NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Chapter 10 - On the Brink of Change
The forest seemed quieter than usual. The tension that had filled the air during my fight with the shadowy predator had dissipated, but the silence left in its wake was suffocating. Not peaceful, no—this was the kind of quiet that made your ears twitch at phantom sounds, your heart race at shadows that didn't move. Even the insects and other things you can find inside a forest had stopped their usual chittering. It was as though the entire forest held its breath, waiting.
And so was I.
I stared at the lifeless body of the predator sprawled on the forest floor. Its sleek, black fur shimmered faintly under the patches of sunlight breaking through the canopy. Blood oozed from its broken neck and jagged grin, staining the ground beneath it. My legs were trembling, barely able to hold me up. My chest heaved, each breath burning like fire in my lungs.
The system notification blinked faintly in my mind, the sound of its familiar chime almost muted.
[Level Up: 8 → 9.]
[Level Up: 9 → 10.]
[Maximum Level Reached. Evolution Possible.]
For a moment, I just stood there, my mind frozen in place as I processed the message. Did I level up twice?
"Maximum level?" I whispered, my voice cracking slightly. "Evolution… possible?"
My thoughts spiraled. The word "evolution" had appeared, and yet I had no idea what it meant. Of course, I could guess—this was clearly some kind of game-like system, and if reaching the maximum level was the trigger for evolution, it most likely meant I was about to… change. Physically? Mentally? Would I still be myself? Was I even prepared for what came next?
Am I going to evolve like one of those monsters you put on a ball? If that's the case, then I want to look cool at least.
I shook my head, pushing the questions aside. Now wasn't the time to panic. My instincts screamed at me to move, to clean myself, to recover, to hide—but instead, I found myself transfixed. I couldn't stop staring at the panther's corpse.
I did it, I survived.
My blood-drenched body stood there for a while, staring at the corpse of the beast. I wonder, would it be better to just give up right now? My journey just started but I feel like it would be more tiring in the future.
It had been close. Too close.
I'd won, yes. But I wasn't the victor because of raw skill or talent—I'd won because of desperation and the strange power of the orb within me. Without that final surge of energy, that final glimpse of glowing weak points, I would've been nothing more than a bloody smear on the forest floor.
And now here I was, alive but battered, standing on the edge of something new. Something I didn't understand.
Sigh
I wanna die~
God, Demon, Djinn, or whoever you are out there. Can you give me a break for a while? I don't think I'll survive at this rate. It's a good thing that the pain in my bloody arm was alleviated by that orb. I think. Bloody hell mate, just give me a break for once.
"Evolution, huh?" I muttered, glancing down at my trembling paws. "What the hell does that even mean for a rabbit?"
The orb in my chest pulsed faintly, as though responding to my words.
-----------------------------
I hopped unsteadily away from the predator's corpse, each movement sending a fresh wave of pain through my body. Blood still dripped from the wound on my forearm, staining the ground beneath me. My HP bar flashed faintly in the corner of my vision, a grim reminder of how close I'd come to death.
[No Name]
[Rabbit]
[Level 10 [MAX]]
[HP: 6/19]
[Mana: 8/15]
[Skills: Bounce Level 3, Danger Sense Level 1, Kick Level 3]
Every part of me ached. My legs felt like jelly from all the ricocheting and dodging, my lungs burned, and the gash on my forearm throbbed with every beat of my heart. But I couldn't afford to stop here.
"Focus," I whispered to myself. "Clean yourself up. Eat. Rest. And figure out whatever the hell this 'evolution' thing is supposed to be."
I made my way back to my burrow, zigzagging through the trees and underbrush to avoid any potential predators. The forest was still eerily quiet, and the absence of sound made my fur bristle. My ears twitched constantly, straining for any sign of movement, but there was nothing.
By the time I reached my burrow, my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand. I collapsed near the edge of the pond, panting heavily.
"Okay… first things first," I muttered, dipping my injured forearm into the cool water. The pain was sharp, making me wince, but the sensation of the blood washing away was oddly soothing. I licked my wound carefully, cleaning it as best as I could before curling up near the pond's edge.
My reflection stared back at me from the water's surface—wide, frightened eyes, matted fur, and bloodstains that refused to come off entirely. I didn't look like a hero or a survivor. I looked like prey. A prey that just narrowly escaped being dinner. I have to thank the orb for this.
---------------------------
As the sun began to set, painting the forest in hues of gold and crimson, I turned my attention back to the system notification still hovering in the corner of my vision.
[Maximum Level Reached. Evolution Possible.]
"What do I do?" I muttered, my ears flicking nervously. "Do I just… wait? Or is there some kind of trigger I'm supposed to activate?"
The orb pulsed faintly in my chest again, and for a brief moment, I felt something—a pull, like an invisible thread tugging at the edges of my consciousness. It wasn't painful or overwhelming, but it was insistent, like a quiet voice urging me forward.
"Is this… the orb's doing?" I whispered, placing a paw over my chest. "Is this what you want me to do?"
There was no answer, of course. Just that faint, rhythmic pulse.
