Murai found the situation with The Tasks intriguing enough, but the core of their issue still pissed him off. Some motivation was also there since thinking of it differently didn't make much sense to him at the moment. Being overly zealous for his own sake was his usual style, but the context was important along with a way that would make his living better or worse ~ or both.

That meant that a change in attitude was due, like in many other lives where he hit a wall - emotional, literal, or one that made him regret his life's choices. Maybe he will even find some form of enjoyment and adventure in this situation, albeit he was still in the middle of the deadly situation, which only changed by Water-Breathing for the time being. With the new abilities and rather unique circumstances, he realized his chances and what he should be doing.

It was clearly a situation where some gods were directly involved in the running of this world, and they were using The Task and Blessed as key figures for their desires. Murai knew it and found it unsurprising, so getting to know about this world seems to be the first step to working around The Tasks. Battleworld and many more things will be needed before he will even consider some lofty thoughts.

First, some things had to turn upside down in his head and adjust too. He was far from being even remotely strong, or ready to think like a previous egocentric maniac.

Centralis Kingdom... Tool of the Gods, I presume? Chessboard... I was never good at chess, but when it comes to plotting or causing a mess, I fear my curse will make you regret your god's choices. This duck will overrule your puny force, but first, I need to get the fuck out of this stale and silent place.

Murai decided, forcing his physicality to move his body as much as he could. Flexing, and feeling it, he wriggled himself around ~ or tried to do so.

Crackling his bones in the process hurt a lot, but it was much better than feeling helpless. The pain seemed to also return, so his Will didn't turn to complete indifference to everything, but it seemed the Robust Spirit was behind the previous serenity. Murai found his physicality lacking, however. His functions went to less than 10 or so percent of his normal use while a lot of things in his body were broken still, even with the pretext of the previous boost.

It wasn't a lot... since less than a little of something was a smaller amount of very little.

As for what was in the best condition, it was his beak. The second was the Beast Core, which was slightly more flaring up with mana after almost undergoing cracklings and ceasing to exist from Razmund's beatings. Blood was rushing throughout Murai's body thanks to the heart that underwent second wind. It was faster than before, which meant that the blood was moving even with the lungs being flooded.

Murai didn't question the common sense for now, since he wasn't one to do that. As a duck, some things simply didn't make sense.

The bones of his wings and legs were still useless since cracked bones of such importance wouldn't heal in hours or even days in this sort of situation. However, Murai was realizing that his body was turning better, but it may be temporary because Water-Breathing was providing him with temporary power.

That was the breathing, which enabled his body to rejoice in a couple of minutes after spending who knows how long at the bottom of this well, growing in despair.

Although, there was one thing that Murai kept ignoring. The fact that Battleworld saved his life.

Alright... Let's get this straight. The body is stabilizing, and the use of the Bloodrush needs to be done carefully since it is the main key to my survival. Murai deducted amidst his struggle to move his body.

I don't care about the loss of Vitality, but I don't know how powerful this Bloodrush will be. Will it be enough to get me all the way out of his well? It's a long way ahead and I can't use the previous road that led to those fucking lizards... This wing of mine is their cause but...

Murai found his body in terrible condition to consider getting up the well.

Hmm? Feeling my injuries, even 5 minutes may not be enough to get up. It is more of a 10-minute journey up, and that's me, being generous since my beak and neck feel a bit better, but everything else is bad. My wings are useless and so are my legs that that lunatic twisted for no reason at all. The wound on my left wing is still open, but the blood isn't flowing as fast as before. My neck? Passable and so is my beak.

Murai started to push his neck and beak against the mud, preparing himself in the hope of travel. He had the limit of his Water-Breathing, so one way or another, he had to get out before it will run out in an hour or so.

Bloodrush was like a perfect choice for his situation and it came at the perfect time. Bloodrush should be the stimulant that would allow him to work well since it was the Grade SS Ability from the lineage of the Anatidae. Murai thought it should be incredible since double S should be good, right? He couldn't help but think this way since he remembered how Lisa explained the Grades in her brief outlook.

