I was walking in the dark—frightened and exhausted by reality. The streets were empty, and so was the world around me. Yet my mind was crowded. There was no one outside, but everyone seemed to be inside my head, all trying to say something.
Something mean.
With every step I took, a new voice emerged, each more cutting than the last:
"You used to be amazing... what happened?""You're useless.""I had so many expectations for you.""You literally had one thing to do.""You're pathetic..."
I reached my apartment, forcing myself to ignore every freeloader that had made a home in my head.
Being in a state of hopelessness from this cruel world, I entered my room—sad, anxious, and worn down.
"I have no motivation to live peacefully. This world burdens me too much.I wish there were a better place where I could belong... I wish I could restart my life."
At that very moment, the sky outside lit up with the brightness of a strange-looking shooting star. Even though it was night, the sky looked almost as bright as day.
And just as suddenly as it appeared… the star vanished into thin air."I think I should just go to sleep now."I lay down, hoping sleep would clear my head.But what happened the next morning… completely changed my life.
The next morning, I woke up, though my eyes were still half-closed from some strange tiredness.
"Ah… it’s so bright, I can’t even open my eyes."
I rubbed them and slowly managed to peek at my surroundings—just enough to catch a glimpse.
"What?! Why is the sun so bright today?"
A shiver ran down my spine as a sudden realization hit me.
"Wait… I was inside my room, and the window was shut. So how is the sun directly on my face?"
I forced my eyes wide open to get a full look.What I saw left my expression caught somewhere between dread… and excitement.
"Wait... What? Why am I on top of a tree in the middle of a forest?Where’s my room? Where is everything?"
The panic was real—but it didn’t last long. A gentle breeze brushed against me, and the soft warmth of the morning sun settled on my face.The air here was incredibly fresh—so clean, it felt like I could stand here for minutes, doing nothing but breathing.
I yelled from the top of the tree into the distance,"Heyyy... Can someone hear me...?"
No response—just a few birds fluttering away in the silence.
I sat down on the thick branch, trying to think of a way out of this bizarre situation."Okay... this is definitely not a good place to be stuck in.”-"Let's think... Umm... I guess the best thing to do right now is find some food and water before anything else.”
I slowly began climbing down the tree, my hands gripping tightly onto the rough crevices of the bark, inching my way down one step at a time.
But— "Ahh!" I suddenly slipped, heart skipping a beat. Somehow, I managed to catch myself just in time, my grip tightening as my thigh scraped against the bark.
"Oww... Okay, slow and steady. Baby steps."
After a bit of shaky effort, I finally made it to the ground. My feet landed on the soft grass, which had just the right amount of bounce to feel oddly satisfying.
"Finally... I made it through. OK, no time to lose. Let's find some water first."
I started walking in a straight line, not really knowing where I was going—just hoping I'd stumble upon some stream or pond. The forest around me was calm and beautiful, slowly coming to life as the sun climbed higher into the sky. The soft golden light made everything feel peaceful and almost surreal.
I kept walking, brushing against trees and plants along the way. Surprisingly, I was actually enjoying it.
Still marching forward, hoping I was heading toward a water source—if one even existed in this direction—I suddenly caught a familiar scent. The smell of wet soil.
I picked up my pace, jogging toward the smell, and soon enough, I saw it: a wide patch of water gleaming through the trees.
Without wasting a second, I rushed over and knelt down to drink.After drinking enough and getting a grip on the situation, I took a deep breath and tried to recall that survival show my dad used to watch back in the day.
"Okay, that’s done. So, according to what I remember... I should probably find something to store it in.”I wandered around the small pond, looking for anything useful.“What is this?”As I walked, my foot stepped on something rope-like. The moment I lifted it, a loud rustling sound echoed around me.I looked around in fear, heart pounding, completely confused about what was happening.
Before I could react, the rope-like thing suddenly latched onto my foot and yanked me toward a nearby tree. In a flash, it coiled around me, pinning me tightly against the trunk.
“Wha… What’s going on? Is this some kind of trap? Someone… help me!”
The rustling sound began to fade, as if whatever caused it was now moving away.
I thrashed and pulled, trying everything I could to break free—but the more I struggled, the tighter the grip became.I shut my eyes, thinking, This is just a dream. I’ll wake up from this nightmare any second now… right?
But when I opened them again, nothing had changed. I was still stuck against the tree, tightly bound by those strange ropes.
I stopped struggling and stayed still, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The rustling noise had faded into the distance, completely out of earshot now.
