CHAPTER 3 — Adapt or Die
Warmth.
If the hollow log offered anything, it was that.
For the next several hours—maybe more, maybe less; time blurred in a place without clocks—I drifted between light sleep and uneasy alertness. Rabbit instincts were relentless. Even when exhaustion pulled at me, my ears twitched at every distant creak of frozen branches or whistle of wind.
But nothing came. No predator came sniffing the entrance. No crunch of heavy paws on snow.
Only the quiet, as I felt alone in the log.
I used the time to simply… exist. I needed to adjust. To think.
Everything about this body still felt alien. My heartbeat remained fast, my breathing quick and shallow compared to my old human self. But within that frantic rhythm, there was something else—
Life.
Real, burning life. I felt alive. Survival instincts humming through every nerve.
Eventually, i woke up to a soft chime echoed in my skull.
[Quest Complete: Survive 24 Hours]
Reward Granted: +1 Physique
Warmth bloomed through me, sudden and startling, spreading through my muscles like a slow, controlled fire.
Then came the changes.
My limbs tingled, as the bones inside them shifting subtly into a sturdier form. My chest expanded with new strength. Even my fur thickened slightly, fluffing out like winter down. It felt… good. Powerful.
I exhaled in wonder.
"So Physique affects… everything physical," I murmured to myself. My muscles, and bones felt better. Strength and stamina seemed to flow more easily though my small body. Even the temperature seemed more tolerant than before.
A window opened without me calling it.
Name: Kyree
Species: Snowbound Hare
Level: 1
Physique: 3
Spirit: 2
Mana: 2 (2)
Perception: 2
Magic: Space
One point made a difference. A big one.
I stretched experimentally in the cramped log. My limbs obeyed more cleanly. I didn't wobble or teeter like before. My movements felt sharper, more controlled.
"Good," I whispered. "I'll need every advantage."
Because outside this log was the real world. The dangerous world. The world where I was prey, not predator.
But I had one trump card. Space Magic.
The memory of pain made me flinch internally, but the thrill of power lingered. I needed to understand my limits. I wouldn't push myself so hard that I collapse again, but I needed to get used to using magic, to the point where it comes naturally.
I took a deep breath, calmed my jittering pulse, and focused on that subtle hum in the air.
Space.
I reached for it again—not pushing mana, just feeling the shape of the world. And slowly, like a curtain lifting, the ambient tension of the forest revealed itself.
Space had layers, threads. I could feel distances, weights, boundaries.
Space wasn't empty. It was structure.
My mana had recovered during the night.
[Mana: 2]
Time for another test.
I stepped toward the inner wall of the hollow log. I chose a spot where the wood was worn thin, softened by decay. My mana was precious—I wouldn't waste it smashing stone. No first I need to actually see if this was possible or I'm out of my league here.
I focused. Imagined a small tear .A cut in the shape of a line. A blade made of folded space.
"Spatial Blade," I whispered.
Mana rushed from me— different than a slow plus like before. This time it was clean, and immediate, almost sharp.
The air in front of me wavered.
A distortion shot forward like a thin ripple. Barely visible—but lethal.
It didn't hit the wood. It ignored it. No, it went through the wood, like the wood didn't exist on the axis the spell traveled.
A thin crack formed, slicing vertically down the inner trunk. Wood dust puffed outward where the line opened a small gash.
My heart skipped.
"That… was a cut. A real cut!"
My 'Space Move' skill wasn't just a sensory ripple. It was a weapon.
This skill was versatile, and formless. A tool limited only by imagination—and mana cost... da,n that was another thing.
Another notification blinked.
[Mana: 1 (2)]
I nodded to myself. One point per use. It was manageable. I'd need to be careful not to overextend again, but this? This was something I could use to defend myself.
Maybe even hunt.
I paused.
Hunt?
Yeah. I would need food eventually. Berries, roots, or anything edible. And if something tried to eat me first… I wouldn't just roll over.
Still, magic alone wouldn't be enough. Mana was too small of a pool.
I glanced again at my stats.
Physique: 3
Spirit: 2
Mana: 2
Perception: 2
They were so low. I wanted that Mana up. I needed it up.
But also… Physique mattered for survival. Perception mattered for noticing threats. Spirit… I still wasn't entirely sure what Spirit did.
Decision-making, maybe? Power growth? Magical potential? The name was too vague.
I huffed.
"System… how do I increase my stats?"
A pause. Then a text appeared before me— not a voice, no this felt like a message.
Stats increase through : – Training (Physical training for Physique, Mana control for Mana) – Roulette rewards can sometimes offer stat points – Quest completion will sometimes reward stat points – Killing other beings will result in experience gain (at each level you receive 10 free points) – Evolution (When you evolve race your existence is elevated, resulting in a change in how stats appear)
A chill crawled down my spine as I read the message. The first part was fine but the further I went the more the reality of my situation settled.
"Killing other beings…?" I repeated quietly.
I wasn't against the idea. Survival meant something else here. But still, the thought weighed heavy.
I was an eighteen-year-old nobody who'd never so much as killed a bug on purpose. But now…? In this body of a weak little rabbit?
It wasn't kill or be killed.
It was adapt or die.
I looked at the last line Evolution (When you evolve race your existence is elevated, resulting in a change in how stats appear) I wasn't sure if I fully understood it, but my guess means a 10 in Physique for a bunny is different than a 10 for a human, or even a dragon. I wasn't sure if those kind of creatures existed in this world yet, but still.
I had a goal, find a way to evolve, maybe and this is a long maybe, but maybe there's a way for me turn human again. Having thumbs would be nice, but just being a rabbit made no sense. I didn't know how to Evolve or anything really, and that needed to change.
********************************************************
I stood at the mouth of the hollow log. My whiskers twitched, catching faint vibrations in the frosty air.
