The completely transparent bubble was pierced from within. The owl, finally awakening after a long slumber, struggled free of the membrane wrapped around it and slid to the ground. It shook off the sticky fluid clinging to its body, spread its wings, and stretched its body, which had grown a size larger.
Hoot, hoot, hoot...
It turned its head and hooted twice, still looking adorably foolish, as though it had merely taken a nap and had no idea what had changed about it.
Flapping its wings, it rose into the air and landed on Evan's outstretched arm as lightly as a feather. Apart from its somewhat oversized body, there was nothing unusual about its appearance.
Though the owl still looked like any other of its kind, its wingspan alone now exceeded two meters. It was hardly inferior even to a true eagle. If not for Evan's Extraordinary Constitution, he might not have been able to hold it up with one arm.
"So heavy!"
Though he grumbled, Evan's face was filled with delight. He did not need to inspect it to know that its insides had undergone earth-shaking changes. The second stage of the ritual had succeeded.
He closed his eyes.
The seabirds, now spanning half of the Saltwater Swamp, emitted invisible waves. After being automatically processed through the owl, the Base Station with first-priority directionality, they were transmitted into Evan's mind.
In an instant, Evan's viewpoint soared upward.
The eyes of every seabird became a high-resolution camera. More than a hundred perspectives, arranged at different heights, pieced together a vast and complete image. He could even zoom in and out like on a satellite map from his previous life, taking in everything across half of the Saltwater Swamp.
Under the setting sun, chewed-up leaves, a gray rabbit hidden behind mottled