Terror Birds.

They were pretty famous creatures.

In popular media, they were often portrayed as being eaten by Smilodon.

Would that have happened in real life? Well, who knows?

Look at their size and those beaks.

If a Smilodon messed with them, it would end up with a hole in its skull.

I haven’t seen any Smilodons around here, but if they did meet, I’d say it would be a 50-50 chance.

Terror Birds 5, Smilodon 5.

But wow, these things are massive.

If Tang Soyeong were here, she’d probably be freaking out.

"That’s… that’s the legendary phoenix!"

Well, since they’re called Terror Birds, she’d probably just call them that.

I wonder what she’d actually say.

“Kikikikikikik!”

The Terror Bird is a formidable creature.

Its powerful attack and impressive speed make it a dangerous opponent.

Especially its curved beak—it’s designed to deliver devastating vertical strikes.

If you get hit by that, it’ll leave a gaping hole in your bones.

But that attack isn’t flawless.

For its strike to be effective, I’d need to be smaller than it.

That’s because its main attack requires almost a straight downward motion.

Standing on two legs, I was definitely not smaller than it.

That didn’t mean I was out of danger, though. It just meant I could avoid its most dangerous attack.

“Grrrr…”

I growled low, continuing to intimidate them.

The Terror Birds seemed momentarily taken aback by my size.

From a distance, they probably thought I was just a large lizard.

Maybe they thought I was standing up for a brief moment because of an itch.

What lizard fights on two legs, after all?

Their confusion was understandable.

“Kikikikikik!”

But I couldn’t let my guard down.

Though they were surprised, they hadn’t abandoned the idea of hunting me.

These Terror Birds had likely hunted creatures similar in size to me many times before.

Even if they hadn’t faced a two-legged lizard, they were familiar with two-legged dinosaurs. They were common in this area.

“Kikikikikik!”

The one on the left was slightly smaller.

It was probably taking orders from the larger one on the right.

Should I target the leader first or take out the weaker one?

There was no time to think.

Thud, thud, thud!

The larger Terror Bird charged at me.

With a top speed of 50 km/h, there was no way I could dodge it with my short lizard legs.

No ordinary lizard could.

But I wasn’t an ordinary lizard.

I activated Dash and used Small Dragon Ascension Steps to dodge its charge.

“Kikikikik!”

The Terror Bird seemed startled.

I immediately followed up with Dragon Claw Hand.

Swoosh!

I aimed to rip off its wing, but I only managed to pull out some feathers.

Still, the initiative was mine. I could have attacked again with my other hand.

But instead, I pulled back.

This was a 2-on-1 fight.

If I stayed to land a second blow, the other Terror Bird would be on me in no time.

Thud thud thud thud!

Just as I dodged, the second bird’s beak came crashing down.

If I hadn’t pulled back, I would’ve been hit.

I jumped back again.

Thud!

Even for me, dodging such fast, close-range attacks wasn’t easy.

I widened the gap between us, putting us back in a similar situation as before.

“Kikikikikik!”

The Terror Birds were communicating in their screeching voices.

They were likely discussing how to handle the large lizard in front of them, which matched their speed.

The only thing that annoyed me was that they weren’t planning on retreating.

“Grrrr…”

They were making another mistake.

Not immediately closing the distance between us was a misstep.

They should’ve either fled or pressed the attack right away.

[Poison Creation LV4] activated.

Sssss!

A large amount of poison was generated out of nowhere.

The Terror Birds hesitated for a moment, startled by the sudden appearance of poison, but quickly refocused on me, remaining cautious.

When I fought the Anodont, I used poison to make the ground slippery and throw off its balance.

But with the thick grass in this jungle, I couldn’t use the same strategy here.

That was fine.

This poison had a different purpose.

I charged at them.

Confused by my approach after widening the distance, the Terror Birds charged at me as well.

[Poison Gathering LV2] activated.

I gathered the poison in my right hand.

To be precise, I gathered it on the feathers I had ripped out earlier.

I infused the feathers with poison and threw them into the air.

It was a technique mimicking Mancheonhwau.

If I used Reverse Scales, I could unleash an even more powerful Mancheonhwau.

But I didn’t.

Using Reverse Scales would mean going all out.

I’m a lizard.

It’s not wise to start a fight by going all out, like a lion would.

There are too many variables in a battle.

Using your full strength before understanding your opponent is a shortcut to defeat.

The strategy of a survivor is to gradually increase the intensity of the battle, using just enough strength to match the opponent as you learn their capabilities.

Of course, if I was sure I could level up from it, that would be a different story.

Sssss!

I didn’t throw the poison-covered feathers to kill.

The primary goal was to obscure their vision.

Thud!

