Boom!
Another fireball crashed into the barrier, unable to leave a mark once more.
The young Salamander realized at this point, that its easy meal had now become an arduous and tedious fight against a strange barrier. Without a way to break through, it wasn't worth the energy it was wasting.
The Salamander begrudgingly backed away, but not before rolling on the ground. Its heated scales left behind an imprint on the ground, marking the nests location.
Paul watched everything it did carefully, the sound of his rapid heartbeat stuck in his ear, knowing that this was going to be a future problem. He would soon have to leave the safety he currently relied upon and next time would be even more dangerous.
He went out to search for food and found trouble instead. His right wing had now practically become useless and the rumbling in his stomach had turned painful.
Thankfully he was unable to speak or else he would be cursing up a storm, that would make a sailor blush. Not even one hour after his rebirth and the situation was looking worse by the second. He needed to find food as soon as possible if he wanted to make it to through the day. A solution was required but none came to mind. His entire being was slowing down to conserve energy.
As Paul laid in his nest, his body refusing to move even a little bit, his mouth started salivating for some reason. Somehow the moss in his nest appeared incredibly appetizing and he instinctively took a bite, his bird body acting on its own before his human mind comprehended what just happened.
(Hmm, that's good)
Chomp! Chomp!
After a few more bites he felt the pain subsiding and relaxed, while he continued chewing. Soon enough his tiny belly was filled and he relished the feeling of being full. A piece of half eaten moss still hanging from his beak, when the realization hit him.
(Wait, what was what? I had food here all along?)
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
Once he finished cursing up another storm, he finally put the pieces together.
(Obviously, I had everything here. Since Celeste sent me here as a baby, she made sure I had the minimum necessities to survive)
He felt grateful for the consideration and he felt stupid for putting himself in danger, but most of all he was getting tired of the emotional rollercoaster that had been his second life so far.
(From now on I'll have to be smarter, so I don't make a mistake like this again)
Just then he noticed a tingling sensation from his wing, as smoke rose from the point where it had been ripped off.
(What is it now?)
He had an urge to to scratch the now itchy wing but at the same time he was grossed out by the idea of touching an open wound. In the end he simply watched on, enduring the itch, wondering what was going on. A few minutes later the smoke stopped and his wing had fully regenerated.
(Wow, that's amazing, but how is this possible? … Oh yeah, didn't Celeste say something about skills? Let's try this out right now! Come forth, waves of darkness!)
Paul struck a brilliant pose, his wings stretched high in the air, as he awaited the effects of his incredible skills. But nothing happened, while he stood in place.
(How do I use skills? Or rather what skills do I even have?)
Once he started thinking about it, he didn't really know anything about this world or it's supposed magic. The more he contemplated his current situation the more questions pop into his head.
(No use pondering questions, if there's no way to answer them. So let's just ask the source)
He took a deep breath and tried to scream.
Skriiieee! Skriiieee! Skriiieee!
(Hey, Celeste can you hear me?)
~Silence~
Paul stood in place and awaited some kind of response, but received no response.
(Maybe she didn't hear me?)
Several attempts later nothing had changed, other than him becoming irritated.
Skriiieee! Skriiieee!
(Why won't you answer already? Didn't you send me here for a purpose?)
Disheartened by the events, he laid on the ground. He had nearly died already and now that he had found something to cling to, he was left disappointed.
He felt like giving up, not knowing how to proceed from here on, so he mentally retreated to a happier place. He found solace in the memory of the success he had a couple years ago and while it seemed like a distant memory to him now, it was a moment he cherished quite dearly.
Back then he visited a game convention, in an effort to lift his mood from the troubles he was experiencing in the company after the Christmas party with Charlotte.
In one of the halls there, he came across a fighting game tournament about to take place. The game in question was one he enjoyed a lot and thus drew his attention, so when he heard a call for an audience member to participate he volunteered on a whim. One of the participants had canceled at the last second, which allowed him the chance to partake in that slot.
After he surprisingly won his first match, he even got a little carried away. That however didn't last long, as he went up against the next player and was brutally slaughtered in one combo.
In the end he got some redemption and managed to place 3rd in that tournament. To Paul, that result was quite enough. It was quite unexpected to begin with and so he was satisfied with it. But when he stood on stage and the applause rained down on him endlessly, he felt something change within him. The recognition he got that day, felt like a miracle medicine healing his ailing soul. That day cemented itself into his mind, becoming an unforgettable memory. He had craved that feeling ever since. The many times he had thought back to that moment in the last few years, were so numerous that he lost count.
Incidentally, that convention was also the place where he heard about a certain gacha game for the first time.
(Oh, yeah, that reminds me)
While reminiscing, Paul remember the last character pull he had gotten in his life. It was the goddess Celeste.
(Wasn't there a character description as well?)
An idea lit up in his head, as he recalled her character description word by word. With nothing to lose, he decided to give it a go.
Skriiieee! Skriiieee! Skriiieee! Skriiieee! Skriiieee! Skriiieee!
(Oh supreme goddess Celeste, please grace this poor soul with your mercy and guidence)
[System notification]
[Goddess Celeste has sent you the gift {Beginners guide}]
Skriiieee! Skriiieee! Skriiieee!
(Oh, now you listen, you god damn woman)