Chapter 189 – Kill the Thunderbird (2)
Tiyo's skill was revealed with the drake meat dish. He boiled water in a large pot obtained in Geherad. Then he placed the drake meat and spices inside to make a stew. Boiled food was convenient when camping in the woods. They had been eating similar stews for a few days, but they didn't get tired of it due to the different spices that Tiyo put in.
Zankus admired the taste as he said, "The taste is good. Is that gnome friend a chef?"
“Huhu, men who cook are popular dot. I have a good body, can cook, and am intelligent! I'm not lacking anything dot."
He spooned up some more stew from the pot.
"There are a lot of things here. Do you always carry this big pot around?"
"Of course dot. This much is needed if you want delicious food! There is no cooking without it! It is all my hard work dot!"
“Amazing.”
"…Excuse me." It was actually Crockta who carried the big pot, but Tiyo just shrugged.
Zankus asked Crockta, “I suppose you’re going to Orcrox?"
"Yes," answered Crockta.
“Huhuhu, a long time has passed. The young warrior who wielded the sword…"
Zankus pulled something out of his bag. It was alcohol.
“Nowadays, you are a warrior sweeping through the continent that is now returning to save Orcrox."
Crockta received the cup with a smile. Tiyo and Anor also received cups. Then Zankus poured one for himself. The alcohol was strong, which they could tell just from the smell. Anor was couldn't hold his alcohol, so he frowned at the smell.
"Zankus, will you go?"
"I have to go. I will go after catching the thunderbird."
Thunderbird, the giant bird that suddenly appeared and disappeared with the drake's body.
“Why are you trying to catch it?"
“In order to pay back a favor…" He said while drinking the alcohol. "You, didn't you meet Shakan?"
“Shakan?"
“Of course. Every hunter knows him. The last Shakan. The great hunter."
Crockta remembered Shakan, a great hunter who lived a long life and hated the behemoth. He ate the hearts of his prey and corrupted his body in order to fight the behemoth. In the end, he was able to hunt the behemoth and opened up the north. Shakan was a man who had a great influence on Crockta, just like Lenox and Hoyt did. He was someone who allowed Crockta to grow as a warrior.
“Did you know that Shakan once tried to hunt the thunderbird?"
"I didn't know that."
"But the thunderbird is still alive, meaning he also failed. When I asked him about the thunderbird, he told me not to dream of hunting it." Zankus looked at the sky like he was remembering it. "I always wanted to surpass Shakan, but he is dead. Now, this is the only way left to prove that I am a better hunter."
Hunt the thunderbird. This was the method Zankus had chosen to prove himself.
“I'll go to Orcrox after hunting the thunderbird."
Crockta nodded and said, “I understand."
“Therefore, I would like to hear more about Shakan and the behemoth. Please tell me."
"Kulkulkul, of course."
Crockta bumped cups with Zakan. They talked about Shakan. Tiyo interjected at the exciting parts. Anor didn't know Shakan so he just listened from the side.
The first strange meeting, Shakan showing the strength he gained to defeat the behemoth, dedicating everything he had to kill the behemoth until he eventually fell, they told Zankus everything they remembered. He was a man with an indomitable tenacity that really caused admiration.
Zankus smiled. “He really was the best hunter. He went that far and died a hunter. I want to live my life like him."
"I'm not a hunter but I agree."
“In the meantime, I’ve been running after his back. However, now he is gone. So I decided to surpass him by hunting the thunderbird. I'll hunt the prey that Shakan couldn't catch, then I can go my own way."
“You are already a well-regarded hunter. The hunter who shot down the sun, 'Zankus the Sun Killer.'"
“That is a nickname. I know that I haven't reached Shakan yet." Zankus laughed.
They drank the alcohol again. Crockta quietly tilted the cup when the wind blew, making the edge of his red headband touch the alcohol. After fighting the empire, he had bought a new trademark red headband to place around his head.
"It is windy."
The wind was strong. A noise was gradually heard. They looked up at the sky. The black figure passed quickly.
"This?"
"The thunderbird showed up again."
The giant bird, clearly the thunderbird, flew elegantly in the sky while its dark blue feathers scattered.
“It has started hunting again. I don't know what is going on, but this is a chance for me." Zankus got up. It was an unthinkable agility considering he just ate so much stew. Then he said to Crockta's group.
