Chapter: 3
Disaster-!!
The hefty body of the sparrow beast came crashing down.
“What the heck···!”
Kwaaaa-!!
Even with the long pre-delay, with stats that plummeted almost right after the possession, all I could do was roll out of the way and barely avoid it.
I never even thought to hope that it would be slow due to its size. In this world, the measure of capability is solely based on stats.
That immense body meant it was free from the shackles of weight and would only enjoy the perks of destructive power.
“Ugh···”
The attack itself didn’t even graze me.
Along with the tremors of the ground, the damage from flying debris was not to be taken lightly.
‘Are you telling me it’ll just rain down attacks like that without a care…?’
Normally, this would have been a sweet pattern, enough for me to prostrate myself in gratitude. I would have been absolutely ecstatic, thinking about all the juicy damage possibilities.
But rolling around with such pathetic stats was quite the death wish. Naturally, there’s no invincibility feature while rolling either.
“Wandering Reaper-!!”
I reached out and stopped the anxious voice of the village chief. The moment that gentleman drew aggro, as a typical ordinary person, he would be doomed without a doubt.
It’s already a mess because of me. But if I can’t resolve it myself and a victim emerges while I’m here…
This isn’t just about my pride as a gamer anymore. This is not a game; it’s stark reality.
“I’ll handle this no matter what, so you hurry to the village!”
“But, but···”
“Stop stalling before the sparrow targets you!”
“I-I’m so sorry···!”
The village chief was stopped repeatedly. He foolishly looked back and slowly retreated.
Kid, why do you have to feel so bad? I have to take that thing down if I want to level up properly here anyway.
After all, going back and forth like in a game won’t revert the hostile status.
Disaster-!
The recharged sparrow’s second dive followed.
Just now, I had been panicking due to several unfortunate events clashing together, but now it’s different. If I can’t read a previously shown pattern, my title as #1 in server rankings will be crying.
‘The impact isn’t as bad from behind…!’
With comparatively more ease than before, I dodged the attack. I shoved through the dust and debris, climbing onto the sparrow’s back.
Disaster-?!
Right at the center of its round body, reminiscent of a ball.
In an absolute realm where I don’t even know how to wield magic, I wondered how I could even manage with these short wings. The so-called absolute territory.
Disaster- Jack-!!
The creature that was flapping around persistently, trying to do something, suddenly soared high with a notably venomous screech and twisted its flight path chaotically.
I let the scythe pierce my head for a moment. I pinched the thick flesh, hung on, and bit down.
The thought of just lying down doesn’t seem to cross its mind at all.
“Stay still!”
Ppaang-!
I first launched a blow to its unprotected back. Yet, rather than slowing down, it seemed to speed up in anger.
I saw the scythe bounce off; it felt pointless.
‘Its eyes can’t be that tough.’
Thump- Thump-
Changing tactics, I began to climb.
The fact that feathers aren’t easily plucked out worked to my benefit, allowing me to scale without hesitation, regardless of what I grabbed.
Looking at the grip strength I had with just a single glove, it seems the sparrow’s wings aren’t just your average set.
“Almost there···?”
Just as I reached the very top of the hill, the sparrow’s mood shifted dramatically.
Disaster-
“What’s with this guy? Why is it flying straight all of a sudden?”
It seemed to stop the reckless driving, then straightened out, hitting the gas.
“This is madness!”
Is it really charging straight at the rock?
Boom-!
I jumped down just before it collided. The impact made nearby sticks rattle.
On the other hand, seeing it wandering around without a care made me chuckle.
‘Did it sense the danger with its animal instincts?’
I sprang to my feet. Although my plan went awry, I had a rough idea of how to counter it.
Neither of us has a proper long-range attack. If I’m not escaping, contact is inevitable.
“Come on!”
So I waited for it to come down, prepared to pounce again like before and wait for another opportunity.
Regardless of being a monster, poking its eyes or repeatedly smashing its head should do the trick. If it comes down to a stamina battle, I’m at an advantage since I don’t tire.
Chaewak-
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, the sparrow’s pattern changed.
Instead of crashing down, it didn’t slam itself to the ground and hit reverse, gliding instead. Then, without any delay, it immediately unleashed a furious assault.
There’s no dreaming of catching it mid-flight. If I manage that, I’d be lucky to not break an arm.
‘Damn, it’s like this…’
It’s a one-sided hunt happening here.
Running or waiting won’t bring my turn. Patterns where I can’t hit consistently just keep on coming.
I was finally recognizing that this wasn’t just a game. Up until now, I had just been spitballing ideas.
‘At this rate, I’ll be the one hit before I can even wait for it to tire… I need to find a way…’
Thwack-
“Huh?”
As I continued to evade helplessly, something snagged at my foot.
