Praise the Orc

Chapter 191: Killing the Thunderbird (4)

The baby Thunderbirds were chirping. There seemed to be about ten of them.

A fully grown Thunderbird was easily the size of a house, so even the young ones were as tall as an adult's chest.

Crockta couldn't help but be taken aback when the chicks, adorned with the distinctive beautiful feathers of a Thunderbird on their immature limbs, looked up at him and his group with their big, round, sparkling eyes.

"It had baby Thunderbirds."

"They're cute..."

The Thunderbird chicks were about the same height as Tiyo. As he approached them, the Thunderbirds curiously tilted their heads. When Tiyo picked up the chicks, they made a sound that resembled a chuckle.

Another chick rubbed its beak against Tiyo. It was a purely innocent gesture, devoid of any hostility.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, Tiyo flinched as blood spread from the beak, staining his clothes.

"It seems they've just eaten."

Zankus pointed to a corner of the nest.

There, not only the drake they had hunted to cook but also the corpses of ogres, trolls, and other monsters were lying. Their bodies were picked apart.

"So this is why the Thunderbird was hunting so often."

There were nearly ten chicks. They were currently all smaller than an adult, but they would soon grow as big as the mother Thunderbird. That sort of growth required a massive amount of food.

"So the Thunderbird was fighting the ogres because of the chicks."

"I would assume so."

The Thunderbird's enthusiastic hunting and its unusual direct confrontations with the ogre packs were all its effort to protect its chicks.

Completely oblivious of all their mother’s hard work, the chicks were curiously poking the visitors with their beaks, looking at them with round eyes. When Crockta stroked the head of a chick, it immediately spread its wings and wrapped around Crockta's legs, rubbing against him. They were very affectionate creatures.

"They say that Thunderbirds live for a thousand years."

Zankus said, looking at one of the chicks that approached him.

"And Thunderbird eggs take a very long time to hatch. Thunderbirds leave their eggs in a safe and warm place and patiently wait for the chicks to be born over a long time."

Suddenly, Zankus began to laugh.

His hollow laughter made Crockta, Tiyo, and even the chicks look at him.

"I pursued the Thunderbird so I could surpass Shakhan. But in the end, he’s only made me realize just how great a hunter he was."

Zankus pointed in the direction of the nest's entrance. It was a spot they had missed.

As the sun set, sunlight poured into the nest. At the same time, some figures became visible on the rock wall near the entrance. They were carvings. Someone had engraved these petroglyphs.

Though weathered over the years, they were still recognizable. Crockta and Tiyo realized whose work it was.

They were the traces of one unforgettable man.

「I am a descendant of Shakhan, a nameless hunter. For the hunters who may follow me here, I leave this message.

A true hunter never hunts younglings. Thunderbirds live for a thousand years and wait a hundred years for their eggs to hatch.

By reaching here, you have practically succeeded in your hunt for the Thunderbird. So, let us ensure these precious birds do not vanish from history. Let us, hunters, turn back here.」

Shakhan hadn't failed in his hunt for the Thunderbird.

He knew the Thunderbird was protecting its eggs and chose to abandon the hunt without any regrets.

And it wasn't just Shakhan. Below his petroglyph, other traces were visible.

「I am Abudai, a hunter of the Great Plains. Respecting Shakan's wishes, I sheath my bow.」

「Hikate the Dark Elf. May the mother Thunderbird see her efforts come to fruition.」

「I am Arbulah, the greatest hunter of all! Today, I show mercy.」

「This is making me miss my wife and children. Hunter Joffrey, ending the hunt to return home.」

「Wow. There are twelve eggs. Good luck raising your kids, Thunderbird! William the Hunter.」

There was more evidence of the hunters who had reached here and turned back.

It was a rare species, even in the continent, the beautiful dark blue-winged Thunderbirds.

Although other hunters had reached this point, they all stopped their hunt out of respect for Shakhan's wishes to protect the mother and her eggs.

