“Bugün sen gen?sin, yavrum.”


    (Today you are young, baby.)


    “Hayat ümit, ne?e dolu.”


    (Life is full of hope and joy.)


    “Mutlu günler vaat ediyor.”


    (Life promises you happy days.)


    “Sana y?llar ?mür boyu.”


    (For a lifelong.)


    As the air was fairly humid, it took me some time to start and get the fire going. With how many lightning strikes happening you would think this place would be have constant fires but it seems that the plants were adapted to absorb all the lightning.


    I flipped the meat I was cooking while muttering the songs I remembered. The source was the Gorilla Bull I encountered. It was reasonably strong but it didn’t have any abilities beyond its strength and durability. It couldn’t even regenerate.


    The reason why I was cooking it was simple even though I knew that it drew in more monsters. I blamed G?kb?rü. He ate it so overenthusiastically that I couldn’t help to be curious about how it tasted. It looked like a cow and it was a herbivore so it should be okay, right? Even if its meat was not fit for humans to consume I had resistances to protect me.


    “Stop drooling, I am going to give you the next piece.”


    Even though he ate some of its meat raw, G?kb?rü looked hungrily at my meat with saliva dripping down the ground. I bit into it. Its fat covered my mouth and hands the moment I took a bite out of it. It was pretty tough and required quite a bit of chewing. Its taste was pretty similar to beef but it also had a very heavy smell to it.


    “If we tenderize it and use lots of spice and herbs to suppress the smell it would be pretty good. Still, I can’t understand why you were eating it like it was the most delicious thing in the world.”


    I threw the cooked meat to G?kb?rü who flipped in the air to grab it. Seriously. He doesn’t move like this when we are fighting but when it comes to food he is suddenly the most agile canine in the world.


    “Anyways.”


    I wiped my mouth and hands on my cloak. I couldn’t grab my hammer with slippery hands after all. I am pretty sure Eluton would have tried to get me arrested if he saw me touching the hammer with dirty hands. Just like I predicted the smell drew lots of monsters to us. They didn’t seem to be scared of the fire.


    “Will you help?”


    I put my hand on my hip and asked G?kb?rü. He raised his head from the bone as big as himself for a second before going back to bite it.


    “Seriously, we have to get rid of your laziness.”


    Not that I needed his help. With a single step, I was in front of the first wave of the monsters. The first monster my hammer struck was a blue wolf with a fluffy fox-like tail. Blue sparks flew in the air the moment my hammer hit it and sent it flying in the air. If my weapon conducted electricity, I was half sure that I would been shocked.


    Two more wolves jumped. Pack mates, perhaps? I swung my hammer in a wide arc, catching both wolves in the attack. More sparks illuminated around us as the sounds of bones breaking filled the air. Thunder roared as I got ready to face down more monsters being drawn to the smell of the meat.


    The next monster I faced was a reptile in origin with azure scales. It was at least 16 meters long. It had two hands ending with claws in front of its body but it dragged its lower body, which was like a snake’s. It had spines running along its back that crackled with electricity. I aimed for its head.


    (You are being affected by Petrification.)


    (You resisted the Petrification.)


    (Your Agility decreases by 10.)


    The moment my eyes met with its, my skin felt dry and tight.


    “A basilisk.”


    I hit the side of its head, causing it to snap to that side. It wasn’t enough however as it turned back to me and spat out something. I blocked it by manifesting a shield and summoned two spears to get rid of its eyes.


    The basilisk roared in pain as the spears pierced its eyes, but it retaliated by thrashing its electrified tail. I dodged the sweeping attack, the agility reduction from the basilisk''s gaze making my movements sluggish. The monsters around us were closing in, drawn by the commotion and the scent of cooking meat.


    “Oi, G?kb?rü! Get your flea-ridden ass here!”


    I jumped in the air and slammed into basilisk''s skull with all of my weight. The sound of the strike and the scales flying into the air was satisfying but it still wasn’t enough as it trashed around more. That actually worked in my favor as in frenzy, it hit the other monsters, getting rid of some.


    “But I don’t need a wildcard like you around.”


    Channeling more mana into my hammer, I hit its head again this time succeding in splitting it open. I ignored the notification telling me I collected its soul as I had to block something fast from attacking my eyes. It was just a blur but I was able to see that it came from the sky and it was a group. The same group of blurs went in and out of the clouds. I clicked my tongue. Flying enemies, annoying.


    One of the blurs swooped down and stole the bone G?kb?rü was chewing on. He let out a cute yelp before howling with anger. That’s what you get for being lazy, lol. He sent out ice spears yet, none hit their marks as the flying monsters were too fast to even get a good look at them.


    “I am not playing that shit.”


    Coating my hammer with Armor Collapsing Claw and mana, I slammed it to the ground. Gaia Burst activated, causing large amounts of dirt and rocks to rise up.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.(You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    (You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    (You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    (You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    “If they are faster than you, predict their movements. If they are overwhelmingly faster then blast the entire area.”


