NOVEL NEXT Chapter 156: ʕ•̫•ʔ---Zilant
And just like that—I lost my mind.
One second, I was on Dash. The next, I was off Dash, sprinting straight toward the city gates like a lunatic while actively dodging fireballs.
What the hell am I doing?!
Zilant, the massive draconic chicken currently torching the city, noticed me.
It let out an ear-splitting shriek and—oh, fantastic—decided that I was now priority target number one.
Instead of hammering the city walls, it turned its attention entirely on me, its glowing predatory eyes locking onto my fragile, very flammable existence.
"ARRGHHHH!" I screamed, barely managing to roll out of the way as it lunged.
Think, Carl, THINK!
In a blind panic, I shoved my hand into my pocket, scrambling for literally anything that might distract this oversized poultry dragon.
My fingers closed around something. Wait—beef jerky?!
YES!
"That's right!" I gasped. "I have an extra beef jerky! Please, for the love of all things holy, let this work!"
I yanked it out and hurled the jerky straight at the monstrous bird.
Zilant's sharp eyes tracked the flying snack like a starving dog spotting a steak.
With a swift snap of its massive beak, it snatched the jerky mid-air.
EEEEEEEEEEK! EEEEEEEEEEKKK!
The draconic chicken let out a violent, ear-piercing screech, flapping its enormous wings so wildly that dust and debris flew everywhere.
I didn't wait to find out if it liked the taste.
The second its attention shifted, I bolted through the gates, diving into the city and slamming the doors shut behind me.
Holy. Crap. I'm alive.
Zilant was still outside, clearly unsatisfied with the meager scrap of beef jerky. To a colossal, fire-spewing draconic chicken, that must've been the equivalent of a single breadcrumb.
Now, it circled the city like a vulture—no, like an eagle sizing up prey.
And I had a sinking feeling I was the prey.
I ducked low, pressing myself against a crumbling stone wall, my heart hammering in my chest. The streets were chaos—people and creatures screaming, running, tripping over one another in blind panic as they scrambled to flee. The scent of smoke and scorched earth filled the air.
Where the hell are the three gods?!
I gritted my teeth and shouted their names at the top of my lungs.
"Agnos! Jiuge! Sun Goddess?!"
Nothing.
Not a single divine sign of life.
Crap. Don't tell me they already bailed?!
And what about Trauco?!
Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to move, weaving through the frantic crowd toward the prison. I had to get there—had to find him.
The problem? Zilant was watching.
The massive beast's beady, glowing eyes swept over the sea of creatures, scanning intently. Hunting.
I pressed my back against a broken cart, willing myself invisible.
Damn it. I don't have any more beef jerky!
My fingers twitched at my empty pockets. No distractions left. No bargaining chips.
At this rate, I was really going to die.
Why did I even take this job?!
Then, like some miracle, I spotted a cart at the corner piled high with dried meat.
Realization hit me like a slap to the face—I had been lurking outside a butcher's shop this whole time.
I grinned. Thank you, God. Any god. All gods. Whoever's up there, I owe you one.
Without a second thought, I grabbed the cart of dried meat and pushed it out into the open, my pulse hammering in my ears.
"Sorry, butcher! I'll pay you later!" I yelled over my shoulder as I bolted outside, dropping bits and pieces in my haste.
And then, in an act of sheer, unhinged survival instinct, I jumped up and down like a lunatic in plain sight.
"HEY, ZILANT! OVER HERE! LOOK! MEAT!"
I flung a handful into the air.
The draconic chicken's head snapped toward me instantly.
It let out an ear-piercing shriek, and before I could so much as blink, it dove down like a thunderbolt, beak wide open—
SNAP.
Gone. Meat? Devoured.
Zilant landed with a ground-shaking thud, pecking up the scraps I had dropped earlier.
And then, an idea sparked.
That's right. You're a hybrid chicken. Of course, you'll act like one, too.
I did what any logical person would do when feeding a chicken.
I scattered all the dried meat across the ground in a wide arc.
Zilant, completely silent now, happily pecked away at the feast.
Success.
I didn't waste another second.
With the oversized poultry distracted, I turned on my heel and bolted toward the prison as fast as my legs could carry me.
I finally made it to the prison, panting like I had just outrun the apocalypse.
But as I stepped inside, I froze.
The atmosphere was… calm. Too calm.
Inside these walls, everything was business as usual. No panicked screams, no stampede of fleeing civilians and magical creatures, nothing to indicate that, just outside, a giant fireball-spewing draconic chicken was trying to turn the city into an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet.
The stark contrast made my brain short-circuit.
"What the—?"
I scanned the area, looking for the three gods. When I spotted them, they were still chilling in Trauco's office-slash-lab as if this were just another peaceful afternoon.
"Oh, thank the heavens! You guys didn't flee!" I gasped, still catching my breath.
They all turned to look at me.
Agnos was the first to speak, lazily smirking as he took in my disheveled state.
"What happened to you? Did the Fae people torch you?"
Behind him, Jiuge snickered, and Amaterasu—ever the composed sun goddess—stared at me in silent surprise.
Then, slowly, almost too smoothly, she reached into her robes, pulled out her phone, and—
SNAP.
I gawked at her. "Did you just take a picture of me?! When I look like THIS?!"
She tucked her phone away, unfazed. "Well, I heard from Agnos that you're kind of viral in Mythica. Any ridiculous image of you is guaranteed to rake in likes. I need the exposure…"
She didn't even look apologetic.
I stared at her, betrayed.
Behind her, Agnos's smirk widened, and Jiuge outright burst into laughter.
Then—without any regard for my emotional well-being—they both whipped out their own phones and took pictures, too.
Click. Click. Click.
I flung my arms up, exasperated. "STOP IT!"
Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists and tried to refocus.
"Look!" I shrieked, my voice on the verge of cracking. "Do any of you have the slightest idea what's going on outside right now?!"
They all shook their heads, confusion etched into their faces—except for Agnos, of course.
I threw my hands up. "That giant hybrid chicken has lost its mind and is torching the city like it's trying to host a medieval BBQ session!"
Silence.
They exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from stunned to skeptical. Except for Agnos. His brow furrowed as he studied me like I was a particularly concerning lab specimen.
Then, turning to Trauco, he said, deadpan, "It seems Carl needs treatment immediately. His mind has gone haywire, and he's spewing nonsense."
"I'M NOT JOKING!" I shouted, my arms flailing. "Look outside!"
With synchronized skepticism, they all turned to the window.
And that's when I realized my mistake.
Outside, the streets were… calm.
No fire. No destruction. No oversized poultry monster throwing a tantrum.
The city was eerily quiet.
Agnos, Jiuge, Amaterasu, and Trauco slowly turned back to me, their expressions completely unreadable.
My stomach dropped.
Crap.
I forgot—I had temporarily tamed Zilant. It was probably still pecking peacefully at dried meat somewhere. And the panicked crowd? They must have already fled, leaving the city a ghost town.
Now I just looked insane.