Their engraved messages shone brightly in the sunlight. Shakhan's was eroding away, but the traces of other hunters became clearer down the line.

Some were outstanding hunters whom even Zankus had heard of.

"Though the paths each hunter took to reach here were different, the destination turned out to be the same."

The top hunters, who were all capable of navigating the Great Sea and reaching the Thunderbird's nest, all chose to turn back here with the same intention.

Zankus, Crockta, and Tiyo's eyes met. What they needed to do was clear.

"Hehe, to be honest, I liked that Thunderbird from the start," Tiyo said.

"Didn’t you aim your gun at it?"

"Yeah, as a greeting."

They separated the curious chicks clinging onto them and stepped out of the Thunderbird's nest.

Below, the Thunderbird's cries could be heard.

* * *

Crockta’s group descended the rock face as effortlessly as they had climbed.

The Thunderbird repeatedly soared into the sky to knock off the ogres from the rock face and faced the ogre wizard. It was a desperate fight. Feathers flew and blood streamed in a sorry state.

Crockta drew the God Slayer from his back.

"I feel a bit bad for the ogres, but..."

He gauged the distance and locked onto his target.

"Buuuuurn!"

Without hesitation, Crockta leaped from the rock face.

The God Slayer plunged into an ogre. Its flesh burst apart.

The Ogre Slayer had become the God Slayer. To the God Slayer, even ogres were but light foes.

It was like using a cleaver made for butchering cows on a chicken. The chicken had no choice but to be obliterated into shreds.

Under the blade of the God Slayer, ogres screamed tragically and perished.

The ogre wizard, startled by the sudden appearance of enemies from above, stumbled backward.

Then, a massive arrow flew, skewering the ogres beside the wizard-like kebabs.

The ogres screeched.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

It was Zankus's arrow.

As the ogres hesitated, the beleaguered Thunderbird soared high into the sky.

Surprised by the sudden aid from Crockta's group, the Thunderbird seemed puzzled.

The ogres numbered in the dozens. Yet, Crockta, Zankus, and Tiyo effortlessly defeated them.

The golden afterimage of the blade flashed, massive arrows bombarded them, and magical bullets from Tiyo's General prevented the ogres from approaching any further.

The Thunderbird, too, powerfully descended, attacking the ogres again. It ripped apart the ogres targeting Crockta from behind with its talons. Crockta, in a gesture of thanks, gave a thumbs-up, to which the Thunderbird lightly flapped its wings.

"Gwooooooah!"

"Uuuuuugh!"

"Kuuuuuk!"

As the situation rapidly changed, the ogres yelled something among themselves.

Eventually, the ogre wizard roared.

"Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"

Though its meaning was unclear, it seemed to be a command to retreat. The ogres turned their backs and began to flee.

Crockta sheathed his sword.

The ogres hastily disappeared without glancing back even once.

It was a retreat so swift that it was hard to believe that they were in a fierce battle just moments ago. With the noise of battle gone, silence descended upon the Great Sea.

Only the bodies of dead ogres lay scattered around.

Then, the Thunderbird gently landed.

"Kiiiiiiiiik..."

Up close, the Thunderbird looked even more mystical. It looked at each member of Crockta's group in turn with clear eyes and tilted its head slightly as if it had understood what they were saying.

Zankus approached the Thunderbird. It lowered its head to him. They looked at each other for a while.

Zankus reached out his hand.

The Thunderbird extended its beak. Zankus stroked its beak. Wounds and blood were visible from the ongoing battle. The Thunderbird gently brushed against Zankus’ body with its beak in response.

They confirmed there was no hostility between them and shared a moment of bonding.

The Thunderbird lowered its head further and shook its beak.

Initially, the group didn’t understand what it was trying to say, but soon they realized it was inviting them to mount.

