The twitching of the birds. The pleasant wind flowing through the forest, as the grass and leaves diligently obeyed the movements of the breeze, turning from one end and then to the other. The robotic ding-ding resounding inside my head as my [Detection Sensor] started to respond to the tiny movements of my neighbors.

That was a normal start to the day. However, it was not time yet to wake up. The monotonous warnings were slowly dimming out, as nobody in the area was willing to annoy me. It was far too early, and you shouldn’t awaken a dragon from her slumber.

I stayed and continued dreaming, relishing in what peace I have gained through sheer intimidation.

I could feel the warmth of the sun slowly growing, but it was not time yet. It is a calm morning, so haven’t I earned the chance to sleep in?

I kept up my slothfulness until the sun’s light was shining into my eyes. This fuzzy feeling of rushing energy, caused by [The Light], finally gave me enough motivation to welcome the new day.

Exiting my bed, made from leaves and other soft materials, in a tree hollow I’ve made for the night, I roared into the morning sky, “Good morning, Belzac forest!”.

“Kraooor!”

I greeted my parallel minds and began taking things out for breakfast; a couple of berries, chunks of cooked meat from last night, and a thirst-quenching amount of water. Delish.

With a full stomach, I shook off any remaining drowsiness and began my daily walks around the Belzac forest. My goal is to leave this forest, hopefully after I gain a more acceptable “human” form, so it goes without saying that I need to explore.

Walking through this lush woodland reminds me of Central Park in New York. It’s pleasant. Calming.

Now, I might be underselling the Belzac forest by doing this comparison, but I’ve no other example. I was never the nature girl, so Central Park was one of the few experiences I would have in a sea of trees.

My stroll continued deeper into this endless maze, that I call my home.

I hated this place in the beginning. I didn’t want to be here. I was torture…hell.

I’ve still no idea when it happened, that I started to see this place as my home. Ahh, that is some serious Stockholm Syndrome, when even the many times that I nearly died aren’t enough to break my enjoyment of being here.

The sight of small monsters rustling through the thickets and ferns, attempting to hide from me while foraging whatever food they could see. I chuckled how nostalgic this sounded.

Well, I guess I haven’t changed that much, eh? I’m still going around collecting berries, mushrooms, fruits, and any nuts that I lay my eyes one.

I’m so sorry, little ones, but you gotta contest me for them. At least, I’m not actively hunting you like some kinda belligerent foodie.

‘Yo, when you’re done daydreaming, how about we try flying?’

‘Flying practice, already?’

‘Nah, take to the skies! I bet flying above the forest and getting a bird’s perspective on it will help us find the exit.’

Hmm, that sounds like fun. Walking around is pretty tranquil, never mind the occasional E rank monster group that is stupid enough to attack me but running around in circles isn’t a good idea. There might be some landmark that I can use to navigate around in this place.

‘Uhh, guys? Exciting as it sounds, shouldn’t we be a bit warier? Flying costs mana and we still need 4 parallel minds to even fly.’

#2 makes a good point. She might be a bit too “tsun” and not enough “dere”, or how she sometimes verbally abuses me, or how annoyingly direct she is about some matters, or how she…

‘Alright, alright! Jeez, I know, I know, so stop pointing out all those flaws. I was just trying to be cautious about this. Du dummkopf…’ (You dummy…)

Covering her red face, #2 went back into hiding. Manager mind, on the other hand, chuckled and gave me a thumbs up.

Gosh, this dynamic between us is weird.

Seriously, #2 is correct about being worried. Flying is a tiresome activity that consumes both a lot of stamina and mana, just so I can float.

We’ve been practicing for 2 weeks now but we’ve only gotten to the phase where 4 parallel minds are needed to control the mana flow in my wings, 2 on each side, just so I can get off ground. As somebody is needed to pilot my body, that only leaves one person to cast spell.

Everything about flying requires a ton of focus. Not problematic when we don’t have to fight, but who knows what will happen.

‘Well, we don’t have to fly up too high. Sticking close to a tree will avoid the worse.’

My body is sturdy enough to take little falling damage from that height. It sounds weird coming from a [Young Crimson Spark Dragon] and its low defenses, but [Draconic Barrier] can act as a cushion…hopefully.

Having made my decision, my parallel minds began working.

#2 and #3 controlled the flow of mana and directed some of it towards my wings, while #4 and #5 regulated the amount of mana needed to take flight, in order to decrease our mana usage.

