It’s been three days since I was reborn to this world as a bird.

Yes, a bird. A magical one at that, that’s living in a magical world. How am I so sure, you ask? Well, one simply need to intently observe the wiggling, gleaming worms dangling from my mother’s beak.

『Jade Worm - Lvl. 20』

Even with the scrambled egg that is my memory right now, I am certain something like this does not happen outside a game world. Boxes filled with information about the things you observe don’t just appear in real life. An advanced VR game could probably emulate this, except that I’ve played Half-Life 4 and other VR games. None of them comes even close to reproducing the five senses as thoroughly as I can feel them right now.

Which means that this floating box is, somehow, real. Unless I am somehow kidnapped without my notice and placed into a deep-dive simulation VR game that provides a world that is so real it can fool my senses. But that’s the kind of technology you only read in Sci-Fi and conspiracy theory forums.

The only explanation to it, then, is magic. Real magic, not sleight-of-hand and misdirection. The kind you see in movies and read in books, where robed-individuals could perform physics-defying miracles with a flip of their palm.

If I wasn’t stuck in this weak chick body, I would’ve undoubtedly been pumped about the whole situation. Who wouldn't be excited at the prospect of being a certain gray-robed badass of a wizard? But instead…

I directed my attention to myself. At my barely functioning leg, incapable of lifting my body up. At my black molting wings, as useless as ever. At my beak that’s softer than the wood this hole in the tree is made out of.

That being said, immobile as I am currently, meant that I got a lot of time to experiment. And with experiments, come results.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. Spreading my attention to my whole body, from the small tufts on my head down to my bushy tail, I held my focus on my entire being. Within a second, the Jade Worm’s information was replaced by a new box. Within the box were rows upon rows filled with words.

『Species: Infact Roc - Lvl. 9』

『Name: N/A』

『Stats』

『Locked: Tier requirement not met』

『Locked: Species requirement not met』

『Afflictions: N/A』

『Locked: Level requirement not met』

『Locked: Level requirement not met』

Next, my gaze changed to my mother, who was still holding a Jade Worm on her beak. I looked at her fully, the only intent in my mind being to observe and understand.

It took half a second before her information popped up beside mine.

『Empress Roc - Lvl. 95』

『Name: N/A』

『Stats』

『Blessing: Greater Blessing of the Wind God』

『???』

『Afflictions: N/A』

『???』

『???』

I still have half the mind that this was some hyper-realistic VR game. Except every time I think that, my brain seems intent on reminding me how exceptional my senses were. My sight, which could zoom in with the power of binoculars. My ears, which could pick out the sound of woodpeckers hammering in the forest around us. My tastebuds, hellbent on rewiring how great a worm tastes.

There was no point in figuring out the truth, I reminded myself. Unless I want to go through the same pain everytime I figured out something vital.

Bringing my attention back to the information boxes, I realized that mine was written in black, while hers were gray. Also that in place of her question marks were my locked descriptions.

It’s probably because we’re directly related that the information I gleaned from Observing her was way more detailed in comparison to the Jade Worm’s. It made sense, considering she’s my mother and all.

Disregarding the locked options, it took me quite awhile before I realized I could further concentrate on each of these boxes. In doing so, they would expand and provide me with more details. After a second of concentrating, for example, a breakdown of this body’s Stats would replace the previous box.

Strength: 6

Agility: 14

Dexterity: 5

Endurance: 2

Vitality: 10

Intelligence: 9

Wisdom: 11

Luck: 7

It was a neat thing, really, but really lacking when it comes down to it. Mainly because they forgot to include a guide. What kind of useless God made this System? How on Earth is anyone supposed to understand any of this in a first glance?

There was no explanation on why Agility & Dexterity, Endurance & Vitality, or Intelligence & Wisdom were distinct. No frame of reference on what is the maximum number. It’s clearly not 10, so is it 20? 50? 100? 1000? Is it possible to go to 0, or into negative? Probably not, but the less explanation you give someone, the more questions they’ll have, you stupid System. What are these stats? Why is something as vague and far-reaching as luck even here on a personal stats page? What do they govern? What exactly do they influence?

There’s a hundred questions, and no way to answer them.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m pretty sure mother, being an intelligent species at such a high level, would know something about them. But, see…

I opened my eyes, and was welcomed with the sight of my mother’s brown eyes glaring at me. There was no disappointment in them this time, however. Only shock, curiosity, as well as a bit of pride.

My beak opened as I tried my best to emulate the words that I am so familiar with saying. I started with a normal greeting. Just a simple "hello,” followed by a bit of “do you want to murder someone with me?"