I sighed, glancing down at my paws again. They looked small and fragile against the backdrop of the forest floor, but I knew better. I wasn't the same rabbit I'd been when I first woke up in this strange world. I'd leveled up. I'd fought predators and survived. I'd changed, little by little, with each battle and each step forward. I was becoming something different. Different from what I was before I reincarnated.
And now, I was on the brink of something bigger. Something I didn't fully understand. Where this would lead me I don't know, the only thing I understand is that I want to live. I still want to see the next day, swim in my pond, and maybe see those squirrels again and gather more things for my collection.
"Alright," I muttered, my voice trembling slightly. "Let's see what this 'evolution' thing is all about."
---------------------------------
As I settled into my burrow, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. [Danger Sense] had been quiet since the fight with the predator, but there was an underlying tension in the air that made my fur bristle.
It was as though the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
I curled up tightly, my body trembling slightly from the lingering adrenaline and pain. The orb in my chest pulsed faintly, its rhythm steady and unchanging, like a heartbeat.
Sleep didn't come easily. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts—memories of the fight, questions about evolution, and the lingering unease of that shadowy figure I'd seen earlier. Who—or what—had been watching me? And why? These things have been keeping me up at night especially with [Danger Sense] creeping up from time to time, it gave me the sense of unease even from the subtle movements.
The thing that I'm quite surprised about is that I heal quite fast, I don't know if rabbits in this world are actually like that but the moment I wake up, I feel refreshed the next day with the gash on my side after the ferret fight fully healed.
I don't know what's actually happening but it's a welcome surprise for sure. Imagine having a hole in your stomach not healing for a few days or weeks and you're a fucking rabbit. Scary~
---------------------------
When sleep finally claimed me, it was anything but restful.
I found myself standing in a vast, empty expanse—an endless void of swirling darkness and faint, glowing lines that pulsed in rhythm with the orb in my chest. The lines twisted and coiled around me, forming shapes and patterns that I couldn't understand.
In the distance, a faint light flickered, drawing my attention. I moved toward it instinctively, my paws barely making a sound against the invisible ground.
As I approached, the light grew brighter, and the patterns around me shifted, forming shapes that were almost recognizable—trees, mountains, rivers. It was as though the void itself was trying to mimic the world I knew.
The light took shape, and I found myself staring at a towering figure from afar—a silhouette of glowing lines and shifting patterns. It had no face, no features, but its presence was overwhelming.
The orb in my chest pulsed sharply, and I felt a strange connection to the figure, as though it were both a part of me and something far greater.
"Who… are you?" I whispered, my voice echoing in the void.
The figure didn't respond, but the lines around it began to shift, forming images that flickered and danced like flames. I saw glimpses of creatures I didn't recognize—some terrifying, some beautiful. I saw battles and ruins, forests and mountains, and a strange, swirling abyss that made my heart race with unease.
And then, I saw another figure in front covered in a blanket of darkness with only the silhouette visible. The only notable thing that I can gather about the figure is that they have a scholarly atmosphere with long flowing hair.
The "Scholar" suddenly moved his hands.
Click
With a snap of the "Scholar's" fingers, A huge Circle with intricate patterns appeared, flames burst forth from within and rushed towards the towering figure in the distance.
Thud
And with a stomp of his foot, Earth rose to the sky and proceeded to swallow the towering figure whole.
It was an image that might forever be engraved in my mind. The figure raged from the being encaged into a burning hell. Prancing about, trying to destroy the earthen cage but alas, it was unsuccessful and the flames from hell burned it into a crisp. The image of the colossal figure suddenly starts fading from reality like sands in the desert.
The "Scholar" suddenly faced me, pointing at the orb within my chest, and uttered.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit."
The images faded, and the void around me began to collapse, pulling me back toward the waking world.
-----------------------------------
I woke with a start, my heart pounding and the orb in my chest glowing faintly beneath my fur. The forest around me was quiet, but the tension in the air was almost suffocating.
I glanced down at my paws, my mind racing with the images I'd seen in the void.
All those images that were shown to me by the towering figure and the scholar burning it, what does it mean?
Now talking about those images that I've seen that were shown to me by the colossal figure was burned into my mind, what was it trying to say to me? And what the fuck does lorem ipsum something something bullshit mean?
Well, I don't have a clue and maybe it was even just a strange dream brought by stress, so it doesn't really mean anything. Or is it? Well fuck it.
"Evolution," I whispered, my voice trembling. "It's not just about getting stronger, is it? It's about… change."
How this will all change me I don't know. But amidst all the worries that I have, the first thing I need to remember is that I need to survive in order for me to continue worrying about the future. Worrying about the future is only for those who have the privilege of a safety net. I don't even know if I'll die tomorrow or later, I need to change. A change is necessary for survival.
The system notification blinked faintly in the corner of my vision, and I knew that I was standing on the brink of something far greater than I could have imagined.
But with that knowledge came fear.
Because once I took this step, there would be no turning back.
[Maximum Level Reached. Evolution Possible.]
[Choose your Evolution Path: Lesser Horned Rabbit, Greater Rabbit, Red-Eyed Lop, Lesser Mana Rabbit, …]
[Proceed: Yes/No?]