I set out on the journey to track down the Cockatrice.

Shhk-Shhk clung to me, crying, but there was no other option.

You need to be safe until I return. And if possible, try to convince the Snake Queen, okay?

In fact, the real objective of this journey wasn’t to catch the Cockatrice but rather to find traces of it.

Like picking up a dropped feather or finding its nest.

Even doing that would count as completing the mission.

But is the Cockatrice I’m thinking of really that Cockatrice?

Who would have ever thought a creature like the Komodo existed?

Maybe instead of a Cockatrice, it’s actually some other bird-like creature called a Gogadouris.

Of course, based on the Snake Queen's explanation, this Gogadouris creature has the face of a bird, so it seems likely to be the Cockatrice I know... but being cautious wouldn’t hurt.

The thing is, stories about Cockatrices differ depending on the legend, so it’s hard to judge based on my common knowledge.

Still, since my goal isn't to defeat the creature, there wasn’t much to worry about.

After all, the heavy lifting would be done by the Snake Queen.

All I needed to do was find traces of the Cockatrice without the Bird King noticing.

According to the Snake Queen, the Cockatrice had betrayed her and stolen some of the temple’s elixirs and sacred artifacts.

I might just end up keeping some of that for myself.

Of course, finding a single Cockatrice in this vast jungle would be no easy task.

But I had a rough idea of where it might be.

This jungle was divided between the Bird King and the Snake Queen.

In the Snake Queen's territory, there were snakes serving her and possibly dinosaurs that seemed to be allied with her.

Like the Stegosaurus I’d seen before. It guarded the front of the temple as one of the Snake Queen’s allies. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve attacked me on sight, but it let me pass because of Shhk-Shhk clinging to my back.

In that sense, the Snake Queen’s brand was more than just a helpful mark; it was a boon.

It worked like a kind of pass, allowing me safe travel.

No matter how strong the Cockatrice was, if it ran into a pack of Stegosauruses, it’d end up as grilled chicken. The chance of it being in the Snake Queen’s territory was almost zero.

Obviously, the creature would be in the territory of the Bird King.

To find it, I needed to head into the Bird King’s domain.

The Bird King.

Even though I had trained, the chances of me defeating him were slim to none.

The Bird King was a monster rivaling the Snake Queen in strength.

I had to find the Cockatrice's traces without getting caught by the Bird King.

At first glance, this seemed like a difficult task, but it wasn’t impossible.

I had my stealth skill.

As long as I didn’t walk on two legs, I could hide in the underbrush and crawl around.

If I used the giant trees in the jungle properly, I could achieve a level of stealth that might rival invisibility.

Step by step, I moved quietly.

If this Cockatrice was anything like the one I knew, finding its traces shouldn’t be too difficult.

If I found petrified statues around, it’d likely be nearby.

And if I heard a chicken’s crow, I’d know I was close.

Alright, let’s give it a try.

•  

Baekwoon and Jangbong crept toward the source of the sound, trying to keep their steps quiet.

It had been some time since they first heard the strange bird’s cry.

Baekwoon wanted to make sure they had a good opportunity. If that strange bird got away, they wouldn’t be able to obtain the beast core.

They had been slowly following the bird’s movements for several days now.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

“Keeeeeek!”

Then, they suddenly heard the sounds of a fight between the strange bird and some other beast.

Baekwoon immediately realized this was their chance.

Even though the bird was large, the beast that resembled a bear wasn’t an easy opponent either.

If they approached while the bird was distracted by the bear, they could kill it before it even had a chance to fight back.

“Jangbong, now!”

Jangbong grumbled but followed Baekwoon.

Maybe he could snag some leftovers for himself.

That was Jangbong’s plan.

If Baekwoon took down the bird, Jangbong could handle blocking any escape routes.

Together, they ran toward the location of the strange bird.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

The bird crowed loudly.

Baekwoon put more power into his legs, kicking off the ground harder.

An opportunity like this might never come again.

“Kraaaaah!”

The bear-like beast lunged at the bird.

Baekwoon reached for the sword at his waist.

His strategy was to strike the bird while it was busy fighting the beast.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

But his plan fell apart in an instant.

Just like the beast that had turned to stone and crumbled before him.

“Ba-Baekwoon! What is this?!”

Jangbong clapped a hand over his mouth.

This was supposed to be an ambush, but he had been so shocked that he couldn’t stop himself from shouting.

His reaction was understandable.

The enormous beast had turned to stone in the blink of an eye.

But that was Jangbong’s problem, not the bird’s.

The bird didn’t seem to care.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck!”

The bird turned its head toward the sound of the shout.

Baekwoon locked eyes with the bird.

He clenched his teeth.

He hadn’t expected the bird to have the power to petrify its enemies.

He had only sensed that it had some sort of mystical energy; he didn’t know exactly what kind of creature it was.

