“Shit!” Paul cursed before sprinting towards Lena’s position. He used his Victa to raise his movement speed as high as possible.

The sight prompted Irene and Oliver to follow. They only took one step before Cain spoke.

“Leave the eggs to me! Put it on the ground then go!”

The pair did so before hastening to Lena’s direction.

Cain realized this was a time for quick action so he didn't dawdle. He put the eggs under a tree and cast Water Barrier Arte before following them. Irene and Oliver only had a head start of six seconds.

This is supposed to be a simple egg poaching quest! SIMPLE!

When he arrived at the scene, he saw Lena frozen like a statue. Her posture indicated she was in the process of running away but abruptly stopped. The Giant Chicken was hot on her heels and almost upon her.

“Away with you!”

Paul roared and tackled the three meters long white-feathered hen with his shield, staggering it and saving Lena from being stomped.

“Bwaaakkk!” The chicken roared aggressively to Paul.

“Come on!” Paul taunted, hitting his shield to make some noise. He wanted the monster to focus on him.

“Wind Arrow!”

“Wind Slash!”

From her bow, Irene shot an arrow glowing with green light while Oliver slashed the chicken’s side using his sword. The arrow hit its neck but failed to do significant damage.

“Gurururu,” the chicken was annoyed and swatted Oliver away with its wing. Oliver jumped back just in time to avoid it.

“You two, don't be reckless. Rock Armor!”

Utilizing the time window Irene and Oliver bought for him, Paul cast his defensive Arte. His skin was covered with rock and his defense raised a notch.

“My arrow, it didn't even pierce it.” Irene was shaken.

“Yeah, the response from my sword is strange as well. Its skin is very tough.” Oliver grimaced.

So this is a monster… A true monster, both of them thought. Oliver gripped his sword a little tighter and Irene felt cold sweat forming on her forehead. They were steeling themselves for the fight ahead.

“KKAAAKK!!”

The Giant Chicken extended its wings, making it seem far bigger than it actually was and roared. The cry traveled far in all directions throughout the dark woods.

“Earth Strike!”

Paul attacked using the axe in his right hand. The other two followed his lead and resumed attacking. Paul’s strike would have destroyed a sturdy rock boulder but when the monster got hit on the side of its face, the chicken only turned its head slightly as if it was only a slap.

Meanwhile, Cain was running towards the unmoving Lena. After seeing that Paul could put up a fight against the chicken, or at least stall it for a time, Cain made the recovery of Lena his first priority.

When he arrived at her side, he immediately examined what was wrong with her.

What is this? Her muscles are hard as stone. She can’t move, even her eyes are frozen. Paralyze? Don't tell me this is…!?

His mind flashed like a computer. He cross-referenced the symptoms with the thousands of fantasy monsters he encountered when playing video games in the past. One particular monster archetype came to mind.

“It's a Cockatrice! Watch out for its petrifying gaze!” Cain shouted.

Paul was busy holding the oversized chicken’s attacks, Cain was unsure if he heard him or not. He’d just repelled a beak peck with his shield. Ordinary bird’s peck didn't matter much but a peck from a monster chicken possessing the weight of more than one ton was a different case. The fact that Paul only stepped back a few steps was the proof of his strength.

Cain was in a dilemma; he had no method to cure Lena’s status.

I have Aqua Heal but that’s for HP, not status effects. Damn it, this is an oversight on my part… Wait! She’s only paralyzed, not turned to stone. She might recover in time!

To prevent Lena from getting caught in the battle, Cain attempted to move her but he found out he couldn't. Some sort of magic prevented Lena’s body from being moved.

Is this also the Cockatrice’s doing? Damn it!

“Lena, Lena! Can you hear me? Listen, you’ve been paralyzed. Use your Victa to shorten the effect. We’ll hold the monster off!”

After giving the message, Cain joined the battle. He didn't know if Lena received his advice or not but what else could he do?

Paul, Oliver, and Irene kept attacking the monstrous chicken. Sometimes they used Arte, sometimes not. Truth was, other than Paul’s Arte, no other seemed to have fazed the monster. Because it was a Rank 1 monster, Oliver and Irene’s Arte didn't have enough power to pierce its body's natural defenses.

“BWAAKAKK!”

Annoyed by the flies buzzing around it, the monster changed its aggro to Oliver on its left. Like a gigantic charging bull, the monster was barreling down on Oliver, leaving deep tracks in the snow with every step.

Caught off guard, Oliver fell into a dangerous situation. The terrifying sight of the charging monster made his muscles tense up.

“Oliver!” Paul tried to intervene but his position was bad, he wouldn't make it in time.

It was Cain who prevented Oliver’s death. With a water membrane covering his body, he tackled Oliver out of the way. Oliver was thrown out of the line of fire but the charging Cockatrice hit Cain instead.