I, the original mind, will be the pilot for this flight, while manager mind is my trusted co-pilot. We began spreading our draconic wings, warming up for the flight by flapping them up and down, then bent our four legs in anticipation for takeoff, and prepared ourselves mentally for the experience.

‘‘‘Takeoff!’’’

“Kriiiish!”

With an affirming grunt, two circles of magical runes, evidence that a spell is being activated, each appeared under my wings. This spell, [Wind Blast], was directed towards the ground, and upon activation, it pushed my whole body into the air.

Mana began coursing through my wing’s cells, strengthening the muscles with [Mana Control]’s effect, and I began beating my wings at a high rhythmic pace. My stamina was quick to drain with this action, but I needed this amount of power to generate enough momentum to bring my body up. I am…cough…heavy, after all…

Remember the beat per minute needed to move in the air. Imagine an internal metronome beating at this bpm. “So hältst du deinen Takt.”, that’s how you keep up your rhythm. A tip from Papa that always worked.

…Phew. Now that I’ve gotten more comfortable in the air, I think it’s time to ascend and see what this forest looks like!

Slowly increasing my rhythm, my wings began rapidly flapping at a higher beat and brought my body up higher and higher and higher! All up to the pinnacle of the trees.

Having broken through the leaf bed that covered the sky from the ground, I opened my eyes and stared at the sight.

I can see the Belzac mountains. I can see a large gap between trees stretching from one end to other. I can see a mountain range just a bit further away from the forest. Looking under me, I could only see green. Nothing but a lush field of leaves and twigs.

Beautiful.

It was mesmerizing. This view makes me want to capture photos of it, but without a camera or phone, I just had to imprint it into my brain. It was even more awesome than I thought.

The sun in the sky was beaming warm rays on me. I felt rejuvenated. It made me forgot about my previous worries and concerns about flying, and I just began soaring off.

.

It’s a whole new world…

.

“Kraaaaaa. Kriiiaaaaaahhhhh. Krash. Krish.”

.

I can see from up here ♫

A sight, one can’t just forget ♫

Radiant sunshine, green mountains ♫

And a gap to divide it all. ♫

.

The forest is beautiful from here ♫

What a fantastic experience ♫

The wind flows calmly ♫

On this very day I soar through the sky ♫

.

A Sea of Trees ♫

The shimmering emerald of this world ♫

The place that I call home ♫

But hate so much ♫

But that’s what makes it exciting! ♫

.

A Sea of Trees ♫

A home that I must leave someday soon ♫

So, I can fulfill my dream ♫

To shine so bright ♫

But that means leaving this Sea of Trees. ♫

.

To become an Idol is my wish! ♫

.

Witness all my neighbors ♫

Monsters wandering about ♫

Killing, eating and sleeping ♫

In this Belzac forest life! ♫

.

A Sea of Trees ♫

A thriving woodland filled with life ♫

I shall stay right here ♫

To Level Up ♫

I can't leave just yet while I'm not strong enough. ♫

.

A Sea of Trees ♫

My horizons expand ever furthermore ♫

I won’t stop my flight ♫

To claim the spotlight ♫

In this world, I’ll make my dream come true ♫

.

A Sea of Trees ♫

For now, I’ll stay ♫

But soon, I’ll leave ♫

I will miss you Belzac ♫

.

…Absolutely amazing feeling to sing. When I get my voice back, I’ll use it up so much that I’ll become deaf! I can probably heal it up, if I do. Hie hie.

I’ve been flying around for quite some time now. I guess I should head down soon. It’s not like I can’t just continue tomorrow, and I think my low stamina takes precedence.

‘Ok, girls let’s descend…huh?’

‘Oh, great. The same as usual is appearing, it seems.’

‘Yup, another E rank monster trying to come and kill us.’

‘OMG, do these things have a death wish? We’re not even actively trying to hunt them.’

Yup, nothing out of the ordinary. Usually, they would try to gang up on me with superior numbers, believing that they can defeat me that way, only to then learn that I can use advanced magic spells.

I haven’t seen an E rank monster survive [Inferno Blast] nor [Flame Explosion] yet. It also doesn’t help that none of them had some sort of resistance skill against fire or magic.

I do wonder what they are thinking during our death battles but all I can guess is that they’re underestimating me or something.

Well, whatever.

