Chapter 270

What kind of process is needed to catch a monster flying in the vast sky?

With current technology, even catching a bird is a struggle, so let’s not even talk about flying monsters.

At least their size makes them easier to hit with arrows, but the difficulty is undeniably high.

So, I devised a method to catch a flying monster, not just in the Soul World but here as well.

KEEEK!

First off, I needed to climb to a high place and look up at the sky to find the monster that kidnapped Luna.

The creature that took her had an overall yellow hue. I tilted my head back so much that my neck ached to spot it.

I have decent eyesight, and looking for yellow isn’t too hard. Plus, it’s a big creature.

‘There it is.’

Fortunately, I found it after a short search. It appeared to be out hunting.

Let’s move on to the second step. The second step is to throw a rock at the bird.

It’s a flying monster that’s hard to hit even with arrows, but approaching it slowly makes all the difference.

Besides, my throwing skill is second to none. Even if I miss, it’s no big deal.

‘In fact, I shouldn’t kill it.’

As soon as I spotted the bird, I hurled a rock at it. Just enough to be a nuisance.

At first, the bird was like, “Huh?” but as I kept throwing, it started getting annoyed.

Even beasts get angry when you keep poking at them. Thanks to that, the bird began to circle above me.

“Rock.”

“KEEK.”

Still not enough. I reached my hand back and made a request.

The one I asked wasn’t a person but that raccoon from earlier.

For some reason, it followed me around, so I asked it for a few things.

If I gave it some food, it listened well and was surprisingly intelligent, making it very useful.

KEEEEK!

After tossing a few stones I got from the raccoon, I noticed a change.

The bird that had been circling over my head started to descend slowly. It was getting annoyed.

It was time to move to the third stage. I placed the raccoon on my head and said,

“Hold tight.”

*Snatch!*

The raccoon was very attentive, grabbing my hair as if it was about to pull it out.

It hurt a bit, but it’s a beast, so I had to bear it. I waited for the bird to descend.

SHWOOOOSH!

The bird came plummeting down like a missile, its face heading straight for the ground.

Moreover, it was diving down in a straight line, unusually fast for its size.

Soon, the bird reached right above me. It twisted its body and revealed its massive claws to me.

Unlike with Luna, my intention here is to kill for sure. The average person would be instantly dead after that claw attack.

“Whoa!”

But not me. I narrowly dodged its attack while grabbing its foot with my hand.

Usually, when a bird does a dive attack, it tends to fly back up afterward. Thanks to that instinct, my body got propelled upwards with it.

“KEEEEK!!”

The raccoon perched on my head lets out a strange scream. It clung tightly to my hair, trying not to fall off.

I felt like my hair was going to be ripped out, but I held on. It’s surprisingly useful, so I needed to keep it secure.

As the bird started to fly back up, I slowly climbed up. The bird seemed to notice I was on it, shaking its body around.

Now it was the fourth stage. Since I was on the bird, I had to wait until we reached its nest.

Of course, although the bird might not have the highest intellect, it certainly has instinct. It would try to drop me off rather than taking me home.

To prepare for that, I had an item ready. An axe that would serve as my navigation tool.

I took my position on the bird, barely enduring the air resistance as I brought the axe down.

Where? Right on the bird’s head.

CRACK!

“KEEEEK!!!”

The bird thrashed wildly. It was probably painful, even if it didn’t hit its brain.

I used the axe like a gear shift on a car, moving it here and there. The more I did that, the more the creature swayed.

There was just one final step left. Most animals, especially birds, have one basic instinct.

That is the instinct to return home. Most birds, despite their low intelligence, can locate their nests flawlessly.

And in front of death, instinct tends to kick in. I waited until the bird returned to its nest.

“Are you okay?”

“KEEK······”

I checked on the raccoon too. Although its eyes seemed to be spinning, it appeared fine.

Soon, I was swinging the axe stuck in the bird’s head when I finally saw what I wanted.

Right below was its nest. Though it was far away, I could see a familiar yellow head inside.

‘But who’s the other one?’

It’s not a bird and neither is it Luna. With that fuzzy fur, I couldn’t tell if it’s human or not.

It might be another baby bird from a different nest. After all, some birds do lay eggs in each other’s nests.

Anyway, that’s for later. It was time to move to the final phase.

I yanked the axe from the bird’s head and, with all my might, struck down again.

SMACK!!

“KEEEEK!!”

Now it must’ve penetrated into its brain. The moment the axe hit, the bird flapped its wings.

But that struggle didn’t last long, and it slowly began to fall.

As it dropped towards the nest, I adjusted my position little by little to match the landing spot.

THUD! CRUNCH! THWACK!

Then, the bird crashed right into the nest. It didn’t just break twigs; it shattered the rotting wood beneath it.

