Okay.
Okay okay okay.
So I'm a bunny now.
[Correction. Hor–]
Horned Rabbit! I get it.
My nose wouldn't stop twitching. Not on purpose either—it just kept wiggling like it had a mind of its own. My ears were even worse, swiveling around like giant, fuzzy satellite dishes trying to pick up alien channels. My legs felt like pogo sticks strapped to my hips, and don't even get me started on the fluffy ball of betrayal sticking out of my rear.
Apparently, I was now a horned rabbit. And if I wanted to go back to being human, I just had to defeat the demon lord.
This… this isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to a person, right?…Right!?
Uh, System, the demon lord wouldn't also happen to be an equally small and cute monster like me now, would he? Couldn't I just… hop on over and end all this fluffiness?
[No. The demon lord is a dark entity of immense power. To confront him in your current state would result in either instantaneous death or an eternity of torture at his hands.]
Riiight. Death or never-ending torment. Figures. Then how exactly am I supposed to stop him as a bunny—
[Hor–]
Don't you dare.
As a bunny, how am I supposed to stop him? These tiny little paws aren't exactly filling me with confidence. Unless you expect me to cute him to death—which, for the record, doesn't sound that bad—I'd really prefer going back to being a person.
[Agreed. In your current state, death is guaranteed. It is, however, possible for you to acquire the necessary strength to fulfill your mission.]
It is!? How!?
[Through me.]
[My function is to facilitate your growth and the completion of your quest. Should you make proper use of me, you can defeat the demon lord and return to your world.]
…Huh. Well, I'll be damned. I actually feel a little more confident after hearing that. Well, about as confident as a bunny sent to kill the devil could be…but a little more confident nonetheless.
So where do we start? Do I just go out into the wild, fight my way up the food chain?
[Incorrect. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the basic locomotion of your vessel before engaging in combat. Failure to move correctly will result in guaranteed–]
Death! I get it. We'll go with your idea instead, but you really need to stop using the D-word by the way. It scares me senseless.
[Noted. Guaranteed expiration.]
…
I shook my head. Movement first. A list of approved words later.
I bent my legs, ready for my first steps. Or hops. Whatever. Should be easy, right? Normal bunnies do it all the time, and I was still a man on the inside. A cinch.
…Wrong.
The moment I pushed off, my body shot forward in the most awkward arc imaginable.
Whoa—!
My front paws slammed down too early, my balance gave up, and—bam. Face, meet dirt.
OW—dammit!
[A recommendation. Allow your vessel's instincts to guide movement. Excess conscious control will hinder adaptation.]
So… stop thinking?
[Correct.]
…Not surprised.
Sure. When I was a kid, I didn't think about walking—I just did it. New body, same rules.
I crouched again, forcing myself not to overthink.
Okay. Here goes nothing.
Boing. Skid. Boing.
And—holy crap—I didn't faceplant. My body just… knew what to do. Instincts. My legs absorbed the landing, my ears flicked for balance, everything just flowed.
It was wild.
Hopping actually felt… good. Dynamic. Powerful. Every spring was like firing myself out of a cannon, and somehow I always landed clean.
...This is kind of awesome I thought, as I could feel myself getting increasingly excited.
I crouched low, ears twitching. What if I pushed harder this time? Really leaned into it?
Alright, legs… show me what you've got.
I coiled up, muscles tightening, then launched. The ground blurred past, air rushed in my ears—and I actually cleared twice the distance. I skidded on the landing but stuck it.
[New Skill Acquired: Minor Hop Lv.1]
…Wait. What?
System, what the hell was that!?
[A skill has been acquired. Skills can manifest when certain physical or mental conditions are met, or when actions are repeated until proficiency is achieved.]
…So I just… jumped harder, and got a skill for it?
[Correct.]
I blinked. Then grinned. So if I keep doing stuff like this… I can unlock more?
[That is a correct assumption.]
My gamer instincts tingled. The system really was running like an RPG—this must be a part of what it meant by helping me grow.
And then I remembered: I wasn't just any kind of bunny.
I raised a paw to my forehead. Yep—solid, sharp, protruding from the fur. A horn.