Long, high-pitched chirps rang out instead. I opened my beak again, only a crack this time, but the sound exhaled simply was the same chirp, just softer. I played around with my beak and tongue, but everytime, all I could produce was the same damn chirps.

Mother quirked an eyebrow. The emotions in her eyes were replaced with something more common in parents - a gentle understanding and compassion.

Her neck twisted up, towards the ceiling.

The Level 95 『Empress Roc』snapped at the air, her curved beak shutting with such intensity it sounded like the clap of thunder in my ears. For a moment, the light reflected on the jade claws on her shoulder brightened.

Mother opened her beak again, and a cloud of darkness could be seen swirling around in a flat circle right in front of her mouth. Then it was gone, and in between her beaks, wiggling helplessly, was a『Level 20 Jade Worm.』

Thank you for the useless information, almighty System, but why are you focusing on something so irrelevant? Why aren’t you focusing on the things that truly matter here? That’s magic she’s doing there, magic! I don’t need to know that’s a Jade Worm, I can see that myself! Are you dumb or something?

Mother brought her neck down, the worm dangling right above my head. It was at an angle where her eye could stare down at me directly. She was giving me one of those glares that even here, in a magical world probably galaxies away from Earth, is uncannily similar to that of a mother daring their child to be disobedient.

…I can’t believe my first interaction with magic is going to lead me getting stuffed with a worm. I wanted to chirp in protest, to ask her more important matters, like “how did you do that?” or “can you teach me?” but I know it’ll just lead this stupid body to chirp some more.

Reluctantly, my beak opened up.

The jade worm flew in a second later down my throat.

As I begrudgingly allowed it to slither down instead of spitting it out - the giant Roc staring at me definitely not influencing that decision - I saw what was definitely a satisfied grin forming on mother’s face.

Mother really thought of me as an unruly child from that one time I rejected her, huh. Somehow, realizing that, a part of me can’t help but feel bad, as if I’ve done a great disservice to her. She’s done nothing but provide for me. Protecting this place to ensure we can grow safely, and flying around day in and day out to bring me that succulent, delicious-

Yeah, no. It’s still a worm, after all. No matter how much this body’s taste buds consider it as delicious, a certain part of me still can’t help but feel disgusted by it; a phantom brain in my head that was viscerally in denial.

The other reason that I was not as outwardly resistant to eating the meal was a certain announcement that follows, without fail, every single time after I fully digested the worm. Which usually happens 5-10 seconds later.

『Level 20. Jade Worm devoured』

『EXP + 2231』

『Level Up! Lvl. 9 Infant Roc -> Lvl. 10 Infant Roc』

The final evidence that this world’s God used games as a reference: leveling up. Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that we are in a game. That these boxes are just figments of my imagination. It still would not explain the rush of power that I felt every time I level up. Or the clarity that suddenly filled my mind, or the sudden lightness filling my body.

My now larger body shook by itself, shedding the feather molts from yesterday. The parts of my body that were still somewhat black were shedded, to be replaced by feathers as white as mother’s.

I stretched my stubby legs a bit, kicking one up to rest on the edge of the straw nest to be observed. My five claws, once brown and muted, now have splotches of green around them, each spot gleaming like emerald, particularly near the sharp ends.

It was a phenomenon I’m slowly growing used to. Every time I level up, not only did my stats increase; every part of my body physically ages at a noticeable jump. There are no slow, incremental changes to my body throughout the night and day. There was no slow crawling forward, of centimeters turning to more. There were ever only sudden leaps, growth spurts that occurred in seconds.

Leaps that were triggered solely by a level up. Honestly? It felt pretty amazing, to feel the jump in power and energy.

That being said, I might be wrong. I’ve only been in this world for three days, and all my observations have been done while I am rapidly leveling. It might just be that I am, in fact, growing without noticing it. Just that the effects of it were simply too small to be observed in comparison to the improvements brought by a level up.

It brought a slew of questions to me. Does this mean any physical deformity, like a lost leg, would regrow every level up? Or will it mean the other way around, that a level up would cement the loss of a limb as permanent and the only way around it is to heal said wound before a level up? I don’t know.

One thing was clear, however. After all that I have experienced, it was undeniable that this was reality for me now. I wanted so badly to refuse it, but everytime I leveled up, it became so painfully clear that this bird's body belonged to me now. The sensations, the complete understanding I have on every inch of it as it grew in power… it was unmistakable. The bird is me, and I am the bird.

