I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Cluck cluck cluck—

The astute guard captain, Ward, immediately became alert: "Who called the chicken?"

"Watch out," Woody warned. "Something's coming, and it's moving really fast."

Before the words were finished—

"Whoosh!"

The reeds suddenly parted to the sides, and a dark brown shadow darted out like lightning!

It was a bizarre creature, about the size of a centaur: it looked somewhat like the ground bird Xia Lin had seen before, covered in wet, dark feathers.

On its neck grew a ferocious chicken head, with a hooked beak and yellowish eyes.

What is most striking are its two thick claws, with toes curved like sickles and gleaming with an unnatural bluish-black luster.

"A chicken-snake beast!" the experienced Griffin in the group hissed. "Looks like a swamp subspecies! Be careful not to get touched by its claws!"

Xia Lin immediately recalled the entry about the Chicken-Snake Beast from the "Adventurer's General Monster Encyclopedia":

[Serial Number: 003 - Chicken-Snake Beast]

appearance:

It resembles a sick rooster, is about 1-1.2 meters long, is covered with dirty feathers, has bat-like wings and a snake-like tail, and its beak has a petrified sheen.

The most popular legend about its bizarre origin is that it was born from an egg hatched by a snake or toad.

Appendix: Information on Environmentally Variable Subspecies

Environmentally variant subspecies:

Populations that live in specific harsh environments (such as sewers, dense forests, and mines) for a long time may undergo adaptive variations in their appearance, body color, and the characteristics of their fossilized saliva, and their threat level will change accordingly.

性格:

Generally perverse, belligerent, and greedy. They have a strong craving for fresh meat (especially newly petrified creatures). They harbor an inexplicable fear and hatred of ordinary roosters.

Danger Level: Its attacks have a highly threatening calcification effect, gradually turning creatures into stone. It is extremely deadly when in groups (a nest typically consists of 6-12 individuals).

Commonly spotted locations:

Landfills, abandoned mines, sewers, the edges of dense forests, and any dirty, dark corners.

The nest is often littered with fragments of stone statues of victims (including small animals, insects, or humanoid creatures).

Recorder's notes:

"Don't mistake it for a grumpy rooster; it's a walking, petrifying, cursed monster."

This creature's most lethal weapons are its claws and beak, which are said to be able to paralyze, petrify, or even kill its prey.

Always remember: to fight against it is to race against time to petrify.

If a nest is discovered, the safest methods are to set it on fire or completely seal it off.

Exceptionally brave (or perhaps recklessly brave) people would keep the chicken-snake beast as a pet.

The guards reacted quickly, instantly forming a defensive formation, but the chicken-snake beast was incredibly fast.

Its first target was a young guard on the flank, and its claws slashed down from mid-air!

"Clang!"

The guard raised his shield to block, and amidst the clanging of metal against metal, he was jolted backward a short distance.

Three deep scratches were left on the shield, and the edges even showed a slight grayish-white stone-like tinge.

"Its claw strikes have a petrifying effect!" Griffin shouted a warning.

When the pheasant-like beast's attack failed, it twisted its neck sharply, and its head pecked at the face of another guard at an odd angle.

The man hurriedly turned his head to refuse the "blowing kiss," but his shoulder armor was grazed by the tip of the beak and immediately shattered.

"Surround it! Don't let it break into the ranks!" shouted Captain Ward, maintaining formation.

Xia Lin seized the opportunity and cut in from the side, slashing at "Chicken Brother's" exposed, thick chicken feet with his veteran longsword.

However, the chicken's head was more flexible than anyone could imagine, as if it could rotate 360 ​​degrees, and its beak, like a venomous snake, accurately pecked at Xia Lin's wrist holding the sword!

Xia Lin had no choice but to parry with his sword, the tip of his beak striking the blade and producing a metallic scraping sound.

At the same time, the chicken-snake beast's other claw reached for his chest—

"when!"

The attack landed on his newly replaced scale shield.

The attack was easily parried by the shield; the new shield, which was "up to standard," showed no signs of petrification whatsoever.

"This new shield works quite well." Xia Lin felt a little more at ease. Taking advantage of the moment when the chicken-snake beast's attack was blocked, he slashed down with his longsword again and finally slashed its ankle!

"Clang—!"

The chicken-snake beast let out a piercing, metallic screech, and dark red, viscous blood seeped from its wound.

It became extremely ferocious, clawing repeatedly with both hands, its attack as fierce as a storm.

"This isn't working!" Griffin raised his hands, chanting ancient syllables, "Entangle the roots!"

The ground suddenly rippled, and several thick vines burst forth from the soil, coiling around the chicken-snake beast's legs like living snakes.

It struggled and hissed, its movements suddenly halting.

It's now!

The orc Garu in front moved.

His massive body charged with the agility of a leopard, his giant axe swung through the air in a heavy arc, devoid of any fancy moves, only pure power and speed—

"Snap!"

The axe blade precisely cut into the junction of the chicken-snake beast's neck and body, and the crisp sound of bones breaking could be clearly heard.

The chicken's head was almost completely separated from its body, with only a layer of skin and flesh sticking it together.

The chicken-snake beast froze for a moment, blood gushing out like a fountain, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, twitching a few times before falling still.

Several guards, their faces pale, clutched their wounds after being scratched by claws.

"My arm... I can't move it, it's as hard as a rock..."

Old Pastor Far strode forward, bent down to examine the wound, and said gravely, "It's the petrifying venom of the chicken-snake beast, but thankfully it's not too deep."

He took out a small silver bottle from his bag, poured out some fragrant, milky-white ointment, and applied it to the guard's wounds.

The staff emitted a soft white light, and the grayish-white color of the guard's wound faded at a visible speed, while the stiffness in the limbs gradually dissipated.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" the guards said repeatedly.

Griffin walked over: "Fortunately, the threat posed by a single chicken-snake beast is limited; it's not a particularly dangerous monster."

A burly guard stared at the enormous carcass of the "wild game" before him, swallowing hard. "Um... can we eat this thing?"

Griffin spoke calmly but with a hint of caution: "The meat is theoretically edible, but we cannot rule out the possibility that trace amounts of petrified toxins and nerve-paralyzing substances may remain in the muscle tissue."

Of course, if you really have the appetite, you might as well take a gamble.

He paused for a moment, then said, "If you're not a professional, I suggest you stay away."

The guard immediately deflated and reluctantly gave up the idea of ​​"extra food".

Griffin crouched down next to the carcass of the chicken-snake beast and took out several small tools from his waist.

"Some of the materials on this thing are worth a few dollars," he explained to Xia Lin, who approached curiously, as he skillfully dissected the corpse's mouth.

"Salivary glands are the core ingredient in petrification potions and also an additive in some protective enchantments."

The lens of the eye can be processed to be used to set up magical traps or to create petrification-resistant trinkets.

He used specially made silver tweezers to remove two cloudy yellow glands, and carefully gouged out the pair of cloudy yellow eyeballs, placing them into a thick glass jar with lead powder coated on the inner wall and sealing it.

"The Mage Guild buys these kinds of petrochemical materials year-round," Griffin said, closing the jar and looking up at Xia Lin.

"Especially for making the 'Petrifying Staff,' these materials are one of the essential catalysts for enchanting the staff. Once we get back and process them, we'll split the profits from the sale."