Chapter 70: The Reaper Approaches, the Monster of Death

The Chicken Snake, a name that sounds absurd and laughable. However, anyone who knows about this monster would never find it funny. Instead, it is the symbol of death in their hearts.

Legend has it that within the vast Datam Grand Canyon, there exists a rare and terrifying monster called the Chicken Snake. This fearsome creature, as its name suggests, has the head of a chicken, the tail of a snake, the feet of a chicken, and the body of a bird. However, its body is not covered in feathers but in a layer of dark, shiny snake scales. Wherever it goes, death follows, as if the Reaper from the underworld has sent it to the mortal world as its spokesperson.

The rain continued to drizzle, falling onto its smooth scales and dripping into the muddy ground. The chicken's feet stepped forward one by one, leaving fork-shaped footprints on the ground. It moved slowly, but in the blink of an eye, it was already beside the corpse of another monster. It pecked at the corpse with its beak, just like a chicken eating food. However, its beak had saw-like hooks, and with a flick of its neck, it tore off a bloody strip of flesh.

Dorothy and Gerti had been in the cave for two days, safe and sound. Apart from the occasional monster that would crawl in, they encountered no danger. They decided not to leave until the rain stopped. Their teacher, Jesse, of course, had no objections; this was their survival exam, not his.

The campfire had roasted the remaining lizard from yesterday. Although some of these lizards were poisonous, they had long learned how to remove the venom sacs and eat the edible parts. To survive outside, one must know what is edible and what is not.

Using a small knife, they cut the meat into pieces, dipped them in salt, honey, and spices, and roasted the outer layer until it was golden and crispy. Taking a bite of the tender meat, despite the heat that made their teeth ache, they found it extremely delicious.

Dorothy took a bite of the scalding hot meat, blew on it to cool it down, and finally managed to swallow it. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, this isn't an exam; it's a camping trip. If it weren't for the damn weather, we could lay out a blanket on the grass below, set up a barbecue, and enjoy a cold glass of lemonade with a beauty like Gerti. It would be..." He trailed off, as he had only known Gerti for a short time.

Gerti, however, was quite generous: "No problem, if we could enjoy such a feast, it would certainly be a pleasure."

"Ha, that's right, that would be great," Dorothy said. "Teacher Jesse, is this damn canyon always like this, always raining? I can't take it."

Jesse replied, "No, Datam isn't always rainy. It's just that the area is vast, and the climate varies. We just had bad luck. Other places might be sunny and pleasant."

"Ah, what bad luck, even a camping trip turns into this weather," Dorothy complained.

Jesse sighed, "Hey, we're not camping; we're taking an exam."

"Um, what's that?" Gerti suddenly noticed something at the cave entrance that looked both like a snake and a chicken. She quickly picked up her magic wand, but it seemed to hop like a chicken, not a powerful monster.

The students might not recognize it, but the well-informed teacher was different. Seeing this monster, he was shocked and quickly covered Gerti and Dorothy's eyes, lowering his head and closing his eyes as well.

Dorothy, confused, asked, "Teacher, what are you doing? Why are you covering my eyes?"

Jesse urgently said, "Don't open your eyes, don't look at it, especially its eyes. Remember, don't open your eyes. Move back, it must have been attracted by the smell of the food. Move back, slowly move back."

Hearing the teacher's serious tone, Gerti didn't dare to disobey. She closed her eyes and slowly moved deeper into the cave, still curious and asked, "Teacher Jesse, what is it?"

Jesse, while moving back, said, "It's a Chicken Snake!"

"Chicken Snake?" Dorothy laughed, "What the hell is that? Is it really that scary?"

Gerti, however, had heard of the Chicken Snake and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, I've seen this thing in the murals inside the building. This is the Chicken Snake, the monster that can kill with its gaze!"

"Kill with its gaze!" Dorothy exclaimed, "It can't be real, can it? How can it kill with its gaze? Does it shoot deadly beams from its eyes?"

Gerti shook her head, "I don't know, but that's what the legend says. Any creature that meets its gaze will surely die."

"Meet its gaze, and surely... surely die!" Dorothy, though skeptical, didn't dare to risk his life.