I mentally sighed. How long, really, until I’ll finally look forward to eating worms? Until I want to have offspring with a fellow Roc? Just the thought alone raised the soft feathers on my back.

The famous anecdote about lions ran through my head. The king of the forest, the strongest of the beasts. They would kick their cub down ravines, looking down at their children struggling to climb up, challenging them to go beyond their limits. That way, only the strongest offspring would survive.

I stared up at mother. She was looking outside the tree-hole, her wings pressed to her side and her claws gripping the wood underneath.

She wouldn’t do such a thing, right?

I looked back. Of the dozen eggs in this nest, only 5 so far have hatched. Considering the rate by which my little siblings are appearing, it would be at least 7 days before they’re all hatched. So far, mother have been feeding them equally, giving Jade Worms anytime one of these brats chirped. But would it continue?

She’s a Roc, after all, and not just any Roc, but an Empress, and a high level one at that. There’s definitely pressure to have good offspring there, right?

I shook my head, staring ahead once again towards mother. At the way her eyes looked out, unblinking, her body ramrod straight as she stood vigil.

Call it optimism, but it does not seem like she’s the uncaring parent type. There’s no way she’ll do such a thing. I shouldn’t apply the same logic and stories from the old world here.

If anything, considering my luck, she’ll do something even worse. Like throwing us into a pit of fire-breathing snakes before we could even fly.

As I was mulling over the possibilities, a movement from mother caught my attention. It was subtle, almost like a trick of the moonlight, but my eyes caught it at the last second. She was swaying, slightly to the left, as if she was used to having something there to lean on.

I saw the realization kicking in as she snapped back, straighter than ever, her eyes darkening.

A small bud of emotion rose from within me.

I’ve always thought of it as strange. If she’s an Empress, then there should be an Emperor. It’s only natural. More to the point, unless the biology in the world is so far detached from Earth that birds can reproduce by themselves, there should be an Emperor Roc out there.

There was an Emperor Roc seems more likely now.

One might be hopeful and say he’s probably out and about to find food, but then in that case why is mother the one feeding us those Jade Worms? Why has he never returned in the past three days?

I guess it only made sense that the law of the jungle would be even more brutal when it’s a magical jungle.

The emotion bloomed into a desire. An almost instinctual drive that took over my body for a moment. Before I realized it, I was already jumping through the air, my leveled up wings having just enough strength to let me glide.

I softly landed by mother’s side, a proud smile on my face.

Well, it should’ve been that way. But halfway through my glide, panic set in as leftover monkey instinct fought for control over this body and I crashed beak-first into the ground.

My ears picked up sounds that were suspiciously close to a soft chuckle.

Something lifted me up by my back, before gently turning me over in the air. A second later I could feel the brush of wind at the same time my claws landed on something hard and warm.

With my eyes open I realized I was standing on mother’s shoulders, my claws gripping the edge of the jade shard poking out of her. Her brown eye were as large as my whole body as it looked at me, twinkling with mirth and gratitude.

She gently pointed forward with her curved beak, and my eyes followed.

A gasp escaped my mouth.

The land under the night's curtain was green as far as my eye could see. A gigantic forest that stretched across the horizon filled my view. Clearings cropped out here and there, with moving figures scattered in them.

Two giant, sky-scraping trees grew out from the landscape, so tall it pierced the clouds and extended onwards. One had vines dangling down from its canopy up above the clouds. Even with my eyes, it was so far away I could only make out tiny figures zipping around and moving between them.

The other tree was black as coal, the clouds around it as dark as its trunk. As if it was unnatural, the forest itself shied away from it, creating a giant circular area around its base. What seemed to be glyphs and runes were carved into its East-facing side.

The greatest view of all was the twin full-moons above me, a sight wholly different from yesterday. One golden and one white, the latter twice as big as the former. Their light enveloped the forest below, turning huge swathes of it white and some of it, golden.

Behind the forest a wall of stone rose up. It was a giant thing, with a coarse surface that would sink in one place and protrude in the next. Larger than anything I’ve seen and seemed to have no start or end, it was an awe-inspiring sight.

I was watching it to look out for the tell-tale shadows of living beings on it, when the clouds parted. The clear sky revealed to me the sides of the wall at the edge of the horizon. It tapered inwards, forming a triangle as it reached up to the stars. It dawned on me then.

It was a mountain. A colossal mountain so wide and tall that its slope started above the clouds.

A part of me still stubbornly refused. Holding on to the thought that this is just the longest lucid dream in history. It might actually even be the truth. But seeing all this?

If this was a dream, then I don’t want to wake up from it.