"Do you want to go with me?" He pointed in the direction of the thunderbird. "I have a good feeling today. This is a chance to see me succeed in hunting the thunderbird. How about it?"
He grinned.
Tiyo got up immediately. “Kahahat, a confident man. Good dot. Those skills, I will look at them with my own eyes!"
Crockta and Anor nodded in agreement with Tiyo. They got up and followed Zankus.
***
Zankus ran without any hesitation, like he already devised a way to track the thunderbird. He sometimes looked at the sky to determine the direction, but they couldn't figure out how.
"There are three trolls!" Zankus suddenly shouted. As he said, they headed forward a little bit and there were three trolls. They were surprised at the sudden appearance of an orc.
“I’ll entrust this to you!"
Zankus jumped over them. Zankus overtook them with flexible movements, grabbed the branch of a tree and flew forward again using the rebound. It was an incredible stunt more suitable for an elf than an orc.
Tiyo, who followed Zamkus, also jumped up to mimic him.
“I'll leave it to you dot!"
Tiyo kicked against the ground. However, the jump wasn't strong enough. A troll's hard fist rose and struck Tiyo's abdomen.
"Cough!" Tiyo fell down. "I-I could've done it dot…"
Crockta pulled Tiyo up. Tiyo's face was red as he was filled with rage and shame at his failure. He immediately raised General.
“I would let these bastard trolls get away dot! You stay there! I will blow your heads off with General dot!" The trolls recoiled as they felt an unusual atmosphere from the little gnome. “It will be different now dot! Dieeeeee!"
Tiyo rushed forward and fired General. When he reached the Pinnacle, he said he would go back to basics. So Tiyo abandoned the Vulcan form and used the old rifle form. He rolled roughly across the ground and shot the trolls in a sitting position.
Dadadadada!
The magic bullets hit the trolls. They failed to withstand the impact and fell over. Tiyo rushed forward immediately. The trolls were terrified by his violent appearance. Tiyo kicked against the ground. Then he jumped over them. It was a clean jump.
“Huhu, look dot. I eventually jumped over." Tiyo landed on the floor and praised his performance, looking back and raising a thumb. Then he spoke to the blankly staring Crockta and Anor. “Then, I'll leave it to you dot!"
Was that what he really wanted to do? Tiyo started running. He tried to grab the branches like Zankus, but eventually gave in.
“He is too excited."
“That's right."
Crockta and Anor shook their heads.
“Let's go."
They walked towards the fallen trolls. The trolls were stunned by Tiyo's General. They became terrified with the orc warrior approached. Crockta grinned. Then he jumped over them. He raised a thumb towards Anor.
"I'll leave it to you."
"……"
Crockta also ran away. The trolls looked at the lone Anor. They were looking at Anor with eyes that sought sympathy.
Anor suddenly said, "A warrior doesn't attack unarmed people!"
The trolls were bare-handed from the beginning, but Anor shouted it anyway. Then he ran after his party.
"…Kuock?"
“Kueeeeok."
“Kuweeok."
The three trolls looked at each other and sighed with relief. The great forest was truly a difficult place to live.
***
“Ohhhh! Look up dot!"
Crockta raised his head when he heard Crockta's words. The thunderbird's body was covering the sky. Its spread out wings filled their vision. But there was something else. The shape wriggling under the thunderbird was an ogre.
“It hunted an ogre dot!"
The ogre twisted in the thunderbird's claws, like it was painful. The sharp claws became tighter. A perfect hunting skill. However, the thunderbird wasn't in an ordinary state either. The thunderbird caught the ogre but it was struggling frantically in the air. Strong winds were sweeping around it.
“Why is the bird acting like that dot?"
“It is magic."
"Magic?"
Zankus glanced at it with sharp eyes.
"Ogre wizard."
“Oh, an ogre wizard dot!"
The ogre wizard that was mentioned last time really appeared. This meant there was a group of ogres near here.
“Look at the tail of the thunderbird."
As Zankus said, a shining blue rope was wrapped around the thunderbird's tail. It connected the thunderbird to the ground so that it couldn't fly further.
“Kuaaaah!”
"Kuwaaah!"
The roars of the ogres could be heard at the source of the rope.
"The thunderbird seems to have messed with the ogres." Zankus was confused. "Strange. Why would a smart guy like that hit the ogres? Besides, it just grabbed the body of a drake. The rate of hunting food is too frequent…"
“Maybe it is hungry dot."
