[Narrator: Author]
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As he ran, branches whipped past his face and roots threatened to trip him at every turn. He dared not look back, his only focus on putting as much distance between himself and the vengeful hogzilla as possible.
His face remained stoic, a poker face masking the panic raging within. But inside, his thoughts were a whirlwind of terror.
'I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! DEATH IS CHASING ME!!!', his mind screamed in disbelief.
He glanced to a tree, and thought of climbing it for a momentary escape.
THUD! CRACK! CRASH!
However, with those following sound, he was forced to look behind him, only to find the hogzilla seamlessly ramming to each tree on its way.
'A-AH! WHATEVER! FORGET IT!'
With each thunderous footfall behind him, his internal panic intensified.
'F*CK! F*CK!! F*CK!!!' he cursed silently, the expletives punctuating his frantic thoughts.
'How did the hell did this happened?!' he wondered, his mind racing to make sense of the situation.
With the hogzilla closing in, Jiyoo's heart raced as he desperately searched for a way to evade the looming danger. In a split-second decision, he threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp tusks of the massive boar.
As he continued to run for his life, Jiyoo's mind raced through his options. Then, he remembered the "Stat Points" from the games he was so well-versed in, especially MMORPGs.
"ASSIGN ALL STAT POINTS TO SPEED!" he shouted internally, but nothing happened.
"ASSIGN ALL STAT POINTS TO AGILITY THEN!" he tried next, but still, nothing changed.
"DAMN IT! DEXTERITY! ASSIGN ALL STAT POINTS TO DEXTERITY!!" he exclaimed, desperation fueling his words.
And then, as if in response to his plea, a system panel materialized before him:
「 Assigning '2' stat points to DEXTERITY. 」
As the system panel flickered out of existence, a wave of refreshing energy surged through Jiyoo's body. His muscles loosened, tension melting away as if he'd just stepped out of a soothing bath.
'W-What is this… feeling?!'
He became more attentive to his every movement where branches that had previously threatened to whip his face, was now being dodged effortlessly. He leapt over roots with clear mind, his body responding with speed he'd never felt before. The wind rushed past him, the forest a blur of green and brown.
The boar's thunderous footfalls grew fainter behind him. Jiyoo zigzagged through the trees, each step light, each movement intentional. He vaulted over a fallen log, landing smoothly.
His breath came easier now, less labored. The desperate grunts of the hogzilla faded into the background, the sounds of the forest returning to the forefront.
Jiyoo risked a glance over his shoulder, and as he expected, the boar was nowhere in sight. He slowed, eventually coming to a stop, his chest heaving as he caught his breath.
HALT!
Finally, he stopped, chest heaving, his surroundings silent except for the soft rustle of leaves. He listened intently, but the desperate grunts of the hogzilla were gone, replaced by the peaceful sounds of the forest.
Jiyoo allowed himself a moment to catch his breath, leaning against a tree, his mind reeling from the recent events. He glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers, marveling at the sudden change in his body.
"Stat points..." he muttered, a faint smile forming on his lips. "Guess they do make a difference."
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
However, the ground suddenly shook and a distant squeal pierced the air. He thought it was an earthquake and desperately scanned for an empty clearing, a place where falling trees wouldn't reach him. Just as he was about to run, the hogzilla caught up to him.
"F******CK—! And here I thought I outran it!"
With unstoppable force, the monstrous boar barreled through the forest, ramming everything in its path. Trees splintered and creatures scattered, making way for the rampaging beast as it sped toward Jiyoo.
"OOOH, SH****T—!"
He dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the hogzilla's charge. Rolling to his feet, he darted through the trees, every step calculated to evade the relentless pursuit. The beast's squeals echoed through the forest, driving him onward.
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[POV: Reiji & Sayuri]
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RUSTLE! RUSTLEE!
As they were just about to leave the clearing, the bushes around them suddenly shook. The rustling intensified, and the two got on guard.
"W-What's happening, Shiroyami-kun!" Sayuri pleaded, eyes wide with fear.
'What now…?' But Reiji had no idea either. "That's what I would like to know, too."
After a few seconds of noise, the rustling suddenly stopped, and simultaneously, countless grayish ears appeared atop the bushes.
They seemed to be... bunny ears.
One by one, the creatures crawled out of the bushes towards the center where the two humans stood, circling them. With their eerie appearance—grayish fur nearly identical to ashes, dark crimson eyes that sent chills to those who dared make eye contact, and subtle horns that identified them as 'Beasts'—these creatures were known as the 'Ashenblood Rabbits'.
The two felt a wave of unease. What could these creatures' goal be? Were they going to avenge the dead creature that looked like them?
No one could tell, but only me, the author.
Suddenly, the creatures scrambled to make way. A giant rabbit with quite a long protruding curved horn, and a scar running from its left shoulder to its right waist emerged, looking like the leader. It made its way toward the two figures, walking almost like a human.
"Stay close, Nakamura-san," he whispered, eyes locked on the monstrous rabbit advancing on them.
The giant rabbit stopped a few feet away, its dark crimson eyes boring into Reiji's. It raised a clawed paw and pointed directly at the dead rabbit. Reiji's heart pounded as he thought this confrontation was far from over.
However, the leader suddenly showed a gesture.
A kneel.
Afterwards, the others followed the gesture.
Reiji was taken aback, 'What's happening?'
Sayuri, equally bewildered, whispered, "Why are they kneeling?"
The giant rabbit extended its paw again, pointing not at the dead rabbit this time, but at Reiji himself. The gesture was deliberate, almost reverent.
