I had never thought my life could change this much. One minute I was walking to school with my headphones on, obsessed with all the usual high school stuff-homework, exams, and what would happen after school. In a flash, this white light enveloped me, and everything slipped into the darkness. I did not know if I was in some kind of dream or if I got caught in some other type of nightmare. All I knew was something big happened.
I should have died. I remembered some car swerving irrepressibly, its horn blowing in fits while it careened towards me. That hazy memory of the impact flying through the air was impressively vivid. Then, that light… and silence.
Coming to, it was as though the world itself had changed around me. My body felt off, lighter somehow, yet something was dreadfully wrong. I opened my eyes to find that I lay beneath tall, towering trees, their leaves shielding much of the sun above, casting long shadows along the forest floor. It was all huge-the leaves, the twigs, even the earth beneath me. I tried to rise to my feet, finding my legs wrong-too short, too agile.
A wave of panic washed over me upon catching a reflection in the pool of water near to me: it wasn't my face staring back.
It was the face of a rabbit.
Small, fluffy, white rabbit with huge terror-stricken eyes. "What in the world?" I thought, but instead of words, only a soft squeak got out of my mouth. Beating of my heart quickened. Must have been some kind of weird dream, right? I took a few steps back from the water, my mind trying to wrap itself around what was happening, and no explanation came. My hands-or rather, paws-shook under confusion.
And to further despise my puzzlement, there was a screen in front of my eyes, hanging in the air with its shining display:
[Welcome to the Beast Evolution System]
Species: Rabbit
Age: 3 months
Level: 1
Status: Weak Prey
Abilities: None
Evolution Path: Locked
Objectives:
Survive in the wild.
Gain experience by learning and adapting.
Unlock new abilities.
Evolve to reach the top of the food chain.
Change and stand at the top of the food chain.
A system? Those kinds from those RPGs and online games I had been so engrossed in? Was this reality? I stared at the screen half-expecting this to be something that would disappear, but it just sat there steady, as if it waited for my acknowledgement. I couldn't fathom what it was trying to tell me, but I didn't have the luxury of time to dwell on how preposterous all this was.
I hear the soft leaves rustling far away-the unmistakable indication that something big is moving through the underbrush. I drop flat low against the earth, instinctively trying to squeeze myself into the dirt. I have huge senses where all the heard sounds are magnified, and every slight movement in the surroundings may be a threat.
I was not the top anymore but rather the bottom of the food chain.
The tall grasses parted, and then there it was—a fox, slick and deadly. Its amber eyes locked to mine, its hunger now naked in its stare. Time froze in that heartbeat while I looked into its predator eyes. My legs coiled, and before I knew it, I was off, running.
In a haze, I ran across the forest, dodging roots and supine branches with my bare feet. Every fiber in this new body implored me to flee from this monster which would upon me. A fox pounded through the underbrush behind me, a growl carried on the air. He was faster, more lithe, and if I didn't do something soon, I would be his next meal.
Quest: Escape the predator!
Goal: Outsmart the fox and survive.
Reward: 50 experience points.
Experience points?" My mind racing, I urged my little legs on to greater speed. "Concentrate! Think!" I had no skills, no powers, and here I was-a rabbit! But I wasn't going to lie down and die-or at least, not without trying to survive. I looked around for anything that could help me, and then I saw it-ahead, a thick clump of thorny brambles.
I plunged into the tangled undergrowth, recoiling where the thorns lashed against my fur. It snarled-stopping just short of the barrier-and wandered around the brambles, seeking an entrance, but impassable thickets confronted it on every side. Growling, it finally turned and slunk away, not daring to tempt fate with possible injury.
I lay there, my small frame trembling in shoots of adrenaline surging in my body. Then, the quest completion screen showed:
[Quest Complete!]
Reward: 50 experience points.
Move to the next level: 50/100.
The screen vanished, and I fell to the ground, drained but alive. I had survived my first fight but knew all too well this was not going to be the last. If I wanted to make it in this world, then I would have to get stronger, much stronger. I looked at the system interface-my heart still churning in my chest.
It is then that the "Beast Evolution System" appeared as my only hope to survive. How I ended up in this weird scenario and why I had reincarnated as a rabbit was still unknown, but if this system was my way to evolve, I wasn't going to waste a single potential it gave me. No more was I going to be at the bottom of the food chain.
[New Objective Unlocked]
Gain experience by defeating predators or learning new survival techniques.
Progress to evolve into a higher form.
My path was clear: survive, learn, and evolve. If this world wanted me to be prey, I'd fight to become the predator instead. The first step? Figuring out how to master this system and climb my way to the top. As the forest once again lapsed into the quiet serenity, I turned into a distant stare. Well, this was my new reality now-a life of a rabbit. Still, I was not going to let it culminate in fear. It was all just beginning.