“Hrmm…”
The thunderbird struggled in the sky and the rope made of magic power soon disappeared. The thunderbird flew high in the sky.
“It escaped…what is that dot?"
However, there was still a translucent line linked to the thunderbird.
"Tracking magic."
The ogre wizard was tracking the whereabouts of the thunderbird. The translucent line followed the direction of the thunderbird.
“If we follow that, it will lead us to the thunderbird's nest."
“Then isn't the bird in danger dot?"
"Of course. It must've caught a pretty important ogre. The ogre wizard will trace it until the end."
Zankus raised a finger to his mouth and hid in the bushes. “Hide."
Crockta's group followed. Soon, a group of ogres appeared with a loud sound. They were running in the thunderbird's direction. It wasn't just one or two. There were dozens of ogres. It was the first time Crockta had seen so many ogres together. The ground shook like an earthquake was occurring.
"That is the ogre wizard."
Zankus pointed to the ogre in the vanguard. The wizard was holding a staff and his body was like a big ogre warrior, but lightning appeared around him every time he screamed. Once the ogres left, Tiyo stood up and asked.
"Zankus! Won't you lose your prey at this rate dot?" He exclaimed. “I didn't think you were a coward who would give up dot!"
Zankus laughed. A man who could speak such taunting words to Zankus was uncommon on this continent. He liked this little gnome.
“I understand, I'll show you." Zankus lowered his posture, his expression that of a merciless hunter. "I am the hunter Zankus."
He watched the running ogres.
"Thunderbirds and ogres, now you are all my prey."
Praise the Orc:
Current schedule: There will now be 14 chapters a week, meaning two chapters every day.
Chapter 190 – Kill the Thunderbird (3)
Zankus headed in a different direction from the ogres. Crockta's group followed him.
“Is this the right direction dot?"
"I don’t know."
Zankus ran without looking back. Crockta gauged the direction. The ogres were traveling straight after the thunderbird, while Zankus was moving in a semicircle. Looking at Zankus's trajectory, he had already guessed where the thunderbird's nest was.
"Just follow Zankus."
At that moment, one ogre appeared. It seemed to be a straggler from the group. Their eyes met as the ogre showed its teeth. Crockta pulled out New Slayer. The ogre's head suddenly exploded as an arrow had passed over Crockta's head and penetrated the ogre's skull.
Zankus. Zankus, who was in the lead, turned and shot an arrow with the huge bow. The arrow was also big and looked like a spear. Tiyo stopped and looked around after the arrow hit. For Tiyo, it was really oversized.
"Coarse arrow dot."
The arrow turned round and round.
“I am also skilled in spear techniques!"
Zankus smiled and turned around. Crockta's group watched him before following again. They continued through the great forest. Then a mountain rose in the distance. It was a steep slope, as if someone had artificially created it. Ogres were climbing the bottom of this mountain
“Hrmm…”
Zankus loaded an arrow and watched the movements of the thunderbird. He seemed to be thinking about something.
“They are approaching."
The ogres climbed the mountain like ants. It was an amazing sight. Just a few ogres could cause a disaster in a city, but dozens of ogres had gathered to catch the thunderbird. A few cities would be destroyed if this group was released onto the continent.
"Thunderbird."
The thunderbird felt the crisis and flew warily around its nest. Gusts of wind blew when it flapped its wings, causing a few ogres to topple over.
"Kuwaaaaaah!"
The angry ogre wizard roared. The thunderbird hurriedly flew higher but was hit by an unknown force. The thunderbird staggered as its feathers scattered every which way.
“They are nearing."
Zankus and Crockta's group approached the mountain while watching the battle. Suddenly, one ogre climbed to a flat area. The moment it was going to put its feet on the flat ground…
The thunderbird attacked the ogre. The ogre wielded a club. The huge bird and ogre tangled together. The thunderbird's claws shredded the ogre's body. However, the bloody ogre resisted until the end. The ogre wizard's magic tied up the thunderbird once again, allowing the ogre's club to hit it.
"The thunderbird is in danger dot!" Tiyo shouted while watching. Meanwhile, other ogres were on their way. Another ogre grabbed the tail feathers of the thunderbird. The thunderbird struggled wildly. The ogres fell down again.