It was his hunch to trust it, stemming from the feeling of his ability and being played by the gods numerous times. Alas, this hunch was something Murai had to forget. He had one big trouble ahead, and he had no time to be wasteful over insignificant problems that didn't need solving.

Keeping his senses as sharp as possible, he was trying to get the feel of what he could do and not. His beak and neck pushed through the mud at the bottom of this well, causing his muscles to scream and move after a good while. They were regenerating, albeit slowly. Torn ones weren't good, but movable through the pain. Others were fine, but some things couldn't be regained.

One wing shattered the other cut. As for my feet, how to solve them? I can't. That freaking Razmund or how his name was, grasped them with his fingers, and twisted them in a simple motion, breaking the main bone, but not the fingers. Well, it didn't matter if he would twist even the fingers. I can't use them either way, so it is too bad for me. Murai deducted, and in the following minutes, began to twist up his neck, moving with his beak towards one side of the well.

It hurt, and he scowled so badly, that he wasn't sure if he should be glad over this Water-Breathing, or curse at it instead. This was his try since he was still alive. In fact, he felt good through the pain, since it was his living that was going through his veins and nerves. His body was reconnecting itself through this pain, but bones were bones ~ an impossible thing to repair on a whim or get powerful feelings into them.

Pushing his beak to the ground, he powered it with his bare physicality, lifting himself up. It went well, albeit with a straining effort on his spine. The lower gravity, and being underwater meant relative easiness of his movement, which was an important discovery.

As he lifted his head above the ground, he noticed something as he viewed the other side of the well, there was a hole he used to get to the surface. There was also something else, other than that hole. It was a bloodied head of a woman.

Severed head barely a few tens of centimeters away from his limp body and it was looking right at him.

It was a face with a smile, the deadly paleness and empty eyes of Velga, who tried to get him earlier. Murai wasn't all that surprised by this since he watched everything that went with her. It was an interesting topic, but she died regardless of her efforts, meeting her demise instead.

Served her right, Murai initially thought, but now, he felt conflicting feelings. Whatever her master wanted from him, or what kind of future he predicted were the things Murai didn't know. Razmund, nor this woman told a lot, but Murai felt his soul read. Something was amiss with them, not talking about it.

In fact, Razmund straight up ordered to kill Velga, which was brutal, but a well-understood way of getting rid of any problems. Murai knew how things like that worked, as he did similar stuff like that before.

So he looked at Velga in a rather calm manner.

Well, you are you, and 2 years and the rest of your life went to waste. How fitting. It was too bad to want to eat more than you can chew, woman. He mumbled in his head. Whether she was a good person that could strike the heavens, or not, when one was headless, one would be dead. That was it. A finish of one's life unless one would... be unique, which she wasn't. It was simple since she was a pure human, and not a demon, or some kind of devilish creature that would be able to resurrect above some threshold of power.

Murai put himself back on the ground and adjusted his head to face forward. Feeling the strength within his neck to be passable, he decided on what to do next. Was this enough for Beak's Peak? He doubted that, feeling his mana would jolt his body to further injuries if he would try to strike something with his beak.

The aftereffects of the Beak's Fury would be too much for his current body, let alone the Peak which should be much stronger. There was always a shockwave that traveled throughout his skull when he used Fury on a harder surface. It would shake his head, and travel through his spine where it would dissipate in his Beast Core. It was an ability that had some fundamental elements over his body, lineage, mana, and Anatidae in itself. A powerful one indeed, albeit a beginner one.

Alright. The first step out of many is done. I need to wait at least 20 minutes to get this neck and beak to be much more usable. Healing... regenerating thanks for my heart, and the little Vitality I have. He thought, figuring this should be the best idea to do.

Murai had one issue. Using his mana will eventually be possible, but he needed more time for any kind of Shaping. Mana, and the use of his Beak's Fury, which he couldn't use right now, would increase his chances. He was long out of his comfort zone, but managing this idea was all he could muster.

