The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 17

Is it a monster-type plant?

 

Hana furrowed her brow and gave the vine a shake.

 

It was then.

 

That the rock she had been groping with her hand until just a moment ago trembled.

 

The lump, which looked like a pile of moist dirt, trembled stealthily before massive wings unfurled with a swoosh.

 

Hana slowly turned her head.

 

And only then did she realize.

 

What she had been leaning against wasn’t something like a rock.

 

It was an avian-type monster.

 

And what Hana held in her hand wasn’t something like a tree vine, but the monster’s crest.

 

Glaring at Hana with immense resentment, the monster lifted a wing and stroked its own crown.

 

Along with a deeply sorrowful cry.

 

“…Kkuhing.”

 

“…”

 

Hana looked back and forth between the monster’s appearance and the vine held in her hand.

 

Then, she sneakily placed the crest she had plucked off onto the top of the monster’s head.

 

However, the already uprooted crest smoothly slid off its head and fell to the ground with a thud.

 

As if quite shocked by that, the monster’s eyes widened and its beak gaped open.

 

“Kkuhihihing!!”

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Amazing, User! After pulling out tomato stem, you’ve now even plucked a monster’s crest!>

 

Pop! A fanfare went off from somewhere in the sky.

 

It was even accompanied by an effect of golden ribbons fluttering in all directions.

 

However, Hana had no time to retort to the system’s teasing.

 

“Kkuhihihing!!!”

 

Because the avian-type monster, with its crest half plucked out, was charging forward while flapping its wings like crazy.

 

Hana stuffed Popcorn into her overall’s front pocket and started running.

 

“What kind of bird runs that fast!” 

 

【SYSTEM】

<Ostriches are birds too, but they run. Ostriches run at an average speed of 70km/h, and their instantaneous maximum speed is 90km/h!>

 

“I’m not curious about that!”

 

However, Hana had to stop running before going very far.

 

Of all things, right in front of her was a cliff.

 

Hana tilted her head back and forth, staring with a pale face at the monster charging madly from behind. 

 

A status window was flashing above the monster’s head. 

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Boss Monster: ‘Shrieking Bird (■-rank)’> 

<Attribute: Fire + Sonic Attack Type> 

<Characteristics: 

-Cries ‘Kkuhing kkuhing’ 

-Extremely serious about its crest—to the point that it spends half the day grooming it!>

 

I see.

 

It spends half the day grooming its crest.

 

“No wonder it was so shiny.”

 

Hana somewhat understood why the Shrieking Bird was so furious.

 

Even so, this wasn’t it.

 

What in the world was all this madness under the moonlight? 

 

To have a giant bird running after her right after Seo Kanghyun.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<It only looks like that, but it’s probably no big deal? Try hitting it once!>

 

“What are you talking about. I said I’m a production class! Not a combat type! Besides, why doesn’t it properly show what rank that bird is?”

 

If she at least knew its rank, she could try doing something about it.

 

Whether it was an error or something, the Shrieking Bird’s rank wasn’t revealed.

 

Yet the system window was utterly nonchalant, just like when she faced the F-grade monster before.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Any true farmer should know how to chase away a bird pecking at their crops!> 

<Unlocking Special Skill ‘Chasing Birds (D-rank)’.>

 

“Chasing Birds?”

 

What kind of skill name is this?

 

It was then.

 

The Shrieking Bird, having approached close by, suddenly stopped, spread both its wings wide, and began to flap them.

 

A hot gust of wind created by that movement surged in explosively, pushing Hana fiercely backwards.

 

She felt a dizzying sensation as if the tips of her toes were floating in the air.

 

One slip and she felt like she would fall off the cliff at any moment.

 

However, before her brain could even think, her body reacted on its own.

 

Her shoulders, hips, and knees naturally adjusted her backward-leaning center of gravity, allowing her to regain her balance right at the edge of the cliff. 

 

“It’s happening again?” 

 

Just like in the simulation room before.

 

Hana felt a profound sense of déjà vu once again.

 

As Hana didn’t fall, the Shrieking Bird jumped up and down in place as if enraged.

 

“Kkuhiing!!”

 

Then, with its unique bizarre cry, it suddenly soared hook into the sky.

 

A massive shadow cast over Hana’s head, as if an airplane were passing by.

 

At that tremendous sight, a mutter tumbled out unconsciously.

 

“Oh… You could fly, huh.”

 

But her exclamation was short-lived; the Shrieking Bird that had soared into the air soon dive-bombed below the cliff.

 

Then, it hid its figure under the clouds.

 

What?

 

As her surroundings suddenly grew quiet, Hana peeked her head out.

 

“…D-Did it go?”

 

As if mustering courage, Hana slightly looked down below the cliff.

 

She could see nothing but fog.

 

At first glance, it seemed so.

