*What...*

The last thing I remembered was walking home after being attacked by a savage rabbit. Which meant I had pa.s.sed out in the middle of the day. The sun looked as if it had just risen, so, while still on my back, I pulled out my phone to confirm the time. The clock read 10:09 of the same day, the 3rd of January.

*Useless. Never looking at this thing again.*

I really didn't know what to expect after reading an incorrect time the first try. It wasn't like the clock was magically going to fix itself.

I traced my memory to figure out how I ended up where I was.

*I was going home, wasn't I? Did I not make it?*

I decided to sit up after a moment of laziness and contemplation. I surveyed my surroundings. Sure enough, I had collapsed in the middle of the road. Surprisingly, I wasn't injured from the fall. I was actually feeling quite good. In fact, the bite on my s.h.i.+n was relatively healed up. It was clearly still present, as it had scabbed up. But a wound of that depth would never have healed perfectly, if at all. I was even planning to amputate my left leg below the knee if it got too bad. Maybe it was just my catastrophic thinking, because there was most likely no need for an amputation. Regardless, I shuddered at the thought of amputation without anesthetics. So much for the thoughts of it just being a flesh wound.

I wondered how surgeons practiced in the pre-anesthesia era. I just a.s.sumed they tied people down? And cut them open while they scream incessantly. How pleasant. It's a good thing there was no need to think about that right now. Overreacting is my specialty. Where would I get the tools to amputate myself, anyway? The sharpest thing in my house is probably a spoon. But you never know. Some say there was a murderer who killed people using solely spoons. Digging out of prisons using spoons is another common stereotype. Maybe spoons are a hidden weapon that no one knows about, and I have to keep some on hand at all times!

*Although, I might be able to find some sharper stuff in the surrounding houses. Anyway, am I a superhuman? How did I gain this abnormal healing factor...*

This was the other reason I didn't even need to consider amputation. Despite the "tough guy" att.i.tude I was putting on earlier, the bite was pretty deep. There was no way it should have been humanly possibly to heal within a day.

*But I have no clue how long I was out for. The clock says it hasn't even been three hours, but the sun's in a completely different position in the sky. I think. Stupid clouds...*

As I fantasized about having superpowers (and what time it really was), I realized a group of ent.i.ties were trying to sneak up on me from multiple directions. This was a perfect opportunity for them. I was sitting down in the middle of the road, completely vulnerable. There was probably only one way for me to escape. Running down the middle of the street, where there was nothing in view. But this was an unlikely scenario.

I was fairly certain who my foe was this time. The rustles of the bushes grew increasingly louder.

*What it is this time? Show yourself.*

When the answer revealed itself, I was somewhat relieved, and somewhat exasperated. Indeed, my nemesis had shown itself once again. But this time, I was almost surrounded. I had a hunch this would happen.

*I didn't kill it, apparently... Does that thing have a superb healing factor, too? And you've brought your friends, huh?*

I remembered the pain from having to face one rabbit clearly. Of course I did, since it was literally the last thing I remembered before pa.s.sing out. But even though there were six of them this time, I knew for sure that I wasn't going to have a problem against them.

Why?

I couldn't describe the feeling accurately, but it was like my body had become lighter. And stronger. I could already tell, even though I was merely moving from a sitting to a standing position. Even though it was barely a difference, I could notice it. Also, my opponents are only rabbits. If I couldn't beat up a rabbit with my physique, I probably deserve to die to them.

I untied the s.h.i.+rt, which was acting as the makes.h.i.+ft bandage and tourniquet, and kicked it to the side, so I wouldn't trip on it during combat. That would be the most embarra.s.sing way to go.

"Come at me." I provoked.

As if they understood my command, the 6-pack of rabbits charged at me as if they had seen red.

*Well, their eyes are red, so... maybe they only see red all the time? That would make sense.*

As the bunnies on steroids rapidly approached, I realized I may have been a little too hasty with my call to arms. Taking six opponents on at once was probably going to take a toll on me.

