Chapter 6 - 5: Rabbit will return

It was six in the morning. All three of us stood silently near the front door of our apartment, each carrying a backpack packed with the bare essentials—bottles of clean water, energy bars, knives, and the 20-meter rope I always kept in my emergency kit. None of us had slept properly. All night, we’d been haunted by distant howls, grotesque snarls, and the occasional human scream that chilled the blood. I knelt by the barricade we’d set up and carefully removed the furniture without making a sound. My heart thumped like a drum against my ribs. As I slowly turned the handle and opened the door, a rancid stench of blood hit my nostrils. And then—I froze. Right near the elevators, a grotesque bat-like creature crouched over a corpse, chewing with frenzied delight,twice the size of a dog. It looked up. Its face was warped, somewhere between a fruit bat and a nightmare. Human-like eyes glistened with hunger. Its fangs were long, yellow, and coated in fresh blood. It licked its lips and let out a shrill screech, wings stretching wide like leathery blades. The thing raised its head, blood dripping from its mouth, and let out a low snicker. Ye-Rin gasped and staggered back. The bat lunged.It glides in the air. Time slowed. My instincts kicked in. I stepped forward and swung my staff upward, catching it mid-air with a crack across the face. The force of the blow sent it spinning through the air, crashing behind me with a shriek of pain. It writhed and shrieked, flapping its wings wildly. I readied for another strike—but Ye-Rin was faster. With a wild yell, she charged and brought her fire axe down with both hands. The head of the axe sank into the creature’s skull. There was a wet, cracking sound as blood splashed across the floor and walls. The bat twitched once. Then went still. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Ye-Rin stared at the bloodied axe in her hands, her chest rising and falling. "I... I killed it," she said, half in awe, half in shock. "Was it always that easy?" "No," I replied. "You just don’t realize how strong you are." "You were able to hold back that bat yesterday, remember?" Mother added, her tone calm, almost clinical. "You’ve changed. It’s your class. Strength is your gift now." Ye-Rin’s eyes widened a little. Then she smiled—nervous, unsteady. "I think I like it." I didn’t say it aloud, but I could see the tremble in her hands. This wasn’t a video game. That wasn’t just a monster—it was someone’s killer. Someone’s nightmare. And we had just murdered it. I looked down at the corpse it had been feeding on. It was Mr. Kang—our next-door neighbor. A kind man who often brought us homemade snacks during holidays. His wife, who baked the best bread in the building, was nowhere in sight. Ye-Rin stumbled back. "T-That’s Mr. Kang... I-I saw him just two days ago." Our mother, said nothing at first. She stepped closer, her cold eyes studying the torn remains. "He’s gone," she said in a flat tone. "And this is just the beginning. If we don’t adapt, we’ll end up like him." I swallowed hard, the reality crashing over me. Mr. Kang had a family. He’d laughed with us. Lived with us. And now... he was just meat. We stepped over his body. None of us spoke again until we began descending the stairs. The upper floors were relatively untouched, only scattered claw marks and cracked walls hinting at violence. But as we descended further—floor by floor—the horror deepened. Dark red trails of blood snaked along the walls. Some rooms had doors torn off their hinges. We passed broken glass, splattered gore, and the occasional unidentifiable body part. Sometimes, we heard muffled crying. Sometimes, we heard nothing at all. And sometimes— Screams. Human screams. They echoed through the stairwell like the cries of damned souls. As we descended, each floor got worse. The twelfth floor was nearly spotless—no blood, no bodies. "No blood... That’s a good sign, right?" Ye-Rin asked, half-hopeful. Mother glanced around. "Maybe. But it could also mean the people here are hiding—afraid. Or already gone." "Do you remember the penalty for failing the first mission?" I asked. "If we don’t defeat the boss on the seventh day..." Mother answered, voice low. "Everyone in our district dies. Even those who hide and those who tried." We grew silent again. By the tenth, crimson streaks painted the walls, and doors were cracked open. Distant human screams echoed through the shaft, reminding us we weren’t alone.By the 8th floor, the stench of death had grown stronger. That’s when we saw them. A group of rabbits—eight in total. Seven were pure white, but one, in the center, was pitch black with crimson eyes. They were hunched over a torn human body—what was left of a woman. Her limbs were gone, face disfigured, her