I rolled around once. Upon careful inspection, I found it was a hammer.
“Did the village chief drop this…? Oh, if it’s this, then maybe!”
I picked up the hammer, feeling as if I was grasping a lifeline.
Given that I didn’t see a breakthrough with what’s currently available, I decided to gamble on this unknown possibility.
In Superego Online, you can generally equip just one weapon.
There exist secondary weapons, but they’re basically just useless stat symbols.
However, equipping one more weapon here creates a temporary synergy effect based on the combination.
Swords and dual swords increase attack speed, spear and shield enhance movement speed, and so forth.
And I’m currently attempting a combination that no one has officially tried.
My vision cleared up. No matter how accustomed I became to the sparrow’s previously frantic movements, it felt ordinary now.
The sparrow’s slow, unaware free fall—this was my chance.
When it reached the ideal height, I stabbed my glove into the area where its neck would originally have been, flinging it upside down to the ground.
Boom-!
The slight tremors of its body remained, making the damage somewhat disappointing.
Even so, applying the skill properly against a monster of a different caliber felt quite satisfying.
Jack-! Re-jack-!!
Bang- Kwakwang-!
With momentum, I solidified my position.
As the sparrow did, and as I did, once given a chance, you never know where the breakthrough will appear.
Jack!!
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I snagged the rear of the guy trying to flee and threw it down, then got back into a mounting position.
I’m not letting go so easily. I’ve sweat buckets trying to escape. Even if I don’t have sweat glands.
‘Time to wrap this up.’
Well, even if I say that, my MP is gradually running low.
I only have enough left for one skill at best. If I screw up, I’ll waste all the effort I’ve put in.
Zza, zwack-?
I shoved my arm deep inside its beak.
Seeing that our stats were equal, and the sparrow was extremely worn out, it wouldn’t tear my arm off even if I struck a bit late.
I sent mana-created seeds down its throat.
Bang! Pop! Ka-pow!
The seeds exploded, destroying the seemingly tough exterior of the sparrow’s delicate flesh.
It’s cruel, and I can only imagine how painful this process is, but who am I to care about such things?
“Phew… somehow, I caught it.”
The level-up notification signaled a sense of relief as I plopped down where I stood.
My body might not feel tired, but the burden of mental fatigue and HP loss was still there.
Staring blankly at the sky, I whispered an apology to my past character, who had been on the edge countless times.
“Should I try some farming?”
Holding the scythe high, I carefully placed the hammer on my designated spot.
In reality, items don’t just drop like in games, nor do corpses vanish on their own.
I realized something while hunting, thanks to a foolish scarecrow’s high-concentration mana-laden wheat rain.
“Leave the wings, the feathers, and the beak. The magic stone is right here.”
I based my collection criteria on magic stones and whether they were used as materials in the game, or if they would at least be valuable when sold.
With maxed expertise, my scythe skills dismantled smoothly without any hiccups.
“Whew. Normally, dismantling takes longer than the hunt, so I skip it, but I think this one was worth the effort.”
Look at the size of the magic stone. It’s blue and larger than my head. Anyone would think it’s an orc magic stone.
That tiny creature ate a bit of wheat, and look how it turned out. Wow. Even if it’s a bit unfair, I’ll use it wisely.
“So… what should I do about this?”
I glanced over the mostly intact carcass of the sparrow.
It’s already dead, so while it might not matter this time, if left alone, passing monsters would eat it leading to similar situations.
“I guess I have to call someone. To avoid complications, it’s best to bring people in. I don’t really want to, but let’s head back to the village… huh?”
On my way back, several shadows gathered and loomed around a point.
Tweet-
Re-jack-
Jack-
Disaster-
Jjaek-
“Uh.”
In an instant, I was surrounded by sparrows. Five of them.
“It wasn’t just one that ate the wheat….”
A daunting amount of murderous intent seemed to gnaw at my body from all directions, no, from five directions.
I hurriedly tried to hide the magic stone in my inventory, but there was no way that kind of trick would alleviate the hostile status.
It seemed far too reckless to just slip by quietly.
Tweet-!!
Re-jack-!!
Jack-!!
Disaster-!!
Jjaek-!!
“Crap!”
I scattered the wheat I had stored in my inventory wide across the group of sparrows charging at me all at once.
A gap opened among the scattering sparrows. I ran without even checking if I was on the right path.
If only one had come, I could have figured something out, but against this many, I was definitely outmatched. I’d just end up being toying and used for their nest repairs.
‘Since I’m already in a state of transformation, feeding them here and there will have minimal effect.’
As they squabbled over who would eat each other, the distant clamor gradually faded away.
After ensuring they weren’t pursuing me and gaining enough distance, I changed my course back to the village.
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