I stayed hidden behind the log for hours.
Long enough for the sounds of battle to fade.
Long enough for the smoke to thin.
Long enough for my thoughts to stop sprinting in useless circles.
I wasn't human anymore.
That much was undeniable.
I had a system I didn't understand, in a world I didn't understand—
where monsters got stronger by killing other monsters,
and humans treated that like a tool.
If they ever realized I wasn't just fodder…
They wouldn't hesitate.
Capture me.
Cut me open.
Or kill me on the spot.
I had to become stronger.
Not to be a hero—
Just to be stronger than anything that decided I was prey.
I swallowed.
System.
How can I help?
Show me my stats.
The response was instant.
HP: 10
MP: 0
Attack: Lv.1
Defense: Lv.1
Speed: Lv.1
Vitality: Lv.1
Perception: Lv.1
Resolve: Lv.1
I stared.
…Why do I have zero MP?
You do not possess abilities that consume MP.
You said I don't get innate abilities.
You can acquire Mimic Larva Unique Abilities once you level up.
…That was an obvious answer.
Stupid.
The system hates me already.
I looked at the stats again.
All level one.
Of course they were.
Apparently, I was experience fodder—
born to die so something else could get stronger.
I exhaled slowly.
If a human didn't end me, a wild monster would.
Something like that level thirty-four monstrosity.
I peeked out from behind the log.
Nothing.
No movement.
No voices.
No crackle of fire.
Just the forest—quiet, pretending it wasn't full of teeth.
I started moving.
Carefully.
Painfully slow.
Every step peeled me off the ground with that same sticky resistance,
like my body didn't want to let go of anything it touched.
The trees thinned.
A river cut through the brush ahead—
clear, shallow, moving calmly like nothing in the world was wrong.
I paused.
I didn't feel thirsty.
Or hungry.
That… bothered me.
System.
What do mimics eat?
They do not eat or drink.
…Convenient.
Finally some good news.
I edged closer to the water.
And saw my reflection.
My body was… wrong.
My face worse.
Eyes misaligned.
Mouth slightly off-center.
Features shifting subtly, never quite settling—
like someone had tried to make a person out of wax and gave up halfway through.
I stared.
I really have to live with this.
The water rippled.
My expression shifted—
—and another face appeared in the reflection.
Not mine.
I jerked back just as a hideous fish-like creature burst from the water,
jaws snapping inches from where I'd been.
I stumbled backward, sticky limbs dragging.
The thing vanished beneath the surface as quickly as it appeared.
I swallowed hard.
…Noted.
Everything wants me dead.
I moved on.
Slower now.
The forest grew denser.
The shadows thicker.
Then I heard it.
Howling.
Close.
I froze and slid behind a tree, forcing myself to focus.
Two shapes emerged on a nearby ridge.
Wolves.
Large.
Lean.
Too sharp in the wrong places.
They weren't hunting.
They were snarling at each other.
Are they… fighting?
They lunged.
Claws flashed.
Teeth tore.
Blood sprayed.
Their movements were fast—too fast for me to track cleanly.
One wolf gained the advantage quickly, slamming the other into the ground.
A cold thought formed.
If one of them dies…
Could I finish the other?
The dominant wolf bit deep into its opponent's neck.
Too deep.
Its jaws caught.
The wounded wolf went limp—
—but the other couldn't pull free.
My core tightened.
This is my chance.
I surged forward.
Sticky legs pumping, heart hammering,
I threw myself into the dominant wolf's side.
It yelped—lost balance—
—and both wolves tumbled off the ridge together, still locked as they fell.
I stood there.
Breathing.
Waiting.
…That was easy.
Seconds passed.
No system message.
No notification.
More seconds.
Nothing.
System.
Why didn't I get any EXP?
You have not killed anything.
…What?
I crept to the edge and looked down.
One wolf lay dead.
The other was alive—but barely.
One leg twisted wrong.
Shallow breaths.
Eyes half-lidded.
It twitched like it didn't know how to die properly.
One of them is clearly dead.
You did not kill it. It died before impact.
…That's unfair.
The injured wolf shuddered again.
If I could just finish it…
I scanned the terrain.
Only one way down.
Jumping.
I stared at the drop.
Then at my stats.
HP: 10
I swallowed.
If I landed on the wolf…
It would break the fall.
And the impact might finish it.
This was a disgusting thought to have so quickly.
But the alternative was being eaten alive by something smarter than a mimic larva.
I took a few breaths.
Steady.
Controlled.
…Okay.
I backed up.
Then ran.
And jumped off the ledge screaming.
Air tore past me.
My body warped violently—
eyes sliding, mouth shifting—
like my unstable flesh didn't know how to fall.
I hit.
Hard.
The wolf absorbed most of it.
I bounced off like a rubber ball and skidded through dirt and leaves.
HP: 4
…That worked.
The wolf was unconscious.
Still alive.
I shuffled toward it, formed a crude, stubby arm—
—and slapped it.
Once.
Twice.
The wolf went still.
And the reality of it slammed into me.
I just killed something.
For a split second my stomach tried to revolt—
then I remembered I couldn't get sick in this body.
A beat of silence.
Then the system spoke.
Achievement Unlocked: First Kill
EXP Gained: 80
Yes!
It came out before I could stop it.
That sounds like a lot.
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
You are now Level 7.
I laughed—short and sharp, half relief, half disbelief.
Now that is what I'm talking about.
Another message appeared.
New Ability Unlocked: Mimic Copy
Mimic Copy:
Grants a low chance to copy an ability from a monster you kill.
Abilities are temporary, unstable, and may carry side effects.
My grin faltered.
…Why do I even bother.
Still—I forced myself to check my stats.
HP: 4 (25)
MP: 5
Attack: Lv.2
Defense: Lv.2
Speed: Lv.5
Vitality: Lv.2
Perception: Lv.3
Resolve: Lv.2
That was… much better.
For the first time since waking up,
I didn't feel like guaranteed prey.
…I might actually survive this world.
The thought barely finished forming before something colder followed it.
Survival here wasn't about running.
It wasn't about hiding.
It was about killing first.
Somewhere deeper in the forest, something howled again.
Louder this time.
And closer.