In a group of ten moving objects, the average human can only track four of them accurately. For ten seconds. Of course, when said objects are isolated, that number goes up slightly. Out of curiosity, I had experimented on myself to see how many moving objects *I* could keep track of at once. The number was eight. In other words, if you labeled eight circles on a screen A through H, hid the labels, and moved them around for ten seconds, I would be able to locate all of the labels with 100% accuracy. I didn't only do the test once, of course. My pride didn't let me have it. But eight was the highest I could go. Any more than that, and I couldn't handle the numbers.

Even though there are only six items I need to keep track of here, the circ.u.mstances are slightly different.

1. They're not on a screen or a static surface. Every time I tested this, I would always use objects on a screen or items shuffled under cups. They're in a three dimensional world, which means there's an added element of depth. This also means they could be behind me. And in no way was I fit to keep track of all of these enemies at once. Of course, when there's three of them behind me, I can't rely solely on sight to locate them. How many things could I keep track of solely by hearing them? Or relying on my other senses, for that matter? I had yet to test that, much less train it.

2. Every one of them poses a threat. Of course, when you're shuffling items under cups, those items are not likely to be spiders or something. There's no stress or unnecessary tension involved. Here, failure means small injury at best, death at worst. For me, who gets nervous easily, this is just another hindrance to my abilities - my ability to fight and react properly. That's right. In addition to having to keep track of six items that I may or may not be able to see, I have to respond accordingly. Not a simple response like placing labels, either. I need to attack and dodge correctly.

*Now isn't the time to be nervous, but that's easier said than done... focus up!*

I had to come up with a plan in less than three seconds.

*... alright, I guess I'll try this.*

I took a deep breath and charged to the side of the road, where three of the six rabbits were approaching me.

*Like this, I'll only need to pay attention to these three for now. I'll deal with the other three later.*

With that thought in mind, I focused on the task I a.s.signed myself.

*Well, even if I can focus on three targets at once, I only have two hands...*

So I decided to dash towards the one on the left side.

*This makes my job much easier. Let's get rid of you first.*

As it noticed my gaze, the already aggressive rabbit seemed to kick into overdrive. As it crossed onto the pavement from the gra.s.s, it leaped into the air to attack my face. As I was running at nearly full speed towards it, it was flying at full speed towards me. If we were both driving a car at this speed, the head-on collision would most likely be fatal. In this case, it would be undoubtedly fatal for the rabbit, since it was so smaller than me. I raised my right fist against it, and just as it was about to close in on me, I swung through with a light jab. I heard a familiar crinkle of small bones as my fist collided with the rabbit's head, which didn't even have the chance to open its mouth.

The thing was definitely dead this time. I didn't even need to inspect it to confirm the kill. Because the moment the rabbit started flying backwards, I could see that its head was somewhat caved in, and its neck was snapped at an unnatural angle.

I suddenly heard a short digital jingle in my head, as if a computer were indicating something of relevance had occurred. I was surprised, but whatever it was, I didn't have time to pay attention to it at the moment.

Another thing that surprised me was my strength. Although I knew my body had gotten stronger, I didn't realize the implications of the feeling until now. The rabbit I punched flew back over ten meters and collided with the garage door of the closest house with some force to spare. If my punch didn't kill it, the collision with the garage door definitely did. The crash alone would have disrupted the functions of many internal organs, with a concussion not out of the question.

*Well, that was perfect. My sudden increase in strength is definitely a blessing.*

The two other rabbits approaching me from the front had jumped at the same time as the first one. Thanks to my forward momentum, the two whizzed by my right side without even touching me. They landed in the middle of the street, right where the other three were approaching me from.

I admired my handiwork for a half second and turned around.

At this point, there were five remaining. And I had a clear visual on all of them.

*This is perfect.*

I knew where any possible threat could come from, and I didn't need to worry about my back since there was a wall there. I mean, it's a garage door, but it doesn't really make a difference.

*Despite seeing one of their comrades murdered in front of their eyes, their mental state doesn't seem affected at all.*

They were still charging at me with their beady red eyes, although they were in a different formation this time. Three of them were leading the charge, while the two that needed to switch direction after jumping at me followed in tandem.

*Uh... how am I going to do this...*

Just because I could see my threats didn't mean I could properly deal with them. Like I said earlier. I only have two arms. And there are five targets.

*I guess I'll just do the same thing as last time?*

I quickly developed another battle plan for the next segment of the fight.