But after a short while, new sounds began to emerge.
“Wait… I can hear something.”I heard footsteps approaching—quick, heavy ones, like someone running straight toward me.
Then, a voice rang out.“Hey, Tobu… I think we finally caught something!”
Another voice responded,“Oh? Really?”
Two figures came into view. One of them stopped right in front of me. My head was still hanging low from exhaustion, so I could only see their feet. Judging by the size and voice, the first one was a boy, probably around my age. A smaller pair of feet appeared beside him—looked like a little girl.
The boy spoke again. “Wait a minute… No way.”
The girl asked, “What is it, Hop?”
He took a step closer. “Hey… I can’t believe this. This is a human!”My mind spun at what the boy had just said. Human?I slowly lifted my head—and froze in surprise.
Both of the kids had long, floppy bunny ears sticking out from their heads.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hah… must be some kind of local tribe costume.”
The boy stepped closer. “Hey! Human!”
I raised an eyebrow. “Heh… Me?”
“Yes, you! How did you end up here?” he asked.
I shrugged, grinning. “No idea, bunny boy.”
He scowled. “Don’t call me that. The name’s Hop.”
Then he gently placed a hand on the smaller kid beside him.“And this is Tobu—my little sister.”
I nodded. “Mmm... Okay. Cool introductions and all—but can you please untie me now?”He replied, “Umm... No, I suppose not. I’ve only heard about humans in stories. This is my first time actually seeing one.”
He untied me from the tree, though my hands were still bound.
Then he grabbed the other end of the leash and started walking, tugging me along.
“Hey,” I said, glancing around, “isn’t this the same direction that rustling sound went earlier?”
Hop nodded. “Yeah. That was part of the contraption.”
His answer didn’t really clear anything up for me—it just made things more confusing.
As we walked farther, the surroundings began to shift—less wild and more structured. What once felt like untamed forest slowly turned into something more… man-made. Or maybe bunny-made. The trees were spaced more evenly, the ground beneath us began to feel like a laid path rather than random dirt, and the silence of the forest was gradually replaced by distant chatter and movement.
The further we went, the clearer the sounds became—voices, footsteps, maybe even laughter. It sounded like a whole community going about its day.
Just before we stepped into what I assumed was the village, the boy suddenly stopped. Without a word, he pulled out an old, worn blanket and threw it over me, covering me completely. “Hey Tobu, just go home for now, okay?” he said, turning to his sister.
I kept walking beside him, vision now reduced to the few feet directly beneath me. The path changed again—flat stone gave way to smooth, clean tiles. Marble, I think. My steps began to echo softly, like I was entering a giant hall or plaza.
The boy came to a halt, and so did I. He pulled the old blanket off me, revealing the space around us.
“Oh… so it is a giant room after all,” I muttered, glancing around in awe at every strange and fascinating detail that filled the place.
“Hey, you!” the boy snapped. “Show some respect. You’re in front of the elder, not sightseeing like a little kid!”
“The elder?” I echoed, turning my gaze forward.
There, seated at the edge of an ornate throne, was an old man. His eyes were locked onto me—wide open, unblinking.
I quickly lowered my head, avoiding his intense stare.
“A... human child,” the elder murmured.
He slowly rose from the throne and walked over to a table stacked with books and scrolls. I tilted my head slightly, still keeping my body in a half-bowed posture.
With deliberate movements, the elder shifted through the pile and pulled out a single piece of paper that had been tucked away between the books.
Hop sighed. “You should learn proper manners, human.”
I straightened up, a little annoyed by his comment.
Hop turned to the elder. “Elder, is something wrong? Do you need my help with anything?”
The elder shook his head gently. “No, my boy… It’s all right.”
He returned to his throne, his expression turning grave.
Then he looked at me. “My boy, how did you end up here?”
I simply replied, “I don’t know.”
The elder quietly unfolded the paper he had pulled out earlier and began reading it.
After a moment, he nodded slowly. “I see… just as I had predicted.”
I asked, “What is it? Was it you who teleported me here?”
The elder replied, “I do not fully understand what you are trying to say, but if you want to know who brought you here... it might be fate. And if you ask me, you are here for a very specific reason.”
“For what reason?” I asked.
The elder paused, then said carefully, “To defeat… h-him.”
“Him? Who?” I asked again, puzzled.
Hop shouted, “What? Are you sure, Elder?”
The elder gave a slow, serious nod. “Yes, my boy.”
Hop blinked in disbelief, then said, “Okay… if you say so, then it must be true.”