Most of the feathers got caught in their thick plumage.

But a few managed to stick into the bird’s skin, slowing one of them down.

The sudden slowdown of its comrade disrupted their coordination.

Their speed was so fast that even if the Terror Bird realized what had happened, it couldn’t change direction fast enough.

Now, it was a 1-on-1 situation.

Slash!

I struck its wing with a powerful Dragon Claw Hand.

“Kiiieeee!”

The Terror Bird screamed in pain.

I didn’t waste the opportunity and followed up with another attack.

Crunch!

I sank my massive teeth into its neck.

“Kikikikikikik!”

The Terror Bird thrashed around.

It was big, and its stamina was impressive.

This wasn’t going to kill it.

[Poison Fangs LV10] activated.

I injected a substantial amount of poison.

If I used Death Roll, I could probably break its neck, but now was the time to retreat.

The other Terror Bird was staggering toward me.

Thud!

I jumped back again.

Thud!

The bird’s beak came crashing down, narrowly missing me.

Boom!

Its beak struck the ground with enough force to drill a hole into it.

The Terror Bird I had poisoned with my fangs also charged at me.

Thud!

They launched a flurry of rapid attacks.

Dodging to the left, I found its beak waiting for me, and pulling back, its beak was already closing in again.

When their beaks missed, their sharp talons and powerful wings constantly attacked.

Boom!

But they were both poisoned.

The more they moved, the slower they became.

The more they struggled, the faster the poison spread.

The bird I had hit with the poison feathers might last longer, but the one bitten by my poisoned fangs would likely lose consciousness within a few minutes.

If I just held out, I’d win.

“Kikikikikik!”

Their beaks crossed paths as they aimed for the same spot.

I leapt into the air to dodge, watching as they finally realized something.

They couldn’t kill me in the time they had left.

If they kept this up, they’d be the ones to die.

They needed to flee while they still had some strength left.

They thought they could outrun me if they fled at full speed.

This was the moment to use my full power.

When the enemy underestimates your strength.

When your final move can be used to maximum effect.

[Reverse Scales LV1] activated.

[Temporary acquisition of Overwhelming Aura].

Boom!

A surge of overwhelming energy crushed the Terror Birds.

Unlike when Baek Yeon-Yeong used it, my Overwhelming Aura simply slowed their movements.

But that was enough.

Goryong Kick.

I took one step toward them.

Crack!

With Overwhelming Aura combined, I finally grasped the essence of Middle.

It’s slow but strong.

It’s slow, but you can’t dodge it.

It’s powerful, and you can’t escape.

This was the essence of Middle in Goryong Kick.

Gangryongjinpok.

Boom!

The ground began to tremble.

From the point where I stepped, the earth split open. The cracks spread toward the Terror Bird’s feet as if a living dragon were swimming beneath the surface.

Whooosh!

The shockwave surged forward, swallowing the fleeing bird.

“Kieeeeeek!”

It screamed, but it was already too late.

I ran forward and gripped both hands tightly.

Well done.

Two chickens.

I finished them both with Dragon Claw Hand strikes to the head.

Boom!

[Level Up].
[Level Up].
[Level Up].

Three levels from two Terror Birds.

A bit disappointing, but I can’t complain.

It was a decent harvest.

Plus, I’d secured two large chickens to eat.

Eating both would probably give me another level.

Then, suddenly, I heard the sound of birds.

“Kaaaaak!”

It seemed like crows had caught the scent of blood and were coming to investigate.

I could spare them a little meat, but could they quiet down?

They might attract other creatures.

I looked toward the source of the sound.

It wasn’t crows.

It was a smaller bird, brightly colored, circling overhead.

An… parrot?

“The lizard killed the flightless birds!”

It was definitely a parrot.

And it could talk.

…Wait a second.

Parrots usually repeat words they’ve heard, right?

But this one… seems to be speaking on its own?

Is it some kind of freakishly smart mutant?

[Gold Macaw LV3]

Even using Eyes of the Wild, the parrot appeared to be a normal bird.

“Kaaaa! The Snake Queen is smiling!”

This was unsettling.

What did it mean by Snake Queen?

Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good.

I should catch that bird and make it spill whatever it knows.

I braced my legs, ready to pounce.

“Uwooo….”

Boom.

Something massive was approaching, crashing through the trees.

“Kaaaaak! The King is passing by!”

Boom….

“Uwooo….”

Finally, it came into view.

A massive, pure white figure.

What should I even call that thing?

No one would call it a bird.

Its body below the neck looked like some giant bird out of a fairy tale.

But the upper half was the problem.

Flowing black adornments.

It looked like it could recite Confucian texts with ease.

A long neck.

And a human face.

“Uwooo!”

It’s a Jinpeng!