 

But as she narrowed her eyes, she saw something like a small dot gradually piercing through the fog and coming up.

 

It was the Shrieking Bird.

 

“…!”

 

Before Hana could even open her eyes properly, drawing a red trajectory, the Shrieking Bird ascended vertically.

 

It was as if a cannonball had been shot from beneath the cliff. 

 

Soon, the Shrieking Bird’s beak shot up as if aiming precisely for Hana’s ankle.

 

Hana reflexively twisted her body and deflected the attack.

 

However, the Shrieking Bird sliced through the air and flew towards Hana like aiming for prey.

 

“Ack! Just dodging this forever isn’t going to solve anything!”

 

Eventually, the tips of her feet that had been moving restlessly slipped due to a momentary mistake.

 

Just as her body instantly leaned forward and she was about to fall off the cliff, the Shrieking Bird, which had begun to descend again, passed right before her eyes.

 

This time, too, her body moved faster than reason. 

 

Plummeting from the cliff, Hana swiftly twisted her direction towards the Shrieking Bird’s body.

 

As she tumbled onto its massive back by a hair’s breadth, at the same time, a new mission window popped up with a ding.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Surprise Mission Occurred!> 

<Mission: Acquire the rice seeds in the Shrieking Bird’s nest!>

<‘Flame-Resistant Rice Seeds🌾 (Rare Grade)’ – Rice seeds that have mutated after being exposed for a long time to the Shrieking Bird’s feathers, body heat, secretions, etc.> 

<Efficacy: 

-Increases fire resistance by 10–20% when consumed

-For someone whose hair was burned off by a Shrieking Bird, it might even bring about the miracle of hair regrowth??> 

<Reward: 2,000pt>

 

“No, give me a warning at least…!”

 

Balancing on the Shrieking Bird’s back so as not to fall, Hana wore a dumbfounded expression.

 

However, as if not allowing even a moment of respite, the Shrieking Bird began moving fiercely to drop Hana.

 

Folding its large, burning wings, the Shrieking Bird went into a straight vertical dive.

 

Hana reflexively grabbed the nearest handle.

 

To be precise, the Shrieking Bird’s crest, which didn’t have much left after being plucked out.

 

Naturally, unable to withstand Hana’s strength, the crest swayed with a crackle sound.

 

“Wait, this can’t be plucked out too!”

 

Hana belatedly tried to move her hand, but with a very crisp pop— sound, the crest was plucked out.

 

Startled, Hana quickly grabbed the abundant feathers of its wing, unlike the crest.

 

At that, the Shrieking Bird froze in its flying posture, then frantically flapped its wings with a scream bordering on a shriek.

 

“Kkuhihihihihing!!”

 

Its massive body pitched violently as if being tangled left and right.

 

Hana, who was being shaken wildly along with it, realized one fact.

 

“Huh? This is more bearable than I thought?”

 

It definitely should be difficult.

 

Riding backwards on the back of a violently thrashing monster was unexpectedly comfortable.

 

Hana slightly relaxed the tension in her hands, which had been gripping the feathers with all her might. 

 

Even so, her posture was still quite stable.

 

Going up and down felt just like riding an amusement park ride, so it was a bit…

 

“Is it actually kinda fun?”

 

Every time the wind rushed past her face, her chest felt wide open.

 

Along with a strange thrill that came even before fear, she felt a momentary sense of comfort.

 

The pitch-black sky of the gate was also weirdly familiar.

 

“…Are all Hunters originally like this?”

 

No way.

 

Answering her own question, Hana tilted her head.

 

“Or did I come into gates often even before losing my memories? But I definitely just registered as a Hunter this time, though?”

 

Hana fixed her gaze on the reward text in the system window.

 

<Upon obtaining 2,500pt EXP, ‘A Fragment of Lost Memories’ will be granted.>

 

“Memory fragment, huh…”

 

Her mind was still like a blank sheet of white paper, so she couldn’t really grasp what a memory fragment was.

 

But judging by her current condition, it seemed she really did need to find her memories. 

 

If only to discover the reason behind this inexplicably familiar yet uncomfortable sensation. 

 

In that moment, the Shrieking Bird moved again.

 

As if properly enraged at Hana, who clung to its back like a parasite and wouldn’t fall off, the Shrieking Bird flipped its entire body over in mid-air and began inverted flight.

 

In her upside-down vision, darkness and clouds crossed paths.

 

The wind poured from top to bottom, and her body ended up hanging in the air in a completely inverted posture.

 

At that, Hana naturally gripped the Shrieking Bird’s feathers with one hand, and carefully wrapped her other arm around Popcorn in her overall pocket so it wouldn’t fall.

 

“Since it’s come to this, I should clear the mission first.”

 

Hana took a deep breath and fixed her gaze forward once again.