I just stood there, trying to wrap my head around any of it.
I recollected all my ‘generic’ isekai anime trope knowledge and jumped to a dumb conclusion.
“Oh! I think I get it. Is this like one of those ‘Demon King’ situations where I have to defeat him and save the world or something?”
Both the elder and Hop immediately stopped talking and stared at me again—just like before.
I sighed, recognizing the déjà vu. “No, not again. Why are we back to the staring thing?”
Hop suddenly shouted, “Brad, why would you want to get rid of the Demon King?!”
I hesitated, a bit thrown off. “Umm... I just thought maybe my fate brought me here to kill the Demon King and free this world… or something?”Hop smirked. "Oh, OK. Maybe humans aren’t as clever as the stories say. The thing is, that thing we’re talking about—its name can't be spoken. We're bound by a curse that stops us from saying it out loud!"
I blinked. "OK, so... my task isn’t to kill the Demon King, then?"
Hop hissed, "You stupid human. No! That’s not your task. In fact, the one who was standing before us—that was the Demon King!"
I stood there, shocked and speechless. "...Um, OK," I muttered.
Hop, clearly unimpressed with my human intelligence, looked like he was about to storm off and find something better to do—maybe go catch something again—when the elder suddenly stopped him.
“Hop,” the elder said, “show him around the village.”
Hop sighed. “Ah, why me...” But the elder met his eyes with a silent, expectant look.
“Fine, I’ll go,” Hop finally gave in, clearly uninterested in the task he’d just been stuck with because of me.
Before we left, the elder added, “And try to avoid any commotion for now.”
As we stepped out of the room, I tried to ease the tension. “Sorry, Hop. Don’t worry, I promise I won’t cause any trouble.”
“Yeah, like I care,” he muttered.
On the way out, I was amazed by the path I hadn’t seen before—since I'd been hidden under that blanket earlier. We walked through a long corridor lined with beautiful sculptures and... machines? Machines that looked far beyond anything I’d seen. They didn’t belong to any era I knew.
As we moved on, I saw stunning gardens filled with purple flowers, neatly arranged in rows like some kind of royal exhibit.
Finally, we reached the exit—an enormous gate made of a glass-like material, opening with the help of more strange yet intricate machines.
Hop handed me the blanket again. “Hey, you. Take this. It'll stop people from staring at you.”
I appreciated the gesture. “Thanks, Hop. That’s very nice of you.”
He replied with a grunt, “Hey, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only helping because I was told to.”
“OK, fine!” I said with a nod.
I wrapped the blanket around my head like a big cap, hiding my nonexistent bunny ears. We continued walking until we reached the center of the village.
There stood a statue—amazingly detailed, carved with incredible precision. It depicted some kind of bunnyman in a strange outfit. It looked like battle armor, but the design and fit made it seem more like he was wearing pajamas.
I chuckled at the sight. Hop shot me an annoyed glance.
The statue stood on a rock pedestal, hands placed over its chest with fingers forming a diamond shape. Right in the center of that shape was a beautiful gem, perfectly fit in it.
Hop exclaimed, “Hey, human! I’m not repeating myself, so listen carefully.”
“This is the center of our settlement. It’s where our people live.”
“Oh, you mean the Bunny Clan?” I interrupted.
Hop groaned. “Don’t interrupt!... Ugh, whatever. Yes.”
He pointed at the statue. “That’s our Lord—Gemillus.”
Then he smacked my back. “Now bow before him.”
I bowed at the statue, half-expecting a moment like this. After a brief pause, I straightened up and turned to Hop.
"He was the great leader of our Gemilli Clan," Hop began. "Also one of the leading figures in the great battle that happened hundreds of years ago. OK then, let’s go. Hurry up.”
“Wait, wait! I have a few questions!” I said hesitantly.
Hop sighed. “Alright, ask quickly.”
I pointed at the statue. “What’s that gem in his hands?”
“Oh, that? That’s a Gemanite. Everyone in this village has one. It’s part of our curse—lets us create life and objects from non-living parts to do certain tasks for us,” Hop explained.
He raised his hands, forming a diamond shape with his fingers. As I watched, a small gem appeared between them.
“See? This is it,” he said proudly.
I was amazed—but also a little confused. Something this cool being called a curse?
“Hey, but why is yours so small?” I asked with a smirk.
“Hey! Don’t make fun of me for no reason,” Hop snapped. “Of course it’s small. I’m not a battle man. I’m still in training—but once I’m done, I’ll show you its true strength!”