The ogres persistently clung to the thunderbird. Like a swarm of ants, the ogres climbed onto the thunderbird's body. The ogres used their nails and teeth to harass the thunderbird. The ogres kept attacking.
“I don't know why it is fighting the ogres…"
Thunderbirds were legendary because of their huge size, beautiful appearance and great speed, not for their strength in fighting. The thunderbird that he knew would've flown around snatching the one at a time, instead of tangling together like this.
“I'll try to drop some."
Zankus aimed his arrow. His arm muscles swelled up. The giant spear was pulled back to the fullest. Zankus' archery was different from Shakan's. He was like a cannon.
“Bul'tarrrr!"
Zankus pulled the bowstring back all the way and let go. The arrow burst out with a roar. It just the mountain just below where the thunderbird was struggling.
Kuaaaaaaang!
The whole mountain shook like there was an earthquake. The ogres barely clinging to the mountain fell at once. The rear collapsed and the bodies of the ogres poured down in layers. The ogres on the bottom were crushed and died. Most of the ogres approaching the thunderbird were washed away.
The thunderbird didn't miss this opportunity and moved. The ogres clinging to it fell off. Once its wings were free, the thunderbird grabbed two ogres and flew into the sky. It rose to a high altitude and dropped the two ogres. The ogres crashed. Their bodies couldn't withstand the shock of the fall and smashed to pieces.
The terrible shriek of the thunderbird echoed through the great forest. But the ogres didn't give up and climbed the mountain again. The ogre wizard was screaming in anger while constantly sending magic towards the thunderbird. As lightning flashed, the thunderbird moved its wings and avoided the attacks. The two of them stared at each other and moved.
Despite the ogres' persistent attack, the thunderbird flew around its nest without escaping.
Zankus watched it and said, “We must approach first."
Then he rushed quickly without listening to Crockta's reply, who followed with Tiyo.
"Uhhhh…"
However, Anor didn't have the strength to move anymore. The exhausted Anor stopped and caught his breath. He bowed his head and panted for a while.
"Excuse me…?"
But the group had already gone too far. Anor became despondent.
"More than this…"
Anor used his magic power as the power of a necromancer unfolded.
“Ah, this is?"
He stopped when he found what he was looking for. He put his hands together and concentrated his strength. The earth was disturbed and a bony wing popped out. Anor used the power of a necromancer to revive an animal that died not long ago, in order to ride it.
The shape was soon revealed. The owner of the wings that let out an eerie cry!
'Chirppppp….chirpppp….'
An undead sparrow. The sparrow flew and sat on Anor's shoulder.
'Chirpppppppp….'
Anor dropped his arms. The cry was eerier, but it was a cute bone sparrow.
"Ah, I don’t know."
Anor just sat down. The sparrow kept on chirping on Anor's head.
***
Zankus approached the rear of the thunderbird's nest. Some of the ogres exploded because of his arrow. His bow was destructive. Zankus retried the arrows and carried them on his back again. Rather than an archer carrying arrows, he looked like a warrior with multiple spears.
“Go this way." The thunderbird was distracted by the ogres and wasn't paying attention to this side. “I will go up my own way. If you are confident, you can imitate me."
Zankus threw his huge arrow and stuck it in the rock wall. Then he jumped up. The arrow bent and he used the recoil to fly up into the sky.
"Ouh!"
“……!”
He used the tremendous jump and quickly reached a high place. He placed his hand in a rough niche and grabbed on.
“Amazing.”
He climbed up the cliff wall like a spider. He measured his position and where he wanted to go, then immediately jumped up.
"Okay, me too!"
Tiyo jumped on top of the arrow after Zankus. Tiyo bent down and jumped upwards. His body was light, so he could fly much higher than Zankus. His body was small but he climbed quickly. It was a curious sight. The figures of Zankus and Tiyo became smaller.
“Now it is my turn."
Crockta wiped his nose and jumped on the arrow.
Kwajijik!
But due to the shock that piled up, the part of the rock that the arrow was stabbed in fell down. Crockta also fell.
"Cough!"
His body hit the ground and clouds of dust flew into the air. After a while, the dirt covered Crockta rose.
“Kyahahahahahat!"
Tiyo's mocking laugh rang out from above.
"Kulkul, kulkulkulkul." Crockta laughed and said, “I’m angry.”