Zankus climbed onto the Thunderbird first, followed by Crockta and Tiyo. Although their positions were unstable, Zankus held onto the Thunderbird's neck, Crockta held Zankus, and Tiyo held Crockta for stability.

"Kiiiiiiiiik!"

The Thunderbird took off.

The ground quickly receded below them.

The Thunderbird soared higher than its nest, circling the vicinity.

Everything in the Great Sea looked like mere toys below.

Monsters fighting, monsters resting, and even the small birds flying below the Thunderbird, all lay beneath their feet.

The afternoon sun was setting.

From one horizon to the other, the endless green landscape of the Great Sea stretched out before them, and Crockta savored the high air wrapping around his body.

At this moment.

He was alive in the world of Elder Lord.

"Burn."

For a while, they simply enjoyed the view in silence. Did the Thunderbird always see this kind of view?

"It's beautiful."

"Truly."

The Thunderbird responded by flapping its wings as if it were agreeing.

Then, the Thunderbird dived down with great speed. They landed back in its nest.

Upon their arrival, the chicks greeted their mother. They clumsily hopped toward her, nudging their bodies against hers. The Thunderbird spread its wings, enveloping all its chicks.

Standing behind, Crockta's group could see the mother Thunderbird's back and wings covered in blood and wounds from the battle.

The chicks had no idea how hard the mother Thunderbird's day had been.

How she procured the feasts they indulged in.

And the corpses given as if they were owed, were lives living their own just until the day before.

Crockta turned his head toward the outside.

The sun was setting. It was the twilight of the Great Sea.

While gazing at that majestic scene, Crockta thought about how vast and immense that world was. And how desperately everyone was struggling to live in it.

Each living their unique life, all different from others.

Tiyo stood beside Crockta.

"Another day passed," Tiyo remarked.

The sunset reached where they stood. The petroglyph at the entrance of the nest glowed with a blush light. The traces of Shakhan, and all the hunters who passed through here, became more vivid.

"There's an empty spot right there."

Zankus suddenly spoke. He then approached the petroglyph and looked back.

"What do you think?"

Crockta and Tiyo grinned and nodded.

Zankus took out an arrow.

The petroglyph of Shakhan, followed by the marks of the other hunters.

He planted the arrowhead at the end.

Zankus moved his hand. Gradually, deep and clear letters began to be engraved.

「In memory of the greatest hunter ever known, Shakhan.」

「Zankus the Hunter.」

And then he stopped his handiwork and turned to pass the arrow to Crockta.

Crockta took it and continued writing.

「Crockta the Warrior.」

And passed it to Tiyo.

「Tiyo THE Man.」

They looked at their completed marks and smiled contentedly.

That was when they heard a sound.

Rustle.

The three men flinched at the sudden noise.

A brown hand was rising at the entrance of the nest.

The hand trembled for a while, and then another hand appeared alongside it. The owner of the hands trembled and then slowly started to pull himself up.

His hands looked precarious, but he eventually made it to the nest.

"Huff... Huff..."

Above him, a sparrow made of bones scarily chirped.

'Screeeeeeech...'

It was Anor.

While they were fighting with the ogres and enjoying the splendid views with the Thunderbirds, he had struggled to make it up to the nest with sheer grit.

"Huff... Huff..."

Anor collapsed. His eyes weren't normal. His body was drenched in sweat. He staggered and then collapsed to the ground.

"Wow, you actually made it up here."

Tiyo snickered and added next to his name.

「Anor the Weakling.」

Suddenly, a baby Thunderbird approached Crockta, pecking at him with its beak, making noises as if asking to play.

Crockta picked up the baby Thunderbird. Then, he looked once more at the marks they left.

「In memory of the greatest hunter, Shakhan.

Zankus the Hunter. Crockta the Warrior. Tiyo THE Man. Anor the Weakling.」

In the vast Great Sea, teeming with dangerous monsters.

At the nest of the thunderbird, located in one of the most perilous areas.

In a special guest book shared among hunters who reached this point, their names were added.