Terrified, Milo instinctively searched the room for anything—anything at all—he could use as a weapon against the mysterious creature approaching him.
But even after frantically tearing the place apart, he found nothing.
Meanwhile, the figure kept walking toward him, slow and steady.
Panicking, Milo backed up until his spine hit the wall. There was nowhere left to run.
His breath quickened; his anxiety spiked.
Just when he reached the brink of despair, the creature finally stepped into the faint light spilling through the window.
The dark silhouette slowly revealed itself… and it turned out to be an orange cat emerging from the shadows, something clamped between its teeth.
Milo froze. Then, slowly, he let out a shaky sigh of relief.
The monster he thought had come from the forest was actually just Pumpkin—his cat.
But even that relief didn't quite erase his uneasiness.
The strange news he'd heard on TV earlier flashed through his mind.
Milo wasn't sure whether the Pumpkin in front of him was still the same Pumpkin he knew.
"Pumpkin… what are you doing?"
Pumpkin approached with a playful, affectionate stride, meowing softly like always.
Meow~
The cat looked completely relaxed, as if oblivious to Milo's pale, terrified face.
Seeing its unchanged behavior, Milo finally began to breathe easier.
But then he noticed something: Pumpkin's body looked denser and more muscular—like it had been sculpted overnight.
And the thing in its mouth… was far from normal.
A giant sewer rat, nearly the size of a small dog.
Pumpkin nudged it proudly toward him, as if showing off a trophy.
Milo had no idea how to react.
"Pumpkin, good job… but put the rat down first. What if it carries a disease? Do you want to get shots?"
Pumpkin immediately became defensive. It didn't want to let go—but it also didn't want to lose its prize. The cat's growling made Milo even more nervous.
What if it wasn't just humans who'd been transported to this strange world… but the diseases too? Maybe even plagues?
In the end, Milo spoke in a firm tone.
After a long session of coaxing, Pumpkin finally gave in and set the rat down.
Milo exhaled in relief.
"At least even if the outside world has changed… my Pumpkin is still my Pumpkin."
But the moment of joy didn't last long.
Milo realized he didn't even know if he could meet their basic needs anymore.
Luxuries?
Impossible.
Finding food for himself would already be hard enough.
Pumpkin moved as if to drop the rat for good, but Milo stopped him.
"Wait, Pumpkin. Don't."
Pumpkin gave him a confused, annoyed look.
"I think… it'd be a waste to throw it away. You caught it. We should keep it."
Pumpkin eyed him suspiciously, making Milo curse internally.
Damn it, did the cat get smarter?
Pumpkin eventually agreed, and Milo grabbed a plastic container from the kitchen.
Carefully, Pumpkin lowered the rat into it.
Milo hurried to seal the container tightly, poking several holes for air.
The rat—which had been limp and near death minutes ago—suddenly thrashed wildly inside.
"Shit!" Milo jumped.
He slammed a gas canister onto the lid. Only then did the rat stop shaking, and Milo was able to breathe again.
With everything finally settled, Milo sat down, trying to calm his nerves.
But a few minutes later, Pumpkin's growl made him turn.
The rat had almost escaped—chewing a hole through the side of the container.
Thankfully, Pumpkin had been watching.
Seeing that, Milo realized he had no choice but to kill it.
If a rat this big escaped, who knew what could happen?
The mere thought of giant rats seeking revenge sent shivers down his spine.
"Pumpkin, hold it."
He took the rat out, and as soon as Pumpkin clamped down again, the creature went still—obedient—as if its earlier frenzy had been nothing but an illusion.
Milo grabbed a heatproof glove and a large kitchen knife. Pumpkin placed the rat on the cutting board.
When Milo gripped the rat's body, he felt just how solid and dense its muscles were.
He frowned but pushed the doubt aside.
Swish!
The knife came down on the rat's neck.
Thud!
The rat shuddered; blood seeped out—but the cut was shallow. Its muscles were as hard as stone.
Milo raised the knife again for a second strike—only for the rat's trembling to throw off his aim.
Clang!
The knife hit the board, missing entirely. The rat slipped free, turning to stare at Milo with feral eyes.
"I'm dead…" Milo whispered.
The rat lunged. Milo panicked, but his mind worked fast—he threw the cutting board to throw off its trajectory.
But the rat only accelerated, growing more vicious by the second.
Its yellow, slimy teeth aimed straight for his arm.
Milo squeezed his eyes shut. He even had a fleeting thought that he'd have to cut off his arm if it got infected.
But just before the rat could bite—
A flash of yellow shot forward.
Pumpkin rammed the rat, sending it flying.
Thud!
While it was still dazed, Pumpkin's jaws locked around its body.
The rat struggled—wild, ferocious—but it couldn't break free.
Pumpkin's bite was like a steel trap.
Milo stood frozen, trembling.
Only when he saw Pumpkin fully restrain the rat did he finally regain control of his limbs.
Pumpkin stood over the rat like a tiny hero, tail flicking proudly.
"Huff… that was close."
Milo grabbed the knife again. He couldn't hesitate.
The rat thrashed when it saw him approach, but Pumpkin held firm.
Milo struck several times until the creature finally stopped moving.
But he didn't trust it immediately. He tapped the rat's body repeatedly to make sure it was really dead.
The memory of it playing dead earlier still lingered vividly.
At last, the rat's breathing ceased completely. Milo nearly collapsed, leaning against the counter.
"That was… way too close," he muttered.
He stared at the rat's corpse.
If a sewer rat was this strong, what about the creatures roaming the forests outside?
"If even a rat is like this… maybe I really am in the wrong world."
As he prepared to clean up the corpse, something strange happened.
The rat's body pulsed—not with movement, but with light.
A soft white glow bloomed from the corpse like a tiny flower.
Milo jerked back. At first he thought it was just some final bodily reflex.
But then the light lifted… and drifted toward him.
"Shit!"
He tried to dodge, but the light pursued him relentlessly.
In a split second, it shot straight into his forehead—right between his eyebrows.
His vision spun violently. A sharp pain stabbed through his skull.
Then darkness swallowed everything.