Chapter 264

It was a bird with a grotesque appearance, completely devoid of feathers.

In my previous life, there was a Filipino dish called “balut,” made by boiling duck eggs just before they hatch.

Being a dish made from duck eggs right before hatching, when you peel the shell, you see the almost fully formed duckling inside, a shocking sight.

The Abnormal Bird looked like a more ferocious and twisted version of that duckling, scaled up to the size of a bear.

Adding to that, its wings, completely featherless, were made of a membrane similar to a bat’s wings.

It truly lived up to the name “Abnormal Bird.”

No, it was probably named “Abnormal Bird” because of its grotesque appearance.

Perhaps sensing my disgusted gaze, the Abnormal Bird, seemingly annoyed, flapped its wings with a dexterity akin to hands and hurled a log at me.

“Kieeeeeeek───!”

“Truly… a form befitting the name ‘Demon’s Hand.'”

Awakening Species.

A term given when a monster, already transformed by mana, undergoes further mutation.

The already mutated form of the monster, having strayed far from its original species, becomes even more distorted upon awakening, gaining unique traits that are not shared by others of its kind, making them unique individuals.

Thus, another name for Awakening Species is “Named.”

A title derived from the unique characteristics of the individual, earning them a fitting epithet.

And the epithet of the Awakening Species Abnormal Bird before me was ‘Demon’s Hand.’

True to its name, the Abnormal Bird’s wings, which it moved like hands to hurl logs, were even thicker and more twisted, resembling giant palms.

Not just wings for flight, but grotesque, clawed appendages like the hands of a withered ghost.

The Abnormal Bird itself was the size of a bear, incomparable to a normal bird, and its wings were like giant hands, disproportionate to its body.

I grabbed the still-frozen Bram and dodged the incoming log.

“Snap out of it!”

“Ah, ah… Sorry. Sorry. Because of me… because of me…”

Damn, he’s completely panicked.

It would be nice if he could move to a safe spot on his own, but that seems unlikely.

If its extermination rank is gold, it’s roughly on par with the golem I fought in the ruins last time.

Not the level that Mari or Arisa’s group defeated, but the one I faced.

Fighting a monster of that level while protecting someone in panic mode…

This might be a tough fight.

As I was making that judgment, the Abnormal Bird, displeased that I hadn’t been knocked down by the log, charged at me, using its twisted wings like an ape’s arms to push off the ground.

.

.

.

‘Why, why did I have to be in this place when this happened… If I were somewhere else, I could have escaped…! Because of me…!’

Stamina pushed to the limit, mental strength at its breaking point.

Yet, what allowed Bram to regain his composure was the misplaced hatred towards his party members born from two days of escapism.

And even that had hit rock bottom, but what allowed Bram to muster his strength once more was his resolve to at least save the innocent herb gatherer, driven by goodwill and a spirit of sacrifice.

But his determination, squeezed out to the limit, crumbled before he could even make that sacrifice.

Being a genuine resolve born from desperation, the shock of its collapse was equally immense, and Bram, unworthy of the title “veteran adventurer,” trembled like a rookie on the brink of death for the first time.

“It’s over. We’re all going to die. We’re all going to die…!”

But Bram, trembling in panic, soon sensed something amiss and raised his head.

Even in his panicked state, he could tell it was strange that the Abnormal Bird’s wings hadn’t torn him apart after several minutes had passed.

Still trembling from the panic, Bram lowered his hands from his head with a dazed expression.

“…What. Is this…?”

Kwangg!

The forest around him, except for the spot where he knelt, had turned into a luxurious wasteland, strewn with debris of grass and trees.

Kwoong!

And in one corner of that clearing, the herb gatherer Lizardman and the Awakening Species Abnormal Bird were locked in a fierce battle.

The Abnormal Bird, with each flap of its wings, created craters as if launching boulders, regardless of trees or bushes.

But more astonishing was the Lizardman herb gatherer, skillfully dodging the Abnormal Bird’s attacks with just a staff.

Wait.

“Upon closer look, that’s not a staff, but a short spear…?”