Jesse said, "Gerti is mostly right. It's not certain death, but those with weak wills are sure to die. It emits a special mental magic through its eyes. Anyone who meets its gaze will receive a strong mental suggestion of death. If you accept this suggestion, you will surely die."

"Mental... mental control magic!" Dorothy was shocked, "Can a monster really perform such complex and difficult mental magic?"

Jesse replied, "No, it's an instinct. It's born with this ability. And it's extremely powerful. Only those with extremely strong wills can resist it. Fortunately, it only eats dead things, not living ones."

"Not living things, why?" Gerti asked curiously, "Doesn't that mean we're almost like dead people, and we can't even look at it?"

Jesse said, "I'm not sure, but the rumor is that it doesn't dare to eat living things. I think it makes sense. Usually, any creature it sees dies, and those that don't die might scare it, so it doesn't attack. But regardless, those who have seen it have survived by this method."

"That's good, that's good," Dorothy was scared, thinking that if contact with its gaze meant death, it was too terrifying. He suddenly asked, "If we could tame it, wouldn't that make us very powerful? Having such a terrifying monster by our side would make us invincible!"

Jesse shook his head, "Maybe, but I've never heard of anyone taming it. The Chicken Snake is said to have a very weak reproductive ability, and few people have seen it, let alone tamed it."

After retreating for a long time, they finally reached the bottom of the cave. Gerti said, "Teacher is right; if there were many of these monsters, the world would be dead."

"Ah, yes, I guess everyone who has seen it is dead," Dorothy was sweating profusely, unsure if it was from being overweight or from nervousness.

The Chicken Snake, smelling the meat, watched them retreat deep into the cave. Whether it was because it didn't dare to provoke living things that weren't afraid of its deadly gaze, it didn't pursue them. It ate the roasted food by the fire and the stored monster corpses, then slowly left after circling around and finding no other food.

The heavy rain continued to pour, but after a while, the noise became less annoying. They hadn't heard the Chicken Snake's call for a long time.

Dorothy, still keeping his eyes tightly closed, asked, "Teacher Jesse, is the Chicken Snake gone?"

"You're asking me, how would I know? I have my eyes closed," Jesse listened carefully, and it seemed quiet: "It should be gone."

"Should be? So, is it gone or not?"

Jesse was annoyed, "Why don't you open your eyes and see for yourself?"

Dorothy couldn't believe it, "I open my eyes? You're the teacher, and you're making us take this risk!"

"I..." Jesse thought for a moment and said, "Are you taking the exam, or am I?"

"Hey, despicable. So cowardly, teacher, I despise you."

Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound, like footsteps slowly fading away. Then they heard Gerti shout, "Teacher Jesse, Dorothy, the Chicken Snake is gone."

The two men breathed a sigh of relief but felt a bit ashamed, as their courage was less than that of a woman. They opened their eyes and said, "Gerti, you have real courage, a heroine among women." They went to the cave entrance and indeed saw that the Chicken Snake was gone. Seeing Gerti, they realized she was still closing her eyes and leaning against the wall, feeling cheated.

Gerti, hearing their footsteps, knew there was no danger and opened her eyes to look around. Not seeing the Chicken Snake, she patted her chest and said, "Ah! That was close!"

The two men felt as if they had been punched in the face, cursing themselves for being fools and falling for such a trick. Dorothy wanted to be angry but didn't want to scold a woman, so he just swung a branch around the cave wall, muttering curses.

Jesse was also embarrassed but didn't want to scold her. He was ashamed of his lack of courage and wisdom, sighing and muttering about women being devils with hearts like scorpions.

Gerti, of course, apologized sincerely to them.

Jesse, having helped the students escape this time, should have considered it a failure. But thinking of his own embarrassment, he negotiated with them, asking them not to tell anyone about today's incident, and this time helping them wouldn't count.

Gerti and Dorothy, of course, agreed.

By mid-morning, the rain that had lasted for days finally stopped. Dorothy and Gerti didn't waste a moment, jumping down from the cave to stretch their limbs.

Jesse stood at the cave entrance and smiled slightly, "The purpose of the practical exam is to train them. Breaking the rules once doesn't matter."

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