"Hey, what's up, bird? Want to fight?" Wei taunted.
The bird, upon hearing Wei's challenge, instantly became furious. It stretched its wings, and its neck feathers stood up like a rooster ready to fight. Wei noticed a screen appear above the bird's head.
****************************
Defeat the fighting wild bird
and become its master.
****************************
Wei felt excited and assumed a fighting stance. "C'mon, you fluffy bird, I'll beat the chicken out of you." Wei smiled arrogantly. The bird immediately charged toward Wei, leaping to kick him. But without hesitation, Wei kicked the bird first, hitting its foot. The bird was pushed back into the air and crashed to the ground, headfirst.
Dizzy, the bird struggled to stand, but it seemed its foot had been badly hurt.
"Ow geez, I think I hurt the bird too much."
Wei walked toward the bird. He no longer had any healing potions, but he had a skill called Holy Water. A blue pearl emerged from Wei's palm. He placed his hand on top of the bird's head and closed his hand, crushing the pearl. Water began to pour from his closed hand, gradually healing the bird. After half a minute, the bird had completely recovered. It became very happy and friendly, pushing its head against Wei and rubbing its body against him. Wei chuckled. "Look at this fluffy bird. Earlier it was trying to kick me, but now it's so friendly, like it's my own pet."
A screen appeared in front of Wei.
*************************************
You gained the wild bird's trust!
You can now have the wild bird as your
companion in searching for magnificent
treasures in the world of Birigan!
Accept the wild bird?
Yes /No
*************************************
Wei tapped on yes button.
*************************************
HAVE FUN FLYING WITH THE
WILD BIRD!
*************************************
"What? This bird can fly? Sounds funny, but it'll be fun to try!" Anyone who saw the wild bird wouldn't think it was capable of flying because its body resembled an ostrich, but Wei didn't hesitate to climb onto its back. The wild bird began scratching the ground before running across the grassland like a marathon racer.
"Wooohuuu!" Wei shouted happily, enjoying the ride as the wind blew on his face. After a few seconds, once the wild bird had gained enough speed, it spread its wings and started flapping. Immediately, the wild bird took off from the ground.
"Yeah! So this bird can really fly!"
The wild bird flew, but not like other birds. Its flight was more like that of a pigeon, staying relatively low in the sky. Wei enjoyed the view of the grassland while sitting on the bird's back. He had the biggest smile on his face, a smile he hadn't had when he was still in the human world. In Wei's eyes, the sun hovered at the edge of the land, and the vast grassland seemed to stretch endlessly. Trees stood like those in the savanna, and the grasses were green and lively. While flying, Wei spotted some human-like rabbits, dressed like bandits, standing under a tree, waiting for prey. Wei considered jumping off the wild bird and fighting the rabbits, but just as he thought about it, a notification screen appeared in front of him. He tapped on the screen.
****************************
GRASSLAND RABBIT THIEVES
LEVEL: 5
****************************
"Naaah, they're too weak for me. Better to look for stronger monsters. A level 10 monster should be enough to give me decent gold and experience. Hey, bird, can you take me somewhere where I can fight stronger monsters? I really need to earn gold points, you know.
"The wild bird replied by making a high-pitched whistling sound. Wei felt amazed upon hearing it. "Hahaha! Great! I think he understands me!"
The wild bird flew faster, now fully understanding Wei's command. It also changed direction and flew toward the eastern part of the grassland. The wild bird flew for about five minutes until Wei noticed a ruined castle not far away. The ruined castle stood on a grassy hill. As they got closer, the wild bird landed near the castle's walls.
Wei dismounted from the wild bird, walked toward the castle's gate, and stood near it.
A screen appeared.
***********************************************************************************************
This castle used to be owned by a great king named Isa, who ruled over Iriga City a very long time ago. After King Isa's death, the castle was said to have been cursed by an unknown sorcerer, turning it into a pit of fiendish creatures. King Isa's treasure is still hidden within the castle. If you can defeat all the fiends inside, you could claim all the ancient treasures hidden in this haunted place.
***********************************************************************************************
"Sounds fun to me. The treasure in this castle might be more than enough to buy me a teleportation scroll back to the human world. I'm sure I can get it."