I was on the brink of death... It was the same with my soul space which shook under the impact of the dead. When I think about it, isn't this a bit unfair for Lisa? She went back to the soul space in hopes I would solve the situation, but I didn't do shit. Nah, I fucked it much more. Maybe I will apologize to her after I will get out of this hurdle of a situation. He considered as he rested.

Nah. I won't. It was good she was gone. Well, she had some limitations as a soul form, which she never mentioned, but I am not stupid. I will ask her about it later. I don't think soul forms like hers would be something those lunatics would consider to be normal anyway.

It is a classic picture of prejudice and what humans do in every damned world. Of course, it would be like that in a world ruled by Gods in a steadier manner. Lisa also mentioned the Centralis Kingdom before. Humans, who are Blessed with a superiority complex? I am curious about what is more powerful. That, or a duck with a superior complex?

Heheheh! Murai giggled, letting some bubbles through his nostrils on top of his beak.

Anyway, it is time for the 1st option. Use my beak and gradually pick myself up against the stone walls of this well. 2nd, wait for my mana, in hopes to regain something over my Shaping. I don't feel the shaping will be stable for a long while, let alone an hour. Diving Sphere seems like a good pick, but it's also questionable since it needs oxygen for its use. My body has nothing much, but internal Water-Breathing so I doubt it would work together. IT wouldn't in my guess since those two abilities seem different from one another. The 3rd choice of the Bloodrush is something I will have to use when it will be right. Time is ticking fast. The choice is obvious. Murai talked to himself, conversing with the only matter of some logic in his mind at the moment.

He came to a simple yet decisive conclusion, so he moved according to it.

Picking himself up with his beak, Murai used his strained, yet movable neck, pushing and propelling himself slowly toward the wall. It took him some effort, but after the last glance at the Velga's head, he continued without regrets. She may rest in peace, but she will rot here for the far future.

Facing the wall in a minute, Murai pinched it with his beak a couple of times, letting some dust, and pebbles fell from the empty spaces between the stone structure that made this well. It wasn't the kind of well, made of a simple hole in the ground. It was man-made, albeit rather poorly.

Stones were layered on top of each other all the way to the lengths that Murai could see. it went all the way from the bottom and ended beyond the surface. It was hard to tell what was closer to the surface since it was rather dark at the moment. Murai didn't need to see the surface since it wouldn't disappear.

The wall should be the same.

This was a piece of good news in an otherwise, terrible situation. Murai shoved his beak into the empty space between the stones, wriggling it around, to see how sturdy it would be. While doing so, he could use his neck to proper himself up, before using his beak as a prime method of catching himself from falling down.

Good. This is usable to climb, but it's so clumsy... I am almost laughing. Heh! It is the same as everything with this body! Murai though. The pressure of the water is another advantage, allowing me to use my beak better even when I am not fast. I don't need my legs to do anything, but wings would help a lot with the balance but neither is usable.

Like this, Murai used his neck and beak, using some force and flexibility of his neck like a catapult. Clutching his teeth, he swung himself up by using his flexible neck, and the motion of his beak.

He traveled little each time since it was a terrible method, to begin with, but one he had no choice but to use. He ended up could a dozen centimeters above the bottom of the well, shoving his beak to another spot between the rocks so he wouldn't fall right back down but fell down anyway.

Power is low, and I am not floating how I would like. My feathers don't do the usual stuff... The rest of my useless body is a dead weight. Maybe because of all this blood, filth, and dirt” Murai asked himself but rather than feeling anger, he steadied himself by his beak and used his beak once more.

He shoved himself beyond. He flew the same distance as the last time, and he shoved his beak to the stones well enough. Murai had to be careful not to use too much force since he could push himself away from the wall instead.

C-careful.. shit. This is harder than I thought but usable.

Murai clutched his beak open, using it to leave him in place. This was the only choice in his repertoire of solutions. It wasn't the best, but he had to be careful with the time while the Bloodrush will wait after he will be more accustomed to this climbing.