“Grrhhhgg!!” Cain grunted. Even though he already protected himself with Water Barrier Arte, a significant force still hit his body. Cain was tossed to a tree and slumped down, seemingly unconscious.

“Cain!”

“Cain, no!”

Oliver and Irene raised their voices in worry but the monster was already readying its next attack, its eyes were glowing with purple light.

Thanks to Cain’s warning, Paul was prepared. He raised his shield to cover his body as much as possible before the gaze hit.

“Kwakkk!”

Paul felt a magical wave wash over him. After it had abated, he pulled down his shield and found the Cockatrice momentarily still after using its gaze. Paul wanted to attack during the opening but found his legs were paralyzed. Not to the point of being unable to move completely but it became heavy as if the nerves were slowed down to the level of a caterpillar.

He wasn't able to completely block the gaze with his shield. Paul cursed, although he reckoned the effect would have been far worse if he was exposed to the monster’s direct gaze.

“You two, run!” The worst-case scenario was in Paul’s mind right now. “Take Lena and Cain then run!”

“Kkkaaak!”

But the monster was still aggressively attacking. It jumped towards Oliver and Irene's position. At the moment, they weren't far from each other, which was why the shockwave from the monster’s landing hit them both. Flinging them apart from each other.

“Aaahh!”

“Kyaah!”

The blow made Oliver crash with a tree, dislocating his left shoulder. While Irene was hurled towards a pile of snow, somewhat cushioning her fall.

The monster placed its head downward, almost kissing the ground, then it charged towards the unmoving Paul. When it got close, it threw its head upwards, giving Paul an upward headbutt. As fate would have it, the man landed just in front of Lena.

He hit something hard as he landed, possibly a small rock. His forehead was bleeding, blood was spreading out to his face.

“Paul.” Amidst his spinning eyes, Paul heard Lena’s gentle voice.

Her paralysis had not dispersed completely but she could speak and slowly moved her body now. She walked and stood in front of Paul.

“Lead the three out, I’ll suicide attack the monster and buy you guys some time,” Lena said resolutely.

The chicken was roaring but Paul could hear her voice clearly. He didn't answer, he simply grunted while rising up and standing next to Lena.

“I will never leave you,” his tone was as steady as a mountain.

Paul’s voice was like a gentle wind on her heart.

“...You really are, too good for me, eheheh.” Lena genuinely smiled.

The pair stood side by side. Their body glowed because of the intensity of their Victa. One was yellow and the other was red. They planned to put their all in a suicide attack and hoped it would be enough to bring the Cockatrice down.

Irene was peppering the monster with arrows from the side but it paid her no mind. Its attention was on the pair that emitted intense energy. Intent on answering the challenge, the monster charged at them head-on.

Time seemed to slow down.

“RAAAHH!”

“YAAAHHH!!”

They roared, putting their heart and soul into their final attack.

But during the monster’s charge, a figure appeared. With a mighty blue slash of his sword, he made a big gash on its neck. Because of that, the huge chicken veered off to the side. It crashed with a particularly big tree, felling it down. Disoriented, the chicken also collapsed.

“This isn't over yet.”

Cain stood in front of the pair, radiating an aura of blue Victa no less powerful than them. His visage was the very picture of the Big Damn Hero moment.

“Cain!”

“Level 1!”

Paul and Lena were consumed with emotion. To them, a light had appeared in a dark abyss.

“Cain, is that really you?” Oliver approached slowly, one hand holding his injured shoulder.

“You’re… Level 1!” Irene was still shocked by the revelation.

“We will talk later, here’s the plan. Lena will hold the Cockatrice for a moment, just keep it busy. How’s your paralysis?” Cain asked.

“Almost gone, I can do it! I won’t get hit by its gaze again.”

“Good. Paul, you will restrict its movement, can you make a bog?”

“I can.”

“Perfect, make it. When it's ready, Lena will lead the monster to the bog.”

Paul replied by nodding strongly. Cain turned and faced Oliver and Irene.

“While the monster is restricted, you two will take out its eyes. Fan out to its left and right then wait for my signal.”

“Okay.”

“Roger.”

Riding the momentum of the situation, Cain took charge of the group. Because Cain was radiating utter confidence, they found it hard to gainsay him.

“Gwururu...”

The Cockatrice had recovered, it menacingly approached the five. The greeting it received, was a fireball to the face, again.

“Over here, you overgrown poultry. Your opponent is me!” Lena said.

“BWAAAKK!”

Lena was piling up the earlier grudge and it worked. Using her speed, she dodged and evaded the monster’s attacks at a reasonable distance from Paul who was setting up the trap. Irene and Oliver stood ready at the left and right wings, waiting vigilantly for their turn. As for Cain, he moved forward to support Lena.

