A quiet yawn escaped Ray’s mouth as his eyes flickered open. His body stirred awake due to an overwhelming sensation that spread from his belly to his limbs.

He hadn’t slept for long—maybe a few minutes to two hours tops—but the sensation that he felt was unmistakable. The hunger that gnawed at him previously had only grown worse.

‘Where… am I?’ He blinked again, his thoughts sluggish and disoriented.

For a brief moment, Ray had nearly forgotten where he was, but the unfamiliar sight of his body and surroundings was enough to snap him back to reality.

‘Right… I’m not human anymore.’

The thought came unbidden and with a strange detachment.

Ray grimaced as he slowly forced himself up. His six legs stretched out beneath him, and he swayed unsteadily as he rose from the pit he had curled up in.

18 hours. That’s how long it had been since he’d emerged from the egg. And in those 18 hours, the hunger that he had felt had slowly but gradually increased into something that now muddled his thoughts.

He could almost, in a way, taste the foods—the soft warmth of rice, the hearty comfort of pasta, the sugary indulgence of cakes, and even the chewy texture of meat—that he used to enjoy in his previous life. The mere memory of them made his stomach twist in longing.

In response to the memories, Ray shook his head in an attempt to clear the lethargy and small amounts of drool that clung to him like fog.

‘Focus.’

He reminded himself as he exhaled slowly. With that small moment of clarity gained, Ray took that moment to run through his options quickly.

The options, although simple, were clear enough:

The first option? Hunt. He could go after something weaker, preferably smaller than him—something that wouldn’t put up much of a fight in a struggle. This approach was the most direct, but it proved to be risky if he misjudged his target.

The second? Plants. He could rely on whatever plant-like things he could find, ranging from fruits, strange flowers, or even grass (if he was that desperate) scattered throughout the expanse. It wasn’t ideal, mainly because he was unsure if his species could rely on a herbivorous diet; however, it was better than starving.

The third option was more of a last resort than anything else. This meant that he had to consume something dead that had already been picked apart by other monsters. And the thought of that—well, for the most part, it disgusted him.

After mulling it over for a while, Ray took a deep breath, steadying himself before reluctantly peering out from the thicket.

‘Alright, let’s do this!’

* * *

The sights and sounds of the forest were no different from before—quiet, dense, and filled with the same earthy scents.

Ray paused, his tongue flicking out into the air as he tasted (smelled) the surroundings. Various scents wafted towards him as he discerned their meaning. Some reminded him of damp soil, while others reminded him of something else—something faint but sweet.

He recognized it immediately. It was the scent of the wildflowers he had passed earlier that carried a delicate fragrance.

‘I doubt flowers will cut it,’ he thought, already dismissing the idea. ‘Besides, I remember hearing something about some sweet flowers being poisonous, and I honestly don’t plan to test my luck.’

Ray’s attention now drifted toward the deeper parts of the forest, primarily where the claw marks had marred the bark of trees.

There, he picked up the scent of something far more strange. Calling it strange didn’t give it any justice—it was something that unnerved him. The scent, though faint, was unmistakably alive.

He hesitated.

‘Absolutely not. There is no way in hell that I’m going to waltz into some random monsters territory.’

With that, Ray turned away from the tree bark and began to advance toward the other marked landmarks that he had previously committed to memory.

Every option, however, offered nothing useful.

As he moved stealthily, a flicker of movement caught his eye.

Wolves.

Not ordinary wolves, though. Their forms were large and intimidating, with darker fur and razor fangs that signified strength. Together they moved as a pack, slipping through the undergrowth as one.

The moment he saw them, fear gripped him, freezing him in place. He could only watch as they passed, too terrified to move. It wasn’t until they veered off, likely chasing some unseen prey deeper into the forest, that he realized just how paralyzed with fear he’d been. Only then did he manage to slip behind a nearby tree, trembling.

‘Right… Let’s use a different route.’

Shakily Ray composed himself before reluctantly setting off again. With each step that he took, while moving seamlessly across the undergrowth, he could hear the sounds of different types of monsters.

Their howls and screeches echoed in the distance, growing fainter and louder depending on where he turned. Despite the twists and turns, Ray took in key aspects of his surroundings, relying on his senses to navigate.

In a similar fashion, Ray’s tongue flicked out again, tasting (smelling) the air as he moved cautiously. This time, however, the scent of something far more enticing lingered.

The scent replaced the earthy smell of the expanse, and in its place, a muskier, almost metallic smell reached him.

Ray’s body tensed, his stomach twisting with both hunger and unease.

‘Blood?’

The scent was faint but unmistakable. And with it came an unpleasant memory from long ago. Something bitter and painful.

‘Let’s forget about that.’

Shoving that emotion aside, Ray’s attention returned to the blood that he picked up. Somewhere nearby, something had been injured or killed.

‘Should I follow this scent?’

