Please, don’t be a monster. Please, please…

I hold my breath, heart pounding painfully in my chest. Then… the tension loosens, just a little, as something finally emerges from the mist.

I let out a shaky breath, my entire body trembling with a mixture of relief and disbelief.

“Oh, thank god…” I murmur, voice still quivering.

It’s only a horned rabbit. A small one—no larger than a beaver—with soft, fluffy fur and wide, innocent eyes. It’s so cute that it makes me really want to pet it.

The creature pauses in front of me, tilting its head, sniffing the air. Its nose twitches adorably, and for a moment, I feel almost silly. A nervous smile tugs at my lips.

“M-Mister Rabbit, do you know where Eris is?” I ask.

The rabbit doesn’t move. It just… stares at me, unblinking.

I chuckle nervously, tapping my forehead. “Ah, silly me! You’re just a cute little monster. How could you even understand me?” I say to the rabbit.

But then, I realize…

No!

What if… it can really understand?

This is a fantasy world after all!

So maybe… just maybe, this little creature could lead me out of this suffocating nightmare?

Clinging to that wild hope, I try again. “Mister Rabbit, can you show me the way out?”

But just as before, the rabbit’s gaze stays fixed on mine. It doesn’t budge, doesn’t even twitch.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise, a prickly unease spreading through me. The silence is deafening, too still, too unnatural.

Something isn’t right.

Suddenly, Eris’s warning crashes into my mind:

“Be careful… don’t let their cuteness fool you. They’re E-rank monsters and can easily take down a careless adventurer!”

And instantly, as I think of that, the rabbit’s eyes flash a deep, angry red!

My heart stops.

“Shit!” I yelp, stumbling backward.

With a bone-chilling screech, the rabbit lunges, its horn extending and spinning like a deadly drill, slicing through the air with terrifying speed!

I barely raise my sword in time.

CLANG!

The impact sends a shockwave through my entire body, vibrating painfully up my arms. The force nearly knocks me off my feet, and I struggle to stay upright.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Damn… it’s strong!” I gasp, fighting to keep hold of my weapon.

Still, I blocked the attack!

And somehow, I’m still standing!

My pulse thunders in my ears as I focus, eyes darting to track the creature. It’s bouncing around at ridiculous speeds, readying itself for another strike.

“Alright, I got this!” I whisper, trying to steady my breath.

The creature is fast, but I can see its movements. After all, my reaction speed is my highest stat! If I’m careful, and if I strike at the right moment, maybe—just maybe—I can kill it before it kills me!

Or so I think.

The rabbit suddenly stops.

Then, things suddenly take another twisted turn.

The rabbit… it’s no longer a rabbit!

My stomach drops as the rabbit’s body starts to convulse, jerking and twisting in ways that shouldn’t be possible.

POP! CRACK!

Its bones snap and contort, its neck twisting grotesquely like it’s been possessed by a demon or something.

“What… the actual hell?!”

I watch, frozen in horror as the rabbit’s flesh splits open with a wet, tearing sound. From the gory mess emerge spindly, spider-like legs, twitching and writhing as if they have a mind of their own. The creature’s body unfolds, grotesquely morphing, peeling away like a mask to reveal the true nightmare within.

Now, after only a few seconds, it has morphed into something monstrous—a massive, hairy black spider, its grotesque body bristling. Eight glowing red eyes lock onto me, menacingly, and the creature keeps growing, towering higher until it blots out the moon.

It’s a freaking spider! And not just any spider, a giant, nightmarish spider!

I fall to my knees, paralyzed with terror. My limbs feel like ice, frozen in place, and my heart slams against my ribcage with painful force.

Move, Felicia. Get up! MOVE!

I keep telling myself.

I need to get up!

I need to run away!

But… I can’t move. My body refuses to obey me.

I’m trapped in its gaze, frozen as the giant spider’s shadow swallows me whole. Thick, foul-smelling saliva drips from its monstrous fangs, splattering onto my clothes, soaking me in dread.

And then, it attacks! Its mouth, with those terrifying, enormous mandibles, lunges closer!!!

“NOOOOO!!!!” I scream, clenching my eyes shut, bracing for the end. My mind spirals, imagining the horror of being torn apart, swallowed whole by this monstrous thing.

But… nothing happens.

Huh?

My eyes snap open. My trembling hands are still there, still intact. I’m still alive. Heart pounding in confusion, I turn my head, expecting to see the spider looming over me. Instead, it’s… retreating?

The monstrous spider quivers, stepping back as if paralyzed with fear.

And then, I see her.

A girl stands between me and the beast—a catgirl.

Short white hair… a flowing black dress… she raises her arm with a graceful yet commanding presence.

Who is she?

The girl clenches her fist.

POP!

The spider explodes, dissolving into a swirling mist that vanishes into the night air.

WHAT???

My jaw drops. What kind of power is this? To vaporize a monster like that with a simple gesture?

But, despite my shock, relief washes over me. Thanks to her, I’m still alive.

“T-thank you…” I manage to stutter, voice shaky from the adrenaline.

But wait…

As I get a better look, my heart skips a beat. This catgirl… her hair, her body… She’s me! Or rather… the real Felicia!

“Are you… Felicia?” I whisper, voice cracking with disbelief.

She turns to face me, and I gasp. Her face is identical to mine, yet different. Her eyes glow with red light so intense that it sends chill down my spine, and strange cracks run along her skin, like she’s made of shattered, living glass.

Gulp.

I swallow hard, waiting for her to speak. But she doesn’t say a word. Instead, she glides toward me, her movements elegant, almost divine. Her black dress flows around her like the robes of a goddess.

Felicia stops in front of me, heaves a sigh.

She raises a single finger and…

Flick!

A simple flick to my forehead.

Yet it feels like a cannon blast!!!

I’m hurled backward, the world around me shattering and warping

——————-

“AAaa!” I gasp, collapsing onto solid ground as my legs give out beneath me.

Huh?

I’m… still here?

What’s going on?

“Impossible!” a man’s voice roars. “How did she escape the Nightmare Flower’s effect?”

What?

My gaze shoots upward, and my stomach drops. A group of men surrounds me. And among them…

FUCK!

It’s those bastards from the tavern! The ones who chased me yesterday!

“Hmm… she must have some special ability or something,” one of them says, the bearded one, sneering. In his hand, he holds a black flower that glows ominously, its aura crawling over my skin.