Lena danced like a butterfly, not letting a single attack hit her body. Her equipment was light and emphasized speed. Her weapons were a pair of short swords. Unlike Paul’s style that was built to take a beating, she chose the agile approach. In gamer’s language, she was dodge-tanking.

Looks like she didn't need my help, Cain thought.

Convinced Lena got it handled, Cain focused on another thing. He created a sphere of water above his palm, seemingly readying for something. He maintained a somewhat close distance with Lena in case she needed assistance but other than that, he was passive. Cain did not launch a single attack to the chicken.

The flow of battle had changed. The biggest reason for this was Lena; she was no longer a sitting duck. Thanks to Cain, the group had time to strategize and move in unity. Based on its power, the Cockatrice was a Rank 1 monster. By combining their strength, three Level 1 and two Level 0 could definitely defeat it.

“Done! Lena, over here!” Paul shouted.

The bog transmutation was done, Lena ran in Paul’s direction and the enraged monster followed. She stopped just before stepping into the bog, waiting for the monster to be close enough… then jumped to the side with higher speed than before.

“Arte — Flickering Fire Haze!”

Lena successfully moved out of the way but it was too late for the minibus-sized monster. The bog Paul made was big enough to swallow half of its body. Its movement temporarily halted.

The monster raged, wanting to break free from the bog.

“Now!” Cain shouted to the two wings.

“Hit!” Irene yelled as she shot an arrow.

“Wind Slash!” Oliver jumped towards the monster’s eye.

The arrow hit first, it stabbed the right eye. The monster immediately shrieked and its reflex action made it move its head. Oliver wasn't as fast as an arrow loosened so he was a bit late, his attack missed the eye.

“KWAAAAKAKK!”

“Shittt!” Oliver cursed.

“Oliver, NO!” Lena was aghast.

Infuriated, the Cockatrice remaining eye glowed with sinister purple light. It was the petrifying gaze. Oliver was in no position to dodge.

“Water Mirror!”

But Cain was ready to counter it. The sphere on Cain’s hand transformed into a clear, flat mirror and appeared in front of the Cockatrice’s face.

Wide eyed, the monster got hit by its own gaze and its body became rigid.

“Now’s our chance! All-Out Attack!” Cain urged with fervor.

Cain could see a cut-in for all of them, including his own as they unleashed their most powerful Artes. The four saw an opening and held nothing back, fully intent on slaying the monster right here and now.

“Windforce Arrow!”

“Gust Wheel!”

“Mountain Rampage!”

“Flare Cross Edge!”

Cain’s attack hit the monster after the other four. His sword was glistening sharp with water elemental empowerment and he thrust it to the chicken’s chest. After the stab, he jumped upwards, creating a rising slash wound. In the air above the Cockatrice, he corrected his posture and swung his sword downward for a second attack as gravity did its job, completely severing its neck!

“Spirit Helm Breaker!” Cain rarely shouted the name of his techniques but the flow of the events compelled him to do so this time. He could not resist the occasion.

In his mind, he could see his own visage with a cool look, straightening his red glove, as the tagline ‘THE SHOW’S OVER’ was plastered on the Finishing Touch screen. Cain was feeling mighty pleased about himself, a certain silent protagonist would be proud.

The headless body of the Cockatrice twitched before it collapsed to the side. The five witnessed this without a sound, only heaving their breath because of the intense moment.

“...We won, WE WON!” Oliver exploded with jubilation.

“Huff… huff… so it seems,” Paul wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead.

“Haaahh… It's over… so glad,” even Irene showed a rare smile.

“Hah… hah… Cain, it's all thanks to you. Thank you for saving my life,” Lena conveyed her gratitude.

“Pheew… it's fine,” Cain sat down. Even though the ground was still a bit wet because of the bog Paul created, he didn't mind. “More importantly, what do you think? Is the money we can get from this Cockatrice enough to fill your village’s debt?”

Hearing that Lena and Oliver perked up. She fell into thinking for a while then her face bloomed with a smile.

“Yeah… Yes! Even if we cut it five ways, the money is more than enough!”

“I’m happy for you,” Paul put a hand on her shoulder, which Lena replied with a tight hug.

Paul wasn't expecting that and his face was turned to stone. But he gathered his courage and hugged her back.

“Thank you! Thank you to all of you! Uwaaaahh… I was so scared!” Tears of happiness rained down from Lena’s eyes. The younger ones of the group watched the hugging pair with warm eyes.

“Awright… let’s go home,” Cain suggested while smiling.

“Ladies and gentlemen, apologies but that Cockatrice belongs to us.”

Wollter and his henchmen crept out from the darkness.