Ray thought about it for a moment, and with a resigned sigh, he followed the scent.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

* * *

It only took a solid 30 minutes of careful searching before he finally found the source of the scent.

About five meters away, Ray spotted it.

A giant rat, its thick gray fur matted with blood, lay slumped behind a tree. Deep slashes marred its body, and its tail was severed.

Ray crouched lower, watching as the giant rat, seemingly alone, casually gnawed on the remains of its prey. He took note of the heavy rise and fall of its chest paired with its sluggish way of eating—that it was exhausted.

‘Its weak… I could take it,’ he hesitantly thought, trying to convince himself.

But hesitation gnawed at him. The rat was clearly bigger and stronger than him. Even if it was injured, could he truly win?

Ray shook his head.

‘Now’s not the time to overthink. It’s now or never.’

Steeling himself, Rat slunk closer.

‘Closer. Closer.’

At some point he stopped, eyeing the rat as it shifted slightly before continuing to eat in peace. It was evident from how it acted that it was oblivious to his presence.

‘Ill aim for the—’

With one last calming breath, Ray dashed forward.

His body surged with adrenaline as he slashed the back of the rat’s legs with his frontal claws. The claws sank deeply into the already wounded flesh as it let out a surprised screech.

Its eyes turned red with fury as it turned to face the attacker, who shamelessly ambushed it. Before the rat could retaliate, Ray struck again, his claws tearing through a different leg than before.

‘Good. Just a few more hits!’

Ray’s moment of triumph, however, was short-lived.

The rat, despite its injuries, lunged at him with a ferocious speed. Its claws—which were surprisingly metallic—tore through the air, narrowly missing Ray by a hair’s breath as he dodged.

‘What the hell?!’

Panic surged through him. How could something that was battered still fight with such strength?

Had those claws hit him, he suspected that he might have lost half if not all of his HP.

Not planning to stick around, Ray retreated, darting between trees, using their cover to his advantage. The rat soon gave chase, its movements slow but relentless.

Occasionally he would stop behind a nearby tree, hide himself just before the rat closed in, and then attacked it, keeping it off balance before he escaped yet again.

‘Come on! Just die already!’

The battle dragged on, exhaustion weighing down on them as their stamina and speed slowly but noticeably waned.

It was then that something happened.

In one of his turns, Ray unexpectedly tripped, and his body was sent tumbling across the forest floor before crashing toward a nearby tree.

BOOM!

‘Guohhhh…’

Pain shot through him. His back leg throbbed, likely broken. Though the damage wasn’t severe, it was still enough to slow him down.

‘Damn it… I should have gotten used to running with my legs first before attempting this stunt. But hey, let’s look at the bright side; surely this rat is suffering just as much as me.’

Indeed, his conjure proved to be accurate. The giant rat was struggling too. Its body, exhausted and battered, was barely holding on. It limped toward him, its movements sluggish, and its breaths labored.

‘Welp, it seems hit-and-runs are out of the window.’

Regaining composure, Ray growled (or rather attempted to) and circled the exhausted rat before lunging forward with calculated precision. His saliva dripped from his jaws as he sunk his premature fangs into its hind leg.

The rat hissed in pain, its body convulsing as it tried to shake him off.

In a desperate move, the rat violently delivered a powerful kick to his side, sending him reeling in agony. Coughing up blood with heavy rasps, Ray staggered to regain his footing.

Ahead, the giant rat collapsed onto the floor, unable to move. Perhaps it was the exhaustion or the multiple attacks directed toward its legs, but either way, Ray didn’t care.

‘Its time to finish it off.’

Methodically, Ray approached the fallen rat, cautiously scaling its back until he reached its vulnerable neck. Despite the rat’s feeble attempts to resist, its efforts proved ineffective.

With calculated precision, Ray carefully selected a portion of its neck, fully intent on inflicting as much damage as possible.

‘Alright, this should do.’

Sinking his premature fangs into its neck, Ray channeled all of his remaining strength into a powerful bite. The rat, in pain, tried to resist, but Ray’s grip on its fur proved to keep him still.

Ray’s fangs sunk into the rat’s neck repeatedly. Gradually, the accumulated damage the rat received proved to be too much for it to take, and slowly but surely it began to move less and less before finally letting out one final screech.

《You have slain a Rank 2, Level 2 Beast: Metal-tailed Rat.》

《You have gained 48 experience.》

《Your level has increased from 1 to 2.》

《Your level has increased from 2 to 3.》

‘I did it.’

Ray collapsed beside the rat’s corpse, panting heavily. His body ached, and his mind was numb with exhaustion.

‘Ha ta ta that hurts.’

But even as relief washed over him, a strange sense of unease lingered.

The forest was too quiet.

Soon the sounds of rumbling approached.

Looking ahead, five to seven giant rats like the one he slayed were now maniacally rushing toward him.

‘Goddammit, can’t my luck get any better than this?’