Given its size, it looks like it made a nest out of a whole tree rather than just branches.

Squash!

I pulled the axe from the bird’s now lifeless head. Turning around, I faced a familiar face.

Luna was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression. That silly look never fails to be amusing.

“Hello.”

“······Oh, hi.”

As I waved my hand in greeting, Luna awkwardly waved back. Meanwhile, the baby birds were causing a ruckus.

By the way, who is that fluffball over there? Though its fur is yellow, it seems off somehow.

“Luna.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s this? A mutant?”

Mutants don’t usually look like that. When I pointed it out, Luna shifted her gaze.

Soon, she realized who I was pointing at and gave a somewhat ambiguous response.

“Even if it has a lot of fur, it’s still a person. I heard they were stranded.”

“Stranded?”

“Yeah.”

What a filthy luck that person has. Where on earth could they have gotten stranded?

While I was looking at the person with a puzzled expression, they were shaking and pointing at me.

“Y-you! Why are you······!”

“Eh?”

“Why are you······! No, first of all, why······”

Do they know me? This is a face I’ve never seen before. No, wait, their face was hidden under all that fur.

Then the stranded person looked between Luna and me, before slowly backing away. Since we were in a nest, there was no way for them to escape.

“······Luna.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Do you have any relationship with that demon?”

“Just a friend, you know?”

Luna responded with a confused tilt of her head. This caused the stranded person to back away even more.

Now they were backed against the wall. I couldn’t figure out why they were reacting like that.

It might be a good idea to intervene since the situation seemed dangerous. Just as I was about to say something…

As I mentioned earlier, there was no way to escape the nest.

“Oh, Goddess Gaia! Please grant me hope!!!”

“Oh, what?!”

I stand corrected. There was indeed a way out.

But the problem is that it was a cliff. Suddenly, the stranded person threw themselves outside of the nest.

That was a pretty high cliff, and falling down would be very dangerous. I reached out towards their sudden action.

[WAAAAAAAH!!]

They had already fallen over the cliff before I could grab them. I could hear not just screams but horrible sounds following.

There are many ways to commit suicide, but why did they choose that one? I couldn’t figure it out at all.

I, of course, and even Luna couldn’t hide our bewilderment. The turn of events was just too sudden.

“······Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“What did you do? Why are they acting like that?”

Why are you asking me? I don’t know this face either.

I scratched my head and stole a glance outside the nest.

Amazingly, they seemed to have made a decent landing, limping as they moved away.

They must’ve had a good landing. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have jumped at all.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

“Peeep! Peep! Peep!”

As everything settled down, the cries of the baby birds filled the nest.

The baby birds seemed unaware that their mother had died and rushed toward the nest, crying their hearts out.

They probably think their mother has come back, so food is on the way. But the mother is already dead.

“Hmm······ Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“What are we going to do about those baby birds?”

Luna pointed to the baby birds, looking like she expected me to handle it.

Without hesitation, I answered.

“Just let them be.”

“Just let them be?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem?”

“No, that’s not it······”

This is different from the Usuk situation. The Usuk lived on the outskirts.

While I did show some mercy, it was also to prepare for the worst.

If the offspring manage to survive and grow, that’s an additional headache.

But here, we’re in the inner part, pure wilderness. There’s no need to show mercy at every turn.

‘The baby birds might survive by eating their mother’s body.’

That’s quite likely. In the face of starvation, everyone is the same.

Even humans often resort to cannibalism when faced with hunger.

There have been historical accounts of people resorting to eating their deceased children due to starvation.

If even intelligent beings can do that, animals need not even be mentioned. When hungry, they’ll start tearing into anything.

“Feeling sorry for them?”

“Not really.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s just······”

Luna was subtly glancing at me, a shy smile creeping onto her face.

“I was just thinking······ can’t we take one and raise it?”

“What?”

“If I take care of it well, it could be a good mode of transport! The academy allows bringing animals in, and·····”

“What the·····”

Did she seriously just think of that? I looked at Luna with a dumbfounded expression.

Luna also seemed aware that it sounded ridiculous, giving an awkward smile. It’s better to leave such imaginations as imagination…

‘······Wait a minute.’

That might actually be a decent idea. But all the responsibility will fall on Luna.

That way, she won’t think about such idiotic ideas in the future. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for her to struggle this time around.

“Alright. Choose one.”

“Really? Do you think it’s okay?”

“Yeah.”

It’s her chance to get her head straight. Let’s see her struggle hard now.

Luna’s eyes lit up with excitement as she began checking each baby bird one by one.

Based on the glimmer in her eyes, it seems like she’s using her abilities. You can’t really figure that out, can you?

“Oh! They even have potential! This one has the highest rate!”

“?”

What?

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