Finally, Bram began to notice the Lizardman’s appearance.

Clothing too active for a typical herb gatherer, more like an adventurer’s.

Realizing this, Bram recognized the face—it was indeed someone he remembered.

A Lizardman who had formed a party with Karina and Serena, female adventurers rare even among silver ranks.

Though only a bronze rank and not particularly famous as an adventurer, he was known for something else.

Every mealtime, he would create dishes with such violently delicious aromas that it tormented the penniless adventurers, earning him the nickname “Aroma Torturer” among adventurers.

Apart from being a Lizardman and cooking incredibly aromatic meals, he wasn’t known for any special skills.

Kwangg!

“Predictable. Relying solely on physical strength, its attacks are too straightforward. Once you know the trajectory, dodging is easy.”

‘That… that Abnormal Bird’s attacks… are easy to dodge?’

Kieeeeeeek───!

Kwangg!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ferocious attacks that made Bram’s knees weak were being dodged with ease.

Not just that.

While dodging the Abnormal Bird ‘Demon’s Hand’s attacks, the Lizardman was countering by targeting its vital points with his short spear.

With a speed and precision Bram couldn’t hope to match, even if he were in perfect condition.

“Tch. Even as an Awakening Species, it’s rotten…”

Kaangg!

But the Abnormal Bird blocked the Lizardman’s counterattack, which seemed like a fatal blow, by raising its wing like a shield, and the clash between the Lizardman’s spear and the bird’s membrane produced a sharp metallic sound.

Kieeeeeeek───!

Then, the Abnormal Bird swung its wing, pushing the Lizardman away, and as soon as the distance between them increased, it firmly planted its wing into the ground.

“Da, dangerous! That stance…!”

At that moment, Bram, who had been dazedly watching the fight, involuntarily shouted.

The Abnormal Bird, with its wing planted, pulled its body back like drawing a slingshot.

That was the technique that had dismantled Bram’s party, leaving them severely injured and fleeing.

“Dodge! You can’t block that attack…!”

But the Lizardman, seemingly ignoring Bram’s warning, instead took a stance with his short spear.

Clearly, a stance to counter.

But Bram knew.

That was an attack that couldn’t be blocked.

Just as Bram was about to warn him again to dodge.

Faster than his mouth could open.

The Demon’s Hand shot out.

Thinking about it, it’s fascinating.

Birds have feathers to generate lift and maintain body temperature while flying at high altitudes.

But the Abnormal Bird, having abandoned feathers, didn’t have its wings degenerate like other birds.

Instead, it developed wings covered in a membrane, like a bat’s, suggesting it could still fly.

The secret lies in the Abnormal Bird’s unique monsterification ability to control air.

With a high basal metabolic rate allowing it to regulate body temperature without feathers and the ability to manipulate air flow, it could artificially control lift, enabling its massive body to fly like a raptor.

And the ‘Demon’s Hand’ utilized this ability to reduce air resistance to near zero during a charge, while expelling air gathered in its hand-like wings for propulsion, achieving unbelievable speed for its size.

It was a missile.

A bird missile.

And as that bird missile shot straight forward.

Kurt closed his eyes.

“Ah, no!”

Seeing this, Bram thought he had given up and screamed.

Click.

An artificial sound, rare in the forest, was heard.

Simultaneously, a blinding flash of light covered the forest.

Kieeeeeeek────!

“Uwaaaah!”

As both the monster and a person screamed in pain from the sudden flash.

Kurt, who had closed his eyes from the start, smiled quietly and said.

“Indeed, monsters that charge recklessly relying on their strength are easy to hunt. Intelligent humans or cunning beasts are more troublesome.”

Though his eyes were closed, his transcendent senses allowed him to vividly perceive the Demon’s Hand’s movements as if seeing them.

The Demon’s Hand, disoriented by the sudden flash, lost its posture.

Sensing this, Kurt threw his short spear.

In the blinding flash where no one could see, only the spear drew a clear blue trajectory, piercing the Demon’s Hand’s head.

“This is hunting.”