Just another generic story from another world

"Great plan, Kai. Climb into the nest, save the chick, and become a hero. But thinking about how to get out later was too much for you, wasn't it?"

I slowly turned to the little feathered monster, which was staring at me with that mix of innocent and stupid look all chickens have—although, knowing this world, it was probably silently judging me. Does anything ever go right for me in either world?

"I hope you're happy. Because now we're both stuck here. Great... yay…"

I let myself slump against one of the rocks, my serpentine tail stretching out over the dusty ground. I glanced at the giant web, then at the chick. An idea, as absurd as it was desperate, crossed my mind.

"What if I use the chick as a grappling hook? Tie it up with some webbing, throw it out, and hope it catches on something…"

The chick, as if it could read my thoughts, chirped and squirmed a bit, fluffing up its feathers as it stared at me.

"Hey, calm down, don't get dramatic! It was just an idea."

The little monster kept looking at me, tilting its head as if it was genuinely questioning my sanity. I returned the gaze, squinting at it.

"What if I scream? Maybe some heart-of-gold monster will come to rescue us. Ha, right. The next thing I meet is more likely to invite me to dinner… as the main course."

Another sigh. The chick let out a small chirp, almost like it was laughing at me.

"You know what? Don't judge me. You're stuck here too, remember?"

I let my head gently bump against the rock behind me as I huffed.

"Think, Kai, think… There has to be a way out of here without making ourselves the laughingstock of the day."

Nothing came to mind. Absolutely nothing. My brain was a complete blank. Then it hit me—maybe if I freed the chick from the web, we could come up with something together. Assuming it was smarter than it looked.

"Hey, you… Can you understand what I'm saying?"

The chick stared at me with that cold, almost insulting expression, as if saying: After everything that's happened, you're asking me that now?

I get it wasn't the smartest question I could have asked, but did it really need to mock me with that disdainful look?

"Okay, perfect then. Do me a favor, alright? I'll get you out of there, and you help me figure a way out. And if you try to peck me or scratch me with those ugly claws, get ready to be poisoned and end up in my stomach. Got it? Good."

As I slowly approached, the chick made a move as if to stab me in the eye with its beak.

"You little devil, do you think you're in a position to joke around? I have no problem leaving you here to rot. If I find a way out…"

Right, that probably made it clear who's in charge, didn't it? A half-baked threat that I couldn't even deliver properly... Fantastic, nailed it.

Ignoring my verbal failure, I grabbed the chick with a bite—careful not to show my fangs, of course, since I didn't have a reason to eat it yet—and pulled with all my might. I barely made any progress, and the little idiot kept looking at me like it was questioning my intelligence.

It's not like I had other options. My fangs weren't made for cutting, and trying to use my scales would only get me tangled in the web. So, I glanced around, looking for inspiration. And there it was: the talons of the big bird.

The chick might not like me desecrating its mother's corpse, but what's the alternative—staying stuck here forever? Surely survival trumps sentimentality. So, I slithered over to the corpse, and... here came the new dilemma. How was I supposed to separate the talons from the rest of the leg? My pulling power was practically nonexistent.

"Why don't I ever think my plans through past the first step? A rock, I need a rock… Where the hell is a rock?"

Yes, I know I was surrounded by rocks, but they were either too big and heavy or ridiculously small. Or so I thought until I spotted it: the perfect rock. It was so ideal I even considered keeping it, just in case I needed it later.

I approached the corpse, raised myself to my full height, and dropped toward the leg. Right before impact, I spat the rock out, giving it a little extra momentum. It was that or risk smashing my face into the leg with the rock still in my mouth.

And what did all that accomplish? Nothing. The talons were absurdly hard. Great for using as material later, but for now, I just needed them as a makeshift knife to cut the web. First, I had to separate them from their current owner.

After repeating the process an endless number of times, I finally managed to break them free. Exhausted, but hey, mission accomplished. Wait... Why was I doing this again? Right, that stupid chick. If I'd just left when I had the chance… That bird better be useful somehow. It better be, because I'd eat anything right about now.

"Hey, dummy, I'm going to cut you loose. Stay still. If you move a single inch, there's a good chance the claw will end up in you, and I'll have to use you as food."

Judging by its look, my joke didn't land. But who cares? Surely it wasn't dumb enough to try clawing at me again… Or maybe it was. It seemed like it wasn't taking me seriously at all.

"Listen, you ungrateful little bastard! Are you that eager to die? Because I'm more than happy to eat you, idiot."