blood pooled beneath them. The black one looked up. And screamed. Its cry pierced the silence like a blade. "Shit," I hissed. "They love screaming, don’t they?" The rabbits surged forward, one of the white ones spinning like a ball—like a fastball pitch—aimed straight at my chest. Big mistake. I used to be an Ace hitter in high school. I twisted and swung my staff like a baseball bat. CRACK! The rabbit exploded into a gory mess. Its body splattered like a rotten fruit hitting concrete. Ye-Rin gasped. "What the hell?! They’re glass cannons!" "You know gaming terms?" I smirked, swinging again. Another rabbit down. But then the black one screamed again. The whole building shook. Dust rained down from the ceiling. I didn’t have time to react—five white rabbits launched toward me in perfect unison. One crashed into another mid-air. Then another. Like pinballs, they collided and scattered. I struck one with my staff. Ye-Rin caught two with a wide swing of her axe. But the last two— They reached Mother. My heart dropped. She wasn’t built for direct combat. Her HP was too low. But— She moved like a ghost. With fluid grace, she dodged one rabbit and drove her blade into its back. She spun, grabbing the last by the throat and crushed its skull with a cold expression. I stared. "That... was badass." "Don’t waste time gawking," she replied. I turned and rushed the black rabbit. It tried to dodge, but I swung my staff into its gut and knocked it back. It hit the wall hard—but instead of fighting— It ran. It darted up the stairs, impossibly fast, leaving a trail of dust and blood. We heard a notification chime. \~ You have defeated multiple enemies. \~ Experience shared equally among party members. \~ Shin Mi-Sun has leveled up to Level 3. \~ Shin Ye-Jun and Shin Ye-Rin are 84% toward Level 3. Ye-Rin blinked. "It ran away?" But the rumbling returned—louder, closer. Before we could take cover, a dust cloud surged toward us. "I guess we know now why that bitch ran away". As it cleared, a black, fur-less humanoid rabbit—around three feet tall—stood before us. It had a horn on its forehead, elongated claws, and thick, armored skin on its back. I knew instantly. "The boss..." I whispered. "This is a boss-type monster." It let out a growl that shook the walls. Then, in a blur, it was in front of me. Its claw swung forward. I raised my staff just in time to block it—but the force threw me against the wall. ~ Warning: HP below 75% ~ Use a potion or healing skill to recover. "Ye-Jun!" Ye-Rin screamed. The boss rabbit turned to her and charged. She braced herself, axe raised. The clash rang out like metal striking metal. Its armored back deflected some of the blow, but she held her ground, gritting her teeth. A light shimmered between me and the boss. ~ Shin Mi-Sun uses "False Healing." ~ HP restored by 50%. I stood up, pain screaming from my ribs. "Thanks, Mom." Mother didn’t respond—her focus was absolute. The rabbit turned and crouched again. Dust rose from its feet, masking the hallway. "Ye-Rin! Swing your axe low—cut its legs!" Mother screams. She slashed horizontally. The rabbit leapt upward, briefly visible. I struck with my staff. It spiraled through the air—right toward Mother. With cold precision, she unleashed a scythe made of pure magic. It tore through the rabbit’s chest—but it didn’t kill it. It yelped and bounced off the wall, bloodied. With one final hiss, the boss rabbit bolted down the stairwell and vanished into the dark. ~ Boss-type monster has retreated. ~ Combat concluded. Bonus experience awarded. ~ Shin Ye-Jun has leveled up to Level 4. ~ Shin Ye-Rin has leveled up to Level 4. ~ Shin Mi-Sun has leveled up to Level 5. We stood, panting. "Damn... It got away," I muttered. "But we’re alive," Ye-Rin replied, wiping blood off her cheek. "Barely." "I leveled up to 5 in one hour," Mother said, emotionless, already casting healing magic. The rabbit’s blood boiled off our wounds as she restored us. But the horror hadn’t ended. Below, more screams rose . ✦ Updated Status Sheets ✦ Name: Shin Mi-Sun Race: Human | Age: 56 Nature: Bloody Eyes Class: Priestess of the Dead Sub-Class: (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title: (Unlocks after Sub-Class) Level:005 Strength:024 | HP: 048 Agility:058 | Mana: 093 Stamina: 026 Name: Shin Ye-Jun Race: Human | Age:26 Nature: Primal Guardian Class: Druid Sub-Class: (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title:(Unlocks after Sub-Class) Level: 004 Strength:036 | HP: 058 Agility: 018 | Mana: 058 Stamina: 030 Name: Shin Ye-Rin Race: Human | Age: 19 Nature: Lucky Roulette Master Class: Dragon Rider Sub-Class: (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title: (Unlocks after Sub-Class) Level: 004 Strength: 090 | HP:054 Agility: 024 | Mana:007 Stamina:025