Ugh… my back.
I lay sprawled in the grass, dust clinging to my fur, panting like I'd just run a marathon. My legs were jelly, my horn ached, and there were enough leaves stuck in my fur to make me pass for a bush.
Not exactly the glorious image of a hunter, huh?
…System, please tell me that did something?
[That would be incorrect. I suggest you try again to achieve your desired results.]
I groaned, ears flattening. Right. Again. Ugh.
*
*
*
The day had started normally enough. Well, about as normal as a day in my new life as a rabbit monster was ever going to get.
Tidied my burrow, check. Groomed my fur with excessive licking, check. Finished off half a cold rat carcass for breakfast, check.
I paused.
Had myself a good cry because apparently these are all things I have to do now… double check.
I clapped my paws together. Right. All set.
The plan today was simple: training. I'd already made my investments last night—pumped up my stats, bought a shiny new skill—but I hadn't tested any of it yet. And after yesterday's mess at the clearing—the boarlet, the stag, the rats, that clicking from the shadows—going back half-baked was basically begging to get turned into woodland sushi.
This time, I needed to be ready.
First things first: test the skills that leveled up during my rat duel. The System swore they got stronger with use, but I needed to see the difference for myself.
I crouched low, ears flattening back as I focused on [Minor Hop Lv.2].
[Minor Hop]
The moment I called on it, something shifted in my muscles. Like a spring winding tighter, energy coiling into my legs. Instinctively, I felt the range—it stretched farther now, just a little, but enough to notice.
Alright. Let's try this.
I bent my legs and launched. The difference was immediate. I cleared more ground, air rushing past my whiskers before I touched down. My paws smacked earth, but instead of rattling pain shooting up my bones, the landing rolled through me somewhat smoother, easier, like my body had learned how to cushion itself.
Okay, okay… that's new. Definitely better.
Next up: [Bash Lv.2].
I squared up against a nearby tree, lowering my head. Just like before, there was that weird instinctual awareness—the weight in my stance, the angle of my horn, the pressure gathering in my shoulders. All of it lining up into a clear picture of what the move could do.
Let's see if it delivers.
[Bash]
THUNK!
Bark split, a shallow crack spidering across the trunk. The sting shot through my skull, but muted now, dulled to something bearable. I staggered back a step, rubbing my forehead with a paw.
Ow. Still hurts… but way more effective.
I flexed my legs, still buzzing from the clean landing, and rubbed at the faint ache in my forehead. Both [Minor Hop] and [Bash] had definitely leveled up, no doubt about it. The movements felt sharper, more precise, like my body was finally cooperating with me instead of fighting back.
And it wasn't just the skills. The point I'd spent on Endurance was pulling its weight. My legs coiled harder, released cleaner, carried me farther. My body absorbed impact without screaming in protest. Even the horn bash—while still painful—felt steadier, like I could keep doing it without knocking myself unconscious.
It was subtle, but all of it stacked together. Stats and skills feeding into each other, turning a clumsy rabbit into something faster, sturdier, and just a little more dangerous.
For the first time, I felt it. Real progress.
Time for the last piece: [Appraisal].
It was time to check out the skill that would tie everything together. The first test was the dead rat from yesterday.
…Alright, let's see what you've got.
[Appraisal].
My vision flickered. A sharp tingle spiked behind my eyes, like my brain had just snapped a lens into place. Lines of text shimmered into view across the rat's mangled body.
[Species: Scavenger Rat (Dead) | Level: 1]
...It worked. It actually worked!
My ears perked, heart thumping. I could see its stats. Not a hunch, not instinct—actual, written data fed straight into my mind.
Perfect. Except…
I stared at the bland little screen, excitement dying down. That's it? Seriously? Not exactly a treasure trove of information.
I thought back to [Minor Hop] and [Bash]. They started weak too, but sharpened the more I used them. Maybe [Appraisal] followed the same rules.
So I pushed it. Again. And again.
[Appraisal]. [Appraisal]. [Appraisal].
Until a headache built behind my eyes, throbbing like I'd crammed for an exam I never studied for—
[Skill: Appraisal → Lv.2]
I blinked. Then quickly tried again.
[Species: Scavenger Rat (Dead) | Level: 1 | HP: 0 | MP: - | Stats: Vit – F- | Str – F- | End – F- | Agi – F | Int – F+ | Luck – F-]
I blinked. Then grinned.
Ohhh. Now we're talking.
This was it. Not just guesswork, not just instincts. Information. If I could see what monsters were made of—how tough they were, how fast, what they leaned on—I could craft a plan around it. Hit where they were weak, hop where they were strong. Turn scraps of data into survival, survival into advantage.
This wasn't just any skill. It was how I leveraged my real edge. My mind.
[Attribute Raised.]
[Attribute: Wisdom → F]
W-Wha…? I blinked, ears flicking. Wait. What the hell was that?
[Attributes may increase naturally through repeated strain and exertion. Attribute growth is not limited to allocated points.]
I squinted at the message, still catching my breath. So I just… gained some insight into myself, understood the way things work a little better, and Wisdom went up?
[Correct.]
…Huh.
That… made sense, actually. Levels and attribute points weren't the source of growth—they were just the System's packaging. A neat, gamey way to help me along. But the stats themselves? Those were real. My body, my stamina, my mind.
Which meant normal monsters didn't get this shortcut. They had to raise stats the hard way. A little guilt pricked at me.
Then I wiggled my paws. Flicked an ear.
Right. I was a freakin' bunny.
Guilt: evaporated.
My original plan had been simple: grind, grind, grind my skills before heading into the clearing. But now? Now I knew better.
Maybe I could grind both at once. Raise my skills and the stats that fueled them. Two birds, one System.
My gamer instincts began kicking in. This was going to be fun.
*
*
*
Uff—! …Okay. Definitely not fun.
Turns out mashing a button on a controller to level up was a lot easier than mashing your head against a tree. Who would've guessed.
I sat in the grass, chest heaving, horn sore, head pounding but—smiling.
[Status]
Species: Lesser Horned Rabbit
Level: 2/10
HP: 35 | MP: –
Stats: Vit – F | Str – F+ | End – E- | Agi – E | Int – C- | Wis – E- | Lck – E
Skills: [Bash Lv.5], [Minor Hop Lv.5], [Appraisal Lv.3], [Burrow Lv.1]
Titles: [Guardian]
Hop after hop, bash after bash, appraisal after appraisal. I'd pushed myself as far as I could. Now, [Minor Hop] and [Bash] were sitting at Lv.5, and [Appraisal] had crawled up to Lv.3.
Past that? Nothing. They'd hit their limits in practice. If I wanted more, I'd need to earn it the hard way—out there.
Oh—and I got some even better news.
After all that hopping and head-smashing, guess whose stats went up?
[Attribute: Vitality → F]
[Attribute: Strength → F+]
That's right. Your boy went from extremely squishy to, you guessed it, really squishy.
Progress! …I think I'll still stick to not getting hit, though.
I dragged a paw across my face, ears twitching as I stared down the path to clearing. If this was my old life, if this were the old me, I would've stayed safe. Hidden. Let the world pass me by.
But now? My heart was pounding for something else entirely.
Alright, I thought. No more practice. I've got my tools. I've got my plan.
My ears tilted forward and I felt my pulse quicken.
Now… It's time to hunt.