    I said to G?kb?rü who climbed to my shoulder while sulking. The dust and debris settled as the Thunderwing Raptors fell to the ground, their once-speedy movements slowed to nothing. The other flying creatures circled in the sky, their previously confident and elusive maneuvers replaced with uncertainty. G?kb?rü, now perched on my shoulder, gave a satisfied growl. I patted his head and turned my attention to the remaining aerial threats. They hesitated, perhaps reevaluating the situation, giving me a moment to strategize.


    “If the enemy can fly, it is better to seek shelter. Eliminate the directions they can strike.”


    Not that we had much to shelter us here. Most of the second floor was plain. A few trees existed but they drew in lightning like crazy. We had to create our own shelter. Ice walls rose all around us with G?kb?rü’s howl. The remaining Thunderwing Raptors circled in the air, searching for an opening to strike. The moment they found one, they dived towards us.


    (You are fighting together with your partner. Your stats increases slightly.)


    “Predictable.”


    The opening they came from was left open by us a bait to gather them in a single direction. I swung my hammer, releasing a massive mana wave that hit them before they could reach us.


    (You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    (You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    (You collected Soul of Thunderwing Raptor.)


    Looks like they sacrificed their intelligence and durability for overwhelming speed. That may worked for them against other brainless monsters but it made them an easy hunt for me.


    “Bark!”


    I patted G?kb?rü’s head.


    “Yes, you did most of the job.”


    Except you came after your bone was stolen. Lazy fleabag. I clicked my tongue as I looked at the monsters surrounding us. The chaos we created both drew in and out monsters. The weaker ones escaped when they saw the strength difference but the stronger ones just got more interested in killing and eating me.


    “This is slightly worrying.”


    A monster with the body of a bear and the head of an owl charged toward me. Its speed was impressive as I found myself face to face with a claw bigger than my torso.


    (Wurmblood Resonance is activated. Your defense increases by 10 for 5 minutes. Your resistance towards any kind of toxin or poison increases by 10 percent for 5 minutes.)


    It was too late to dodge. I blocked its claw swipe with my hammer. Despite that, I was pushed back around 10 meters. Hairs on the back of my neck rose. This thing was stronger than the first monster I killed on this floor despite being smaller. A dull pain spread along my arms as I tracked down the beast running in the tall grass towards me. This time I was ready to dodge. I sidestepped its claw and swung my hammer to its jaw. The hit not only had my own strength but the creature’s weight against it. Its head spun backward with the impact.


    G?kb?rü barked and created an ice barrier as the creature swiped its claws again.


    “What the fuck?”


    I rolled on the ground as its claws tore the ice shield into a thousand pieces, causing it to rain down on us.


    “Its neck is owl-like in function too? I thought it was just aesthetic!”


    Its neck snapped back to face us. The owl-bear hybrid creature adjusted its posture, readying itself for another attack. My mind raced to come up with a strategy, finding a simple one. If I couldn’t break its neck I would break its skull.


    As the creature lunged at us again, I evaded its initial swipe and aimed for its neck, attempting to exploit what I now understood to be its vulnerable point. The creature, however, demonstrated surprising agility, twisting its body mid-attack to avoid the brunt of my strike.


    “What the shit.”


    It was like seeing a bodybuilder doing tricks. The creature flapped its wings. For a second I was scared that it would take into the sky with its small wings. Thankfully, for the sake of my sanity, it only released a strong gust of wind. I dug my feet into the ground and lowered my stance to not lose my balance. The battle escalated as the creature''s attacks became more relentless. It alternated between swift claw swipes and the disorienting gusts of wind. Despite my efforts to counter its movements, the owl-bear hybrid proved to be a formidable adversary. Its soft fur, thick fat, and strong muscles absorbed most of the damage I dished out.


    G?kb?rü, sensing my frustration, let out a series of barks, his way of signaling readiness for a coordinated attack. I nodded in agreement, recognizing the need for a change in strategy. The moment the creature created another gust of wind G?kb?rü created a tall and wide ice wall, causing it to disperse harmlessly around us. I jumped over the ice wall, manifesting swords and infusing them with mana. The creature moved away to dodge them but it moved to an ice spike G?kb?rü manifested. It jumped to the side only to meet with my hammer.


    “Ragh!”


    My hammer exploded on its head. The creature stumbled, disoriented by the combined assault. Taking advantage of the opening, G?kb?rü unleashed a barrage of ice spikes, targeting the creature''s wings and hind legs. Each icy projectile found its mark, restricting the creature''s movement.


    Seizing the opportunity, I channeled mana into my hammer once more. This time a satisfying crunch filled my ears as my impact connected to its temple.


    (You collected Soul of Owl-Bear Sentinel.)


    (Duration: 1 minute 12 seconds.)


    It took over 3 minutes to kill it. I took a deep breath. We had no time to rest as other challengers took the fallen’s place with their fangs shining every time a lightning strike struck.


    “Come on.”


    I signed them to come closer with a smile.