Six Wings and Lightning Steak
Dazzling morning sunlight poured through the transparent wind barrier.
"Cawww~"(Ow, slept great!) I stretched contentedly, rising from my fluffy bed of World Tree leaves. Maybe it was because I'd chomped down that entire serpent horn before bed last night, but my whole body felt refreshed, like I'd gotten a full electric massage at some old-school Korean clinic. The only minor annoyance? My back felt a bit heavier and stiffer than usual.
What the heck? Did sleeping on something too soft give me a crick in my back? I tilted my head and shrugged my shoulders a couple times. The muscles around my back felt unusually heavy and knotted, but it wasn't really painful or uncomfortable, so I brushed it off. First things first—my throat was parched. Overeating that chewy, salty horn last night had left me thirsty as hell right from the morning.
I waddled over to the massive puddle in the center of my nest. It was a lake-sized pool formed from the pure dew seeping from the World Tree.
"Caw."(Ugh, so thirsty. Water, water.) Just as I dipped my head toward the clear, still surface—
Instead of my face, some grotesque creature stared back from the mirror-like water.
"……?"
I froze mid-dip. Gazing up from the surface was a pitch-black monster bird. Sinister blue lightning crackled between its jet-black feathers, and sprouting below its massive original pair of wings were two additional pairs, sharp and ominous with energy. Three pairs in total. Six wings on a mid-teen fantasy novel final-boss, chuunibyou king-of-demons bird.
"C-Cawww?!"(Wh-who are you?! What mutant freak snuck into my house?!) I yelped in shock, flopping backward onto my butt.
How had such a horrific monster invaded my territory—my personal watering hole? My heart sank at the thought of an intruder in my supposedly soundproof, secure penthouse.
But then, something clicked. As I fell back, the terrifying demon bird in the water vanished from view.
"……Caw?"(Huh?)
I swallowed hard and cautiously peeked back at the surface. Peek. The demon bird peeked too. I tilted my head left; it did the same. I lifted my right wing; it flapped its massive right wing and the two smaller sub-wings beneath in sync.
"……."
I slowly turned to check my own back. There, atop my glossy black feathers, four new wings writhed cutely, blue thunder flowing through them.
It wasn't a crick in my back. I'd grown extra wings, bulking up the muscles.
"C-Cawgak?!"(No way... that's me?!)
Realizing the chuunibyou demon bird was me, I couldn't hold back my shock.
"Cawww! Cawgak!"(What?! Did that snake meat have hormones or something?! What kind of puberty hits overnight like this?! I'm not some irradiated mutant—six wings?!) I slapped the water in protest.
Even in my past life, I'd preferred plain hoodies over flashy clothes. Reincarnating as a crow with all-black fashion had suited me fine—unobtrusive. But six wings? With blue sparks? Anyone seeing this would think, "Boss mob detected—time to raid!"
"Caw, cawgak?"(Ah, ruins my silhouette. Wonder if I can still fly with this weight?) I grumbled, clambering awkwardly to my feet.
But the annoyance faded quick. More wings might not be all bad. Cars in my past life drove better with four-wheel drive than two, right? Six wings probably means insane speed and efficiency.
No one around to judge my style anyway—deep in the forest. Those tiny elves from yesterday's scout were won over by my meat handout and left with full bellies, no hostile neighbors.
"Caw!"(Eh, keeps me warm in winter. Like wearing multiple puffer jackets!)
What happened, happened—stressing was my loss. I bounced back to my infinite optimism.
"Caw."(Man, but I'm starving.)
Testing my new four-wheel-drive engine was urgent, but filling my growling stomach came first. I tsked at the nest corner: just the snake skull bones and scattered scales left after rationing.
Super nutritious, sure, lasted days—but not enough for my bottomless appetite.
The one downside to my penthouse: no food delivery.
No choice. I stood, slowly unfurling my wings. The new sub-wings rustled under the big ones, sparking pleasantly.
Thud! I kicked off the World Tree's thickest branch and launched into the sky.
Whoosh—!!
"Cawww—!!"(Whoaaa!! What is this?!)
Flying felt unreal. No tangled feathers or clashing lift from extra wings—just seamless synergy, like they'd always been there. The big front wings sliced air; sub-wings added thrust with blue static. Like swapping a prop plane's engine for a jet.
One flap, and I rocketed like a missile over the forest canopy. Speed wasn't all—turns were smoother, sharper. Right angles, dive-to-level flight? Effortless. Even past-life fighter jets couldn't match this.
