I looked around.
Only then did it really sink in where I was.
Another ledge.
Another cliff.
I let out a dry scoff.
The lengths you go for some EXP…
I pulled my focus inward and checked my stats again.
HP: 4 (25)
MP: 5
Attack: Lv.2
Defense: Lv.2
Speed: Lv.5
Vitality: Lv.2
Perception: Lv.3
Resolve: Lv.2
I went quiet.
Speed five…
That stood out.
My speed's pretty high now.
Let's test it.
I ran.
Not carefully.
Not hesitantly.
I circled the dead wolves again and again, sticky legs pumping, body moving faster than it ever had before. Wind tugged at my warped face as my steps blurred together.
Fast.
Really fast.
It felt… familiar.
Like the wolves.
My thoughts sharpened.
I stopped near the cliff wall and pressed a stubby hand against the stone.
Sticky.
Always sticky.
An idea crept in.
What if…
I ran fast enough… could I climb it?
Only one way to find out.
I backed up.
Ran.
And slammed into the wall at full speed.
My legs stuck.
My body held.
I climbed—scrambling upward, momentum carrying me—
—before my footing slipped.
I tumbled.
Hard.
HP: 3 / 25
…You can't be serious.
I lay there for a second, stunned.
Then forced myself to breathe.
Okay.
So I have to be careful.
I scanned the terrain again.
No clear path up.
No safe way down.
And the light filtering through the trees was dimming fast.
Night was coming.
System.
If I don't eat or drink… how do I heal?
Sleep.
I exhaled slowly.
…I'm not saying anything.
I found a narrow spot beneath an overhang and curled in as tight as my unstable body allowed.
Darkness crept in.
Time passed.
Then—
Howl.
My senses snapped awake instantly.
I lifted my head.
It wasn't as dark as I expected.
Perception, I realized.
That level actually matters.
I looked up.
Glowing green eyes stared down at the dead wolves from the ledge above.
A wolf.
Bigger than the others.
It howled again—louder.
Its gaze shifted.
Locked onto me.
My core tightened.
Its perception felt… sharp.
Predatory.
Then shapes moved.
Five.
Six more wolves stepped out from either side of it.
The alpha howled again.
They raised their paws—
—and slashed.
Air screamed.
Massive claw-shaped arcs—compressed air or pure force—tore through the space above me, smashing into the ledge. Stone exploded. Rocks sheared loose and fell.
An ability.
Great.
Claws and debris rained down like a meteor storm.
I moved without thinking.
Dodging.
Weaving.
My body reacted faster than my thoughts could catch up.
Claws missed by inches.
Rocks shattered where I'd been a heartbeat earlier.
I'm faster, I realized.
Much faster.
The alpha howled again.
I looked up.
Its front legs lifted—
—and it slashed downward.
Not at me.
At the cliff.
The attack carved clean through the ledge.
The ground beneath my feet gave way.
Everything started to fall.
My heart slammed.
I checked my HP.
HP: 14 / 25
I healed a bit from sleeping…
I hope it's enough.
The ledge cracked apart.
The wolves' bodies slid into the gaps and vanished below.
I jumped—rock to rock—using my sticky body to cling longer than I should have been able to.
But one rock split under me.
I fell.
A stone slammed into my side.
HP: 8 / 25
Something inside me went slack, and my next movement came a beat too slow.
Dammit!
Another rock fell—just off to my left.
I stretched out a stubby leg—
—and stuck.
Just long enough.
Control returned in a rush.
The ground was getting closer.
Then I saw it.
A massive tree.
Okay—okay…
I angled myself, forced every ounce of speed into one final leap.
The rock beneath me shattered as I jumped.
I flew—
—and slammed face-first into the tree trunk.
HP: 3 / 25
I slid down slowly, my sticky body clinging just enough to keep gravity from finishing me.
I hit the ground.
HP: 2 / 25
The world tilted.
For a moment, I just lay there—vision swimming, body refusing to respond. Everything felt distant, muted, like I was underwater.
Stone cracked above me.
That snapped me back.
I forced myself to move, limbs sluggish and uncoordinated as I pushed up from the ground.
No time to rest.
The cliff above collapsed completely.
Rocks thundered down.
The tree behind me snapped in half as a boulder crushed it.
I staggered forward—
—and spotted a small cave to my right.
I ran.
Dived inside.
Mud, dirt, and stone roared past the entrance like a flood.
I collapsed against the cave wall.
…I'm lucky to be alive.
I took a moment inside the cave and checked my HP again.
HP: 2 / 25
I let out a slow breath.
I need to sleep.
That wolf isn't going to give up.
It wants revenge.
The thought settled uncomfortably.
I guess that's the consequence in this world for chasing EXP.
My perception—still clumsy, but better than before—let me make out the cave's shape.
Jagged stone.
Uneven ground.
Enough light bleeding in from the entrance to see where not to step.
I didn't trust the entrance.
Nothing had been safe since I was born.
Every second had been chaos.
I moved deeper.
Slow.
Careful.
My sticky body barely made a sound against the stone.
Then—
Squawk.
I froze.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't blink.
Something shuffled in the darkness ahead.
I focused, forcing my eyes to adjust.
A nest.
Tucked into a hollow in the cave wall.
Eggs.
Some whole.
Some cracked.
A few half-hatched things twitching weakly—
featherless, ugly little bird-creatures.
Then I saw it.
A bird.
Barely larger than me.
Lean.
Hooked beak.
Hawk-like eyes that pierced straight through the dim.
It stared at me.
I took one tiny step forward—more of a shuffle.
The bird squawked again.
Softer this time.
And stepped back.
I paused.
…It's afraid of me.
The realization hit harder than I expected.
Not because it was prey—
But because it wasn't hunting me.
I edged closer.
Now I could see the nest clearly.
Ten… maybe fifteen unhatched eggs.
Five already hatching.
One mother bird.
Shaking.
Relief washed over me.
This would be easy.
I took another step.
The bird shrank back further, feathers trembling.
This would level me up nicely.
Then I could deal with that damn wolf.
I raised myself slightly—
Then stopped.
…Wait.
Something twisted in my chest.
This didn't feel like survival.
It felt like them.
I stepped back.
The bird didn't attack.
Didn't chase.
It just watched.
Images flashed through my mind.
Fire.
Ash.
My family—whatever they'd been—burning without resistance.
Killed casually.
For EXP.
I took another step back.
I want to survive.
I want to get stronger.
My gaze lingered on the eggs.
But I won't do it like this.
The bird watched me—still shaking, but no longer retreating.
I'll kill predators.
I'll kill things that hunt me.
My thoughts hardened.
But I'm not going to become like the ones who killed my family.
I turned away.
Moved back toward the cave entrance.
Sat down against the stone wall and leaned into it, my body sagging with exhaustion.
I need sleep.
And a plan.
I glanced back once.
The bird was still there—watching me.
Not with fear anymore.
With something closer to relief.
…I may be classed as a monster now,
but that doesn't mean I have to act like one.
Outside, the rubble finally settled.
The night grew quiet.
And despite everything—
I drifted to sleep.