Crockta glared at the rock. The angry Crockta didn't use any tricks. He faced the opponent head on. He stuck to the wall like a cicada. Then he started to climb up using his hands and legs. The angry Crockta's grip was tight as he found corners to support him. It was an unstoppable climb, like there was something sticky on his hands.
Zankus and Tiyo felt an unknown crisis as Crockta climbed the rock like crazy.
“Ohhhhhh!”
“Slow down, s-scary dot!"
“Ohhhhhh!”
“The rock is shaking dot!”
Tiyo and Zankus moved faster as they felt like a monster was chasing them from behind. They soon reached the slope. The torn flesh of the ogres was scattered all over the place. If they kept climbing up, they would reach the thunderbird's nest. However, the field of view was so clear that they couldn't avoid being seen by the thunderbird.
The thunderbird already noticed their presence, but it only glanced at Zankus and Tiyo while facing the ogres.
“Weren't you going to hunt it? It looks okay now."
Crockta stepped on the slope and asked. It was the perfect timing. The thunderbird wasn't paying attention to Zankus because it was fighting the ogres. If he aimed for a gap, the thunderbird wouldn't be able to avoid it.
“I'll put it off for the moment." Zankus looked up. He was looking at the thunderbird's nest on top of the steep mountain. "There is something I want to check."
Then Zankus once again loaded his arrow. If Crockta's New Slayer was a greatsword, his bow was a ballista. He fired the arrow. The goal wasn't the thunderbird. Ogre wizard. The huge arrow hit the ogre wizard's shoulder. In the aftermath, the ogre wizard collapsed to the ground. Blood flowed from the wounded area. The ogre wizard roared angrily.
"Kuwaaaaaah!"
The ogre wizard became crazy and started to attack the thunderbird with all its power. The ogre wizard wanted to kill everyone on this mountain. It aimed a spell towards the thunderbird. The thunderbird rose and then plummeted towards the ogre wizard.
The ogres clung to the thunderbird. The ogre wizard's magic power burned the target, not distinguishing between ogres and the thunderbird. The ogres were torn apart by the thunderbird's claws and wings. Blood splashed and lightning flashed.
It was a melee.
“Let’s go up."
Zankus distracted the thunderbird and started climbing again. His speed increased.
***
The summit of the mountain. They reached the place where the thunderbird's nest was located.
"Here dot!"
Tiyo pointed to a cave. It was a space that the thunderbird had carved out directly. It was a nesting place that was protected from bad weather by a hard outer wall.
“Why did we come here dot?"
"Shh." Zankus raised a finger to his mouth.
"……?"
"This…"
A sound was coming from the nest. Crockta and Tiyo listened carefully.
Crockta asked in a small voice, "Did you know?"
"I just guessed."
They entered the cave. An unexpected sight greeted them.
Praise the Orc:
Current schedule: There will now be 14 chapters a week, meaning two chapters every day.
Chapter 191 – Kill the Thunderbird (4)
The young thunderbirds were crying. There seemed to be 10 of them. Thunderbirds were the size of a house. Therefore, the young chicks already reached the chest of an adult human. Crockta was perplexed as the young chicks with beautiful feathers looked up at them with clear eyes.
"There are young thunderbirds."
“Cute dot..."
They were similar in height to Tiyo. As Tiyo approached, the thunderbirds looked at him and made a curious sound. Tiyo cried out when he was lifted up by one chick. The other thunderbird chick beside it rubbed its beak against Tiyo with a pure appearance of no hostility.
"Uh?" Tiyo suddenly flinched. Blood flowed from the beak and stained Tiyo's clothing.
"It seems like they just ate."
Zankus pointed to one side. There were the bodies of monsters such as ogres and trolls, as well as the stolen drake. The bodies were torn in places.
"This is why the hunting cycle was sped up."
There were 10 chicks. They were currently smaller than an adult, but they would soon grow to the size of the mother thunderbird, requiring a huge amount of food.
"Then the thunderbird is fighting the ogres because of her chicks dot."
“I guess so."
The thunderbird took risks in hunting and fighting the ogres head on in order to protect her young. The chicks didn't know about their mother's efforts as they approached the strange visitors and poked them with their beaks. As Crockta stroked a chick's head, it spread open its wings and rubbed its body against his legs. They were very friendly.