Belzac Fenghen A medium size bird that is the female counterpart of [Fengcock]. Flies alongside a singular Fengcock in a mass harem of other Fenghens for protection. During territorial battles, these monsters act as scouts and skirmishers, until the arrival of the much stronger Fengcocks. This variant of Fenghen has a green plumage that perfectly hides them among the many trees of the Belzac forest. Rank E

…Wait, what?

‘Ha! Look over there! Even more, are coming over to become grilled chicken!’

‘Oi, are we seriously gonna fight in the air?! No, no! Come on, let’s just go down already, please!’

It’s the usual quarrel between #2, the cautious, and #3, the reckless. It has gotten a bit annoying that they’re arguing about the pros and cons of every single action, but I’ve sort of learned to just phase it out when that happens.

‘And I say, we should just fight! Manager mind can cast [Petal Flames] and we can take them all down with ease!’

Hmm, #3’s argument isn’t that bad, actually. If I fully focus on moving our body, then manager mind can take care of spell casting…but there is quite a lot coming over.

The flock of birds is slowly increasing, with every single new member soaring through the trees and joining the flock in the sky. Their numbers have increased to the point that it seems like a giant storm of leaves is coming right for me, and, honestly, that looks pretty frightening. Can one mind really take care of all of this?

Uh yeah, let’s not try it. Better safe than sorry ~

‘We’re getting out of here! Bring us down!’

‘Thankfully you are rational…’

Grateful that I’m listening to her, #2 thanked me heartfully. On the other hand, #3 pouted and said, “What a wasted opportunity.”.

I personally don’t see how we will benefit from this. E ranks don’t give enough experience to warrant me risking my life in an aerial battle.

“Krieeeeeeeeeah!”

…Oh no.

Identify.

Belzac Fengcock A large size bird that is the male counterpart of the [Fenghen]. This giant monster bird is adorned with colorful plumage, serving as both a deterrence against foes and attractant to increase their harems of Fenghens. In territorial battles, Fengcocks will only battle the rival harem leader, in which the winner will gain the entire flock of the other. This variant of Fengcock retains their showy plumage to attract the attention away from their harem. Rank D

Ok, that thing is big!

Now fully understanding that this fight might be a bit too much for me, I began beating my wings at an even higher rate than ever before, just to get away from them. The pursuit began.

I wanted to get onto the ground, but I was afraid that they would attack me when I’m trying to land. Landing, just like flying, is also a pretty hard thing to do, and if I don’t do it properly, I’ll just crash and burn.

Frankly, according to their stats, I can definitely take on the [Belzac Fengcock] and his entourage of [Belzac Fenghen] if we are on the ground. I’m faster, I’m stronger, and my skill set is more flexible.

However, while we are in the skies, any aerial fight will put me in a serious disadvantage where I can’t fully utilize my full power. I have come to fully acknowledge it during this chase, ‘cause I can’t outfly them.

A few of the fenghens have caught up to me, despite the difference in our Agility.

Manager mind activated only [Swift Winds]. No using [Haste], as that spell isn’t cost-effective in a drawn-out fight. She then began shooting [Wind Bullet] at the incoming birds, hitting every single one of them and taking them out of the battle, however, they didn’t die. It seems like most of the immediate pursuers are gone, so she started casting [Petal Flames] to kill some of them before they can get to us.

At some point, some of the birds started to dive bomb me, intending to slow me down and to decrease the distance between me and their harem leader. [Draconic Barrier] is blocking them, but any damage soaked up by this barrier will drain my mana and stamina even further. It’s also not very pleasant to hear all the bumping and banging happening just beside me.

…That was not an innuendo, ok?

I also don’t have enough time to banter with myself, ‘cause [Detection Sensor] is showing that the signal for Fengcock is coming in hot!

“Kriiiiiiiah!”

The male bird screeched. Having determined that I’m close enough, he began beating his wings even faster and faster, accelerating himself past the flock of Fenghen and unsheathed the claws on his feet.

Manager mind casts a [Wind Blast] and is now holding onto it, as I was preparing to time my dodge with the attack from the [Belzac Fengcock]. Every opportunity must be taken, and if this guy is planning to attack me head on, then be my guest. I’ll just do the obvious, and counterattack.

At the last second, before the Fengcock hit my barrier, I used my defensive skills and performed the necessary evasive maneuvers!

‘Barrel Roll!’

‘Wind Blast!’

“Kriiiiiiiiie!”