Oh-ho-ho, now we're talking.
I squared up to the nearest tree, lowered my head. Alright horn, your turn.
CRACK!
Pain exploded through my skull. Vision rattled, ears ringing, and I tumbled back.
Ghh—owww! Bad idea! Very bad idea!
Even as I clutched my head, the familiar flicker appeared in my vision.
[New Skill Acquired: Bash Lv.1]
Flat on my back, staring at the branches, I groaned. Well, System, what do you think of that? I thought smugly.
[An acceptable degree of mastery over your most basic functions. You will, however, require more advanced control if you are to survive the dangers of the Grandforest.]
…Survive, huh.
I finally stopped to look around.
Trees. Massive, towering, sunlight barely trickling through. Branches tangled overhead, shadows shifting with every gust of wind. The air was damp, heavy with moss and wet bark.
But the ground—Beneath my paws, half-buried under moss and weeds, was stone. Not random rocks—cut stone. Flat, arranged. A path.
And it wasn't just a path.
Old stone pillars jutted up along the sides, cracked and leaning, their carved surfaces faded with time. Some had already toppled, lying half-swallowed by grass and roots. Ahead, a massive arch still stood, vines crawling all over it, the forest slowly dragging it down but not yet breaking it.
It looked less like a road and more like a forgotten entrance into the forest — the kind no one had walked through in years.
"…Hey, System. Where even am I?"
[You are in the Grandforest. Located at the perimeter region of the Western Frontier.]
Frontier?
[A borderland separating the major kingdoms on the continent of Elgado. Unsettled territory. High monster density. Low population density.]
I dragged a paw down my muzzle. Still not used to the terminology. "…Of course it is," I muttered inwardly.
[The Grandforests proximity to the Kingdom of Valiant makes its outer edges somewhat tamed by trade routes and borderland villages.]
This wouldn't happen to be Dumbledore's idea of a tutorial area, would it?
[Correct.]
I sighed. Guess the old man did have some kind of plan. Almost makes me not want to wish him into a cockroach. Almost.
So this road—probably some abandoned trade route from when people used to come through here—was basically my starting point. Which meant…
…All the monsters here should be around my level, right?
[Incorrect.]
…Excuse me?
[While the dangers are typically low to moderate in this region of the Grandforest known as The Green. Several monsters in this area significantly outlevel you.]
Before I could process that, the world tilted. My vision blurred. I toppled into the dirt, ears flopping.
…What the hell? System, what's happening? Am I dying already!?
[You are hungry. Physical exertion has depleted your energy reserves. Nutrient intake required.]
…I'm just hungry?
[Yes.]
As if on cue, my stomach let out a wet growl that echoed in my floppy ears. It didn't even sound human—it sounded feral.
Oh god, that came from me!?
[Yes.]
I swallowed nervously. Alright then… what exactly does a horned rabbit eat?
[As a monster horned rabbits are carnivores. They primarily eat small prey monsters such as the common rat.]
…Run that by me again?
[Rat.]
…Nope. Absolutely not. I am not eating a rat. Raw. That's disgusting. That's—
Drool dribbled down my chin.
I gagged. Oh no. Oh no. This body actually wants it, I realized with dread.
Another growl, louder, doubled me over. My legs trembled with anticipation, like they were already coiled for a chase.
This is so creepy. My brain and my body are on totally different teams.
[A recommendation: hunt target prey immediately. Delay will result in weakness and eventual vessel collapse.]
…Translation: I starve if I don't eat a rat.
[Correct.]
I shut my eyes, ears drooping. "I hate this world. I hate the old man. I hate egg salad. I hate everything," I grumbled to myself.
My stomach growled again, sharper this time.
…Fine! Rat it is.
I glanced down the road. One way looked clearer, probably leading toward some settlement. The other sank deeper into the Grandforest.
For a second, I considered following the road—maybe there'd be a village, food, even a bed. But something told me to hold off on human contact. At least for now.
So I turned into the trees instead, trusting my instincts. My first adventure was about to begin.
…To eat a raw rat.
Ew. Ew. Ew.