"Thunderbirds live for 1,000 years," said Zankus as he gazed at a young thunderbird. “In addition, the eggs of a thunderbird needs a very long time to hatch. Thunderbirds keep their eggs in a safe and warm place, waiting a long time until they are hatched."
Suddenly, Zankus began to laugh. Crockta, Tiyo, and the young thunderbirds stared at him.
“I followed the thunderbird in order to surpass Shakan. But I once again realize what a great hunter he was."
Zankus pointed to the entrance of the thunderbird nest. It was a place they hadn't looked at. As the sun got lower, sunlight poured into the nest. At the same time, shapes appeared on the rock wall near the entrance.
They were letters. Someone had carved letters on the rock. It had been weathered over the years, but the words could still be recognized. Crockta and Tiyo realized who it was. The traces of a man they could never forget.
[I am a descendant of the Shakan and an unnamed hunter. I leave this here for the hunters of the next generation. A true hunter never hunts the young. Thunderbirds live for 1,000 years and have to wait 100 years for their eggs to hatch.
Just the fact that you came here means you have succeeded in hunting the thunderbird. These rare birds shouldn't be extinguished from history. We hunters should turn away.]
Shakan hadn't failed in hunting the thunderbird. He knew that the thunderbird was guarding the eggs and turned away without any regrets. It wasn't just Shakan. Other marks were seen under the sentence left by Shakan.
[I am Prairie Hunter Abudai. I respect Shakan's will.]
[I am the dark elf Hikade. Please let the mother mother bird see the fruits of her labor.]
[I am Albulla, the world's strongest hunter! Today I will show mercy.]
[I miss my wife and children. Hunter Joffrey, I will finish my hunting and return home.]
[Wow There are 12 eggs. Take care of your children well, Thunderbird! Hunter William.]
Since then, several hunters had come to this point, leaving their mark before turning away. A rare species hardly ever seen on the continent, the thunderbird with beautiful dark blue wings. Other hunters reached this point, but they stopped hunting to honor Shakan's will and to protect the mother and her eggs.
The words they left on the rock were shining brightly in the sunlight. Shakan's words were getting weathered, but the traces of the other hunters were clear. Some were great hunters that Zankus knew about.
“The way they came here is different, but the point they reached is the same."
The best hunters who had the ability to break through the great forest and reach the thunderbird's nest. They all felt the same thing here. Zankus met Crockta and Tiyo's gaze as they knew what they had to do now.
“Huhu, I actually liked the thunderbird from the beginning dot."
“Your muzzle was aiming at it."
“It is a type of greeting dot."
They separated from the chicks clinging to them and left the thunderbird's nest. The cries of the thunderbird could be heard from below.
***
Crockta's group climbed down the rock wall without a hitch. The thunderbird was flying into the sky and dropping ogres, while fighting the ogre wizard as well. Many feathers had fallen and blood was flowing down.
Crockta grabbed New Slayer.
“I’m sorry for the ogres."
He measured the distance. He targeted an enemy.
“Bul'tarrrr!"
Crockta jumped off the rock without hesitation. New Slayer descended on the ogre. Flesh scattered. Ogre Slayer was now New Slayer. Even an ogre was a light opponent for New Slayer. If he caught a chicken with the blade, the poor chicken would be shattered.
New Slayer struck and the ogre died with a gruesome scream. The ogre wizard was confused and recoiled from the enemies that appeared above. At that time, a giant spear flew and skewered the ogres near the ogre wizard.
The ogres shrieked.
"Kuwaaaaaah!"
It was Zankus' arrow. Once the ogres stopped, the suffering thunderbird rose up in the sky. She was bewildered by Crockta's group suddenly helping her.
There were dozens of ogres. However, Crockta, Tiyo, and Zankus defeated them without a hitch. The golden blade shone and huge arrows bombarded them. The magic bullets flying from Tiyo obstructed any ogres that dared to attack.
The thunderbird also descended and started attacking the ogres again. She clawed at an ogre aiming at Crockta's back. Crockta raised his thumbs in thanks, causing the thunderbird to flap her wings.
"Kuwaaah!"
"Uwoooo!"
“Kuaaack!"
The ogres screamed at each other once the situation suddenly changed. Then there was a roar from the ogre wizard.
"Kuaaaaaaaah!"
