Each Answer #2

 

In front of the west gate of Garden Village.

I came to find the dirt tomb that Maria told me about.

‘Is this it?’

Buried beneath this is the corpse of a recently deceased Nitrobird.

“I’m sorry to disturb your rest. Please lend me a little strength.”

I closed my eyes and stroked the grave.

The pitch-black magic seeps into the tomb, and after a while.

slap—

A half-rotten corpse rose from the mound of dirt.

Thud.

The rotten flesh fell off the bone on its own.

The bones, which had been jumbled together in a mess, began to assemble themselves like parts of a plastic model.

—Gigigeek.

The reanimated skeleton Nitrobird stretched its neck and looked up at the sky.

It looks like a dinosaur model that would be on display at a natural history museum, but the difference is that this guy actually moves.

In other words, it is possible to reproduce the Nitrobird’s fast running ability.

“Please take care of me.”

As I stroked its head, the skeleton nitrobird shuddered as if it was in good spirits.

I climbed on the guy’s back.

Since there is no saddle and the animal is not designed for human riding, the ride is not very comfortable.

‘I didn’t anticipate this problem.’

My butt hurts especially.

The hard bones are poking my small butt here and there, causing discomfort.

‘Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do.’

Now is not the time to complain.

What I expect from this thing is not a comfortable ride, but speed.

“let’s go.”

I kicked the side of the skeleton nitrobird.

The guy stamped his feet a few times and then started running forward.

Ta-da-da-dak.

For a moment, I couldn’t handle the fast speed and almost fell backwards.

The scenery before your eyes changes rapidly and continuously, as if you were riding in a supercar.

Was it this fast?

I managed to lean forward and hold on to the nitro bird.

It is so powerful that you have to summon the power of the holy reliquary to strengthen it enough to barely control it.

It took over six hours to get here, but less than thirty minutes to get back on the Nitrobird.

“senior!”

I saw Flora in the distance. I waved vigorously.

“Operation commence!”

Flora drew a large circle above her head, as if she had heard my scream.

At Flora’s gesture, the skeletal monsters scattered in unison to their respective positions.

After a while.

Dog number 1 came running with a green flag in his mouth.

It’s a sign that Nitrobird has been discovered.

The location is in the north direction.

“Shall we begin?”

I rode the skeleton nitro bird and ran in the direction that Dangdang 1 had come from.

Knock, knock.

Skeleton Nitrobird never gets tired.

The heart and lungs have already rotted away, and the only fuel that keeps this thing running is my magic.

Even rough terrain with large protruding rocks and steep hills are not a problem.

“There it is.”

I climbed the hill and looked down at the plains of the wilderness.

I saw the Nitrobird in the distance.

And not just one, but two.

Judging by the slight difference in size, they might be a male and female couple.

chuck.

As I waved the flag, the skeletal monsters started driving their Nitrobirds towards me.

Of course, the skeleton monsters’ slow speed cannot even keep up with the Nitro Bird’s tail.

The Nitrobirds ran leisurely as if they were taking a stroll, without any sense of danger.

“Run! Catch your friends.”

With my shout, the skeleton nitrobird went down the hill, raising a cloud of dust.

It hasn’t been discovered yet.

Even when I got all the way down the hill.

You’re lucky, you haven’t been caught yet.

Just a little more, just a little more⋯.

And now.

A nitro bird that was running lightly glanced in my direction.

—Kyaaruk.

Nitrobird was startled when he saw me running through the wind.

The guy jumped up from his spot and started running at a speed that was on a whole other level than before.

The real race begins.

‘But you guys, it’s already too late.’

No matter how fast your legs are, your brain can never escape the limits of the current.

The guys allowed me to get too close.

Hwadadak—

Two birds and a dead bird ran side by side against the backdrop of the wilderness.

I took advantage of the moment of my guard down to follow closely, but the distance between us was no longer narrow.

‘As expected, I can’t keep up with the speed of a living bird.’

Skeleton Nitrobird is by far the fastest monster, but it doesn’t have the speed it had in its lifetime.

At least I’m forcing myself to keep up with him so that the distance doesn’t get any wider and I can keep up with him to this extent.

Crunch. Crunch—

I could hear the bones of the skeleton nitrobird breaking here and there as I ran without taking care of my body.

On the other hand, the nitro birds in front of me still looked lively.

—Kyarik!

—Kyarkyar.

The nitrobirds looked back at me and shook their beaks.

It’s almost like he’s laughing.

The guys also felt a sense of crisis for the first time since being released into the wilderness, but now they seem to be at ease.

Looks like I’ve got a rough estimate. I can’t keep up with them.

“Yeah. I already knew I couldn’t keep up.”

I raised my palm toward the nitro birds that were slowly moving away.