I was stronger now—slightly. I could definitely move better now, I had been practicing moving around while in the log for the past day. And my mana had enough for another ripple or two.
Time to find food. I was starting to get hundred and while for water I could melt some snow to drink, for food I had to step outside.
The world outside was bright. Painfully bright. The snow reflected sunlight with a harsh glare that made my rabbit eyes squint.
Still, my 2 Perception did enough that I didn't stumble blindly through the frozen landscape. My ears swiveled constantly, picking up faint rustles, the crackle of dry bark, far-off wind. I was getting more comfortable with my body, as if it just made sense that my ears could bend. Or how I knew how to jump forward in a way where I could maybe land on some of the lower branches of the trees above me.
The knowledge of being rabbit seemed to become almost instinct.
After about half an hour of walking around lost, the feeling of impatience and curiosity nudged me.
I pushed out a tiny ripple—just a small Space Move without a target.
The world lit up around me again, a mental map spanning nearly thirty feet. Every ridge of snow, every root buried below, the faint outline of a rock half-hidden beneath ice.
[Mana: 1 (2)]
It felt a little draining after pushing my sense to the max, but it was worth it.
Because there— were berries. A cluster of frost-covered red orbs clung to branches peeking out from under snow. They looked… edible? Maybe. Hopefully.
I hopped forward cautiously.
My nose twitched as I sniffed them. They had a faintly sweet-sour scent. It was a sharp and crisp, the kind of smell fruit had when the cold preserved it.
"Hunger test number one," I muttered.
I bit into one berry.
Cold exploded across my tongue, followed by a sweet, refreshing taste that reminded me of grapes crossed with pomegranates.
"Oh hell yeah," I squeaked. "This is good!"
I ate three berries. Then a fourth. My stomach warmed pleasantly, filling with energy.
Another notification blinked.
[You have consumed Frostcap Berries]
Minor Health Regeneration for 10 minutes. Mana Regeneration slightly boosted during effect.
I froze.
Then grinned—well, as much as a rabbit could grin.
"Perfect timing. Let's test something else."
I turned toward a nearby frozen bush, closed my eyes, and focused.
Space Magic wasn't just about cutting or sensing. It wasn't teleportation—not yet. But movement? That might work. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself but I could cut space, then moving it similar to telekinesis should work... right?
I placed a berry before me and focused all my attention on. Now that I had this thought I wanted to test my magic and see what my space magic could actually do. Plus I could feel my mana slowly fill with every breath, It was small, but I could tell that soon I would have another point of mana to use.
With my attention focused on the berry I imagined space bending in a way that made the berry float. It wasn't anti-gravity, or simple telekinesis, no this was space moving, bending. Under my control.
"Move," I whispered.
Mana surged. I felt the space around me waver as if touched.
The world shifted—
And the berry floated up off the ground, held in place by an invisible hand. Sparkling in the light as my mana wrapped around the berry to keep it held in place.
Then I felt my breath catch, my mana stopped, and the berry held still for moment— then it dropped with soft thud on the snow, falling deep engirt to get covered up and hidden deep in the snow. My legs collapsed immediately afterward.
[Mana: 0 (2)]
"Ow. Okay. Too fast. Too much."
But I laughed—or whatever the rabbit equivalent was. A giddy feeling bubbled in my chest.
I'd moved space. Actually used magic! Magic!
Yes, I collapsed, and yes, my mana was zero again, and yes, overusing it would kill me.
But I'd done something!
For the first time in life I actually felt a little in control, a little powerful.
I was still grinning when my ears perked sharply.
It was a sound. Something soft? no it sounded like snow crunching?.... No this was the sound of snow shifting under weight.
And it sounded it heavier, than when I moved through the snow.
My heart dropped. And I froze completely still.
The sound was louder now, but then it stoped behind me.
I slowly turned my head.
A silhouette stood about twenty feet (6m) behind me, framed by the white horizon.
It was a tall creature. It was lean, with gray fur, and piercing yellow eyes. It's teeth snarled as it was looked directly at me.
A wolf.
My breath stoped. My muscles locked instinctively. Every instinct in my new 'prey' body screamed at me to freeze.
Then the wolf lowered itself to the ground.
Ready to pounce.
My blood ran cold.
Shit.
I tried to move. My legs trembled. But I had to move.
My mana empty, so my strength was limited. I only had 3 points in Physique, but it was my higher stat. I'd need to outthink it. I'm a human after all and this is just a mangy dog.
The wolf inched closer, it's nose twitching, and teeth visible beneath its curled lip.
Its breath fogged the cold air. While strands of saliva dripped from its mouth onto the snow.
I was going to die. My first real day in this world and I was about to die to a generic predator.
"No," I whispered.
My ears folded back. My body shook, but something hot twisted inside my chest.
No.
I refused to go out like that—not again, not because someone or something else forced my hand.
My life was mine. If I was going die here I was going to do be best to take this fucker out with me.
The wolf stepped forward.
I took a step back.
Then another.
Then—
It lunged.
Its body cut through the snow like a missile.
I didn't think.
I jumped.
Not with anything supernatural, but with my pure rabbit legs. I kicked hard off the ground pushing myself as high as I could go.
I moved like a rabbit with determination in its bones.
I dodged.
Snow exploded around me.
The wolf had missed me by inches, landing where I'd stood a heartbeat earlier. Its claws tore through the frost, flinging powder into the air. It snarled and turned sharply.
My heart hammered, in my chest and my mind blazed. I wasn't sure what I could do to this wolf but I was determined to not go down without a fight.
My legs coiled.
If I wanted to live—Really live—I had to fight.
Even as a rabbit.
Especially as a rabbit.
The wolf lunged again—
And I prepared to move.