Ten rats.
Ten.
Drooling, squealing, red-eyed nightmares bursting out of the grass, straight at me.
My ears went flat.
…Seriously? All at once?
The pack crept forward, claws raking lines through the dirt. A wall of red eyes and teeth closing in. Great. Just great.
No time to think.
[Minor Hop]
I shot back in an arc, their claws snapping shut on empty air.
They regrouped with a chorus of shrieks. The stink of wet fur and bloodlust in the air. My whiskers twitched, every nerve screaming.
No. I needed info. Fast.
[Appraisal] [Appraisal] [Appraisal]
[Skill: Appraisal Lv.4 → Lv.6]
The screens blinked one after another, scavenger rat after scavenger rat. Nearly all the same.
[Status]
Species: Scavenger Rat
Level: 1/10
HP: 10 | MP: –
Stats: Vit – F- | Str – F- | End – F- | Agi – E- | Int – F+ | Wis – F- | Lck – F
Skills: [Scurry Lv.1], [Gnaw Lv.1]
I blinked. Really? Not one past level two. Their stats were on par for a bunch of rats.
A shaky laugh slipped out.
So I'm stronger… okay. Good. Great. Stronger is good.
Then I looked up again. Ten sets of red eyes gleamed back at me, teeth bared. Stronger, sure—but swarmed? My fur prickled all over.
…Yeah. Still terrifying.
They screeched, claws digging trenches in the dirt, and rushed again.
One lunged.
[Hop Step]
My legs coiled—then snapped like springs. FWIP! The world blurred sideways, my horn grazing the rat's ear as I streaked past.
It yelped and spun—already too late.
I skidded, claws digging for balance. That… that wasn't a normal hop. Too low. Too sharp. My whole body had whipped like a slingshot.
…Whoa. That's not a dodge. That's a dash.
Another came snapping from the side.
[Hop Step]
My legs detonated again, launching me around its jaws in a whip-fast arc. My chest hammered, my legs burned, but—yes. I wasn't just escaping. I'd cut right past its blind spot before it even knew where I was.
More than dodging. Repositioning.
My whiskers twitched. A shaky grin slipped out.
Okay, okay… I can work with this.
One rat lagged behind the others. Easy prey.
[Minor Hop]
I vaulted over its head, twisted—
[Bash]
[Critical Hit]
CRUNCH! My horn drove into its spine. The rat shrieked once and dropped limp.
[Skill: Bash → Lv.8]
[EXP Gained.]
One down. Nine to go.
They shrieked louder, rushing me again. My pulse spiked. Too close—
[Hop Step]
I zipped behind one on instinct. It whipped around, confused—perfect.
[Bash]
[Critical Hit]
CRACK! Its neck folded sideways.
[EXP Gained.]
Eight.
Two more barreled in together, claws raised. My gut screamed.
[Minor Hop]
I vaulted—WHUMP!—as they slammed into each other beneath me. Dust flew. Their squeals tore at my ears.
Twisting mid-air, I lined up my horn.
[Bash]
CRUNCH! The first skull popped.
I kicked off its twitching body and slammed into the second.
[Bash]
[Critical Hit x2]
SMK! It went limp.
[Skill: Minor Hop → Lv.9]
[Skill: Bash → Lv.9]
[EXP Gained x2]
Seven.
I staggered on landing, knees almost buckling. My lungs burned, chest heaving. Instinct screamed to bolt—but something else, something hotter, kept me rooted. No. Not running. Not when my blood's buzzing like this.
This is working. Just… don't screw it up now.
A shriek split the clearing. Two more came from opposite sides.
[Hop Step]
I darted past their flanks, close enough to feel their whiskers brush my fur. They spun the wrong way, tracking shadows. My heart leapt—they couldn't follow me if I moved fast enough.
Blind spot, Oliver. Blind spot—
[Bash]
[Critical Hit]
CRACK! One skull split.
Yes, that's it!
The other squealed, but I was already gone.