Wei confidently walked through the open gate, gazing at the dark castle standing tall not far from him. He wondered how strong the fiends living inside the haunted place were. He was itching to use his special skills that he had developed back in the human world when he was training with his water clones and other creatures he had created. He had no doubts about his abilities and felt very certain of himself.
Wei stood in front of the castle's main entrance, where a huge metallic black door loomed before him. He pushed the door open, and as it creaked, he heard violent noises from inside. Wei stepped inside and saw three elves fighting a huge wolf in the great hall. The door automatically slammed shut behind him. Wei tried to open it, but it seemed to be locked.
"Alright, so this is like a caged match," Wei smirked.
A screen appears in front of Wei.
****************************
Kill all the fiends in the great hall
and you will be allowed to exit
this castle.
****************************
"Does that include these three elves fighting the wolf?"
Wei sat on the floor, remembering how the last time he spoke with a warrior elf, he was attacked.
"I think I just need to wait here until they're finished fighting. It would be best to fight them once their mana is drained, or at least when their skills are cooling down."
Wei had a feeling he knew what would happen. He anticipated that these elves would attack him just like the other warrior elf did back in the Valley. He could already sense how the three elves would react when they finally noticed him. They hadn't seen him yet, but he was sure that once they did, it would lead to another showdown.
It was a little dim near the castle's door where Wei was sitting, making it nearly impossible for the elves to notice him. Besides, they were busy fighting a wolf that was three times its normal size. The wolf had large paws and razor-sharp claws, capable of cutting down anyone in its path. Its fangs were like those of a sabretooth tiger, and its dark fur, along with its fiendish eyes, made its face terrifying.
Wei watched carefully, observing the elves' abilities to determine if they were high-level warriors. The scene inside the great hall grew more intense as the three elves fought the giant wolf.
One of the elves wielded a bow, another wielded two short scythes, and the last carried a single sword. The two elves with blades slashed at the wolf, but it appeared that their attacks had no effect. The monstrous wolf continued charging toward the archer, seemingly unaffected by the strikes. In a blur of motion, the wolf leaped and slashed at the archer, its massive claws striking the elf's head. The blow sent the archer crashing to the ground, but before the wolf could follow up, the archer suddenly turned into dust.
The dust cloud drifted away from the wolf's reach, then slowly began to materialize into the elf again, unharmed. Realizing he had missed, the wolf let out a low growl and turned toward the two elves who had attacked it earlier. It slowly stalked toward them, its hungry eyes fixed on its prey.
Meanwhile, the archer elf, now standing at a distance, drew his bow. His drawstring was made of glowing energy, and with a swift motion, he summoned a lightning arrow. As his fingers touched the string, a crackling bolt of energy materialized in front of him. He pulled the string back and released it. The lightning arrow shot forward, striking the wolf directly. A deafening crack echoed across the hall as the bolt burned through the wolf's fur and stunned it, leaving the beast temporarily paralyzed.
Without wasting a second, the two elves with blades moved in unison, leaping high into the air, their swords aimed down toward the wolf. The archer, seeing his teammates poised for the attack, quickly adjusted his aim. He pulled the string of his bow again, this time shooting two lightning arrows in rapid succession. These arrows struck the airborne elves, empowering them with electric energy. Their bodies crackled with lightning, and they flew toward the wolf at lightning speed.
With their enhanced power, the two elves moved like bolts of electricity, slashing and cutting the wolf relentlessly. They darted around it, striking at its hide from all angles, their swords flashing like bright streaks in the dim light of the great hall. The wolf howled in pain as its flesh was torn open by the continuous onslaught of lightning-infused strikes.
Wei watched, fascinated by their coordinated attack and the sheer speed of the elves as they battled the beast. The wolf seemed to be struggling to keep up with their movements, its claws swiping at the air in a futile attempt to catch them.
As the battle raged on, Wei couldn't help but think about how he might join the fray—either after the elf team had exhausted their energy or if they were in need of backup. But for now, he stayed in the shadows, intrigued by the elven warriors' battle techniques.
Would they succeed, or would the wolf prove too powerful? Wei felt that the answer to this question could determine his next move inside the cursed castle.