They didn't know what it meant, but it sounded like a retreat order. The ogre showed their backs and started to run away. Crockta put away his greatsword. The ogres disappeared without looking back. It was a quick retreat that made it hard to believe a terrible battle had just taken place. The noise of battle disappeared as calmness once again blanketed the great forest. Only the corpses of the ogres were scattered all over the place.
The thunderbird slowly landed on the ground.
"Kkiiiik…"
The thunderbird looked even more beautiful up close. As if she understood them, she stared at Crockta's group with clear eyes. Zankus approached the thunderbird. The thunderbird lowered her head. The two looked at each other for a while.
Zankus reached out his hand. The thunderbird extended its beak. Zankus stroked the beak. There were scars and blood from the battle. The thunderbird's beak gently touched Zankus' body. Both of them had a rapport after confirming there was no hostility towards each other.
The thunderbird lowered her body. Then she made a sound. He didn't know what it meant at first, but then realized she was telling him to get on her back. Zankus climbed onto the thunderbird first. Crockta and Tiyo followed. Although their posture was unstable, Zankus grabbed the thunderbird's neck, Crockta held Zankus and Tiyo held Crockta.
"Kkiiik!"
The thunderbird took off. The earth became far away in an instant. The thunderbird circled around her nest. Everything in the great forest seemed like a toy. The fighting creatures, the resting creatures, the small birds, everything was below them.
The afternoon sun was falling. Crockta enjoyed the air rushing past his body as he gazed at the endless green landscape stretching out before him.
He was here. He lived in the world of Elder Lord.
"Bul'tar."
They enjoyed the scenery for a while. Was the thunderbird always seeing such sights?
“Beautiful dot.”
“I completely agree."
The thunderbird flapped her wings, as if in agreement. The thunderbird descended. They landed at the thunderbird's nest. The chicks appeared to welcome their mother. They jumped clumsily at their mother. The thunderbird spread her wings and covered all of her chicks.
From their positions, Crockta's group could see the blood and scars on the thunderbird's back and wings. The chicks didn't know. How hard the mother thunderbird's day was today. How she found food for them and rescued them. The bodies outside were living their lives until yesterday.
Crockta turned and looked outside. The sun was setting. It was a beautiful twilight. Looking at this magnificent sight, Crockta thought that the world was too big. Everyone was living desperately in it. They had their own unique lives.
Tiyo stood next to Crockta.
“Today has passed dot."
The glow of the sunlight reached this place. The rock wall at the entrance of the nest shone. It made the traces of Shakan and the other hunters who came here more prominent.
"There is an empty spot." Zankus said. Then he approached the rock. "How about it?"
Crockta and Tiyo smiled and nodded.
Zankus pulled out an arrow. Shakan's traces, and those of the hunters after him. He placed the arrowhead on it. Zankus moved his hand. He started to carve deep and sharp letters.
[In honor of the greatest hunter, Shakan.]
[Hunter Zankus.]
Then his hand stopped moving. Crockta received the arrow next. He took it and wrote,
[Warrior Crockta.]
Then it was Tiyo's turn.
[Manly Tiyo.]
The three of them laughed heartily at the sight.
At that moment.
Rustle.
They reacted to the sudden sound. Then a brown hand appeared at the entrance of the nest. The hand shook for a moment before another hand appeared. The owner of the hand slowly pulled himself up. It was dangerous but he eventually reached the nest.
"Pant…pant…"
The bone sparrow on his head cried out awkwardly.
'Chirpppppppp….'
It was Anor. He had been walking here while they fought the ogres and enjoyed the stunning scenery from the thunderbird's back. He could barely move at this point.
"Pant…pant…"
Anor flopped down. He wasn't in a normal state. His whole body was soaked with sweat. He staggered and fell down.
“You managed to climb up dot."
Tiyo laughed and added letters next to his name.
[Weakling Anor.]
Suddenly, a young thunderbird approached Crockta, crying out with a desire to play. Crockta cuddled with the young thunderbird. Then he looked again at the traces they left behind.
[In honor of the greatest hunter, Shakan.
Hunter Zankus. Warrior Crockta. Manly Tiyo. Weakling Anor.]
The great forest was filled with many dangerous creatures. The thunderbird's nest that was located in the harshest place. There was a special guestbook shared by the hunters who reached this place. Their names had been added.
Praise the Orc:
Current schedule: There will now be 14 chapters a week, meaning two chapters every day.