[Hop Step]
Dash, twist—
[Bash]
[Critical Hit]
SNAP! It crumpled.
[Skill: Bash → Lv.10 (MAX)]
[Skill: Hop Step → Lv.2]
[EXP Gained.]
Five.
The survivors circled now, red eyes darting, ears twitching. My whole body buzzed with blood and adrenaline.
I grinned through the ache.
What's wrong? Don't like the odds anymore?
One lunged.
[Hop Step]
I dashed under its belly, horn raking it open. Hot blood sprayed my back as it shrieked and fell twitching.
[EXP Gained.]
Four.
The last three came together, a desperate pack charge. My chest clenched. Too many—
[Minor Hop]
I vaulted higher than I meant to, landing square on one's back. Its spine buckled beneath my paws.
[Bash]
[Critical Hit]
CRACK! Its skull split under my horn.
I kicked off, tumbling in the dirt. My vision blurred, legs shaking, but I staggered upright.
Two left.
One lunged.
[Hop Step]
I slipped past, horn slashing deep. It dropped without a sound.
[Skill: Hop Step → Lv.3]
[EXP Gained.]
The last turned tail, squealing in panic.
Oh no you don't.
[Minor Hop]
I soared and came down like a falling stone.
[Bash]
CRUNCH! The skull shattered. Silence.
[Skill: Minor Hop → Lv.10 (MAX)]
[Skill: Bash → Lv.10 (MAX)]
[EXP Gained.]
―――――――――――――――――
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Lv.4.]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Lv.5.]
[Attribute point gained]
[Attribute point gained]
[Skill point gained]
[Skill point gained]
―――――――――――――――――
[Attribute: Endurance → E]
[Attribute: Strength → E-]
[Attribute: Wisdom → E-]
Panting, I stood surrounded by bodies, blood dripping from my horn. My muscles screamed with pain, but my grin wouldn't quit.
…Did I just… do that?
I replayed it in my head: all those panicked hops, the clumsy swings, and somehow… I'd fought them off. Me. A horned rabbit.
The System chimed.
[Title Acquired: Outnumbered]
I flopped onto my side, gasping, whiskers twitching. A shaky laugh escaped me.
Yeah, I guess I did.
*
*
*
I collapsed into my burrow like a sack of potatoes, dirt sticking to my fur, lungs still burning from all the squealing, dodging, and stabbing. My ears twitched against the packed soil ceiling.
The memory hit me again: that thing in the clearing.
That snake.
My whiskers twitched hard enough to sting.
The grass moved before I even noticed it. One blink and it was just there. Patient. Coiled. Waiting.
Who even shows up like that!?
I had a good thing going! My little routine—rats pile in, I sneak around, pick my moment, bap-bap with the horn, dinner's served. Nice. Clean. Consistent. And then Mister 'Oh, look at me, I can swallow five rats in one gulp' slithers in and ruins everything!
I slammed my paw into the dirt. A little puff of dust went up. Didn't help.
If I hadn't bought Hop Step when I did, if I hadn't gotten lucky with weak rats. I'd have been rat chow. Or snake chow. Or both.
The thought made my stomach twist. Then I remembered how fast that thing moved. How it waited, tucked in the grass, patient like a coiled trap. How it broke the rhythm of the clearing in one blink.
I shuddered.
…Nope. Not letting that happen again.
My paws balled tight against the soil. My nose twitched like mad.
There's only room for one rat muncher in that clearing. Me.
I jabbed a claw at the dirt wall like I was pointing straight at that snake.
You hear me, intruder? You're on my turf now. And I don't care how long or slimy you are—if you think you can just eat my rats and walk away, you've got another thing coming!
Silence filled the burrow. My ears drooped.
…Wow. That sounded terrible in my own head. And did I seriously just call myself a rat muncher? Yeah, I'm going to need therapy after this.
Still, the fire in my chest didn't go away. The clearing was mine. My training ground. My buffet. If some snake thought it could slither in and take it away from me, then I was gonna have to do something about it.
Even if I had no idea what that something was. Yet.