Alrighty then~ lets do a quick recap.
Status
[Status]
Species: Lesser Horned Rabbit
Level: 5/10
HP: 35 | MP: –
Stats: Vit – F | Str – E | End – E+ | Agi – E+ | Int – C- | Wis – E- | Lck – E
Skills: [Thrust Lv.1], [Greater Hop Lv.1], [Appraisal Lv.6], [Burrow Lv. 1], [Stealth Lv.2], [Hop Step Lv.3], [Bite Lv. 1], [Listen Lv.1]
Titles: [Guardian], [Novice Exterminator], [Outnumbered]
Yesterday's haul: two shiny new skill and attribute points, spent on pushing Endurance to its cap and increasing Strength. Why? Because if yesterday taught me anything, I can't exactly go around headbutting everything forever.
Horns are great, don't get me wrong, but if I get stuck in a situation where I can't even use the thing, well, then I just become a regular rabbit and regular rabbits don't tend to last long here in monsterville.
I bared my buck teeth at the empty burrow wall and gave an experimental snap.
That's right. [Bite]. My brand new skill.
Gross? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. Mess with the rabbit—you get the chomp.
And that wasn't all. My second skill point went into [Listen], something a little less flashy but maybe even more important.
A rabbit's ears are its lifeline, after all. Heightened sensitivity, sharper focus—I'd be able to pick up movement outside my line of sight, even the sneaky, slithery kind.
No more snakes materializing out of the grass and stealing my show. Not on my watch.
Then came the real surprise.
[Skill: Bash Lv.10 → Thrust Lv.1]
[Thrust Lv. 1] – A refined jab using the horn's tip for precision. Higher crit chance, better penetration.]
[Skill: Minor Hop Lv.10 → Greater Hop Lv.1]
[Greater Hop Lv.1 – A refined leap with stronger power, greater stability, and reduced strain.]
According to the System:
[When a skill reaches maximum level, it mutates into a more advanced form. Evolved skills retain the foundation of their predecessor but gain additional power, efficiency, and potential for growth.]
I could feel it the moment I focused on them. My horn didn't just feel like a blunt weapon anymore—it hummed with a sharpness, a precision, like I could line up a strike and pierce straight through instead of just bashing.
And my legs? The tension coiled there was different, steadier. Greater Hop wasn't just a jump—it was like my body had been tuned up, ready to spring with more power, but without the strain that left me staggering before.
Not bad, not bad at all.
*
*
*
The grass whispered.
I crouched low at the treeline, ears flat, peering into the clearing. My usual spot.
Front and center, the bramble cub was chewing through its latest victim—a massive bird monster I didn't even recognize. Feathers scattered, bones snapped.
The cub roared now and then, chest puffed with pride. Nobody was dumb enough to challenge him anymore. Guess the clearing found its boss.
Fine. That wasn't my business.
I was here for something else.
The snake.
Only problem was, I couldn't see it. The tall grass was too dense, every patch could be hiding it. My stomach tightened just imagining it lying flat in there, waiting.
Alright… let's see what you've got.
I closed my eyes and activated [Listen]
The world shifted. My ears twitched and flicked, tugging sounds into place like threads on a loom. It wasn't sight, not really—but the rustle of leaves, the shuffle of paws, the scrape of fangs became shapes in my head. Crude outlines, impressions.
This is so weird but so damn cool.
Center of the clearing: the cub, tearing into its meal, ripping and crunching.
East side: the rats, squirming and squealing, anxiously waiting their turn.
Then—something else.
Low. Deep. Not from the clearing. Just beyond it. Heavy breathing? No… growling.
But something was off about it.
I focused harder, straining. My ears rang, the shapes fuzzing in my head. Then suddenly—
[Skill: Listen → Lv.2]
—and the noise sharpened.
…hhuhhuhhuh…
My fur stood on end. That wasn't growling. That was laughing.
…And it didn't sound human either.
Cold crept down my spine. My whiskers twitched, my paws curled tight in the dirt.
What the hell was that?
Before I could puzzle it out—rustle.
My eyes snapped open.
There.
The snake. A ripple in the grass, scales glinting faintly green as it slid into position.
I hit [Appraisal].
[Status]
Species: Forest Snake
Level: 5/10
HP: 32 | MP: –
Stats:Vit – E- | Str – E- | End – E | Agi – E+ | Int – F+ | Wis – F | Lck – E-
Skills: [Coil Lv.3], [Strike Lv.5], [Bite Lv.4]
Bestiary: Forest Snake – low-tier woodland predator; a lithe ambusher that thrives in undergrowth. Known for sudden, darting strikes followed by fangs or crushing coils. Fragile body, but dangerous if it seizes prey.
Thirty-two HP… wait, that's lower than mine? Even with a body this size?
So it's not built to take hits—it's built to end fights before its prey knew it started. Makes sense for an ambush predator. Its Vitality and Endurance were barely average… but Agility's maxed. E+. Just like me.
So this isn't about size. It's speed versus speed. One clean strike from me could be enough to cripple it, but the same goes the other way. Good thing I had no intention of fighting it anyway.
I pulled back into the brush, heart racing. I used [stealth] to mask my presence.
[Skill: Stealth → Lv.2]
The plan was simple. Hunt the hunter.
Wait for it to strike, when its focus was all on the rats, then hit it with everything I had in its blindspot. If I was lucky, I could trigger a critical hit, and maybe it would think twice about hanging around here.
Snakes weren't territorial—scare it bad enough, it would find easier hunting grounds.
I watched. The cub finished its meal and padded off. The rats surged forward. The snake reared up, body coiling tight.
Now.
[Greater Hop]
Energy flooded my legs. My muscles thrumming like bowstrings. I exploded out of the brush—
WHOOSH!
—right beside the snake. Its head snapped toward me, blue eyes flashing, but too late.
[Thrust]
SHNK!
My horn punched through its side. The scales resisted, tougher than rat hide, but gave way under my new skill. Flesh tore, blood spattered, and the snake shrieked—high, piercing, furious
[Critical hit.]
[Skill: Thrust → Lv.2]
Yes! Who's the lucky rabbit? I'm the lucky rabbit!
The rats scattered, squealing. The clearing emptied in a heartbeat.
Perfect. Now to disengage—
Rustle.
I turned—just in time to duck as a green blur whipped past overhead.
WHOOSH
The snake's tail ripped through the air right where my head had been. The pressure of it alone shoved against my fur, sharp and hot, like a blade of wind trying to take my ears clean off.
I skidded back, ears flat, eyes wide.
It missed. Barely.
The snake rose again, its whole body trembling, blood dripping from the wound I'd left. Its scales flared, its fangs gleamed, its blue eyes burned with pure rage.
Oh no.
It hissed, long and furious, before its body tightened like a spring.
Then it lunged.
[Hop Step] flared, my legs blasting sideways just in time. The snake tore past, slamming into a tree with a crack that shook the leaves. Bark split, branches fell.
System! What the heck was that!? Wasn't it supposed to take off after all that damage!?
[Analysis: The Forest Snake has entered an enraged state.]
Enraged!?
[Status Effect: Enraged – Instills reckless fury. Typically induced by provocation skills.]
Well I don't remember doing that!
[In this state, survival instincts are suppressed. The creature will not flee. It will attack relentlessly until either you—or it—dies.]
You've got to be kidding me.
The snake uncoiled from the tree, blood dripping from its side, eyes locked on me with murder blazing in them.
I gulped.
…Who's the unlucky rabbit? Yeah. That'd be me.
The serpent hissed louder, body rippling, before launching straight at me again.