Here is the translation for your provided text:
—
I set off on a journey to catch the Cockatrice.
Shik Shik cried and clung to me, but there was nothing I could do.
You need to stay well until I return.
If possible, persuade the Snake Queen a bit for me.
In fact, the exact purpose of this journey is not to catch the Cockatrice but to find its traces.
Picking up fallen feathers or discovering its nest.
Even that would count as completing the mission.
But is the Cockatrice I’m thinking of really the same one?
Did I even think that there could be a creature called Komodo in this world?
There’s also the possibility that it could be a being known as Kokatriss instead of the Cockatrice.
According to the Snake Queen’s explanation, Kokatriss has the face of a bird, so I tend to think that the one I know is indeed it… but it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
In fact, the appearance of the Cockatrice varies depending on legends, so I shouldn’t judge it with the common knowledge I possess.
Still, since my goal isn’t to defeat it, I didn’t have to worry too much.
After all, it’s the Snake Queen who will wield the real power.
I just need to find traces of the Cockatrice without the Bird King noticing.
The Snake Queen said that the Cockatrice betrayed her and stole some spiritual medicine and artifacts from the Temple.
I might be able to gulp those down myself.
Of course, finding a single Cockatrice in this vast jungle will be a challenging task.
However, I could roughly predict where it might be located.
This jungle is divided between the Bird King and the Snake Queen.
In the territory of the Snake Queen, there are snakes that serve her and dinosaurs presumed to be in an alliance with her.
The Stegosaurus I saw before was one of those cases. An ally of the Snake Queen, which would have normally attacked me on sight, likely passed by just because it saw Shik Shik clinging to my back.
In that regard, the mark of the Snake Queen has become more than just a good condition for me.
It essentially acts like a pass.
Regardless, no matter how strong the Cockatrice might be, if I end up in a group of Stegosauruses, I would simply become skewered like a chicken skewer. The odds of it being in the Snake Queen’s territory are close to zero.
Naturally, it would be lingering within the realm of the Human-Faced Bird.
To find it, I have to go to the area where the Bird King resides.
The Bird King.
Though I have trained, my chances of defeating him are exceedingly slim.
After all, the Human-Faced Bird is a monster that rivals the Snake Queen.
I need to search for traces of the Cockatrice without being detected by the Bird King.
At first glance, it seems like a challenging task, but it’s not impossible.
After all, I do have a skill called Stealth.
If I don’t walk on two legs, I could crawl and hide in the bushes.
Using the massive trees of the jungle effectively could yield results comparable to stealth.
Let me sneak a step forward.
If the Cockatrice I know is indeed the one, it might not be too hard to find its traces.
There should be petrified statues around; it would probably be nearby.
If I hear any rooster sounds, I should head in that direction.
Now, let’s take a look.
*
Baekun and Jang Bong stealthily approached the source of the sound.
In fact, they had been tracking the sound of the strange bird for quite some time.
Baekun wanted certainty. If that strange bird managed to escape, they wouldn’t be able to obtain the treasure.
They had been following the strange bird very slowly for days on end.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“Grrr!”
In that moment, they heard a fight between the strange bird and another beast.
Baekun immediately realized this was an opportunity.
The strange bird was large, but that bear-like beast was no easy opponent either.
If they could sneak up on it while it was distracted by the other creature, they might kill it before it could even resist.
“Jang Bong, now!”
Though he grumbled, Jang Bong followed Baekun.
Perhaps they could snag a tasty morsel.
That was Jang Bong’s thought.
—
Here is the translation for your provided text:
—
If Baekun is the one to subdue the strange bird, then he himself had been entrusted with the crucial task of blocking any potential escape.
Thus, Baekun and Jang Bong rushed towards the location of the strange bird.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The strange bird let out a loud cry.
Baekun exerted force into his legs as he braced himself against the ground.
There likely wouldn’t be another chance like this.
“Grrr!”
A bear-like beast charged at the strange bird.
While the strange bird dealt with the beast, Baekun’s strategy was to catch it off guard.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The sound echoed.
However, his plan shattered into pieces.
Just like that beast had turned to stone.
“B-Baekun-gong! What is that!”
Jang Bong covered his mouth in shock.
Though it was supposed to be a surprise attack, he ended up crying out in astonishment.
It was certainly something to be startled about.
A colossal beast had turned to stone right before their eyes.
However, that was Jang Bong’s concern, and it seemed the strange bird had no intention of overlooking it.
“Coo-coo-coo!”
The strange bird turned its head towards the source of the noise.
Baekun locked eyes with it.
He clenched his teeth hard.
He hadn’t expected that bird would possess petrifying abilities.
He only knew it had a mysterious aura but had no idea what kind of creature it was.
But Baekun was prepared for such a possibility.
During the time spent tracking it, he constantly prepared for unforeseen dangers.
What if that strange bird was hiding another formidable power?
He wasted time trying to ascertain that.
Yet, that strange bird had never utilized such power.