The spell was a bullseye. Struck by a sudden powerful gust of wind, the Fengcock lost control over his wings and was tumbling around the air, trying desperately to regain balance. Defenselessly descending down to the ground, he was now vulnerable enough to land the killing blow…just that I have a problem.

“Kraaaaaahhh!”

I, myself, am rotating through the air uncontrollably. It seems manager mind underestimated how much the [Wind Bullet] spell would push us away, too. It was now impossible for me to stabilize myself. We have no choice but to crash onto the ground while doing the barrel roll.

Jeez, I’m feeling dizzy now.

Kill!

Jokes aside, everybody inside my mind was calling manager mind out to kill the [Belzac Fengcock]. They gave up supporting my wings, and instead are now doing their best to move my body’s falling direction towards a softer, safer spot.

While everybody else was preoccupied with my body, manager mind finish materializing the [Inferno Magic] spell and was now aiming it at the Fengcock. She has to somehow hit the bird in this very situation.

She took aim. She activated [Accuracy Correction] and…!

'Inferno Blast!'

…shot the mighty spell at the soon-to-be-dead bird.

…Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. A sea of, what seems to be, green leaves flew around the Fengcock and pulled him outside the area of danger. His harem saved his life…

…Oh, verdammter Scheiße. Holy Protection.

Oof! Ow! Ei! Durgh! Eek! Ack! Kak! Kuck! Aaaaaaaaah! Bufu…argh…

Instead of immediately landing on the ground, my parallel mind made me land on a tree. Shattering twigs and crashing on thick branches, my body eventually made a dent in the ground.

Moderate Heal.

Groaning and complaining that I hate pain, I decided to just stay lying around. Any urgency completely disappearing. Resting my weary wings after they served me so very well.

This battle is now officially over. This aerial battle for sky supremacy ended with my loss.

“Kriiiiiiiiah!”

““Kriiiiiiah!””

The [Belzac Fengcock] began prancing around like an arrogant bastard, swinging his wings and tail feathers around in a ritual-like dance, while his imposing voice resounded through the sky. “Don’t enter the sky ever again!”, is what I assume he is saying.

On the other hand, the [Belzac Fenghen] looked at me, then back to their mate, and then back to me. This time, however, they began flapping their wings in a frantic way, contrasting the happy-go-lucky guy flying beside them, and screeched in a manner loud enough to drown his voice.

Realizing what they wanted, he finished flaunting his win in my face, and left the area with his flock of birds at a speed worthy to call “Let’s get the fuck out of here ASAP!”.

I guess they remembered that last spell.

‘Welp, I guess it’s getting dark anyway. We played around enough.’

I should get better at flying before going back up, anyway.

Dusting myself off from this loss, I went to go hunt for my meal tonight. And when I mean “hunt”, I mean tracking down the many birds that I’ve shot down.

With the sun slowly sinking into the horizon, I began preparing for the night. I found a large enough tree hollow and made my bed for the night.

I use [Humanize] to transform into my “human” form and began my daily practice. It’s essentially cooking, but I’m now doing everything in this form. Pulling out the feathers, cutting the meat, season them, and grilling them on a stone grill.

Gosh, I missed having proper hands to do stuff like this. My dragon legs aren't bad to use for cooking, but it can't be compared to the utility and flexibility that human hands have, when you need to prepare the ingredients. The thumb is an incredible body part.

I recently took up wood carving, inspired by the eleven furniture, as I noticed that my new “power” was affecting my everyday life. You see, I’m used to using my whole power without putting any kinda restriction on them, but as my Strength and Agility began growing more and even more, I sorta realized that I was making a real mess with cooking. Evidence for bad power control would be the aerial battle from before, where manager mind blasted us out of the sky ‘cause we forgot to moderate [Wind Blast]’s power.

Frankly, I’m not much of an artisan nor have I ever done any real handicraft in my life before, so I wasn’t expecting anything extraordinary to come out of this.

I was purely doing this to learn how to control my body’s strength. It would be rather unfortunate if I accidentally crush somebody’s hand with a handshake.

…Still, the number of wooden bowls I broke was staggering, but I eventually made a few acceptable, albeit disastrous looking ones that can fulfill their function.

Stew or soup would sound nice.

Well, anyways, after swiftly finishing dinner and filling my stomach with some good food, I think it’s time to call it a night. Can’t stay up too long, after all.

Entering my bed made out of leaves yawning, I slowly let my mind wander into the realms of sleep.

Yup, just an average day like always.