"Cawwwgak!"(Grooo, four-wheel drive is the truth!) I whooped, trailing sparks, lost in the thrill of my upgraded ride.
Then, scouting for prey—
"Caw?"(Hm? What's that?)
Far off, boulder-like things rolled across a vast plain. On closer look: a herd of cows, each tree-trunk huge.
Whoa, do they feed these hormone pellets? Bigger than past-life moose. To me? Walking prime-grade beef.
"Cawww!"(Jackpot—lunch is 1++ steak!) Saliva pooled as I locked on.
This time, smart hunt—no reckless body-slam like the snake. Modern man style: tools for elegance.
I whipped up a wind barrier at home easy. Sharpening wind into blades? Piece of cake. Clean kill.
Hovering over the herd, I half-folded wings, diving while focusing wind mana like for the nest barrier.
Problem: new electric mana from the horn hadn't settled. Wind focus? Zappy interference.
Zzzzt—crackle!!
"Caw?"(Huh? Why's the static ramping up?)
Something off, but I brute-forced wings wide toward the herd, unleashing.
KrakaBOOM—!!
"C-Cawww?!"(What the—wind?!)
No cool breeze. Twisted mana fused with thunder into a massive lightning storm. Like hurling thunder spears from heaven.
Moooo—!! The herd panicked, bellowing.
My blast nailed the biggest cow's neck perfectly. Razor thunder-wind sheared bone clean—no resistance. Head rolled like a guillotine drop.
Simultaneously, searing thunder-mana enveloped the stump and body.
Sizzle, crackle—thud!!
The headless body collapsed. No blood—cauterized instantly by horrific heat, perfectly sealed.
The massive carcass steamed with savory aroma: thunder-mana medium-rare-no-more, fully grilled prime electric steak.
Crackle—zzzt!
"C-Caw?"(Whoa, intense!)
Surveying the scorched path: no gentle barrier wind. Pure world-ending bolt from my wingtip.
One flap decapitated a titan like nothing.
"Cawk, cawww?"(That horn's doing?)
Definite. Post-cookie-crunch-horn, changes piled: six wings, now mega-bolts beyond static.
What crow's a flying Pikachu? Why lightning?
Grumbled, but thrill and satisfaction bubbled. Past-life cars? More features like heated seats, better. Crow with taser upgrade? Nice.
"Caw!"(Performance rocks! Sample time?)
I folded wings gracefully, landing by the prone, neckless torso. Thud—heavier from wings.
Waddled up, beaked the cauterized neck cross-section.
Sniff sniff.
"Caw!!"(Kyaa—!! This smell!!)
Nose-tingling bliss. Not burnt—high-end sirloin fresh from the pan, Maillard magic wafting.
Crisp exterior locking juicy innards, thunder-grilled perfection. Drool tsunami; I pecked a bite.
Crunch.
"Cawww—!!"(Insane!! Truly insane!!)
Juices exploded; umami impossible from raw. Past-life job-hunt convenience slop dreams: prime Hanwoo, here.
Wild raw-eater bird tasting cooked cuisine? Indescribable joy. I bellowed skyward.
"Cawww—!!!"(Steak supreme—!!!)
Whoosh—zzzt!!
Pure joy cry, but transcendent vessel amplified. Mana resonated; blue static flared fiercely, crackling air.
I ignored it—prime electric steak awaited.
Crunch, squish. Gulp. Devoured whole cow, bones/skin only left.
Belly bloated, reason returned.
"Caw……."(Ah, full. But…….)
Regret hit. Sated, but phantom flavors lingered.
Flight fun, but back home craving this? Drool torture.
Rule of gluttony: stockpile goodies. Grab one more for snacks.
Eyed remaining herd: trembling under predator aura, no flight.
"Caw."(Raw this time.)
Cautiously spread wings, suppressing thunder-mana, pure wind focus.
Whoosh—!!
Tamped rampaging electricity; flung wind-barrier blast.
Splat—!! Moo—!!
No lightning. Six-wing compressed gale smashed one's skull—instant death.
Yes! Clean kill. Nodded satisfaction. Raw for nest; self-grill with wing-sparks later.
Clutched crushed carcass in talons. My size-up made it chicken-light for a human.
Thud! Launched for World Tree peak.
Snacks secured, thrilled by new wings, heading home.
Disaster-class crow happily packing beef, nest-bound.
Ignored forest beasts fleeing scorched plains from my thunder trail. Food-obsessed crow had no time for that.