The wolf's body coiled like a spring, then snapped forward.
"What the fuck, why is this bitch getting too much build-up? Shouldn't he run slowly? Take it slow, bro. I'm not going anywhere."
Well, I couldn't run in this shitty body anyway. Reflexes like a bot in multiplayer games—whose only purpose is filling numbers. Still, looking at its jaws, wide enough to swallow my head like a watermelon at a frat party, I knew this was bad.
I swung my fist.
…And promptly punched nothing but air.
The wolf twisted mid-air with the effortless elegance of a ballerina dipped in steroids, and my mighty "hero punch" became a graceful flop that nearly dislocated my shoulder. I stumbled, tripped on my own foot, and ate dirt like a professional.
"Yep," I spat soil, coughing. "Reincarnation really blessed me with this peak human body that runs like a toddler—and the world's dumbest faceplant by tripping over my own foot."
The wolf snarled, circling me again. It looked confused whether to kill me or pity me, but its eyes said: 'Pathetic… but delicious.'
I scrambled back, palms bleeding from rocks. My lungs burned like I'd smoked ten packs a day. My brain screamed: Move, idiot, move! My legs disagreed, choosing instead to shake like jelly in a haunted house.
The wolf lunged again. Looked like it had decided to eat me and free me from my pathetic life.
"Well, if I'm going to die, let's fight—not for someone else's orders or entertainment, but for myself."
I grabbed the nearest thing at hand—a rock.
Not a sharp rock. Not even a heavy rock.
Just a dumb, round, fist-sized pebble.
What was I gonna do with this? Well, better than nothing.
"Haa!" I yelled, throwing it with the force of wet noodles.
The pebble bounced off the wolf's nose.
Tink.
The beast paused. Blinked. Anger boiled in its eyes.
That's when I knew I fucked up. Why the hell did I throw the stone? Why did I have to provoke him? Before, it looked like it was going to kill me in one strike—but now, it was going to chew me to death.
"I… I should run." That's the moment I realized—if I wanted to survive, I had to run, not fight.
And that's when I started running.
Not gracefully. Not like an action hero sprint. No, I ran like a terrified toddler who just spotted Santa removing his beard. Arms flailing, legs tripping, breath wheezing—every step a new humiliation. But I knew pride didn't matter. Life mattered. So I focused on running.
The wolf, naturally, chased. Its paws thundered behind me, each step closing the gap. I could feel its hot breath on my back, strings of drool hitting my neck like gross little raindrops.
"Oh come on!" I screamed, dodging branches. "I survived capitalism, I survived a falling discount sign, and now I'm about to turn into a goddamn kebab?!" By a fucking wolf who doesn't care if the meat it's eating is raw or roasted.
The ground sloped. My foot caught on a root. I tumbled headfirst into a ditch, rolled like a human burrito, and crashed into a shallow stream with a splash so dramatic it could've won an Oscar.
The wolf leapt after me—
Only for the mud to betray it.
Its paws slipped. The majestic, terrifying beast slammed face-first into the stream beside me with the same grace I had demonstrated earlier. Water splashed everywhere.
For one glorious second, predator and prey stared at each other, both soaked, both humiliated.
"Well," I coughed, spitting water, "at least we're bonding."
The wolf snarled, shaking off mud. I knew I was still screwed. But then—its ears twitched. It froze. The fur on its body stood up. A sound echoed from deeper in the forest. Something bigger. Louder. Hungrier.
The wolf growled low, gave me one sharp 'you're lucky, idiot' glare, then bolted back into the trees.
And just like that, I was alone. Shivering, drenched, covered in mud, lying in a ditch like yesterday's trash.
I laughed. A dry, broken laugh that turned into a cough.
"Great start, Rey. Reincarnated into a new world… and you're already at the bottom of the food chain. Not a hero. Not a chosen one. Just… a wet idiot in a ditch."
I dragged myself to shore, trembling. My stomach growled louder than the wolf had. My entire body screamed in protest. But hey—I was still alive.
Barely.
And probably only because the universe thought killing me twice in the same day would be too generous.
I flopped onto my back, staring at the twin suns burning above me. My eyelids grew heavy. Maybe I'd just… rest.
That's when I heard it.
Footsteps.
Not claws. Not paws. Not the thunder of some beast.
These were lighter. Steady. Purposeful.
Voices followed—muffled, but getting closer.
I tried to sit up, but my body laughed at the idea. My arms trembled, gave out, and dumped me flat back into the mud.
Great. First impression in a new world: wet, filthy, looking like roadkill waiting for pickup.
The footsteps stopped right above me. A shadow blocked the suns.
I squinted. My blurry eyes caught the outline of a figure leaning over me. A woman's voice, soft but sharp, cut through the haze:
"…Pathetic. Can't believe this is the one we were told to find."
My brain tried to process that.
The one? Find? Me?
Before I could croak out a single word, darkness pulled me under again.