be of decent size, but after all, it was still just a snake.
【Ball Python LV14】
The Ball Python.
I was quite pleased with its appearance.
Its plump body made it look like it had plenty of edible parts.
I concealed my presence and quietly approached it.
It hadn’t noticed my existence yet.
One step closer.
Another step.
And now!
I tautened my hind legs and charged at it.
“Shhhrik!”
At that moment, I locked eyes with the Ball Python.
We were still a bit far apart.
I was sure its sharp counterattack would soon come.
Like a juvenile Titanoboa, it might unfurl its tail with elastic agility.
Would I be able to withstand it now?
No, the die was already cast.
I had to endure and strike in one blow.
Just as I braced my front legs to swing at it,
“Hieeek!”
The snake flipped over in its current position.
…Huh?
I hastily halted my attack and observed its behavior.
Why was it doing that?
Was it using some technique I didn’t know about?
That plump snake now had its tongue stretched out.
…Could it be pretending to be dead?
【Ball Python LV14】
【Status】
“Feigning Death,” “Surprised”
No, I could see it with the eyes of the wild…
Even without noticing it, I could tell that it was pretending.
“How… how could you make a sound while pretending to be dead?”
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