Paul strut proudly around his nest, as he waited for his Fey to refill. Now that it had nearly tripled, he was able to use them more and more.
(He he he, now I can use my skills three times an hour)
He felt an immense satisfaction at the progress, he had made. Every time he looked at the numbers, he couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face.
A few days ago his chances of survival were nearly nonexistent, but now he had a clear path forward and he was considering how to proceed.
(For now I'll finish my training routine and then I'll get my revenge on that stupid lizard)
By the end of the day, he had finished his training routine, but he didn't get the expected result.
(Even though I increased the pace of my training, my skills haven't leveled up again. Do they need more as the higher their level?)
He wondered about his skills, as he sat in his nest, which looked a lot more empty. More than half of the moss had been eaten at this point, making it less cushy when compared to before.
The results of all that eating, however were quite visible. Paul's bird body had grown because of it, if only by a few centimeters. His size now rivaled a slightly fat rat.
The most noticable change though, covered his body. No longer did he look like an uncooked naked chicken, as his feathers started showing. Although since that process had only just begun, the feathers were thin and short. It made him look like a strangely hairy bird. His newly developing plumage grew in patches, like on his wings and back, giving him what he considered to be a wild looking haircut.
But the biggest surprise was when he used his [Polymorph] to change into his human form, only to notice that he could now walk as a toddler. That shouldn't be possible for a baby, who's merely a few days old.
This made him reconsider the subtleties of his skills. When his stats went up, his [Fire attack] skill became more powerful as well. Then what about the [Polymorph] skill?
It allowed him to change his form to that of another creature, but it wasn't dependent on his stats.
So then why was his human form developing so fast?
The answer was quite simple. Even if he used a skill to change his form to a human, it didn't mean that he had become a human. He didn't noticed it at first, but he had regularly spent a lot of time looking at his status window while he was waiting for his Fey to come back.
Eventually he realized that even when he used the skill it didn't change his race and so he deduced this as the reason. In the end he was still a phoenix and the two races had different maturity rates.
A newborn Phoenix wasn't as helpless as the offspring of other races, which is why Paul could run around just after being born. They quickly learned to walk right after being born and required less parental assistance. This was an evolutionary trait they developed over time, in order to ensure survival, since their young had been hunted for a long period of time.
(I wonder, will this be good for me? I thought I could get by if I just use [Polymorph] to transform, but doing it now would just transform me to another youngling form. On the other hand, that also means that in the future when I transform into something else, it'll be a version that reflects my own maturity)
Understanding that there was more to skills than just leveling up, made a huge difference for him. Knowing his strengths and weaknesses meant, he wouldn't be caught off guard when using his skills.
An hour later his Fey was refilled and he was ready. He took a bite of what was left of the moss in his nest and headed out. He passed through the barrier with slow steps, as he cautiously looked around. His crimson feathers were illuminated by the blue the luminescent moss, while he walked toward the small pond of water.
It was time for him to finish his preparations for his revenge match. He walked around the pond, occasionally dipping a toe in the water, as if to check something.
By the time he was done he turned to the tunnel leading to the lava flow, where he first met the Salamander. The closer he got to his goal, the heavier his legs felt and the more unsteady his steps became. His body was practically telling him to go back. His breath grew more ragged, along with his rising heartbeat.
Paul was afraid.
That was natural considering how in his last life the biggest altrecation he ever faced, was a brawl as a kid. Just two kids punching each other during recess at school. It was nothing compared to his current predicament.
He wasn't facing an angry little kid but a wild animal, which wouldn't hesitate to rip out his throat.
(I can do this … I planned for this … I can do this … come on, I can do his!)
He tried to encourage himself with a little pep talk as he got closer to his goal. Today he would overcome this problem and finally start his isekai adventure.
At the end of the tunnel the lava flowed slowly and heated up the air around it, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
Paul stood there looking left and right nervously. He had expected something to happen by now, but there were no signs of the Salamander anywhere. Contrary to his expectation everything was calm and nothing jumped at him.
(What's going on? Did that lizard move elsewhere? I mean, it's been a few days after all)
He checked every nook and cranny and yet there was nothing to be found. His target was gone.
(Well, this is anticlimactic … I can't believe I spend so much time preparing for this)
The disappointment was quite visible on his face, as he pouted on the way back. His steps no longer hesitant, but rather steady and carried a certain sassiness.
(Man, I guess I got to into the idea of a revenge match. And here I thought I could take that lizard down but, yeah, even if beat that thing I still can't pass through lava, so it makes no difference)
Now that his goal had vanished, he started thinking what he should be doing. After all his food would run out sooner rather than later and without having learned how to fly yet, he was stuck to this small cavern.
He walked back past the water pond and towards the dead end tunnel to the right, to see if he missed something. Since the lava tunnel was not an option for now, he had to check anything that might give him another way out.
Paul wasn't able to see much last time around because the dim light from the blue moss, which served as the only light source, didn't shine brightly enough to reach the end of the tunnel. Thus he took his time examining every centimeter of it by touch. He used his beak to probe the walls to see if there was a spot soft enough for him to dig his way through.
This would be a monumental task for a tiny bird like him and even if he used his human form, it wouldn't make it any easier.
He spend hours doing this, occasionally taking a break to clean the dirt from his beak in the pond. At first he started digging with reckless abandonment, until he accidentally swallowed a dirt clod by mistake. He coughed for several minutes, nearly choking on it.
Since then he regularly took a break to drink. He was ready to risk his life fighting against a Salamander, but he refused to die in such a stupid way. This was his second chance and he didn't want to waste it.
Some time later he stood in front of the tunnel, observing what little progress he had made.