“I didn’t even expect to catch up anyway. I just had to get this close.”

The only way to overcome the gap in space that cannot be narrowed.

“Telekinesis”.

An invisible magical power emanated from the palm of his hand.

The magical power spread out in an instant, with a speed that could not be compared to the leaping of Nitrobird.

—Whoa, Whew!?

The running Nitrobird was lifted into the air as if an invisible hand had grabbed its neck.

The other Nitrobirds realized the change belatedly, but his ending was the same.

—Kerruk⋯.

The nitrobirds flapped their wings in vain in the air.

I’m sorry, but this was a fight whose outcome was decided from the start.

At the point where I was already within the range of telekinesis, I could see this result.

Capture complete.

***

When Estelle easily captured two Nitrobirds.

Mitchell and Wagner were still struggling.

Even if there are two people, it is not easy to come up with a clever idea.

However, there was one thing that was clearly different from when I was alone.

That I don’t give up easily anymore.

Even if it was a situation where I would feel discouraged if I were alone, when we were together, I somehow felt motivated.

And, if your heart is not broken, no matter how much you wander, you will eventually reach your destination.

“⋯Gomtang-ah.”

“Why is that?”

“Maybe the premise was wrong from the beginning?”

Mitchell muttered, his eyes weary.

The moment when your mind turns blank after going through all kinds of hardships.

Great ideas often come out of nowhere when you push your brain to its limits like this.

“This test was designed from the beginning to make it impossible to catch Nitrobird.”

“oh?”

Wagner also straightened his back as if he felt something after hearing Mitchell’s words.

“So we should think the other way around. Instead of chasing the Nitrobirds, we should guide them toward us…”

“Yeah, yeah! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

As soon as I saw the road, my tired body felt energized again.

Mitchell and Wagner put their heads together to devise a trap to lure the Nitrobird.

Bird-friendly food, trap design, and installation location⋯.

Although they were clumsy, the two tried their best to find their own answer.

“If I were a kid, I would have made a trap in no time.”

“I’m sure that’s true. I’m not very good at this kind of thing.”

“Me too. But there’s no point in just feeling sorry. If it’s not enough, I’ll just make do with what I have.”

After setting the trap, we entered an indefinite waiting period.

While waiting, Mitchell nodded, then finally leaned against Wagner’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

‘You must be very tired.’

Wagner didn’t wake Mitchell.

Strangely enough, I felt at ease, as I always had.

Wagner gazed intently at Mitchell’s sleeping face.

I didn’t have any feelings for him.

He knew very well that he was more than enough for himself.

If you have high expectations, the pain you get in return will be that much greater.

I was content with just going on adventures together, occasionally lending my shoulder, just like now.

“Ah… What time is it now, Gomtang?”

Mitchell, barely awake, rubbed his eyes, which were covered in boogers.

“Miss, why didn’t you wake me up? I fell asleep without realizing it.”

“No problem. There’s no need for the two of us to watch together. I figured it would be more efficient for one person to watch while the other rests.”

“Is that so? ⋯Well, thanks to you, I slept well. I feel a little better now.”

Mitchell stretched his arms out in front of him like a cat.

A sleek arm with well-developed muscles. Wagner glanced at it.

I’ve always made up my mind not to see Mitchell as a woman, but somehow I keep thinking about it.

“Huh? Bear, look over there!”

“⋯Huh?”

“Hey, hey! Isn’t that a new baby?”

“ah!”

“Hey, where are you looking? Are you sure you’re doing a good job of keeping tabs on me?”

Mitchell rolled his eyes.

Wagner scratched the back of his head sheepishly and watched the trap.

Knock, knock.

The suspicious Nitrobird did not rush to the prey.

It pecked at the dirt with its beak and circled around cautiously.

At the time when Mitchell and Wagner were watching, their hearts were racing.

“Eat.”

Mitchell whispered.

The nitrobird finally started pecking at the food.

“One, two.”

Mitchell swallowed hard, and Wagner quietly pulled on the rope.

—Kyaaruk!

Foodie.

The startled Nitrobird flapped its wings wildly.

But it was too late. The noose, made of woven rope, tightened tightly around my ankle.

“Is this okay?”

While Mitchell was admiring, Wagner quickly got up.

“Let’s hurry. The rope won’t last long.”

It was just as Wagner said.

Nitrobird, which had been flying, jumping, and glowing in place, was now tearing at the rope with its sharp claws.

Kick, kick—

As Nitrobird desperately gnawed, the thick rope began to tear apart.

“You can’t miss it!”

Opportunities don’t come easily.

Nitrobird, having been fooled once, will not be fooled again.

If you miss this time, you may not get a second chance until the exam is over.

Mitchell and Wagner ran towards the Nitrobird without saying a word.