The ground shook.
The Goblin Giant roar ripped through the open field, shaking the trees and sending flocks of birds scattering into the orange dusk.
David froze.
Every drop of courage that had dared to fill him drained away in an instant.
His breath hitched. His knees trembled. His hands—once gripping Sticky with resolve—shook violently.
He could feel it. The pressure. The malice.
Like standing in front of death itself.
"Wha—what the hell… is that thing…?" he whispered.
Daryl's eyes narrowed, jaw tight. His body was trembling too, though he refused to show it.
"That…" he muttered, "…is no ordinary goblin."
The creature's shadow loomed over them all—massive, hunched, its skin dark green and scarred with battle marks. Its jagged teeth gleamed wet in the sunlight.
Each step it took made the ground quake, sending dust and blood into the air.
Mistay dropped to her knees, her tail drooping, ears twitching with despair.
"We're doomed," she whimpered. "We're all going to die…"
David looked down, sweat dripping from his chin. His throat burned. His legs felt like jelly.
His mind screamed run, but his body couldn't move.
He could barely breathe.
His heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Meanwhile, Daryl simply sighed, resting his saber against his shoulder.
"…Well," he said softly, a dry smile forming. "It was nice knowing you both."
The Goblin Giant raised its massive foot, shadow swallowing them whole—
—and the goblins below began to cheer, their voices merging into a vile, triumphant chorus.
THOOOOOM.
The stomp never landed.
A blinding flash.
A sudden gust of wind.
And then—
BOOM!
The colossal goblin was launched backward, crashing through the remains of the barn with an earth-shaking explosion.
Wood splinters flew through the air like shrapnel.
The cheering stopped.
Every goblin froze.
David blinked once. Twice.
"Wha… what the hell just happened?" he croaked.
Dust swirled around the crater. The air shimmered with heat.
And then—out from the smoke—stepped something impossible.
A giant chicken.
Not monstrous. Not terrifying.
Just… a chicken.
White feathers glimmered like polished silver in the sunlight.
Golden eyes burned with confidence.
Its wings were broad, its talons sharp, its aura almost divine.
David's mouth hung open. "...You've gotta be kidding me."
Mistay gasped, tears suddenly filling her eyes again—only this time, they weren't tears of fear.
"CLUCKY!!!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "You came back!"
David and Daryl turned to her simultaneously.
"Clucky?" they echoed in unison.
Mistay nodded frantically, crying with joy.
"Yes! My guardian chicken! He protects my farm when danger comes! I—I thought he ran away!"
Daryl blinked several times, expression blank.
"I'm sorry… your guardian… what?"
Before anyone could respond, the colossal goblin roared again, pushing itself up from the wreckage. Its golden eyes locked onto the bird.
DOOOOOM.
The ground trembled as both beasts faced each other.
The Goblin Gaint muscles bulged with rage, its fangs gnashing.
Clucky flared his wings, each movement throwing dust into the air. His feathers rippled like battle flags.
The air thickened with tension.
Even the smaller goblins began to back away, their cheering dying into silence.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then—
Clucky took one proud step forward. His talons gouged the ground.
His beak gleamed in the sun like polished steel.
The Goblin giant roared, stepping forward as well.
Their shadows overlapped—
chicken and monster, locked in primal defiance.
Daryl's jaw dropped. "...We're seriously watching a chicken challenge a giant."
David's voice cracked, half in awe, half in disbelief. "A giant chicken, Daryl. A chicken just kicked a giant in the face. I think my brain broke."
Mistay clasped her hands, whispering a prayer. "Go, Clucky… show them your power…"
The Goblin gaint bellowed, its roar shaking the sky.
Clucky tilted his head—then let out a thunderous "BA-GAWK!" that echoed across the plains like a battle cry.
Both monsters lunged at once—
the earth splitting beneath their weight.
And as the wind howled and the dust exploded between them—
David could only whisper, voice trembling between terror and wonder:
"…What kind of world did I end up in?"
The wind split apart as two titans collided.
BOOM!
The shockwave rattled the earth, sending dirt and feathers flying.
David barely kept his balance, shielding his face with one arm as the sheer force of their clash sent the air trembling around him.
Clucky and the Goblin King slammed into each other again—claws and fangs locked, muscles straining.
The ground beneath them cracked, spiderweb lines spreading out like shattered glass.
"Holy—!" David stumbled back, his eyes wide. "They're shaking the freakin' planet!"
The Goblin King swung its massive arm, smashing Clucky aside. The chicken's wings flared to steady itself, talons digging deep into the ground, tearing up soil in long gouges.
But the moment Clucky recovered, he charged again, shrieking like a battle horn.
"BA-GAWK!!!"
The two beasts met once more with bone-crushing force.
Clucky's talons slashed across the Goblin King's chest, leaving three deep cuts that oozed black blood. The Goblin King howled in pain, its breath hot and foul as smoke.
Then—
the Goblin King lunged forward and bit down hard on Clucky's side.
"CLUCKY!!!" Mistay screamed, her voice breaking. Tears welled in her eyes as the chicken let out a pained cry that echoed across the field.
Clucky beat his massive wings wildly, slamming the Goblin King's head with a WHAM—WHAM—WHAM!
Each blow thundered like the beating of war drums. Dust and feathers flew. The impact forced the goblin to release its grip.
David's heart pounded against his ribs like a drum. He could barely breathe.
Sweat poured down his face as he stared at the clash, his mind spinning in disbelief.
"Bepo!" he shouted. "Level check!"
A blue screen flickered before his eyes:
[Name: Clucky]
Level: 19
HP: ???
[Name: Goblin Colossus]
Level: 21
HP: ???
David's face drained of color.
"...Nineteen versus twenty-one…" he muttered, voice trembling. "That's… that's bad."
He clenched his fists. "In any game I've played, even a two-level gap is a death sentence. Clucky's not gonna last much longer…"
He glanced at Mistay—
she stood frozen, her hands clasped, praying desperately, her tears falling into the dirt.
"Come on, Clucky…" she whispered. "Please… win…"
The Goblin King roared again, charging through the haze, swinging its colossal arm like a battering ram.
Clucky countered, flapping both wings with explosive power, slamming the goblin left—then right—then left again.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Each hit sent out gusts of wind that nearly knocked David off his feet.
Daryl stepped forward, his coat fluttering violently in the shockwaves.
His hand hovered over the hilt of his saber, eyes locked on the goblins still lingering at the edge of the field.
"If those lesser ones even move," he muttered, "I'll cut them all down."
The silver light of his blade reflected in his eyes, calm yet deadly.
David glanced at him, trying to sound confident though his voice shook.
"H-Hey, uh… you sure we shouldn't be, you know, running instead?"
Daryl didn't answer.
He simply stood tall, watching as Clucky screamed and the Goblin King lunged again, their silhouettes crashing together in a storm of feathers and blood.
The air burned.
The ground trembled.
And somewhere deep inside, David realized something.
For once… he was watching a battle he couldn't joke his way through.
A battle where courage and despair blurred together.
And all he could do—was hope.