But Baekwoon had prepared for the worst.

He had been following the bird, suspecting it might be hiding some sort of dangerous power.

That’s why it had taken them so long to make a move.

But the bird had never once used that power.

Even when it hunted, it just relied on its massive body, charging into its prey. It had never used petrification before.

A theory suddenly came to Baekwoon’s mind.

What if the bird had known all along that it was being followed?

What if it had been hiding its true strength, waiting to strike once the hunters revealed themselves?

Baekwoon realized that Jangbong’s scream didn’t matter at all.

This cunning bird had known everything from the start.

Just as Baekwoon had feared the bird running away, the bird had feared that Baekwoon and Jangbong would flee.

By hiding its power, it had tricked them into thinking it was just a physically strong creature.

Baekwoon cursed his own arrogance.

He thought he was the hunter, but he had been the prey all along.

But he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

He drew his sword from his waist.

Swaaang!

It was the same sword he had received back in his promising days as a warrior.

If he couldn’t overcome this challenge, he would remain stuck at the same level forever.

He would be branded with the shameful title of "eternal prospect."

Grrrk.

Baekwoon gritted his teeth.

He prepared to unleash his secret technique, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Sword Strikes, attacking from thirty-six different directions simultaneously.

Just as he was about to begin his technique...

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Baekwoon realized his legs wouldn’t move.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck!”

He had locked eyes with the Cockatrice.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Before he could unleash the Thirty-Six Heavenly Sword Strikes, Baekwoon had been turned into a stone statue.

Jangbong, witnessing the scene, let out a scream.

“H-Hiiiii!”

He turned and ran immediately.

This was beyond anything he could comprehend.

Baekwoon was a first-rate warrior.

Even when two massive monsters attacked him, he could defeat them with ease.

And now, he had been taken down without even putting up a fight.

There was no way a third-rate warrior like Jangbong could handle this creature.

He didn’t even look back.

Sssssk!

He instinctively knew that the bird was chasing him.

He had to run.

He had to hide.

He had to survive.

That was all Jangbong could think about.

He pushed his way through the tall plants, running as fast as he could.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

The sound that had seemed ridiculous earlier now filled him with terror. He felt like a worm before a chicken. His whole body trembled.

“Huff... Huff…”

Jangbong was running for his life, using every ounce of his strength.

He tripped over roots and stones multiple times.

But he couldn’t stop.

“Huff…”

His legs were growing weaker.

Jangbong knew he had to make a choice.

Should he continue this pointless escape or try to find a hiding place while he still had some strength left?

His energy was nearly gone.

Jangbong desperately searched for a place to hide.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

Just as he felt a brief moment of relief, the crowing grew louder.

Jangbong finally found a large rock crevice and squeezed himself into it.

“Hup… Eugh…”

But was this really a safe spot?

He asked himself the question, but the answer was no.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

The cries grew louder and louder.

Jangbong realized that the bird would find him soon.

He closed his eyes.

In a faint whisper, he made the dumbest decision possible.

“P-Please... Primordial Heaven… Primordial Heaven…”

Jangbong wasn’t a Taoist.

The only reason he was calling on Primordial Heaven was because he had seen other martial artists beg for it when they were being hunted by the Tang Clan’s assassins.

Now Jangbong understood why they had called on Primordial Heaven.

It was their last hope.

Making noise would only draw the bird’s attention.

But staying silent wouldn’t save him either.

Jangbong kept praying to Primordial Heaven.

He begged all the deities he could think of to save him from this hellish place.

But there was no answer.

“Hah… Hah…”

Jangbong realized his death was imminent.

He decided to pray one last time.

He emptied his mind.

Who should he call on with his final prayer?

The image of the Tang Clan’s daughter appeared in his mind.

She was the woman he had coldly abandoned after encountering the dragon in the swamp.

It was because he was a coward, selfish, that he hadn’t done anything when he saw the Blood Hand’s atrocities.

Actually, he had felt somewhat grateful to the Blood Hand.

Thanks to them, he had survived.

Maybe that was why.

He remembered the story that Tang So-yeong had told him.

The divine beast worshipped by the Tang Clan.

An invisible entity, but one that Tang So-yeong had firmly believed in.

“G-Gomodo... Gomodo, please...”

It was absurd.

To offer his final prayer to a divine beast he had never seen.

“Haha…”

And it was even more absurd that he was praying to the divine beast worshipped by the woman he had abandoned.

Jangbong let out a bitter laugh.

Right.

Even if that divine beast did exist, it wouldn’t save a piece of trash like him.

He had lived a sinful life.

If nothing else, when he saw the Tang Clan’s daughter again, he would at least apologize.

That was Jangbong’s final thought.

...

...

“Gehgek.”

Jangbong couldn’t believe his eyes.

But he knew immediately what it was.

The ancient death with a tail.

It was Gomodo.