*... Let's go.*

Adrenaline welling up within me, I charged at the rabbit on the leftmost side once again. A scene nearly identical to the previous one played out. It jumped at my face, I punched its skull with my left hand, and watched it go flying. Although the rabbit didn't hit a wall at the end of its flight, I was still pretty sure it was dead from the way its head was snapped. It failed to land on its feet. It hit the concrete on its side, rolled over a few times due to inertia, then finally came to a stop, trailing a little bit of blood along the way.

*And it's going to be the same for you!*

I pulled back my left arm, stepped forward with my left leg, and punched with my right arm at a second rabbit - one of the ones in the back that had tried attacking me earlier. Since this punch had more power in it thanks to my running start and dominant arm, instead of hearing a high pitched crinkling, I could hear a slightly lower pitched *crack*. The skull was most likely split open. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling, but...

*It would be great if you would just NOT attack me? Then I wouldn't have to kill you...*

As soon as I had this thought, my concentration on the fight was broken. This was literally a fatal mistake. Although three hostiles were down, there were still three to go. Failing to pay attention to them led to the most pain I had ever felt in my life. The live rabbit closest to me didn't jump as high as the other three, probably learning from the mistakes of its friends. It was able to latch onto the right side of my abdomen with its incredibly sharp teeth - teeth far sharper than any normal rabbit should have. But there was no point in trying to apply logic to these things now. Everything in this world had gone far beyond the concept of logic found on Earth. As if the world were moving in slow motion, I felt the jaws of a h.e.l.l-born rabbit - no, creature - closing. There was no way I'd use the word "rabbit" or "bunny" to define these things anymore. It was as if two knives were stabbed into my abdomen. One on the right side of my stomach. One on the right side of my back. It didn't matter how hard my muscles were. It was torn through easily by teeth that rivaled the sharpest knives in the best kitchens.

Once again, it was a repeat of a previous scene. Blood started trickling out of the wound. It didn't hurt at first, but I knew the pain was yet to come. I was in a state of shock, unable to move for a brief moment. Fortunately, the other two rabbits were really dumb. They were already flying through the air in a direction that missed me. I would probably have died if both of them managed to land hits on me as well. That was my only solace in this grim situation.

The d.a.m.n thing was wriggling around, as if trying to bite a chunk out of me. The pain registered at this exact moment.

"..."

I wanted to scream, but for some reason nothing came out. Only tears fell from my eyes. I gritted my teeth and yelled internally.

*Do I really have to do this again?!*

I shuddered at the thought of the pain of extracting an embedded foreign ent.i.ty from my body. But there was no other choice, unless I wanted these... things still stuck in me. The teeth of this... thing that were as sharp as knives.

Once again, this was a repet.i.tion of a previous scene. I grabbed the top and bottom jaw of the abomination and pried the mouth open. It resisted. It tried to bite down as hard as it could, as it it were savoring the taste of flesh. But this resistance meant nothing in the face of my newfound strength and adrenaline. Indeed, I had used so much strength that the mandible of the rabbit snapped cleanly off its cranium.

At this moment, other than blood bags, there was more blood in one spot than I had ever seen in my life. The blood from earlier on my s.h.i.+n couldn't even compare. The blood from the... thing. The blood from myself. All of it combined into one congealing puddle. The amount of blood I could see, along with a dismembered skull of another living organism, caused me to go into minor shock.

The digital jingle resounded once more in my head. I wanted to tell it to shut up. But there was no way to. Sounds wouldn't come out of my mouth, and even if they could, there was no way to know where it was coming from, or what purpose it served. So I stood there in a semi-conscious rage.

The time I spent standing still led to the first side effect of blood loss.

Losing 15% of your blood rapidly leads to lightheadedness and nausea.

*Did I already lose that much? That's impossible, right?*

Despite me being able to think clearly for that moment, I was unable to react to any external stimulus. One more foe was out of commission, but there were still two remaining. The fight wasn't over yet.

