Giant Bird, Incursion.

“A flock of giant birds?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

On the way back, Hans summarized the situation like this:

After parting with us, he had been observing the bow-making process in one of the settlement’s huts when the outside suddenly became noisy. Wondering what was happening, he stepped out to find the goblin sentries on the watchtower shouting at the top of their lungs. Goblins armed with bows were swarming onto the scaffolding inside the fence, and the atmosphere was anything but ordinary.

Hans had quickly scrambled up the ladder of the watchtower, and what he saw was a group of massive birds kicking up a cloud of dust as they charged toward the settlement.

“At first I thought they were horses or something similar, but they had two legs and what looked like short wings… also, massive beaks.”

“I see. Those are Assault Birds.”

Recalling the Great Bone of a Terror Bird the Goblin King had carried, I instantly identified the monster. These Assault Birds are the “flightless” type, but they possess humongous beaks and vicious taloned feet. They are troublesome foes that do nothing but charge relentlessly once they spot prey.

In the game, they belong to the “Large-Scale” category, boasting strength that stands out even among monsters of the same level range.

“If that’s the case, this is quite dangerous.”

“Yes, it appeared the Goblins were at a significant disadvantage.”

According to Hans, the monsters were crashing into the fence one after another with a thunderous din. The Goblins were fighting back desperately with bows, but Hans judged it was only a matter of time before the village was overrun, so he hurried to inform us.

“Thank you. If we had returned to the fifth floor without knowing, we would have been ambushed ourselves.”

“Also, if possible, I was wondering if we could help the Goblins…”

As Hans looked at me, his eyes wavered with worry. This man… no matter if they are monsters, if someone is in trouble, he reaches out. He truly is a good person.

But the opponent is a large flock of vicious Assault Birds. I don’t think they’re opponents we can’t beat, but when pushed by numbers, you never know what might happen. Besides, I had a feeling that that thing appeared around this floor…

Sensing my hesitation to give an immediate answer, Hans added a practical, merchant-like condition.

“I have seen the Goblins’ craftsmanship, and frankly, I was astonished. I don’t believe one often encounters such skilled artisans. I know it is presumptuous, but I believe they would surely be of use for what you are planning, Sir Nino.”

It’s true—if I’m to proceed with building a base within the labyrinth, I can never have enough skilled craftsmen. Hans seemed to see right through to my ultimate goal.

Hmm.

Honestly, I didn’t have the heart to abandon the Goblins either. Besides, Assault Birds yield excellent materials, and they’re “delicious” in terms of experience points. Yoru and Kuu were getting close to hitting a major milestone, too.

“Understood. What do you all want to do?”

“As your heart desires, my Lord.”

“Eh, Gob-tchi’s village is in a pinch, right? We have to go, fast!”

“To battle—!”

“Koo!”

Aside from Paula, it seemed no one entertained any other option.

“Alright. But if things get truly desperate, we retreat to the sixth floor. Absolutely no overdoing it.”

“Understood. Leave it to me, my Lord.”

“Okay—!”

“Roger that—!”

“Koo!”

“Thank you, Sir Nino.”

Everyone seemed to take my warning to heart. Thus, when we returned to the fifth floor, the situation was indeed as dire as reported. They hadn’t breached the village yet, but the sounds of Goblins shouting in panic echoed from all sides.

“I’ll head up the watchtower to survey the situation. Everyone else, go near the fence.”

Accompanied by Yo the Fairy acting as a messenger, I jumped onto a ladder and began to climb. It was built for small Goblins, so the rungs were narrow and precarious, but there was no time to complain.

From the top, it looked like the Goblins were putting up a decent fight. However, the matchup was poor. Seeing an Assault Bird in reality, its face looked even more ferocious than I had imagined.

They stood easily over two meters tall. Half of their face was occupied by a yellow beak, the tip of which was pointed like a pickaxe. They had thick, long necks and sturdy bodies covered in red feathers, supported by two thick legs with sharp talons. Also, their eyes were terrifying—small, but with an incredibly sharp glare.