The brat just stared at me with a mocking glint in its eyes. Stupid bird... After regretting my decision to save it a few more times, I finally managed to cut it free from the web.

"There you go, you're free. Now help me help you escape."

The ungrateful little thing didn't even bother to look at me; it just waddled over to its mother's corpse and stared at it with a blank expression. I gave it a moment, because I'm not completely heartless. And then something happened that blew my mind.

The chick stopped being a ball of fluff… I mean, it didn't literally split open, but it stretched out, almost like one of those Gakuban transforming toys, unfolding its wings. Then it gave me a brief, unreadable look before flying off.

"Wait a second… What the hell?"

I stood there, jaw practically on the floor, watching the chick I'd just freed from the web transform into something completely different. It wasn't a chick anymore—not even close. Instead, it now had impressive wings I hadn't noticed before, fully extended and shimmering under the dim light filtering through the cracks in the rocks. The little monster had morphed into a miniature version of the massive corpse lying nearby.

And yet, after everything I'd done for it, the only thing it did was give me a fleeting glance before taking off.

I stood there, paralyzed for a few seconds, unable to fully grasp what had just happened. Had it even been trapped in the web? Was this the kind of creature that populated this godforsaken world? I had no clue, but one thing was clear—it wasn't going to stick around to say thanks.

"Of course, that's what happens when you try to help someone," I muttered, too drained to even bother yelling.

Not even in this world do I have the social skills to keep someone around… well, a bird. I'm doomed to be a mysterious, solitary snake. Wait, that doesn't sound bad at all. Actually, who needs company? Being alone is way better.

Then, after using the big bird's talons to cut through the web, another thought hit me: I could use its corpse as a platform to climb out. It was large enough to serve the purpose. Why hadn't I thought of this before? That stupid chick had clouded my judgment.

***

At least now I could resume my journey. It's a shame I couldn't keep the talons as a souvenir, but I didn't have anywhere to store them, and carrying them in my mouth sounded like a bad idea. I'd probably end up slicing open my own palate by accident.

The cave only had one viable exit aside from the way I'd entered the room. Not much of a choice... unless there was some hidden passage nearby.

But seriously? A hidden passage? Maybe I'd been reading too many adventure manga lately. It didn't seem worth searching for, so I ignored my own musings and slithered through the path on the wall, leaving behind the mess I'd caused.

After what felt like forever advancing through the path—hours, days, months? Okay, probably just hours—I was beyond sick of seeing the same two walls enclosing me. Sure, I've exaggerated time plenty of times before, but this time, it really did feel like I'd been crawling through this stupid corridor for an eternity without reaching any kind of destination.

At least it wasn't a straight path; I'm not sure what would've been worse. Either way, the monotony was unbearable.

"Finally! An exit! I'm finally leaving this goddamn corridor!"

What awaited me in the new part of the mountain wasn't exactly better than the endless tunnel. Right before my eyes, a battle was unfolding—one that, in my head, I'd describe as epic. Although, being honest, maybe I was exaggerating a bit.

At the center of the cave, the chick from earlier was fighting… a lizard? No, it was more like a salamander, except unnaturally large.

The creature's body was covered in bluish and dark tones, marked with natural patterns that perfectly blended with the environment. Its eyes, however, were a deep, hypnotic blue that instinctively made me look away. Maybe it was some kind of special ability, but I wasn't about to risk staring at it too long.

"Do its scales have those tones to help it camouflage in the cave?"

I coiled myself up near the entrance and watched the spectacle from a safe distance. I had absolutely no intention of helping that ungrateful, feathered devil again, but I had to admit that watching the fight was useful—it let me study the reptile.

"Oooh, I see… What a peculiar fighting style. Playing dirty, huh, little cheater?"

The salamander moved erratically, dodging the chick's dives with ease and using every opportunity to kick dirt into its eyes before counterattacking with precise strikes.

Every so often, when the chick stayed in the air too long, the salamander would use its tongue in a sweeping motion to force it back down or at least into a less advantageous position. That wasn't all, though.

The scaly creature also used its tongue as a grappling hook, latching onto the cave's stalactites and using the momentum to launch attacks from above. A couple of times, it even broke the stalactites with surprising accuracy or unleashed a strange blue smoke.

"What is that? Poison? A paralytic? Or maybe a sedative… Either way, if I were the chick, I wouldn't stick around in that smoke for long."