But after this moment, it was no longer a fight. It was the beginning of the end. My uncanny ability to sense danger was gone. The moment I turned around again, the two remaining creatures had already jumped into the air and were heading towards me at a blazing speed. The pain from the wound and the nausea prevented me from reacting. Both of them tore at a side of my abdomen, as if learning from its former pack mate's behavior. One from the left, and the one on the right was fast approaching. The one on the left stabbed into me first, creating a fresh new mark. Once again, the pain of being stabbed with two knives coursed through my body. Once again, a repet.i.tion of a previous scene played out. Blood trickled out, staining the predator's teeth and fur. This wasn't much anymore. My brain was overloaded with pain signals. This was by far the most pain I had ever felt in my life. But more was yet to come. I tried to pry open its jaws like I had practiced twice before, but I wasn't in time. While I was panicking with both of my hands on one foe, the other took advantage of my mistake and latched onto the exact spot of the existing bite mark on my right side.

I remembered the ringing noise in my head that would play at times like this, and I heard it again. Although I didn't realize it right away, I came to know that I was hallucinating it. I wanted to scream, but my brain wouldn't even form coherent thoughts. Even screaming internally became impossible.

I should have known what would happen next. But I wasn't prepared for it. As if two simultaneous bites weren't bad enough, the one on the right started wriggling. It hurt. There were no more words to describe the pain of this level. It simply hurt. It felt as if two knives were being twisted inside of me.

Then I felt lighter. The sudden change in weight caused me to lose my balance. With my left side a lot heavier, I tipped over in that direction. I collapsed onto the ground straight onto my back, with my left side taking most of the impact.

I should've known what was going to happen, yet I wasn't ready for it.

My head felt as light as a balloon, yet I struggled to turn it to confirm the condition of the right side of my abs. With what I saw, reality set in. A chunk of myself was missing, and blood wouldn't stop flowing. In fact, it was pouring out onto the concrete faster than I'd ever seen blood move before. Losing blood at this rate, it wouldn't be long before I encountered a deadly side effect of blood loss in this scenario.

Losing 30-40% of your blood causes unconsciousness.

I knew I couldn't let that happen, or it would be all over. But I couldn't move anymore. I was in major shock. Seeing a piece of myself gone was the last straw, much less seeing that piece being chewed on by a creature resembling a rabbit. A creature which should have been a herbivore by nature.

It didn't matter how much I struggled. It didn't matter how much I wanted to live. Nothing would stop the bleeding. The more I bled, the faster my sentience receded away. The silver lining in this case was the subsiding pain.

My fading consciousness suddenly triggered a few memories. Memories that felt so real, as if I were experiencing them again.

A voice echoed in my dreamlike state.

"How strong is your will to live?"

Then I saw a face that shouldn't have been here. The face of someone so kind and protective of her juniors, yet so willing to crush them in stupid battles of intellect.

*Such an ironic personality. I guess it runs in the family.*

I imagined that I was back on Earth. Back on school grounds, where everything was normal. No. For all intensive purposes, I really *was* back on Earth. There was only one person in front of me. One person who mattered to me more than anyone else in the world.

*Well. Maybe not absolutely everyone else. I love my parents too... Anyway, is this what they call the sensation of life flas.h.i.+ng before your eyes?*

Looking at her calmed me down. But I absolutely didn't need what she said in that moment.

"Hey, Jon. If you were stuck somewhere remote, do you think you could muster your will to live?"

I felt like crying at that moment. I let her down. I let my parents down. I let my best friend down, who was looking forward to so many fun matches in the future. I couldn't respond to that question. However, I didn't need to. My dream self responded automatically in the most carefree way possible.

"Sure. Why not?"

*YOU f.u.c.kING IDIOT!*

That's exactly what I wanted to tell at myself for saying that. My carefree att.i.tude is what put me in this situation. And there's no escaping it at this point. Therefore, this heart wrenching dream sequence continued.

"Really? I'm glad, then."

She then smiled her warmest smile. Under normal circ.u.mstances, I, too, would have been warmed. But I felt nothing but emptiness now. As if it were a curse, my flashback ended right there.

Suddenly, I felt liberated. I don't know what it was, but it felt like all my power had been restored from nothing. In fact, I was even free to fly around. But I shouldn't have looked down. Because it was the most disturbing thing I had ever seen in my life.

What I saw was my own body torn to shreds, with guts and viscera spread out everywhere in the middle of a driveway.

Although I was put into a state of shock one final time, I was able to form one final thought as my consciousness finally fizzled out into nothing.

*Oh... I'm dead.*