The flock numbered roughly thirty to forty. About ten at a time were rotating, charging into the fence with echoing booms. The Goblins were desperately loosing arrows, but having a few stuck in them seemed to do almost no damage. Only a few Assault Birds lay dead on the ground. Large-scale types have massive HP pools.

Conversely, the fence was taking significant damage; I could see large cracks in several places. But there, an unexpected monster was proving its worth: Imo-tchi. It was scurrying around desperately blowing sticky silk to patch up the fence. It had clearly bought time for Hans to escape.

“Alright! Paula, Mia, Hans-san—provide support from atop the fence! Paula, use to halt their movement!”

“Yes, leave it to me, my Lord.”

“Hans-san, Mia—fire at will!”

“Understood.”

“Got it!”

The Goblins were trying, but their attacks were too scattered to be effective.

“Gob-tchi! You take command and focus their arrows on one bird at a time!”

“Kee-hee-hee!”

Now for our main force. This was the perfect chance, while the birds’ attention was fixed on the fence.

“Yoru, Kuu! Go out there and cut loose!”

“Roger that—!”

“Koo!”

Finally, there was me. I suppose I’ll be strictly support here. I instantly transmuted some Mana-Vitality Potions and handed them to Yo, pointing at Imo-tchi who was busy repairing the wall.

“I don’t know if it can drink, so if not, just splash it on. Then, go cheer up the Gobs!”

“Ee-hee-hee!”

Emitting a high-pitched giggle, Yo snatched the vials from my hand and flew toward the Great Caterpillar. After turning a vial upside down and drenching Imo-tchi, she soared up to the top of the fence. Dusted with glittering scales, the Goblins began to break into laughter.

“Ge-he-he-he!”

Nearly forty bows were aimed simultaneously at the single bird Gob-tchi pointed to.

“Ge-hyee!”

Unable to withstand the concentrated volley, the Assault Bird—now looking like a pincushion—rapidly lost speed and keeled over. The Goblins cheered and laughed at the sight.

Then another one. An Assault Bird with Hans’s arrow stuck in its eye let out a shrill cry. With the power boosted by , even a shortbow could punch through. Next to that, another bird turned into a living torch by Mia thrashed around on the ground. Terror-bird types are formidable foes specialized in HP, Physical Attack, and Speed, but conversely, their Magic Defense is ridiculously low. That was the reason why they (and Giant Octopuses) weren’t used as regulars in Dra-Chro 2.

With several birds falling in an instant, the flock’s formation began to crumble. That was when our Yoru, Kuu, and the slimes dove in.

The Blue Slimes bounced across the ground, moving at high speeds. The two riders, perched gallantly on top, jumped onto the birds’ backs as they got close.

“Prepare yourself—!”

“Koo!”

Skillful. Terror-bird types only have short wings, so they can’t easily shake someone off that position. The two spread their arms and, as if perfectly synchronized, ripped out the feathers from the monsters’ backs. The Assault Birds opened their soulless eyes and shrieked, but they were helpless against the blind spot on their backs.

Another Assault Bird came rushing through the wind toward them—or so it seemed, until it suddenly charged in and slammed its beak like a hammer into the temple of its struggling kin. The monster, receiving a blow that could crush a thick skull, collapsed to the ground without a sound. It seemed Paula had managed to one before I knew it.

I told her not to overdo it…

With Yoru and Kuu’s heroics, the Assault Bird flock fell further into chaos. The strategy of defeating them individually was working, and the number of birds lying on the ground gradually increased.

That said, there were still many of them. I worked frantically to transmute medicine, having Yo deliver it everywhere to guide the battle toward victory.

Thirty minutes later.

Just as we had mostly cleaned up, one of the Goblins let out a loud shriek. The other Goblins immediately realized the reason and began to let out cries of anguish one after another.

Shifting my gaze, I almost cried out myself. Far across the battlefield, I saw a massive cloud of dust. In the center, I could see the familiar silhouette of an Assault Bird.

However, what was approaching was not a flock. It was just one.

But I understood in a single glance that it was no ordinary Assault Bird. It was so… massive… that it seemed like an optical illusion.

As the new threat closed the distance, I found myself whispering the name without thinking.

“…I knew you’d be here. ‘Gluttonous Dreadbeak’.”