Chapter Thirty-Seven: Noriko-san and Kyōsaika!
Everything was unfolding right before Peter's eyes—a vast scene of merciless slaughter within the Eternal Forest.
"Pook!"
"Bwā?!"
Slash.
"Gwō!"
Shing.
"Heok?!"
Slash.
"Gwā?!"
"Grr!"
"Gwē?!"
"Argh!"
"Brr!"
Pure chaos.
Blood splattered across every corner of the grassy field. The air is filled with the sounds of cracking bones, splattering flesh, and the desperate screams of monsters refusing to back down.
And amidst all of it stood a silent witness.
The female Frosty Chicken in Peter's arms.
Its grip is tight on her small face, so she can do nothing but watch every brutal second of the battle. Her wide, dilated eyes see every fall, every severing, every loss of life
A furry kobold was the first to charge forward, its massive axe coming down from above.
A goblin tried to block it with a small dagger—but the difference in strength was clear.
CRACK.
The weapon broke apart.
And in the next blink of an eye—the goblin's body was split in half.
The kobold didn't stop. With a quick spin and a horizontal sweep—two more goblins fell.
But the remaining goblins didn't let it pass.
They responded with a simultaneous attack—one from the front, one from the side, one from above.
A coordinated, complex assault.
But in the middle of the tension, the kobold mistimed its move.
One attack hit it, making it stagger for a brief moment—and that was enough for one of the goblins to slip through.
Fast, dirty, and desperate.
It jumped, locking the kobold's head between its legs, and took advantage of its moment of shock.
"Gwā!" was the kobold's final scream as a dagger was driven into its head.
At the same time, another kobold suddenly appeared from the side and finished off the remaining goblin mid-air.
The battle widened further—groups splitting apart, bodies flying, weapons clashing in every direction.
But just as quickly, everything began to fall.
One by one.
Until only a few remained.
Silence
The ground was littered with corpses.
And the survivors no longer looked at their enemies—but at the remains of their comrades.
There, the scene slowly shifted.
From battle—to the dragging of bodies.
No words.
No emotion.
Only heavy silence and the sound of the dead being dragged away.
...
At the edge of it all, Peter simply stood there, watching—as the world before him continued to reveal just how cruel the Eternal Forest truly was.
The female Frosty Chicken had been holding her breath for a long time now. Ever since she witnessed the string of killings, she felt as if she had frozen in place—unable to move, unable to speak, only following with her eyes the kobolds as they dragged away the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief when the kobolds completely disappeared from sight.
She was startled when the firm hand covering her beak suddenly let go. She shot a glare at it—the human companion—and in her mind, the question flared up again.
Why was she brought to a place like this?
'Wew!' Peter reacted nervously, as if he had no idea about the growing irritation of the chicken.
'Are they really gone?' he asked cautiously toward his companions.
Ichiro shook his head, still unsure. He remained low to the ground, carefully scanning the surroundings with his face nearly pressed into the earth.
Meanwhile, Iyashi was about to dart out from the grass, but Ichiro quickly stopped it.
'Iyashi!' Peter called sharply, making the slime immediately shrink back and stay put.
Peter sighed.
Even he remained crouched on the warm ground, carefully hiding their presence as they peeked through grass nearly as tall as a human.
They stayed like that for a long while until Peter finally confirmed that the enemies were gone.
Slowly, he stood up and stretched, followed by his companions.
'How are you holding up, chicken?' he said with a smile.
He held out the female Frosty Chicken with both hands.
And that seemed to be the trigger.
The chicken's irritation finally exploded.
Even though Peter couldn't understand what it was saying, the anger in its movements was crystal clear. It kept trying to reach his face with its sharp beak.
"Looks like she still hasn't learned anything," Peter said innocently into the air.
"Let's keep going until she learns what we're trying to convey—even if it's dangerous," he added.
His two companions shook their heads, as if sympathizing with the female Frosty Chicken.
Meanwhile, Peter picked up the items left behind from the battle—usable weapons and gear—before handing them over to Peach for safekeeping inside the Livelihood Dungeon.
It would be a waste to just leave them behind.
After that, they moved again.
West.
As always with Peter.
Not because he had any real strategy—but simply because it felt right.
He didn't know the area. He had no map. No certainty.
If anything, it felt like he was slowly sinking underwater, trying not to panic.
But ever since the Goddess of Goodwill sent him to this world, the west was the direction where he first regained consciousness.
And that was what he held onto.
No science.
No certainty.
Just gut feeling.
Whether it would bring him luck or misfortune—he still didn't know.
But for now, that was the only direction he could rely on as they continued walking deeper into the Eternal Forest.
The group of four came to a stop. Their steady search converged, and just a few meters ahead, a fierce battle was unfolding.
This time, the scene before them was even more striking.
Goblins—fighting goblins.
Both sides were evenly matched.
There was almost no difference in numbers, and even their equipment was the same. No advanced forging, no special weapons—only crude, improvised tools.
Based on what Peter knew from his previous life on Earth, the only real advantage goblins had was their ability to reproduce and multiply rapidly.
By his estimation, around two hundred goblins were currently fighting—about one hundred on each side.
Like the previous battle they had witnessed, Peter's group immediately lay low and silently observed.
One thing became clear to him at once.
No tactics. No strategy.
Only pure chaos.
It was like a car crash in the middle of traffic—no control, no discipline, only brute force at play.
