CHAPTER 4: The Predator

Chapter 4: The Predator

I searched for a place to rest for what felt like forever. The moon was setting, and the first light of dawn painted the sky. My exhaustion blurred time, and before I realized it, I had already eaten all the apples and strawberries I had gathered.

Then—

A shimmer in the distance.

“A pond!”

I rushed toward it, my body moving on instinct. Without a second thought, I cupped my hands and scooped the water to my lips.

Cold. Crisp. Refreshing.

I had never tasted anything like it before. Each sip sent a wave of relief through my parched throat, cooling my overheated body.

Ding!

The status window suddenly popped up.

"The pond has cured all status ailments: Sleep deprivation, exhaustion."

I blinked.

"What? Did I just drink some kind of healing water?"

If that was the case, I needed to take some with me—but there was a problem. I had no container.

"Looks like I’ll have to stay in this forest for a while."

With food and water secured, my next priority was finding a place to sleep. Preferably, somewhere high up—away from predators.

I wandered for what felt like half an hour, marking the trees as I went. The dense forest made it easy to get lost, and I didn’t want to lose track of the pond. Luckily, food wasn’t a problem. Fruits and berries grew all around me.

Then—

I stumbled upon a cave.

A real shelter.

Excitement surged through me, and without thinking—I ran toward it.

And that’s when it hit me.

A shiver ran down my spine.

My chest tightened, my muscles tensed.

Ding!

"Passive Skill [Intuition] has been activated."

I froze.

But before I could react—

Something lunged at me.

My body moved on instinct—I ducked!

WHOOSH!

A blur of fur and fangs sailed over my head. It barely missed.

I turned.

Standing before me was a rabbit.

But this was no ordinary rabbit.

It was huge, as big as a pit bull, with saber-like fangs protruding from its mouth. Its red eyes locked onto mine, radiating pure bloodlust.

This thing—

It wasn’t here to play.

It was here to kill.