Developing Superpowers in Another World

Chapter 1 – The Chicken Spirit Appears

 

After sending out thirteen resumes with no responses, Tu Ran gave up on herself.

Mid-morning, having stayed up all night binge-watching TV shows, she ordered takeout and opened a can of beer. This marked the beginning of her descent.

After drinking three cans, she sprawled out on the carpet.

Reflecting on her recent dissolute lifestyle, she felt a pang of guilt.

“Oh heavens, grant me a job!”

She roared in frustration, and two seconds later, feeling foolish for her outburst, she kicked an empty can, rolled over, and fell asleep on the fluffy carpet.

Half asleep, she saw a bird’s beak just two centimeters from her face, gray-white, long and thin, curving sharply downward.

Tu Ran thought of fried chicken.

“I should order some fried chicken… lunch will be… fried chicken…”

She mumbled this absent-mindedly, turned her back on what she had seen, and continued to sleep.

The soft carpet was slightly uncomfortable, but she managed to fall into a dream.

In the dream.

“Scratch… tear… rip…”

It was too noisy.

She couldn’t sleep well.

Her stomach felt a bit chilly.

That shouldn’t be.

Tu Ran thought groggily, her home had heating, and she was still in her pajamas.

Her eyelids felt heavy, but she managed to open them a sliver to see what was going on.

The sight made her break out in a cold sweat.

An oversized chicken head was bent down, pecking at her belly with focus. A strip of cloth hung from its hook-like beak, and as it turned its head, the cloth flew in an arc and landed on her face.

Tu Ran’s mind snapped awake.

The temperature on her skin told her that her belly was now exposed, and the next strike of the chicken spirit would definitely land there.

Through the gaps in the cloth, she saw the chicken spirit’s long, sharp beak, like a bamboo skewer, slightly raised as its neck formed a natural arc.

It was making the final preparations to gut its prey.

Without any hesitation, Tu Ran instinctively rolled away.

Dust kicked up behind her, accompanied by a sound like a nail being driven into the ground.

She had narrowly avoided being skewered like a candied hawthorn.

Her agility surprised even herself.

The frail body that had barely passed physical tests during her five years of university had become light and powerful.

Tu Ran didn’t bother looking back. She quickly got to her feet and ran forward.

As she ran, she dug her nails into her palms.

“Tu Ran! Wake up!”

“If you don’t wake up, you’re going to be eaten!”

“Wake up!”

Despite thinking she was running fast, she underestimated the chicken spirit’s speed.

Suddenly, a fierce wind roared, and a sharp, eerie cry like a baby’s wail sounded from behind, making her ears hurt.

Tu Ran felt a chill run down her spine. She instinctively knew this sound came from the monster bird behind her, and what made her hair stand on end was that it was getting closer.

Looking ahead, she saw nothing but a nearly vertical, barren mountain peak, with no other cover.

She had nowhere to run.

With a whoosh, the monster bird flew over her head, casting a shadow over her entire body, and then landed in front of her, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Tu Ran skidded to a halt, swallowed hard, and cautiously stepped back.

If this was a dream, it was far too real.

The creature before her was not merely an oversized chicken spirit standing two people tall.

Its appearance resembled more of a falcon, with glossy black wings and a powerful, wild body. Unlike a falcon, however, it had long, blade-like horns sprouting from its head, reminiscent of a rhino’s.

She had never had such a vivid dream before.

As Tu Ran scrutinized it, the creature tilted its head and scrutinized her in return.

It seemed puzzled as to why its supposedly lifeless lunch had suddenly stood up and managed to escape its grasp.

Their gazes met for only a fraction of a second, and then Tu Ran turned and ran.