'What do they want?', confusion swirled in his mind.
The leader rose to its full height, towering over the other rabbits.
The leader rabbit suddenly raised a hand, and a fellow Ashenblood with a stick in hand stepped forward. The leader faced the rabbit and whispered something in its ear. The fellow Ashenblood nodded and stepped closer to Reiji and Sayuri.
It began doodling on the ground dirt with its stick.
The drawing followed this sequence:
First, a figure of a rabbit creature, probably the same as them, alone in the forest.
Beside the doodle was an arrow, connecting to another doodle depicting the rabbit drinking something from a dead creature. Above the dead creature's doodle was a drawing of a head with horns, almost like a demon.
Another arrow connected to another doodle, showing the rabbit creature with a demonic head above it.
Another arrow linked to another doodle, showing the demonized rabbit killing its kin.
Another arrow connected to another doodle where the leader rabbit fought the demon rabbit but failed, resulting in the slash on its body.
Finally, the last arrow connected to a doodle of a human, which seemed to be Reiji, killing the demon rabbit.
Reiji figured it all out. "They were trying to tell us their story," he said, looking up at Sayuri. "The rabbit I killed was once one of them. It became a demon after drinking from a dead creature, it seems, and their leader tried to stop it but failed."
Sayuri's eyes widened. "O-Oh! So, they see you as a savior?"
"Perhaps..."
With the leader raising its other hand, four fellow Ashenblood emerged from behind it and stepped closer. The leader seemed to instruct the four with different tasks. After nodding in response, two of them headed to the dead creature and began dissecting it, while the remaining two went somewhere out of sight.
The leader rabbit suddenly raised both paws, its ears swiveling attentively. In response, the other Ashenbloods gathered around in a flurry of twitching noses and thumping feet. The leader let out a low growl, a rumble that conveyed authority without aggression. Understanding the unspoken command, the Ashenbloods scattered into the forest
At the same time, Reiji received good news.
A system panel appeared before him:
｢ NOTICE | Special Active Skill — [Polyglot] has been activated. A specific language 'Beast Language - Ashenblood Rabbit' is added to the list of 'Learned Languages'. ｣
｢ Skill Word Activation: [Polyglot: (Language)]. ｣
Reiji read the system panel again, feeling a mix of surprise and excitement.
'S-Special Passive Skill?! On top of that, Polyglot?! Its definition is knowing several language, right?! L-Let me try it! (Also, these creatures are called Ashenblood Rabbit, huh...)'
'Uh... [Polyglot: Beast Language - Ashenblood Rabbit].'
A new notification appeared:
｢ You are now able to communicate and comprehend the language 'Beast Language - Ashenblood Rabbit' for the next 5 minutes. ｣
｢ Simply repeat the skill name within the duration to deactivate the skill. ｣
Reiji gestured to Sayuri to wait and then approached the leader rabbit. The leader's ears perked up, and it faced him.
Reiji hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Don't be startled, Mr. Ashenblood Rabbit leader…? H-How should I call you?"
The leader's eyes widened. "H-How can a human speak our language?!"
Reiji scratched the back of his head. 'I don't know how I got this ability either,' he thought.
"Kuhum!" The leader cleared his throat. "Given that you can speak our tongue, I take it you can understand it as well."
"Ah, yes."
"That's good. The name's Kareus. I am the leader of the Ashenblood Rabbit tribe. Still, knowing that a human knows our language... the world truly is full of wonders!"
"Kareus... Nice to meet you. My name is Reiji, Reiji Shiroyami."
"Reiji! What a strong name!"
"In any case, may I ask why you knelt to us?" Reiji asked, still wary. "Is it because I killed one of your kind?"
At Reiji's words, Kareus's demeanor shifted, an intimidating aura emanating from him. "That thing was not the same as us."
'They can't accept it since it became a demon,' Reiji realized, steadying himself.
The aura gradually subsided, and Kareus calmed. "In any case, you are our savior!"
"S-Savior… huh."
"Yes! Our savior!" Kareus repeated, and the Ashenbloods behind him echoed, "Our savior!"
"Actually…" Reiji hesitated but knew he needed to gain their trust. "I would like to discuss something with you. In return, can you tell me things I ask?" He looked directly into Kareus's eyes, showing he meant it.
'This human is interesting!' Kareus thought. "Very well! Fear not, your secrets won't be revealed! For I, Kareus, promise you! Also, I'll entertain your questions, as long as I can answer them!"
"...Thanks."
Reiji told Kareus that he was not from this world and was summoned here after the bright light. He also mentioned the magic circle on the ground before it happened, and Kareus seemed to know something but let Reiji continue. He told everything, including how he fought the demonized creature. He didn't mention how he got into that space, as he was still uncertain about it.
"A different world, you say… So, it does indeed exists. Nevertheless, I was told by my ancestors that magic circles of that size are summoning formations for sure. I was also told that creatures from different worlds are stronger, which must be the reason why you killed what I couldn't!", Kareus laughed.
"Do you believe me?" Reiji asked, keeping a firm face.
"Of course! Your name and your clothes are different from what I usually see here from the humans who sometimes come here! You might be from a different country in this world, but you told me without lying. As you can see, my hearing is quite peculiar and I can get a hint of lies in words, but yours did not sound like that, so I believe you! KAHAHA!"
'This guy really likes to shout...'
However, to Sayuri, it sounded like tiny whispers. She watched Reiji and Kareus exchange words, feeling both curious and anxious about what was being discussed.
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|TO BE CONTINUED|