Even when it hunted, it simply charged with its massive body, never using its petrifying strength.
A hypothesis arose in Baekun’s mind.
Could it be that the strange bird knew it was being followed?
Perhaps it was lying in wait to retaliate the moment the hunters revealed themselves.
Baekun realized that Jang Bong’s scream was insignificant.
That cunning strange bird had known everything from the beginning.
Just as Baekun had worried that the strange bird might escape, the strange bird was equally concerned about Baekun and Jang Bong escaping.
It concealed its powers, as if it could only use physical strength to attack.
Baekun scoffed at himself.
He thought he was the hunter, but here he was, the prey.
However, he had not yet given up.
He drew the sword at his waist.
Swoosh!
It was the sword he received during his days as a promising talent.
If he couldn’t overcome this trial, he would remain a top-tier swordsman forever.
Labeled shamefully as a “perpetual prospect.”
Crack!
Baekun gritted his teeth.
His swordsmanship was akin to striking from thirty-six directions simultaneously.
It was now the moment the Thirty-Six Sword Techniques would unfold.
The sound echoed.
Baekun realized that his legs wouldn’t move.
“Coo-coo-coo!”
Baekun was gazing into the strange bird’s eyes.
Indeed.
He had met the gaze of the Cockatrice.
Echo!
Before the Thirty-Six Sword Techniques could even manifest, Baekun turned into a mere statue.
Upon witnessing the scene, Jang Bong was horrified.
“He, heeelp!”
He immediately turned to flee.
This was beyond comprehension.
Baekun was a first-rate martial artist.
Even facing two towering strange birds, Baekun would swiftly handle them with ease.
Yet now, he had been taken down without being able to retaliate.
Jang Bong, a third-rate martial artist, realized he couldn’t contend against such a foe.
He didn’t dare look back.
Swish!
He instinctively sensed that the strange bird was pursuing him.
I must escape.
I need to hide.
I have to survive no matter what.
These were the only thoughts swirling in Jang Bong’s mind.
He continued to flee, pushing through the tall plants.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
What once sounded ridiculous to him now felt profoundly different given the circumstances. It felt as if he had become the worm before the hen. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
“Huff… huff…”
Jang Bong ran with every ounce of strength he had left.
He stumbled over stones multiple times, falling again and again.
But he couldn’t afford to stop.
“Huff…”
His legs were growing weaker.
Jang Bong had to make a choice.
Should he continue this meaningless escape or find a hiding spot while he still had some strength left to shake off the creature?
His energy was nearly depleted.
Jang Bong struggled to find a place to conceal himself.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
But just as he thought he might find peace, the creature’s calls grew nearer.
Jang Bong finally managed to conceal himself in a large crevice between the rocks.
“Phew… ugh…”
But was this truly a safe location?
He questioned himself, and the answer was no.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The cry grew louder.
Jang Bong realized he didn’t have much time before the strange bird would find him.
He closed his eyes.
In utter foolishness, he whispered the most desperate thing.
“W-Wanshi Cheonjong… Wanshi Cheonjong…”
Jang Bong was no sorcerer.
His fervent calling for Wanshi Cheonjong was merely in imitation of a warrior who had been killed by the divine beast of the Tang family.
Only now did Jang Bong understand why he had sought Wanshi Cheonjong so desperately.
It was his last hope.
Making a noise would certainly expose him to the creature.
Yet even without uttering a sound, he felt it was futile.
Jang Bong kept pleading to the Wanshi Cheonjong.
To take him away from this hellish place.
Not just to Wanshi Cheonjong.
He begged every being that came to mind.
But there was no answer.
“Ha… ha…”
Jang Bong realized his death was near.
Let’s make one last plea.
He cleared his mind.
In this final supplication, which being should he appeal to?
The image of the Tang family’s daughter popped into his mind.
The woman who had heartlessly abandoned him after encountering the dragon in the marsh.
Because he was a coward, selfishly watching the Blood-Letting Saboteur’s atrocities without speaking out.
No. He was somewhat grateful to the Saboteur.
Thanks to him, he had managed to keep his life.
Could that be the reason?
The story that Tang So-young had told him resurfaced in his mind.
The divine beast revered by the Tang family.
An existence without a physical form, yet that might have been the being Tang So-young firmly believed in.
“Ko… Komodo. Komodo… please…”
It was a ridiculous thing to do.
Praying to a divine beast whose appearance he did not even know.
“Heh…”
And to think he would invoke the divine beast worshipped by the daughter of the Tang family, whom he had discarded.
Jang Bong couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly.
Yes.
Even if he claimed to be a divine beast, there was no way it would save a worthless being like him.
What a sinful life it had been.
Regardless of everything else, he had to apologize if he ever met the Tang family’s daughter again.
Such were the thoughts crossing Jang Bong’s mind.
….
…….
“Gegegeck.”
Jang Bong could hardly believe his eyes.
He could see immediately what that existence was.
The ancient death with a tail.
Komodo.
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