“OK, OK, fine,” I said, waving him off. “By the way, what was that great battle you mentioned?”
Hop scratched his head. “Umm… actually, I don’t know the full story. Maybe you’ll learn more about it as you meet more Gemilli. For now, let’s check out the village.”
We walked north from the statue into a crowded market bustling with bunny people— i mean Gemilli. Every stall had a Gemilli accompanied by a small, robot-like creature.
I asked, “Are these the kind of life forms you’re able to create using Gemanite?”
“Yep,” Hop replied. “We can create something for nearly any task. But the more complex the task, the stronger your Gemanite needs to be.”
I was amazed by the potential of the Gemanite. My mind buzzed with curiosity.
I muttered to myself, “Man, if I had one of those, it’d be so fun to experiment with.”
As we continued through the bustling street, taking in the sights and sounds of the market, a cheerful voice called out from one of the stalls.
"Hello, Hop! How have you been?"
We turned to see a large bunny lady waving at us from behind a colorful display of fruit.
We walked over. Hop replied, “Hey Magret, long time no see. I’m fine—what about you?”
“Just as joyful as always,” she said with a warm smile.
Then, eyeing me curiously, she added, “And who might that be? Have you finally found a friend?”
Hop quickly growled, “No, no, no! Don’t get the wrong idea. He’s just a guest. The elder asked me to show him around the village.”
She chuckled. “Alright, alright. Enjoy your time with this guest of yours.”
She turned to me, eyes gleaming with friendliness. “Hello there, mysterious guest. Visiting this place for the first time, huh?”
I nodded politely.
“Oh, that’s wonderful! My name’s Magret. I run this stall—and these lovely fruits are my pride and joy.” She gestured proudly at the exotic collection of vibrant, strange-looking fruits neatly arranged behind her.
Then she added , “And by the way—even if it doesn’t seem like it, I’m a very good friend of Hop. Which means I get to be your friend too!”
Hop muttered with a groan, “What? What do you mean by that?”
She added warmly, “So, son, if you ever need anything, just run up to me and ask, okay? I’ll try my best to help you.”
I replied gratefully, “Thank you, ma’am. I will.”
Hop and I continued moving through the market, passing more and more tiny Gemanite robots busily going about their chores.
The end of the market opened up into a large, beautiful residential area. The houses looked like they were made of stone, soil, limestone—natural materials crafted with care. The road between them curved gently, forming a semicircle that led back toward the village center.
We headed south and eventually reached a large building, uniquely placed among the smaller stone houses.
Hop pointed at it and said, “That’s our great library. It’s the second most beautiful structure in the village… besides the statue of Lord Gemillus, of course. If you ever want to pass the time, you can come here.”
We walked past the library, but my eyes stayed fixed on that impressive structure. Soon, the road ended at a vast lake fed by rivers flowing into it.
Hop stopped and turned toward me with a smirk. “Well, that’s it for our little town tour. My duty’s done. Now I’m leaving.”
“Wait!” I interrupted. “Are you seriously going to leave me here alone? What am I supposed to do now?”
He looked at me with a flat expression. “I don’t know. Just… do whatever.”
“But I don’t have anywhere to go. What if it starts raining?” I asked, half-panicked.
Hop smirked. “Then stand under a tree, I guess.”
I stared at him, dejected, hoping for even a little help.
Then I remembered something. “Hey, before I was caught in your rope machine, I was actually searching for something to store water in. Could you maybe… give me something for that?”
Hop sighed. “Okay, you’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?”
He made a diamond shape with his hands, and the Gemanite appeared. Hop grinned. “Let me show you what I can do.”
The Gemanite began spinning rapidly, emitting a bright green glow. Nearby grass and wood scraps started levitating toward it. As they neared the glowing gem, they turned gooey and semi-solid, interacting with each other in strange, almost magical ways.
As the light slowly faded, I saw a round water container beside me—it looked kind of like a kid’s water bottle, complete with straps and all.
Hop looked proud. “I learned this from my grandfather. Beautiful, right? Not even the best craftsmen in the village can make it like this.”
I clapped. “That was amazing!”
Hop handed me the bottle. “Here, take it. Consider it my way of pitying you. Now I’m really going. Take care of yourself, human.”
Hop left me by the lakeside with his little gift. I waved goodbye.
As he disappeared into the distance, I looked down at the bottle and thought, So… survival time
“So, let’s see,” I muttered to myself, “according to all those isekai anime I used to watch… I should probably find some work.”
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