It was even more brutal than the kobold-versus-goblin fight they had seen earlier. Because of how cramped the space was, there was almost no room to evade—only direct collisions and crushing blows.
And before they even realized it, the battle had ended.
Once Peter confirmed that there were no remaining threats or incoming reinforcements, he stood up.
He walked into the battlefield and carefully collected anything that could still be useful.
While there, he gently set the female Frosty Chicken down amid the traces of the battle.
She looked around, clearly uncomfortable, but chose not to panic anymore—though her restraint was obvious.
Peter picked her up again effortlessly.
"How are you holding up, chicken?" he asked, as if completely unaware of the effect the scene had on her.
"Good," Peter said cheerfully to himself, seemingly pleased that communication between them was now nonexistent. It finally calmed down.
And once again, the group returned to the Livelihood Dungeon—now accompanied by someone who had grown quieter... though not yet fully at peace.
...
"From now on, you will be part of the Livelihood Dungeon," Peter said calmly, staring at the female Frosty Chicken.
The chicken remained silent.
It didn't resist anymore—not because it fully agreed, but because it now clearly understood the weight of the situation. The "freedom" it had demanded was not simply about being left alone. In this world, venturing out without sufficient strength was equivalent to death.
"But that doesn't mean you lose your voice," Peter added, turning to the male Frosty Chicken. "You will be her translator."
"Kruk..." the male chicken replied softly, seemingly accepting the new role.
Peach approached, carrying several Silkie chickens already neatly lined up. Behind her, Moriko followed quietly, scanning the surroundings and occasionally glancing at Peter as if trying to understand something about him.
"Master," Peach said, "I've returned the Silkies to the coop. And... I also have a few things to report."
Peter nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the Frosty Chicken woman.
"Name," he suddenly said.
The two chickens looked at each other.
"Neym?" the male Frosty Chicken repeated, confused.
"Your name," Peter clarified shortly. "I don't want to call you 'Frosty Chicken' forever."
The woman narrowed her eyes.
She fell silent for a moment.
Then, in a cold but direct tone, she spoke.
"...Noriko-san."
Peter couldn't help but smirk after hearing the name. It fit perfectly. "Noriko" was a classic Japanese female name that could imply "law" or "standard," and with the honorific "-san," it became even more formal and suited the Frosty Chicken woman's personality.
"Noriko-san," he repeated, as if weighing the sound. "Good. It means law."
Then he turned to the male Frosty Chicken.
"And you?"
"Kruk?!" it immediately replied, suddenly pressured.
Peter let out a sigh. He thought for a moment before speaking.
"Alright. You'll be... Kyōsaika!"
Peter clapped happily at the name he had come up with. It wasn't really a proper name, but rather a Japanese term—something the male Frosty Chicken had no idea about anyway, so it didn't matter. The meaning was "henpecked husband."
Peter was extremely pleased with his own wordplay.
Henpecked. Hen. Henpecked husband.
Perfect.
"—Kruk?!" the male Frosty Chicken clearly didn't like the name it had been given, even though it had no idea about its true, absurd meaning.
"Final decision," Peter said, leaving no room for objections.
On the side, Moriko sighed and shook her head. Ichiro shifted slightly, seemingly amused, while Iyashi simply vibrated in place as if agreeing.
Peter calmly scanned the group one more time.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Welcome to the Livelihood Dungeon."
...
Name: Noriko-san
Race: Frosty Chicken
Gender: female
Age: 2 years and 5 months
Lifespan: 10-55 years
Status:
Stats:
Strength: E
Resilience: E
Agility: E
Spirit: D+
Ability:
Icy Wind
- Deals minimum damage to an enemy upfront. In addition to that, simultaneously guarantees temporary agility reduction by a few levels.
...
Name: Kyōsaika
Race: Frosty Chicken
Gender: male
Age: 3 years and 5 months
Lifespan: 10-55 years
Status:
Stats:
Strength: E
Resilience: E
Agility: E
Spirit: D+
Ability:
Icy Wind
...
Peter paused for a moment, still chuckling to himself.
In his mind, the "logic" behind the names he had chosen was beautiful—layered, meaningful, with clear origins. It felt like a puzzle only he could truly understand.
In front of him, Noriko-san remained silent. She was still not used to her new name, but she didn't protest either. Her gaze, however, was sharper than before—like she was measuring how far this situation could really go.
Meanwhile, "Kyōsaika," the male Frosty Chicken, seemed completely at a loss for words. It only stared at Peter as if it wanted to ask something, but already knew nothing would change anyway.
"Master..." Peach muttered softly from the side, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to begin.
Moriko simply watched Peter in silence, her head slightly tilted. She still didn't fully understand this man's "traditions," but she seemed to have grown used to observing rather than reacting.
Ichiro let out a low grunt, as if holding back a comment. Iyashi simply gave a "kyu," completely unconcerned about the names—so long as its master was there.
Peter cleared his throat, still trying to settle himself after laughing.
"Relax," he said, as if everything was normal. "They're just names. It's easier to coordinate if you all have identities."
A brief silence settled over the area.
Then Noriko-san slowly stepped forward, staring directly at Peter.
There was weight in that gaze—more than simple irritation.
It felt like it was saying without words:
"Are you really serious about all of this?"
But Peter, as always, had already shifted his focus to his next plan. He still didn't fully realize how deeply his "jokes" and "meanings" were affecting the beings around him.
...