(How long did this take? Like a day?)
Paul didn't actually know what time of day it was, since the darkness was constant inside the cavern. But he certainly felt like he put in an entire days worth of work, despite only pecking small holes into the wall.
He stared at the wall blankly.
(Shit, this is bullshit. Why did Celeste put me here? I'm like the size of fist, how can you expect me to dig my way out of here? God dammit)
At this point he was frustrated by this whole situation, not being able to do anything about it. He couldn't take revenge on the Salamander, he couldn't leave the cavern and even when he tried to improve his skills, they didn't level up again.
In between cursing and complaining, he didn't notice the slight movements at the end of the tunnel.
(Dammit Celeste, I'm not an earth worm, how can you expect me dig my way out?)
Dust fell to the ground, as something was moving on the other side displacing earth.
Suddenly two red glowing mandibles burst through the wall, exuding heat, as they tore through stone with ease. The mandibles closed like vise grip and barely missed Paul due to his small body.
(Holy crap, what's that?)
He immediately jumped back, created some distance and got ready to run.
The glow of the mandibles slowly faded, as a the earth gave way to show a head poking out the wall. A pair of compound eyes reflected Pauls figure, that was illuminated by the mandibles. Two antennas twitched on top of its head, reacting to his presence. The creature crawled out and approached him, while he cautiously and slowly stepped back.
The insectoid monster the size of a dog was several times bigger than Paul and could easily overrun him, as such he tried to back up without turning around or running like he was facing a bear. He though about making himself look bigger but he refused to somehow trigger a dangerous opponent.
Facing this new monster he had to control himself and not make any sudden movements.
On the other side the creature seemed fascinated with the tiny bird in front of it. It saw the bird slowly retreating and in anticipation rubbed it's shovel like front legs together.
Paul nearly panicked at this sight.
(Do I run?)
He knew that it would be stupid to take on a monster bigger than himself in a narrow tunnel. Its mandibles tore through stone before and they would probably split him in half, if he got caught.
He hoped that he would have the speed advantage at least but he didn't want to make any wrong assumptions, that may end up in his death.
However all his considerations were abruptly ended, when the monster made the first move.
The moment the creatures mandibles opened up again, Paul didn't hesitate and took off at top speed and ran back towards the pond.
The monster immediately followed him but it wasn't able to keep up.
(Oh, thank god. So I'm still faster)
As he reached the pond, he considered going back to the nest. He would be safe in there and he could wait for this creature to go away. But something in him refused.
This was his second chance at life and all he had done so far was run away. He couldn't let this become the norm or else what would that mean for him? Another life of keeping his head down?
(To hell with that. I've already made up my mind to fight and survive)
The creature came out of the tunnel and found Paul standing near the pond, where he tried to look threatening. While it was confused, it didn't care much for the reason. Its prey was no longer running and so it attacked. It ran forward towards its prey and lifted its front legs above its head, in preparation to attack.
Paul could finally properly see the creature, as it left the tunnel. The monsters ant like body was covered by a black carapace with red spots, which glowed regularly, giving it the appearance of burning coal. Its two shovel like front legs served to move stone and earth, it had crushed with its heatable mandibles capable of reaching extreme temperatures.
This was an Emberant. A relatively weak monster in the region, that relied on numbers to survive. Despite that it was still strong, when compared to Paul current defenseless self.
The monster closed in on him, increasing his tension. He knew he had the speed advantage, thanks to the earlier race. However that simply meant, he was capable of dodging. One single mistake would still spell his death.
The Emberant brought down its left front leg to pin him down, but Paul swiftly dodged around to the side and used the momentum to jump on its leg and from there he made another jump, landing on the monsters back. He then activated the [Polymorph] skill and assumed the form of a slightly smaller Emberant.
The monster shook its body to throw him off, which made him hold on for dear life. He barely managed to use his own mandibles to bite into the Emberants neck and stay on its back. In response it screamed in pain and trashed around, until it slammed its front legs on Pauls head. The force of the impact loosened the grip of his mandibles and he found himself held in place by the Emberant.
In a seemingly desperate struggle, Paul changed back to his bird form to escape. The monster was leaning forward because of the force it had applied on Paul, which caused him to do a front flip in his smaller form. Not missing a beat, he then activated his [Fire attack] skill, spitting a small fireball into the the Emberants face.
"Skriie"
He landed on the ground, but rather than looking at the effects of his attack, he simply leaped into the nearby pond. The Emberant, semi blinded and infuriated, pursued him and splashed in the water.
Fwooooosh!
Its mandibles were glowing red, as the heat caused the water to boil around it before they cracked. The monster twisted in the water, in an attempt to escape but ended flailing helplessly. Its own exoskeleton, meant to withstand the lava in the vicinity, wasn't suitable for water and turned into its undoing.
Meanwhile, Paul swam away, as the monster sank beneath the water. He was currently enjoying his buoyancy, which kept him above the water.
(Thank god, my strategy for that lizard worked on the ant)
Even with his rising stats, Paul was aware, that he would likely lose a physical confrontation. But was there a need for him to go toe to toe with these random monsters?
He wasn't a mindless animal and humans have hunted animals bigger then them for thousands of years, not thanks to their muscles but through their intellect.
Thus he formed a plan, for the Salamander to kill itself. He remembered his encounter with it and how it used the heated scales on its body to mark the ground, so he planned to bait it into the water.
While he had never seen it in person, he knew that when a piece of heated metal was rapidly cooled, it would crack. All he had to do, was make it jumped in the water.
(But this is a new problem. Ants live in colonies and if these monsters are same … Oh no, I don't even want to imagine a million more ants crawling around)