In contrast, the chick's fighting style was extremely simple, almost mediocre. All it did was fly up and dive, trying to stab the salamander with its beak. At this rate, it was going to lose the fight. Not that I cared. It's not like that bird had done much for me…

What has the chick done for me, anyway? Tried to blind me… three times! And not only did it not apologize, but it also didn't even thank me for freeing it from the web. It could've at least tried to help me get out in return.

So, if you think I'm about to play hero and save the chick, you're sorely mistaken, dear reader. Besides, what's in it for me? The little bastard would probably just take off again without saying a word—or worse, try to blind me again.

As the fight went on, I suddenly felt a gaze burning into me, almost piercing through my scales. Turning around, I saw the chicken staring at me with a look that couldn't have been clearer: it saw me as a tool, something to use once more.

At that moment, words just slipped out of my mouth.

"No! Absolutely not! No way I'm saving you again, you little demon!"

But it was already too late. The chicken had launched itself straight at me, almost like it wanted to embed itself in my scales. However, it only landed right in the middle of my coiled body and, suddenly, it turned into a feathery ball with a beak. That was the moment I seriously considered tightening the coil and suffocating it, but something interrupted my thoughts.

I felt an immense pressure on the tip of my tail, as if something was about to rip it clean off. It was the lizard, biting down with all its strength, and I wasn't about to let such an offense slide.

Granted, I wasn't exactly large, but compared to the chicken and this disrespectful lizard, I wasn't exactly tiny either. I'm sure I looked pretty intimidating next to them, so I couldn't quite understand what this foolish salamander was hoping to achieve.

Well, I figured it out a few seconds later. That blue smoke? It was a sedative. And, to my bad luck, a fast-acting one. I could feel my body faltering, and I didn't have much time before I'd lose consciousness.

"Alright, desperate times call for desperate measures. God, I hope this works, because this is going to hurt."

Without thinking too much about it, I bit into myself, injecting my own venom. The sharp sting was immediate, and I felt the poison coursing through me. I could only hope it would counteract the sedative… or at least mix in a way that my natural resistance could handle.

Yeah, I know it sounds stupid, and I should've thought it through. But there was no time for elaborate plans. As always, I had to rely on luck and bet everything on a last shred of hope.

After that, I closed my eyes and collapsed onto the ground. I felt the pressure from the lizard's jaws fade as it prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

For a moment, everything went silent… until I felt the shadow of the salamander closing in. Its mouth opened wide, ready to end me, and that's when I acted.

With a quick, treacherous motion, I sank my fangs into its side. The venom flowed forcefully as I shoved it away, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was too easy of an end for it.

The chaos didn't end there. Using the momentum of the shove, I whipped the chicken with my tail, turning it into a feathery projectile that buried itself in the lizard's eye. Moments later, the bird pushed further into its brain, delivering an instant kill.

The lizard's body hit the ground with a loud thud, and I stared at it from the floor, frustrated that I hadn't had the chance to make it suffer more.

"Damn it, you deserved so much worse for daring to touch me."

And how did I not fall asleep? Well, it seems my luck has officially evolved to light novel protagonist levels: everything that can go wrong does go wrong… unless my life is on the line. I guess I do have some plot armor after all. Although I honestly don't feel like putting it to the test.

"Well, let's get to the important part…"

***

After I finished eating, I noticed that the chicken was still there, watching me. Honestly, I had expected it to leave, just like last time.

"You're still here? Why haven't you flown off again? Wait... Don't tell me... Are you scared? Nah, I don't believe it. You're not smart enough to know what fear is."

At my comment, the chicken turned to look at me with eyes that, if it weren't a chicken, I'd have described as chilling. Its gaze was cold, calculating—almost as if it were plotting to do to my brain what it just did to the lizard's.

"Well, if you're going to stick around, good for you. I'm leaving."

I started to slither away, but it didn't take long to notice something strange. The chicken was following me. Every time I looked back, the smug little feathered bastard turned its head the other way, pretending it wasn't tailing me.

No way… This chicken... Is it a tsundere?

"Hey, if you want to come along, just say so. Though, now that I think about it, I doubt you can talk."

The chicken, ever the smug little devil, acted like it didn't care. But soon enough, it started to approach, slowly at first, before settling right on my head, clearly ready to peck me at any moment.

"Hey, what do you say I give you a name? Don't get me wrong; calling you 'chicken' all the time is bound to get annoying."

The chicken showed no reaction, but I knew deep down that its tsundere heart was overjoyed by the idea.

"I'll take your silence as a yes. How about... Pal?"

The chicken flinched for a moment and pecked my head several times, clearly hating the name. Exactly the reaction I was expecting.

"Decided then! Pal it is!"